Royce ‘Rewards’ Legislation Targeting Kony Clears House Floor
Legislation Focuses on International Criminals and Worst Human Rights Abusers; LRA’s Joseph Kony key target of new authority
Washington,
Jul 17 -
This evening, the House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 6018) authorizing the basic functions of the Department of State. Included in the legislation are provisions authored by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) in H.R. 4077 to revise and update the State Department’s rewards program, currently focused mainly on terrorists and drug traffickers. When Royce's provision is signed into law, the rewards program will expand to also target transnational organized criminals and those wanted for the most serious human rights abuses.
"This bill responds to the need to develop more tools to pursue the world’s worst.
"Target one is Joseph Kony, the sadistic head of the LRA. U.S. military advisors working in Central Africa consider a reward offer on Kony as critical to their effort. They need this tool in the field now. The Senate should pass this legislation as quickly as possible.
"Critically, this legislation also responds to the growing links between terrorists and transnational criminals. Targeting those who assist terrorists and drug cartels by providing weapons, sophisticated forgeries, and money laundering is just as important as targeting the organizations themselves. A rewards program in this area can help disrupt these transnational organized crime networks," said Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
Earlier this year, in testimony in front of Royce’s Subcommittee, the senior State Department official dealing with war crimes called this legislation "critical" to the effort to locate Kony. Last month, in a letter in support of H.R. 4077, the Department of Defense noted that these rewards programs "provide the Combatant Commander and Chief of Mission with relatively low-cost and effective tools to achieve national security objectives."
Background: Since the program’s inception in 1984 under President Reagan, the U.S. government has given rewards to over 70 people who provided actionable intelligence, that according to the State Department, prevented international terrorist attacks or helped convict individuals involved in terrorist acts. Royce led Congressional efforts to see that international arms dealer Viktor Bout, arrested in Thailand in 2008, was extradited to the U.S. to stand trial. In 2010, Royce – a former chair of the Africa Subcommittee – was an original sponsor of the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. The successful legislation made it the policy of the U.S. to "apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield."
Royce introduced H.R. 4077 on February 17, 2012. The legislation has garnered significant bipartisan support. Senate companion legislation (S. 2318) was introduced in April. The legislation is supported by the Departments of State and Defense.
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