Skip to main content

Congressman Brendan Boyle Applauds House Passage of Foreign Affairs Committee Legislation He Cosponsors

November 4, 2015

Washington, DC- Today, Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA-13) applauds the House passage of important legislation originating in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, of which he is a member. Congressman Boyle is a co-sponsor of each piece of legislation:

H.R. 2494– Global Anti-Poaching Act: This legislation helps combat the poaching of elephants, rhinos and other endangered animals around the world. This bill elevates the seriousness of major wildlife trafficking offenses, putting wildlife crime on par legally with other forms of transnational organized crime and making enforcement of existing laws more likely and more effective. In recent years, poaching of these animals has reached epidemic proportions, driven by rising demand in certain Asian countries. Prices for ivory and rhino horn have increased dramatically, and as a result, terrorist organizations, rebel groups and other transnational criminal organizations have gotten into the wildlife trafficking business.

H.R. 1853 – This legislation directs the President to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in the International Criminal Police Organization. INTERPOL was designed to promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities. From 1964 until 1984, Taiwan enjoyed full membership in INTERPOL, but was later removed. Since 1984, Taiwan has relied on delayed, second-hand information about international criminals and global criminal activities, increasing its vulnerability to security threats. This legislation supports Taiwan's efforts to gain observer status within INTERPOL, improving security for all parties involved.

H. Res. 354 – This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the safety and security of Jewish communities in Europe. It urges the United States Government to encourage European governments – especially their law enforcement agencies – to collaborate with Jewish communities on security and provide statistics on anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, and urges European governments to formally recognize and partner with Jewish community groups to better secure Jewish communities. It also encourages European governments to work with their Jewish communities to develop safety standards and information sharing systems.

H. Res. 293 – This resolution expresses concern over anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement within the Palestinian Authority as antithetical to peace, and urges President Abbas and Palestinian Authority officials to discontinue all official incitement and exert influence to discourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement in Palestinian civil society. It also directs the U.S. Department of State to regularly monitor and publish information on all official Palestinian Authority incitement against Jews and Israel.