Tillis’ bipartisan genocide prevention, response bill signed into law

U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 14 signed into law bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to support how the United States will prevent and respond to genocide and other human rights crimes around the globe.

“I am proud to be a part of this bipartisan legislation that will strengthen our government’s effectiveness in combating these atrocities, and I will continue to work with my colleagues across the aisle in the new Congress on this important issue,” Sen. Tillis said on Jan. 17.

The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018, S. 1158, was sponsored in May 2017 by U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and named in honor of the American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor who died in 2016. The bill states that it is U.S. policy to regard the prevention of genocide and other atrocity crimes as a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility, according to the congressional record summary.

“The United States is a leader in preventing genocide and other human rights violations around the world, and we must reaffirm our commitment to those efforts now more than ever,” said Sen. Tillis.

Under the new law, a Mass Atrocities Task Force will be established within the U.S. State Department to coordinate with federal agencies across the government to monitor, analyze and address worldwide atrocities, identify policy gaps, and consult with non-government organizations and other groups to bolster prevention efforts, according to the text of S. 1158.

The new law also recommends that the director of National Intelligence include atrocity crime information in its annual report to Congress and authorizes specialized training for U.S. Foreign Service Officers who will be deployed to a country experiencing or at risk of mass atrocities to spot and report early signs of such crimes, among other provisions.

Additionally, the law prioritizes preventive diplomacy through unilateral, bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, according to the text.

The bill garnered 33 other cosponsors who joined Sen. Tillis in supporting the bill, including U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

Support for the measure also came from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which in a Dec. 14, 2018 letter sent to bill sponsors called it “an important step toward developing a bipartisan congressional blueprint for making ‘never again’ real by taking practical steps to mitigate the systematic persecution of vulnerable groups.”