Wendy Sherman: “Members of this House will remember that, just a few months ago, we passed very similar legislation in the House to the…”

“Members of this House will remember that, just a few months ago, we passed very similar legislation in the House to the bill that is in front of us today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), who is an important leader on this issue. The gentleman wrote the House version of this bill. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California (Mr. Sherman) for his leadership on this and so many other important issues to uphold a high standard of human rights. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2710, the Placing Restrictions on Teargas Exports and Crowd Control Technology to Hong Kong Act, otherwise known as the PROTECT Hong Kong Act. I am proud to have introduced this bipartisan legislation, along with my colleagues Chris Smith from New Jersey and Ro Khanna from California, in the House. Senator Merkley and Senator Cornyn introduced it in the Senate. This bill responds to the excessive and unnecessary use of force by the Hong Kong police targeting those engaged in peaceful protests. The PROTECT Hong Kong Act prohibits U.S. exports of police equipment to Hong Kong, including tear gas, pepper spray, grenades, rubber bullets, foam rounds, beanbag rounds, pepper balls, water cannons, stun guns, and tasers. The Hong Kong Police Force is simply out of control. The reckless and escalating use of violence flies in the face of manufacturer guidelines and international standards on the use of force.…”