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Smith-Payne Bill Eliminates Evacuation Fees for Americans Fleeing Crisis Abroad |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Donald Payne (D-NJ) today introduced legislation to eliminate the reimbursement requirements for Americans who are evacuated from overseas when their lives are endangered. Smith is chairman of the subcommittee that oversees State Department operations and Payne is the ranking Democrat member. “Forcing American citizens to pay for emergency evacuations when an international crisis occurs is outrageous. As we work to promote democracy in other parts of the world, we should be setting an example by protecting our own citizens without demanding repayment for ushering them to safety,” said Payne. The Smith-Payne bill, H.R. 5873, amends current law to give the State Department flat out authority to use appropriated funds to pay for emergency evacuation services for Americans whose lives are endangered by war, civil unrest or natural disaster overseas. As written now, Last week, the State Department announced it would not require Americans evacuated from “Americans who have been evacuated from Lebanon have undergone a traumatic experience fleeing danger to save their lives,” Smith said. “The Secretary of State made the correct call in waiving the reimbursement requirements. Our bill strikes the reimbursement provision all together so time is not lost and citizens are not making safety decisions based on finances while the State Department assesses its reimbursement options.” “In addition to the trauma of being caught in the crossfire during a conflict, many families also suffer an economic impact as they are forced to leave possessions behind. It is just wrong for our government to add to the emotional and financial burden of our own citizens as they flee from harm's way,” said Payne. The The U.S. Embassy in | ||
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For Immediate Release: July 25, 2006 Contact: Patrick Creamer (202) 225-3765 |
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