UIGHUR Act of 2019

Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019 or the UIGHUR Act of 2019

This bill imposes sourcing restrictions and export controls related to China's mass detention of the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnic group in Xinjiang province.

Executive agencies shall not procure goods or services from foreign persons who in the last three years substantially facilitated or knowingly assisted such mass detention. When procuring goods or services from U.S. persons, executive agencies shall provide adverse consideration to awarding contracts to those involved with such mass detention, and assess the availability of other sources. The President may waive these restrictions for national security or national interest purposes.

The Department of Commerce shall deny applications to export to China various technologies, including those related to artificial intelligence or biometrics, unless the applicant certifies that the technology will not be knowingly used to facilitate the mass detention of Turkic Muslims.

The Department of State shall ensure that certain U.S. diplomatic facilities in China can provide services in the Uyghur language. The State Department shall establish a website for reporting harassment or surveillance of persons in the United States by Chinese representatives or agents, and procedures for sharing such reports with law enforcement agencies.

This bill directs various agencies to report on specified topics, including China's development of technologies related to mass detection and surveillance.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov