Duval Times

Three bills led by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) aimed at preventing the Chinese Communist Party from exploiting the United States have successfully passed the U.S. House of Representatives and are now awaiting Senate consideration.

"The House of Representatives has taken an important step to counter Communist China’s growing threat in our country. We must ensure we have measures in place to protect the interests of the American people and stand up to Beijing’s aggression. It’s in our nation’s best interest for these measures to be enacted into law and I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly pass them," said Senator Rubio.

The three pieces of legislation are as follows:

**Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act:** This bill addresses the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs), which operate as official representative offices of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the U.S., enjoying various privileges, exemptions, and immunities. In recent years, these offices have become vectors of foreign influence. The legislation seeks to reevaluate America's recognition of HKETOs following Hong Kong's loss of autonomy. U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) led the companion legislation in the House.

**Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act (FACT Act):** Currently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is prohibited from issuing new equipment licenses to companies deemed national security threats, but some companies with ties to foreign adversaries still hold certain authorizations or licenses from the FCC. This bill would require the FCC to publish a list of companies holding FCC authorizations, licenses, or other grants that are owned wholly or partially by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro's regime. U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) led the companion legislation in the House.

**Sanctions List Harmonization Act:** Different U.S. government agencies use varying criteria for sanctioning adversaries and preventing them from engaging in the U.S. economy, benefiting countries like Communist China due to this lack of coordination. This bill mandates that the U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. Department of Commerce, and U.S. Department of Defense notify each other when a foreign individual or entity is placed on a sanction list. U.S. Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) led the companion legislation in the House.