Mr. Speaker. last week I joined with Senator JACKSON and about 60 Senators and a large number of distinguished Members of the House of Representatives in introducing a bill designed to cope with the Soviet Unions policy with regard to emigration out of the Soviet Union. We have been hearing reports for quite some time that the Soviet Union is extracting exorbitant sumsblackmail amounts. in effectfrom people wishing to emigrate out of the Soviet Union. This is a deplorable situation that should be. stopped. In fact. my distinguished colleague. Congressman VANIK of Ohio. reports evidence of one emigrant being required to pay $37.000 in order to emigrate from the Soviet Union. The measure that I have introduced would require that the President make three determinations before he certifies any nonmarketeconomy country for mostfavorednation trade treatmentincluding the Soviet Union. It would require that the President find: First. he would be required to find that they are not denying any citizen the right to emigrate. Second. that they are not imposing more than a nominal tax upon any emigrant. and Third. that they are not. in any indirect way. extracting an exorbitant amount of money from an emigrant leaving the country as the price for his being allowed to leave the borders and emigrate to another country. The bill would become effective as law October 15. 1972. if passed. I think from what I have heard of the backing it is getting in the House and Senate that It has an excellent chance of passing and of giving us an effective tool to stop the unfair practice now being carried out by the Soviet Union against citizens who wish to emigrate out of that country.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration emigrant