REPS. CORY MILLS (R-FL-07) AND SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE (D-CA-37) INTRODUCE THE U.S. LEGAL GOLD AND MINING PARTNERSHIP ACT

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today, Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) introduced the House companion to the United States Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act, which was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Rubio (R-FL) and Menendez (D-NJ), to promote security and stability in our Hemisphere by countering illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere. Specifically, this bill implements a Partnership Strategy to cut off the mining revenues that Maduro and Ortega use to sustain their authoritarian regimes and that transnational criminal networks use to finance their illegal activities including narco-trafficking, human smuggling, and money laundering.

“Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro relies on profits from illicit mining, trafficking, and commercialization of gold, which feeds a cycle of egregious human rights abuses throughout the region” said Rep. Mills. “The Maduro regime’s close alignment with our adversaries, like China and Russia, has continued to propel their ruthless oppression.”

“This significant bipartisan legislation will allow the United States to counter the corrupt financing of illicit actors by establishing an international strategy to investigate, identify, and penalize these criminal linkages. I am proud to lead this effort with my colleague, Rep. Kamlager-Dove, to pave the way towards combating these illegal activities.”

“Illicit gold mining in Latin America and the Caribbean - which has the world’s highest illegal gold extraction rates - perpetuates human rights abuses against indigenous communities, causes massive environmental destruction, and provides lucrative financing for transnational criminal organizations that threaten the rule of law and democracy across the region. We know that illegal gold mining has been directly linked to corruption, forced displacement of marginalized groups, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and serious public health issues,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove.

“As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort with Congressman Mills to comprehensively combat illicit gold mining and support our Latin American partners in confronting this insidious practice, which hurts the most vulnerable in the region.”

Click HERE to read the full bill.

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