US senators try to fast-track Hong Kong democracy bill as violence in city rises
- Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Jim Risch start ‘hotline’ to let Senate speed up approval of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
- Passage not clinched by end of business on Thursday
The United States Senate on Thursday initiated an expedited “hotline” process to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, as the escalation of violent clashes between the city’s police and protesters continue to make headlines worldwide.
US Senator Marco Rubio, the bill’s sponsor, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jim Risch, started the quick passage process in a bid to speed up the passing of the bill, which would clear the way for sanctions against individuals deemed to have violated Hong Kong’s autonomy from mainland China.
The strategic procedure carried out by the Senate’s leadership checks for last-minute opposition to bringing a bill immediately to the floor for a vote. If no senators voice opposition to sidestepping a formal vote, the bill passes.
However, Rubio and Risch were not able to clinch passage by the end of the Senate session on Thursday, according to a Senate foreign relations committee aide.
“Sometimes the hotline process takes more than a day, so it’s still moving along,” the person said, adding that the floor was closed until Monday.
Earlier in the day, Rubio, a Republican senator for Florida, urged the Senate to immediately pass the legislation.
