WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today introduced the U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act to require a comprehensive strategy from the U.S. Secretary of State to combat illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere:

“Criminal organizations and authoritarian regimes will do whatever it takes to enrich themselves, and that includes illegally mining and trafficking gold throughout Latin America,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Our bill would bring together the private sector and State Department to help our partners in the Western Hemisphere disrupt illicit mining practices and prevent bad actors from using gold to finance their nefarious acts.”

“Illicit gold mining operations in Latin America and the Caribbean are a hotbed of human rights abuses and a haven for crime and terrorism,” said Sen. Kaine. “As Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, promoting security and prosperity in the region is a top priority of mine, and this bipartisan legislation will be a key step toward that goal.”

Background:

The illicit mining and trafficking of gold is used to finance transnational criminal organizations and authoritarian governments, particularly those in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and negatively impacts the environment and the region’s economic dynamics.

The U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act would:

• Direct the U.S. Secretary of State to develop a multi-year strategy in coordination with other federal agencies to combat illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere;
• Require the strategy to include elements such as interrupting links between artisanal small-scale miners (ASM) and illicit actors, bolstering the effectiveness of anti-money laundering efforts, supporting efforts to formalize ASM miners, improving supply chain due diligence, and deterring ASM mining in protected areas;
• Mandate an investigation of the illicit gold trade in Venezuela and provide a briefing to Congress on this issue;

And create a public-private partnership in coordination with democratically-elected governments in the region to advance best practices for responsible gold value chains.