S. 5562 — Jimmy Lai Internet Freedom Act

This section states congressional findings that the People’s Republic of China has violated the Joint Declaration by using the National Security Law and Article 23 to suppress speech, assembly, religion, and the press in Hong Kong. It details specific actions including internet censorship by service providers, arrests of 47 pro-democracy activists in 2021 and convictions of 45 in 2024, the 2026 raid on bookstores, and the 20-year sentence for Jimmy Lai.

This section expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should support the people of Hong Kong in maintaining access to online information and prioritize investments in technologies that enable unhindered information exchange, in anticipation of potential Chinese Communist Party actions to suppress internet access, increase online censorship, or inhibit online communication and content-sharing.

This section defines terms used throughout the Act, including the appropriate congressional committees as the Senate and House committees on foreign relations, appropriations, and intelligence; the interagency working group as the specified State Department, Open Technology Fund, and USAID officials; and the Joint Declaration as the December 19, 1984, agreement between the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China on Hong Kong.

This section establishes a Hong Kong Internet Freedom Program in the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and authorizes a parallel program at the Open Technology Fund. It requires both programs to operate independently from mainland China internet freedom portfolios through September 30, 2031, and authorizes their consolidation with those portfolios beginning October 1, 2031. It also authorizes an interagency working group to develop a strategy for internet resiliency and online access in Hong Kong.

This section authorizes the Secretary of State to award grants through the Open Technology Fund and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to private organizations for programs in Hong Kong that expand online information access, press freedom, virtual private networks, firewall circumvention tools, and related digital security measures. It authorizes appropriations of $5 million annually to the Open Technology Fund and $10 million annually to the Bureau’s Office of Internet Freedom Programs for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, with funds available until expended.

This section requires the Secretary of State and the interagency working group to submit a classified report to the appropriate congressional committees within 120 days of enactment. The report must describe plans to increase the availability of firewall circumvention technology in Hong Kong during fiscal year 2027, preserve an open internet, expand and diversify circumvention tools, provide training for high-risk groups, award related grants, coordinate federal efforts, and advance global internet standards at international organizations.