# What the Commission on United States Occupations Act Actually Does

This bill creates a special commission to investigate and document two periods when the United States militarily occupied the Dominican Republic—from 1916 to 1924 and again from 1965 to 1966. The commission's main job is to study what happened during these occupations, figure out what went wrong, and recommend ways the U.S. government could apologize and repair its relationship with the Dominican people.

The bill asks the commission to dig into historical records and compile facts about several things: the deaths and injuries that occurred during both occupations (the bill notes that roughly 5,225 Dominicans and 192 Americans died), the damage to private property, how the U.S. supported the Trujillo dictatorship that followed the first occupation, and the long-term harm these events caused to Dominican society. The commission will also look at how the Organization of American States helped legitimize the 1965 invasion. Essentially, it's a fact-finding mission into a controversial chapter of American foreign policy.

The commission would include government officials like the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, plus members appointed by the President, House Speaker, and Senate leadership. It would also try to include Dominican representatives. These members would have the power to hold public hearings, request documents from government agencies, and call witnesses to testify. Within two years, the commission must submit a report to Congress with its findings and specific recommendations about how the U.S. could formally apologize and what steps might help repair relations and address the lasting damage from these occupations.

The bill would authorize $10 million to fund this commission's work. It's important to note that this bill doesn't automatically commit the U.S. government to paying reparations or issuing an apology—it just creates a commission to study the issue and make recommendations about whether and how those things should happen.

Commission on United States Occupations Act

Espaillat, Adriano

Commission on United States Occupations Act or the La Comisi&oacute;n de las ocupaciones norteamericanas Act This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reconciliation Proposals for Dominican Republic. The commission must address specified U.S. actions related to the Dominican Republic (e.g., military occupations and efforts to annex the Dominican Republic) and make recommendations for appropriate remedies, including a formal apology and repair and reconciliation efforts.