Senate Hearing on Five International Treaties

• •The committee reviewed two extradition treaties with Serbia and Kosovo to replace century-old agreements.
• •The new extradition treaties shift from a 'list of crimes' model to a 'dual criminality' model, allowing extradition for any act that is a crime in both countries.
• •The new extradition treaties allow for the extradition of a country's own nationals.
• •Two maritime boundary treaties were reviewed to formalize existing informal boundaries with Kiribati and the Federated States of Micronesia.
• •The maritime treaties are expected to result in a net gain of continental shelf and exclusive economic zone jurisdiction for the U.S.
• •The U.N. Convention on the Assignment of Receivables was reviewed to facilitate asset-based financing for U.S. small businesses.
• •The U.N. Convention allows businesses to use foreign receivables as collateral for loans when dealing with other ratifying countries.
• •The U.S. Chamber of Commerce expressed support for the U.N. Convention.

The ratification of these treaties would change how the U.S. handles international criminal extradition, defines maritime borders, and allows small businesses to use foreign sales as collateral for loans.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.