House Resolution 697 promoted autonomy for the Tibetan people and offered them support on a number of issues. For one thing, it urged “the swift enactment” of the TPSA “to update United States policy toward Tibet, particularly on issues related to the succession or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, water security and environmental concerns in the Tibetan plateau, and support for the Tibetan community, language, culture, and religion.”
The resolution passed by voice vote on the floor of the House after the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved it at a meeting on Oct. 1. Reps. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., Michael McCaul, R-Texas, James McGovern, D-Mass., and Chris Smith, R-NJ, introduced the bipartisan resolution in late 2019.