The State Leahy Law was first enacted as a provision in the 1997 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act (P.L. 104-208). Sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the amendment prohibited the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (FOAA) from assisting foreign security force units implicated in gross human rights violations, unless the Secretary determined that the host government was taking effective measures to bring those responsible to justice. Initially the amendment focused on the State Department’s International Narcotics Control program. It was expanded in 1998 to include all security assistance programs that used funds appropriated through the FOAA. A separate Leahy amendment was added to the annual Defense Appropriations Act. The Department’s Leahy "vetting process," determines whether there is evidence of gross human rights violations prior to providing assistance.
The Office of Security and Human Rights (DRL/SHR) is responsible for ensuring that the both the Department of State and the Department of Defense (DOD) comply with the Leahy laws. To this end, the Department has developed a vetting process and database called INVESTc (International Vetting and Security Tracking-cloud). This system is used worldwide by all Posts. The process requires:
The State Leahy laws also require that effective steps be taken to bring responsible members to justice. The DoD law requires that corrective measure be taken. This requires that DRL take the lead in:
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