The U.S. Senate, following the lead of the House of Representatives, has voted to renew economic sanctions against Burma for another year. The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature.
The Senate passed the measure, which bans imports from Burma, by a 96 to one vote.
A co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, says the legislation is a necessary response to what she called "the continued lack of progress towards the restoration of democratic government" in Burma.
The measure renews the Burma Freedom and Democracy Act, enacted last year after an unprecedented attack on a motorcade carrying Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
The law, which is subject to annual congressional review, is aimed at pressing the country to improve its human rights record.