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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4077 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4077

     To authorize the Secretary of State to pay a reward to combat 
 transnational organized crime and for information concerning foreign 
  nationals wanted by international criminal tribunals, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2012

  Mr. Royce introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
     To authorize the Secretary of State to pay a reward to combat 
 transnational organized crime and for information concerning foreign 
  nationals wanted by international criminal tribunals, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Department of State Rewards Program 
Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Department of State's existing rewards programs 
        permit the payment of reward for information leading to the 
        arrest or conviction of--
                    (A) individuals who have committed, or attempted or 
                conspired to commit, certain acts of international 
                terrorism;
                    (B) individuals who have committed, or attempted or 
                conspired to commit, certain narcotics-related 
                offenses; and
                    (C) individuals who have been indicted by certain 
                international criminal tribunals.
            (2) The Department of State considers the rewards program 
        to be ``one of the most valuable assets the U.S. Government has 
        in the fight against international terrorism.''. Since the 
        program's inception in 1984, the United States has rewarded 
        over 60 people who provided actionable information that, 
        according to the Department of State, prevented international 
        terrorist attacks or helped convict individuals involved in 
        terrorist attacks.
            (3) The program has been credited with providing 
        information in several high-profile cases, including the arrest 
        of Ramzi Yousef, who was convicted in the 1993 bombing of the 
        World Trade Center, the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein, who 
        United States military forces located and killed in Iraq after 
        receiving information about their locations, and the arrests or 
        deaths of several members of the Abu Sayyaf group, believed to 
        be responsible for the kidnappings and deaths of Americans and 
        Filipinos in the Philippines.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
rewards program of the Department of State should be expanded in order 
to--
            (1) address the growing threat to important United States 
        interests from transnational criminal activity, such as 
        intellectual property rights piracy, money laundering, 
        trafficking in persons, arms trafficking, and cybercrime; and
            (2) target other individuals indicted by international, 
        hybrid, or mixed tribunals for genocide, war crimes, or crimes 
        against humanity.

SEC. 3. ENHANCED REWARDS AUTHORITY.

    Section 36 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 
(22 U.S.C. 2708) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting ``serious violations 
        of international humanitarian law, transnational organized 
        crime,'' after ``international narcotics trafficking,'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                striking ``Attorney General'' and inserting ``heads of 
                other relevant departments or agencies'';
                    (B) in paragraphs (4) and (5), by striking 
                ``paragraph (1), (2), or (3)'' each place it appears 
                and inserting ``paragraph (1), (2), (3), (8), or (9)'';
                    (C) in paragraph (6)--
                            (i) by inserting ``or transnational 
                        organized crime group'' after ``terrorist 
                        organization''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``or'' at the end;
                    (D) in paragraph (7)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by striking ``, including the use by the 
                        organization of illicit narcotics production or 
                        international narcotics trafficking'' and 
                        inserting ``or transnational organized crime 
                        group, including the use by such organization 
                        or group of illicit narcotics production or 
                        international narcotics trafficking'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``or 
                        transnational organized crime'' after 
                        ``international terrorism''; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) by inserting ``or transnational 
                                organized crime group'' after 
                                ``terrorist organization''; and
                                    (II) by striking the period at the 
                                end and inserting a semicolon; and
                    (E) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraphs:
            ``(8) the arrest or conviction in any country of any 
        individual for participating in, primarily outside the United 
        States, transnational organized crime;
            ``(9) the arrest or conviction in any country of any 
        individual conspiring to participate in or attempting to 
        participate in transnational organized crime; or
            ``(10) the arrest or conviction in any country, or the 
        transfer to or conviction by an international criminal tribunal 
        (including a hybrid or mixed tribunal), of any foreign national 
        accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, as 
        defined under the statute of such tribunal.''; and
            (3) in subsection (k)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and (6) as 
                paragraphs (7) and (8), respectively; and
                    (B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following 
                new paragraphs:
            ``(5) Transnational organized crime.--The term 
        `transnational organized crime' means--
                    ``(A) racketeering activity (as such term is 
                defined in section 1961 of title 18, United States 
                Code) that involves at least one jurisdiction outside 
                the United States; or
                    ``(B) any other criminal offense punishable by a 
                term of imprisonment of at least four years under 
                Federal, State, or local law that involves at least one 
                jurisdiction outside the United States and that is 
                intended to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial 
                or other material benefit.
            ``(6) Transnational organized crime group.--The term 
        `transnational organized crime group' means a group of persons 
        that includes one or more citizens of a foreign country, exists 
        for a period of time, and acts in concert with the aim of 
        engaging in transnational organized crime.''.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL CORRECTION.

    Section 36(e)(1) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 
1956 (22 U.S.C. 2708) is amended by striking ``The Secretary shall 
authorize a reward of $50,000,000 for the capture or death or 
information leading to the capture or death of Osama bin Laden.''.

SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing the use of 
activity precluded under the American Servicemembers' Protection Act of 
2002 (Public Law 107-206).
                                 <all>
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