I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9976 

To amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to establish a designation of state sponsor of wrongful 

or unlawful, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 11, 2024 

Mr. LAWLER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to establish a designation 

of state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘State Sponsor of 

5 Wrongful or Unlawful Detention Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress as follows: 


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1 (1) There has been a significant rise in the 

2 wrongful detention of United States nationals and 

3 lawful permanent residents by both state and non4 state actors in foreign countries, often used as a tac5 tic for diplomatic leverage to threaten the United 

6 States and the American people. 

7 (2) Existing mechanisms to hold foreign actors 

8 accountable for wrongful detentions and the practice 

9 of hostage diplomacy are insufficient. 

10 (3) Wrongful detentions and hostage taking 

11 pose a threat to United States national security, vio12 late fundamental human rights, and undermine 

13 international law and norms. 

14 (4) It is the responsibility of the United States 

15 Government to protect its nationals and lawful per16 manent residents from wrongful detention and to 

17 provide recourse, justice, and a pathway to com18 pensation for victims. 

19 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF STATE SPONSOR OF WRONGFUL 

20 OR UNLAWFUL DETENTION. 

21 The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage22 Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) is 

23 amended— 

24 (1) by redesignating sections 307 and 308 as 

25 sections 308 and 309, respectively; and 


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1 (2) by inserting after section 306 the following: 

2 ‘‘SEC. 307. DESIGNATION OF STATE SPONSOR OF WRONG3 FUL OR UNLAWFUL DETENTION. 

4 ‘‘(a) PENALTIES FOR DESIGNATION.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any country the govern6 ment of which the Secretary of State designates as 

7 a state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful detention 

8 under this section shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) be subject to sanctions under relevant 

10 provisions of law, including visa sanctions with 

11 respect to government officials of such country; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(B) be prohibited from receiving foreign 

14 assistance under relevant provisions of law. 

15 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC NOTICE.—The Secretary of State 

16 shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) update travel advisories to reflect the 

18 designation of countries as state sponsors of ar19 bitrary detention under this section; and 

20 ‘‘(B) work with airlines to provide a warn21 ing to potential travelers to such designated 

22 countries. 

23 ‘‘(b) CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION.—A country may 

24 be designated as a state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful 

25 detention under this section if the Secretary of State deVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:33 Oct 24, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9976.IH H9976

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1 termines that the government of such country has pro2 vided support for or directly engaged in the wrongful de3 tention of United States nationals based on one or more 

4 of the following: 

5 ‘‘(1) The repeated wrongful detention or hos6 tage taking of United States nationals as provided 

7 for in this Act. 

8 ‘‘(2) The repeated failure of the foreign govern9 ment to resolve a wrongful detention once notified 

10 by the Department of State as provided for in this 

11 Act. 

12 ‘‘(3) Actions that indicate the complicity or ac13 tive support of the government of such country for 

14 engaging in wrongful detentions or hostage taking. 

15 ‘‘(4) Actions that pose, in the judgment of the 

16 Secretary, a sufficient risk of wrongful detention or 

17 hostage taking of United States nationals in such 

18 country. 

19 ‘‘(c) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—The Sec20 retary of State shall notify the Committee on Foreign Af21 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

22 on Foreign Relations of the Senate not later than 30 days 

23 after each determination to designate a country as a state 

24 sponsor of wrongful or unlawful detention under this sec25 tion. 


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1 ‘‘(d) WITHDRAWAL OF DESIGNATION.—A designa2 tion as a state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful detention 

3 may be removed or withdrawn with respect to a country 

4 if the Secretary of State certifies to the Committee on 

5 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

6 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate that— 

7 ‘‘(1) the government of such country is no 

8 longer supporting acts of wrongful detention or hos9 tage taking; and 

10 ‘‘(2) such government has provided evidence11 based assurances to the Secretary that it will not 

12 support and actively oppose acts of wrongful deten13 tion or hostage taking in the future. 

14 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec15 tion may be construed to alter or affect the authorities 

16 of the Secretary of State with respect to determining that 

17 the detention in a foreign country of a United States per18 son is wrongful pursuant to this Act or any other provision 

19 of law.’’. 

20 SEC. 4. OTHER MODIFICATIONS TO THE ROBERT LEVINSON 

21 HOSTAGE RECOVERY AND HOSTAGE-TAKING 

22 ACCOUNTABILITY ACT. 

23 The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage24 Taking Accountability Act is amended— 

25 (1) in section 303(c) (22 U.S.C. 1741a(c))— 


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1 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), 

2 and (5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respec3 tively; 

4 (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(3) chair the Hostage Response Group and 

7 regularly convene the group in accordance with sec8 tion 305;’’; and 

9 (C) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated), 

10 by inserting ‘‘or held hostage’’ after ‘‘unlawfully 

11 or wrongly detained’’; and 

12 (2) in section 305 (22 U.S.C. 1741c)— 

13 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘a des14 ignated member of the National Security Coun15 cil or the Deputies Committee of the National 

16 Security Council’’ and inserting ‘‘the Special 

17 Envoy appointed pursuant to section 303’’; and 

18 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘the Spe19 cial Envoy appointed pursuant to section 303,’’. 

Æ 


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