II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 138 

To impose sanctions on persons that threaten the peace or stability of Iraq 

or the Government of Iraq and to address the emergency in Syria, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 12, 2017 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself and Mr. CASEY) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To impose sanctions on persons that threaten the peace 

or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq and to 

address the emergency in Syria, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Preventing Destabilization of Iraq and Syria Act of 

6 2017’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 


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Sec. 2. Findings. 

TITLE I—MEASURES TO ADDRESS THREATS TO PEACE OR 

STABILITY OF IRAQ AND SYRIA 

Sec. 101. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 102. Imposition of sanctions with respect to certain foreign persons threatening peace or stability in Iraq and Syria. 

Sec. 103. Determinations with respect to imposition of sanctions on certain Iranian, Syrian, and Russian persons. 

Sec. 104. Report on Iranian activities in Iraq and Syria. 

Sec. 105. Assistance to the people of Syria. 

TITLE II—ADDITIONAL ACTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE 

NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 201. Sanctions with respect to Central Bank of Syria and foreign persons 

that engage in certain transactions. 

Sec. 202. Sanctions with respect to the transfer of arms and related materials 

to Syria. 

Sec. 203. Imposition, and conditional termination, of sanctions relating to significant arms sales to Syria. 

Sec. 204. Rule of construction. 

TITLE III—AMENDMENTS TO SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS 

ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012 

Sec. 301. Imposition of sanctions with respect to certain persons who are responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses committed 

against citizens of Syria or their family members. 

Sec. 302. Imposition of sanctions with respect to the transfer of goods or technologies to Syria that are likely to be used to commit human 

rights abuses. 

TITLE IV—REPORTS AND WAIVER FOR HUMANITARIAN-RELATED 

ACTIVITIES WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 401. Report on monitoring and evaluating of ongoing assistance programs 

in Syria and to the Syrian people. 

Sec. 402. Report on certain persons who are responsible for or complicit in certain human rights violations in Syria. 

Sec. 403. Assessment of potential effectiveness of and requirements for the establishment of a no-fly zone, safe zones, or a no-bombing zone 

in Syria. 

Sec. 404. Assistance to support entities taking actions relating to gathering evidence for investigations into war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria since March 2011. 

Sec. 405. Appropriate congressional committees defined. 

TITLE V—SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 501. Suspension of sanctions with respect to Syria. 

Sec. 502. Waivers and exemptions. 

Sec. 503. Appropriate congressional committees defined. 

TITLE VI—REGULATORY AUTHORITY AND SUNSET 


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Sec. 601. Regulatory authority. 

Sec. 602. Sunset. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) More than 14,000,000 Syrians have become 

4 refugees or internally displaced persons over the last 

5 five years. 

6 (2) The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights 

7 has reported that since 2012, more than 60,000 

8 Syrians, including children, have died in Syrian pris9 ons. 

10 (3) In July 2014, the Committee on Foreign 

11 Affairs of the House of Representatives heard testi12 mony from a former Syrian military photographer, 

13 alias ‘‘Caesar’’, who fled Syria and smuggled out 

14 thousands of photos of tortured bodies. In testi15 mony, Caesar said, ‘‘I have seen horrendous pictures 

16 of bodies of people who had tremendous amounts of 

17 torture, deep wounds and burns and strangulation.’’. 

18 (4) The regime of Bashar al-Assad has repeat19 edly blocked civilian access to or diverted humani20 tarian assistance, including medical supplies, to be21 sieged and hard-to-reach areas, in violation of 

22 United Nations Security Council resolutions. 

23 (5) The need for humanitarian assistance re24 mains significant. According to the United Nations, 


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1 in 2016 only 46 percent of the overall humanitarian 

2 appeal for Syria was met, leaving significant gaps in 

3 the response. 

4 (6) The course of the Syrian transition and its 

5 future leadership may depend on what the United 

6 States and its partners do now to save Syrian lives, 

7 alleviate suffering, and help Syrians determine their 

8 own future. 

9 TITLE I—MEASURES TO AD10 DRESS THREATS TO PEACE 

11 OR STABILITY OF IRAQ AND 

12 SYRIA 

13 SEC. 101. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

14 It shall be the policy of the United States to impose 

15 sanctions with respect to terrorist organizations and for16 eign countries, including the Government of Iran and the 

17 Government of the Russian Federation, that threaten the 

18 peace or stability of Iraq or Syria. 

19 SEC. 102. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

20 CERTAIN FOREIGN PERSONS THREATENING 

21 PEACE OR STABILITY IN IRAQ AND SYRIA. 

22 (a) SANCTIONS REQUIRED.—The President shall im23 pose the sanctions described in subsection (b)(1) with re24 spect to any foreign person that— 


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1 (1) is responsible for or complicit in, or to have 

2 engaged in, directly or indirectly— 

3 (A) actions that threaten the peace, secu4 rity, or stability of Iraq or Syria; 

5 (B) actions or policies that undermine ef6 forts to promote economic reconstruction and 

7 political reform in Iraq; or 

8 (C) the obstruction of the delivery or dis9 tribution of, or access to, humanitarian assist10 ance to the people of Iraq or Syria; 

11 (2) has materially assisted, sponsored, or pro12 vided financial, material, or technological support 

13 for, or goods or services to or in support of, any ac14 tivity described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of 

15 paragraph (1); or 

16 (3) is owned or controlled by, or has acted or 

17 purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indi18 rectly, a foreign person that has carried out any ac19 tivity described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of 

20 paragraph (1) or paragraph (2). 

21 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions described in 

23 this subsection are the following: 

24 (A) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President 

25 shall block, in accordance with the International 


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1 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

2 1701 et seq.), all transactions in all property 

3 and interests in property of a person subject to 

4 subsection (a) if such property and interests in 

5 property are in the United States, come within 

6 the United States, or are or come within the 

7 possession or control of a United States person. 

8 (B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD9 MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

10 (i) EXCLUSION FROM THE UNITED

11 STATES.—The Secretary of State shall 

12 deny a visa to, and the Secretary of Home13 land Security shall exclude from the 

14 United States, any person subject to sub15 section (a) that is an alien. 

16 (ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

17 (I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

18 consular officer, the Secretary of 

19 State, or the Secretary of Homeland 

20 Security (or a designee of one of such 

21 Secretaries) shall revoke any visa or 

22 other entry documentation issued to 

23 an alien subject to subsection (a), re24 gardless of when issued. 


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1 (II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 

2 A revocation under subclause (I) shall 

3 take effect immediately and shall 

4 automatically cancel any other valid 

5 visa or entry documentation that is in 

6 the alien’s possession. 

7 (2) INAPPLICABILITY OF NATIONAL EMER8 GENCY REQUIREMENT.—The requirements of section 

9 202 of the International Emergency Economic Pow10 ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply for pur11 poses of the imposition of sanctions under this sec12 tion. 

13 (3) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at14 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

15 violation of paragraph (1)(A) or any regulation, li16 cense, or order issued to carry out that paragraph 

17 shall be subject to the penalties set forth in sub18 sections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter19 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

20 U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as a person that 

21 commits an unlawful act described in subsection (a) 

22 of that section. 

23 (4) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA24 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

25 under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to an alien 


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1 if admitting the alien into the United States is nec2 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

3 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

4 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

5 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 

6 between the United Nations and the United States, 

7 or other applicable international obligations. 

8 (c) WAIVER.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may, on a 

10 case-by-case basis and for periods not to exceed 180 

11 days, waive the application of sanctions under this 

12 section with respect to a foreign person, and may 

13 renew the waiver for additional periods of not more 

14 than 180 days, if the President determines and re15 ports to the appropriate congressional committees at 

16 least 15 days before the waiver or renewal of the 

17 waiver is to take effect that the waiver is vital to the 

18 national security interests of the United States. 

19 (2) FORM OF REPORT.—A report submitted 

20 under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassi21 fied form but may include a classified annex. 

22 (3) SUNSET.—The provisions of this subsection 

23 and any waivers issued pursuant to this subsection 

24 shall terminate on the date that is 3 years after the 

25 date of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 (d) IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY.—The President 

2 may exercise all authorities provided to the President 

3 under sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer4 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) 

5 for purposes of carrying out this section. 

6 (e) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall, not 

8 later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 

9 of this Act, promulgate regulations as necessary for 

10 the implementation of this section. 

11 (2) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Not less 

12 than 10 days before the promulgation of regulations 

13 under paragraph (1), the President shall notify and 

14 provide to the appropriate congressional committees 

15 the proposed regulations and the provisions of this 

16 Act and the amendments made by this Act that the 

17 regulations are implementing. 

18 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 (1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 

20 and ‘‘alien’’ have the meanings given those terms in 

21 section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 

22 Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)). 

23 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT24 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com25 mittees’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

2 Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on 

3 Ways and Means, and the Committee on Finan4 cial Services of the House of Representatives; 

5 and 

6 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

7 the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee 

8 on Finance, and the Committee on Banking, 

9 Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate. 

10 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per11 son’’ means— 

12 (A) an individual who is not a United 

13 States person; 

14 (B) a corporation, partnership, or other 

15 nongovernmental entity that is not a United 

16 States person; or 

17 (C) any representative, agent or instru18 mentality of, or an individual working on behalf 

19 of a foreign government. 

20 (4) GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ.—The term ‘‘Gov21 ernment of Iraq’’ has the meaning given that term 

22 in section 576.310 of title 31, Code of Federal Reg23 ulations (or any corresponding similar regulation or 

24 ruling). 


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1 (5) GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA.—The term ‘‘Gov2 ernment of Syria’’ has the meaning given that term 

3 in section 542.305 of title 31, Code of Federal Reg4 ulations (or any corresponding similar regulation or 

5 ruling). 

6 (6) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 

7 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 

8 means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 

9 have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 

10 result. 

11 (7) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in12 dividual or entity. 

13 (8) PROPERTY; PROPERTY INTEREST.—The 

14 terms ‘‘property’’ and ‘‘property interest’’ have the 

15 meanings given those terms in section 576.312 of 

16 title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (or any cor17 responding similar regulation or ruling). 

18 (9) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

19 ‘‘United States person’’ has the meaning given that 

20 term in section 576.319 of title 31, Code of Federal 

21 Regulations (or any corresponding similar regulation 

22 or ruling). 

23 (g) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to be effective 

24 beginning on January 1, 2022. 


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1 SEC. 103. DETERMINATIONS WITH RESPECT TO IMPOSI2 TION OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN IRANIAN, 

3 SYRIAN, AND RUSSIAN PERSONS. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that the Government of Iran, the Government of 

6 Syria, and the Government of the Russian Federation are 

7 responsible for or complicit in, or to have engaged in, di8 rectly or indirectly— 

9 (1) actions that threaten the peace, security, or 

10 stability of Iraq or Syria; 

11 (2) actions or policies that undermine efforts to 

12 promote economic reconstruction and political re13 form in Iraq; and 

14 (3) actions that obstruct the delivery or dis15 tribution of humanitarian assistance to, or access to 

16 such assistance by, the people of Iraq or Syria. 

17 (b) DETERMINATIONS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall, not 

19 later than 45 days after the date of the enactment 

20 of this Act, determine whether any Iranian person, 

21 Syrian person, or Russian person has engaged in ac22 tivities described in section 102(a). 

23 (2) DETERMINATIONS WITH RESPECT TO CER24 TAIN PERSONS.—In making determinations under 

25 paragraph (1), the President shall make a deter26 mination with respect to whether each of the folVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:46 Jan 27, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S138.IS S138

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1 lowing has engaged in activities described in section 

2 102(a): 

3 (A) The Supreme Leader of Iran. 

4 (B) The President of Iran. 

5 (C) Members of the Council of Guardians 

6 of Iran. 

7 (D) Members of the Expediency Council of 

8 Iran. 

9 (E) The Minister of Intelligence and Secu10 rity of Iran. 

11 (F) The Commander of the Iran’s Revolu12 tionary Guard Corps. 

13 (G) The Minister of Defense of Iran. 

14 (H) Members of Iran’s Revolutionary 

15 Guard Corps. 

16 (I) The President of Syria. 

17 (J) The Minister of Defense of Syria. 

18 (K) The President of the Russian Federa19 tion. 

20 (L) The Prime Minister of the Russian 

21 Federation. 

22 (M) The Minister of Defense of the Rus23 sian Federation. 

24 (3) EFFECT OF DETERMINATION.—If the Presi25 dent determines a person has engaged in activities 


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1 described in section 102(a), the President shall, sub2 ject to the waiver authority provided under section 

3 102(c), impose the sanctions described in section 

4 102(b) with respect to that person. 

5 (4) REPORT.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The President shall 

7 submit to the appropriate congressional com8 mittees a report on the determinations made 

9 under paragraph (1) that includes— 

10 (i) the reasons for those determina11 tions; 

12 (ii) an identification of the persons 

13 that have engaged in activities described in 

14 section 102(a); and 

15 (iii) a statement of whether the Presi16 dent has imposed the sanctions described 

17 in section 102(b) with respect to those per18 sons and, if not, the reasons why the 

19 President has not imposed sanctions with 

20 respect to those persons. 

21 (B) FORM.—A report submitted under 

22 subparagraph (A) shall be submitted in unclas23 sified form but may include a classified annex. 

24 (5) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 


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1 (A) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COM2 MITTEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congres3 sional committees’’ means— 

4 (i) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

5 the Committee on Ways and Means, and 

6 the Committee on Financial Services of the 

7 House of Representatives; and 

8 (ii) the Committee on Foreign Rela9 tions, the Committee on Finance, and the 

10 Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

11 Urban Affairs of the Senate. 

12 (B) IRANIAN PERSON.—The term ‘‘Iranian 

13 person’’ means— 

14 (i) an individual who is a citizen or 

15 national of Iran; or 

16 (ii) an entity organized under the laws 

17 of Iran or otherwise subject to the jurisdic18 tion of the Government of Iran. 

19 (C) RUSSIAN PERSON.—The term ‘‘Rus20 sian person’’ means— 

21 (i) an individual who is a citizen or 

22 national of the Russian Federation; or 

23 (ii) an entity organized under the laws 

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1 diction of the Government of the Russian 

2 Federation. 

3 (D) SYRIAN PERSON.—The term ‘‘Syrian 

4 person’’ means— 

5 (i) an individual who is a citizen or 

6 national of Syria; or 

7 (ii) an entity organized under the laws 

8 of Syria or otherwise subject to the juris9 diction of the Government of Syria. 

10 SEC. 104. REPORT ON IRANIAN ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ AND 

11 SYRIA. 

12 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days there14 after for a period not to exceed 5 years, the President shall 

15 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a re16 port on Iranian activities in Iraq and Syria. 

17 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re18 quired by subsection (a) shall include— 

19 (1) a description of Iran’s support for— 

20 (A) Iraqi militias or political parties, in21 cluding weapons, financing, and other forms of 

22 material support; and 

23 (B) the regime of Bashar al-Assad in 

24 Syria; and 


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1 (2) a list of referrals to the relevant United Na2 tions Security Council sanctions committees by the 

3 United States Permanent Representative to the 

4 United Nations. 

5 (c) FORM.—The President may submit the report re6 quired by subsection (a) in classified form if the President 

7 determines that it is necessary for the national security 

8 interests of the United States to do so. 

9 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

10 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con11 gressional committees’’ means— 

12 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Per13 manent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Com14 mittee on Armed Services, the Committee on Ways 

15 and Means, and the Committee on Financial Serv16 ices of the House of Representatives; and 

17 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

18 Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on 

19 Armed Services, the Committee on Finance, and the 

20 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

21 of the Senate. 

22 SEC. 105. ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA. 

23 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con24 gress that the Government of Syria is in violation of nu25 merous United Nations Security Council Resolutions reVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:46 Jan 27, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S138.IS S138

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1 garding the provision of humanitarian assistance to the 

2 people of Syria and that the Government of the Russian 

3 Federation is complicit in the humanitarian crisis in Syria 

4 because of its failure to enforce those Resolutions. 

5 (b) AUTHORITY.—The President is authorized, not6 withstanding any other provision of law, to furnish, on 

7 such terms and conditions as the President may deter8 mine, assistance in order to— 

9 (1) provide enhanced support for humanitarian 

10 activities taking place in and outside Syria, including 

11 the provision of food, shelter, water, health care, 

12 medical supplies, livelihoods, education, and other 

13 services and support, as appropriate; 

14 (2) promote humanitarian access to populations 

15 in need; 

16 (3) support efforts for a peaceful resolution of 

17 the conflict in Syria as well as the establishment of 

18 an inclusive representative form of government in 

19 Syria; 

20 (4) build the capacity of legitimate local coun21 cils and leaders inside Syria to provide basic services 

22 to Syrian people in territory liberated from the Is23 lamic State of Iraq and Syria; 

24 (5) continue to encourage the participation of 

25 all groups, including women, business leaders, civil 


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1 society organizations, traditional and religious lead2 ers, and minority groups in efforts for a peaceful 

3 resolution of the conflict and political transition in 

4 Syria; 

5 (6) encourage international bodies to insist that 

6 transitional and future governments are committed 

7 to multiparty democracy, open and transparent gov8 ernance, respect for human rights and religious free9 dom, ending the violence throughout the country, 

10 promoting peace and stability with Syria’s neigh11 bors, enhancing the rule of law and combating cor12 ruption, and rehabilitating and reintegrating former 

13 combatants; 

14 (7) contribute seed funding to establish a Syria 

15 Reconstruction Fund, which would leverage con16 tributions from other international donors, including 

17 governments in the region, and be used for physical 

18 reconstruction, reestablishment of basic services, and 

19 civil society capacity building in Syria after the ces20 sation of the conflict and the fall of the regime of 

21 Bashar al-Assad; 

22 (8) contribute future capacity building for le23 gitimate governing institutions after a political tran24 sition takes place in Syria; 


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1 (9) expand the public awareness-raising cam2 paign of the United States Government about 

3 United States humanitarian assistance efforts 

4 through both English-language and regional tradi5 tional media sources, as well as social or new media 

6 sources; and 

7 (10) develop and implement a comprehensive 

8 strategy to address the primary drivers of the con9 flict in Syria, including through peace-building and 

10 good governance programming. 

11 (c) FUNDING.— 

12 (1) FISCAL YEARS 2017 AND 2018.—Of the 

13 amounts made available to carry out the Foreign As14 sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for 

15 fiscal years 2017 and 2018, such sums as may be 

16 necessary should be allocated for bilateral assistance 

17 programs in Syria. 

18 (2) FUTURE FUNDING.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that the Department of State should submit a 

20 budget request for fiscal year 2018 that contains an 

21 appropriate increase in bilateral and multilateral as22 sistance for Syria based on progress toward accom23 plishing the policy objectives described in subsection 

24 (b). 


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1 (3) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pur2 suant to the authorization of appropriations under 

3 paragraphs (1) and (2)— 

4 (A) are authorized to remain available 

5 until expended; and 

6 (B) are in addition to funds otherwise 

7 available for such purposes. 

8 (d) COORDINATION WITH OTHER DONOR NA9 TIONS.—The United States should work with other donor 

10 countries, on a bilateral and multilateral basis, to increase 

11 international contributions to the people of Syria and ac12 complish the policy objectives described in subsection (b). 

13 (e) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In cases where the authority 

15 in this section is relied upon to overcome applicable 

16 restrictions on the provision of assistance to Syria, 

17 obligation of such funds shall be subject to the noti18 fication requirement of section 634A(a) of the For19 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394–1(a)). 

20 (2) WAIVER.—Notification under paragraph (1) 

21 may be waived if failure to do so would pose a sub22 stantial risk to human health or welfare, in which 

23 case notification shall be provided as early as prac24 ticable, but in no event later than 3 days after tak25 ing the action to which such notification requirement 


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1 was applicable. The waiver shall be accompanied by 

2 an explanation of the emergency circumstances ne3 cessitating the waiver. 

4 TITLE II—ADDITIONAL ACTIONS 

5 IN CONNECTION WITH THE 

6 NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH 

7 RESPECT TO SYRIA 

8 SEC. 201. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CENTRAL BANK 

9 OF SYRIA AND FOREIGN PERSONS THAT EN10 GAGE IN CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS. 

11 (a) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN MEASURES TO CEN12 TRAL BANK OF SYRIA.—The President shall apply the 

13 measures described in section 5318A(b)(5) of title 31, 

14 United States Code, to the Central Bank of Syria. 

15 (b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO

16 FOREIGN PERSONS THAT ENGAGE IN CERTAIN TRANS17 ACTIONS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date that 

19 is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 

20 Act, the President shall impose on a foreign person 

21 the sanctions described in subsection (c) if the for22 eign person has knowingly engaged in an activity de23 scribed in paragraph (2). 


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1 (2) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—A foreign person 

2 engages in an activity described in this paragraph if 

3 the foreign person— 

4 (A) knowingly provides significant finan5 cial, material, or technological support to (in6 cluding engaging in or facilitating a significant 

7 transaction or transactions with) or provides 

8 significant financial services for— 

9 (i) the Government of Syria (including 

10 government entities operating as a busi11 ness enterprise) and the Central Bank of 

12 Syria, including Syria’s intelligence and se13 curity services or its armed forces, or any 

14 of its agents or affiliates; or 

15 (ii) a foreign person subject to finan16 cial sanctions pursuant to— 

17 (I) the International Emergency 

18 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

19 1701 et seq.) with respect to Syria or 

20 any other provision of law that im21 poses sanctions with respect to Syria; 

22 or 

23 (II) a resolution that is agreed to 

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1 cil that imposes sanctions with respect 

2 to Syria; 

3 (B) knowingly— 

4 (i) sells or provides significant goods, 

5 services, technology, information, or sup6 port that could directly and significantly 

7 facilitate the maintenance or expansion of 

8 Syria’s domestic production of natural gas 

9 or petroleum or petroleum products of Syr10 ian origin; 

11 (ii) sells or provides to Syria crude oil 

12 or condensate, refined petroleum products, 

13 liquefied natural gas, or petrochemical 

14 products that have a fair market value of 

15 $500,000 or more or that during a 12- 

16 month period have an aggregate fair mar17 ket value of $2,000,000 or more; 

18 (iii) sells or otherwise provides civilian 

19 aircraft or spare parts, or provides signifi20 cant goods, services, or technologies associ21 ated with the operation of aircraft or air22 lines to any foreign person operating in the 

23 areas controlled by the Government of 

24 Syria; or 


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1 (iv) sells or otherwise provides signifi2 cant goods, services, or technology to a for3 eign person operating in the shipping (in4 cluding ports and free trade zones), trans5 portation, or telecommunications sectors in 

6 areas controlled by the Government of 

7 Syria; 

8 (C) knowingly engages in money laun9 dering to carry out an activity described in sub10 paragraph (A) or (B); 

11 (D) knowingly facilitates efforts by a for12 eign person to carry out an activity described in 

13 subparagraph (A) or (B); 

14 (E) knowingly provides loans, credits (in15 cluding export credits), or financing to carry 

16 out an activity described in subparagraph (A) 

17 or (B); and 

18 (F) is owned or controlled by a foreign 

19 person that engages in the activities described 

20 in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

21 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions to be imposed 

23 on a foreign person described in subsection (b) are 

24 the following: 


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1 (A) ASSETS FREEZE.—The President shall 

2 exercise all powers granted by the International 

3 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

4 1701 et seq.) (except that the requirements of 

5 section 202 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall 

6 not apply) to the extent necessary to freeze and 

7 prohibit all transactions in all property and in8 terests in property of the foreign person if such 

9 property and interests in property are in the 

10 United States, come within the United States, 

11 or are or come within the possession or control 

12 of a United States person. 

13 (B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD14 MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

15 (i) EXCLUSION FROM THE UNITED

16 STATES.—If the foreign person is an indi17 vidual, the Secretary of State shall deny a 

18 visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Se19 curity shall exclude from the United 

20 States, the foreign person. 

21 (ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

22 (I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

23 consular officer, the Secretary of 

24 State, or the Secretary of Homeland 

25 Security (or a designee of one of such 


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1 Secretaries) shall revoke any visa or 

2 other entry documentation issued to 

3 the foreign person regardless of when 

4 issued. 

5 (II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 

6 A revocation under subclause (I) shall 

7 take effect immediately and shall 

8 automatically cancel any other valid 

9 visa or entry documentation that is in 

10 the possession of the foreign person. 

11 (2) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA12 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

13 under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to a foreign 

14 person if admitting the person into the United 

15 States is necessary to permit the United States to 

16 comply with the Agreement regarding the Head17 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake Suc18 cess June 26, 1947, and entered into force Novem19 ber 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the 

20 United States, or other applicable international obli21 gations. 

22 (3) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 

23 subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter24 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

25 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that knowingly 


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1 violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 

2 causes a violation of any regulation, license, or order 

3 issued to carry out paragraph (1)(A) of this sub4 section to the same extent that such penalties apply 

5 to a person that knowingly commits an unlawful act 

6 described in section 206(a) of that Act. 

7 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) FINANCIAL, MATERIAL, OR TECHNOLOGICAL

9 SUPPORT.—The term ‘‘financial, material, or techno10 logical support’’ has the meaning given such term in 

11 section 542.304 of title 31, Code of Federal Regula12 tions (or any corresponding similar regulation or rul13 ing). 

14 (2) GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA.—The term ‘‘Gov15 ernment of Syria’’ has the meaning given such term 

16 in section 542.305 of title 31, Code of Federal Reg17 ulations (or any corresponding similar regulation or 

18 ruling). 

19 (3) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 

20 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 

21 means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 

22 have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 

23 result. 

24 (4) MONEY LAUNDERING.—The term ‘‘money 

25 laundering’’ means the movement of illicit cash or 


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1 cash equivalent proceeds into, out of, or through a 

2 country, or into, out of, or through a financial insti3 tution. 

4 (5) PETROLEUM OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS OF

5 SYRIAN ORIGIN.—The term ‘‘petroleum or petroleum 

6 products of Syrian origin’’ has the meaning given 

7 such term in section 542.314 of title 31, Code of 

8 Federal Regulations (or any corresponding similar 

9 regulation or ruling). 

10 (6) SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTION OR TRANS11 ACTIONS; SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL SERVICES.—A 

12 transaction or transactions or financial services shall 

13 be determined to be significant for purposes of this 

14 section in accordance with section 566.404 of title 

15 31, Code of Federal Regulations (or any cor16 responding similar regulation or ruling). 

17 (7) SYRIA.—The term ‘‘Syria’’ has the meaning 

18 given such term in section 542.316 of title 31, Code 

19 of Federal Regulations (or any corresponding similar 

20 regulation or ruling). 

21 SEC. 202. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSFER OF 

22 ARMS AND RELATED MATERIALS TO SYRIA. 

23 (a) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose 

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1 section (b) if the President determines that such for2 eign person has, on or after the date of the enact3 ment of this Act, knowingly exported, transferred, or 

4 otherwise provided to Syria significant financial, ma5 terial, or technological support that contributes ma6 terially to the ability of Government of Syria to— 

7 (A) acquire or develop chemical, biological, 

8 or nuclear weapons or related technologies; 

9 (B) acquire or develop ballistic or cruise 

10 missile capabilities; 

11 (C) acquire or develop destabilizing num12 bers and types of advanced conventional weap13 ons; 

14 (D) acquire defense articles, defense serv15 ices, or defense information (as such terms are 

16 defined under the Arms Export Control Act (22 

17 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.)); or 

18 (E) acquire items designated by the Presi19 dent for purposes of the United States Muni20 tions List under section 38(a)(1) of the Arms 

21 Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778(a)(1)). 

22 (2) APPLICABILITY TO OTHER FOREIGN PER23 SONS.—The sanctions described in subsection (b) 

24 shall also be imposed on any foreign person that— 


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1 (A) is a successor entity to a foreign per2 son described in paragraph (1); or 

3 (B) is owned or controlled by, or has acted 

4 or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly 

5 or indirectly, a foreign person described in 

6 paragraph (1). 

7 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions to be imposed 

9 on a foreign person described in subsection (a) are 

10 the following: 

11 (A) ASSET FREEZE.—The President shall 

12 exercise all powers granted by the International 

13 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

14 1701 et seq.) (except that the requirements of 

15 section 202 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall 

16 not apply) to the extent necessary to freeze and 

17 prohibit all transactions in all property and in18 terests in property of the foreign person if such 

19 property and interests in property are in the 

20 United States, come within the United States, 

21 or are or come within the possession or control 

22 of a United States person. 

23 (B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD24 MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 


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1 (i) EXCLUSION FROM THE UNITED

2 STATES.—If the foreign person is an indi3 vidual, the Secretary of State shall deny a 

4 visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Se5 curity shall exclude from the United 

6 States, the foreign person. 

7 (ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

8 (I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

9 consular officer, the Secretary of 

10 State, or the Secretary of Homeland 

11 Security (or a designee of one of such 

12 Secretaries) shall revoke any visa or 

13 other entry documentation issued to 

14 the foreign person regardless of when 

15 issued. 

16 (II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 

17 A revocation under subclause (I) shall 

18 take effect immediately and shall 

19 automatically cancel any other valid 

20 visa or entry documentation that is in 

21 the possession of the foreign person. 

22 (2) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA23 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

24 under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to a foreign 

25 person if admitting the person into the United 


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1 States is necessary to permit the United States to 

2 comply with the Agreement regarding the Head3 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake Suc4 cess June 26, 1947, and entered into force Novem5 ber 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the 

6 United States, or other applicable international obli7 gations. 

8 (3) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at9 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

10 violation of any regulation, license, or order issued 

11 to carry out paragraph (1)(A) shall be subject to the 

12 penalties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of sec13 tion 206 of the International Emergency Economic 

14 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as 

15 a person that commits an unlawful act described in 

16 subsection (a) of that section. 

17 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) FINANCIAL, MATERIAL, OR TECHNOLOGICAL

19 SUPPORT.—The term ‘‘financial, material, or techno20 logical support’’ has the meaning given such term in 

21 section 542.304 of title 31, Code of Federal Regula22 tions (or any corresponding similar regulation or rul23 ing). 

24 (2) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per25 son’’ has the meaning given such term in section 


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1 594.304 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (or 

2 any corresponding similar regulation or ruling). 

3 (3) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’ has 

4 the meaning given such term in section 566.312 of 

5 title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (or any cor6 responding similar regulation or ruling). 

7 (4) SYRIA.—The term ‘‘Syria’’ has the meaning 

8 given such term in section 542.316 of title 31, Code 

9 of Federal Regulations (or any corresponding similar 

10 regulation or ruling). 

11 (5) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

12 ‘‘United States person’’ has the meaning given such 

13 term in section 542.319 of title 31, Code of Federal 

14 Regulations (or any corresponding similar regulation 

15 or ruling). 

16 SEC. 203. IMPOSITION, AND CONDITIONAL TERMINATION, 

17 OF SANCTIONS RELATING TO SIGNIFICANT 

18 ARMS SALES TO SYRIA. 

19 (a) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO

20 THE CENTRAL BANK OF SYRIA AND OTHER SYRIAN FI21 NANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall prohibit 

23 the opening, and prohibit or impose strict conditions 

24 on the maintaining, in the United States of a cor25 respondent account or a payable-through account by 


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1 a foreign financial institution that the President de2 termines has knowingly conducted any significant 

3 arms sale to— 

4 (A) the regime of Bashar al-Assad through 

5 the Central Bank of Syria or another Syrian fi6 nancial institution designated by the Secretary 

7 of the Treasury for the imposition of sanctions 

8 pursuant to the International Emergency Eco9 nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or 

10 (B) any Syrian person added after April 

11 28, 2011, and before the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act, to the list of specially designated 

13 nationals and blocked persons maintained by 

14 the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the De15 partment of the Treasury. 

16 (2) EXCEPTION FOR HUMANITARIAN TRANS17 ACTIONS.—The President may not impose sanctions 

18 under paragraph (1) on a foreign financial institu19 tion for engaging in a transaction with the Central 

20 Bank of Syria for the sale of food, medicine, medical 

21 devices, donations intended to relieve human suf22 fering, or non-lethal aid to the people of Syria. 

23 (3) APPLICABILITY.—Paragraph (1) applies 

24 with respect to financial transactions commenced on 

25 or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 (4) WAIVER.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The President may 

3 waive the application of paragraph (1) with re4 spect to a foreign financial institution for a pe5 riod of not more than 180 days, and may renew 

6 that waiver for additional periods of not more 

7 than 180 days, if the President determines and 

8 reports to the appropriate congressional com9 mittees that the waiver is necessary to the na10 tional security interest of the United States. 

11 (B) FORM.—A report submitted pursuant 

12 to subparagraph (A) shall be submitted in un13 classified form, but may contain a classified 

14 annex. 

15 (b) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The requirements under 

17 subsection (a) to impose sanctions shall no longer 

18 have force or effect with respect to Syria if the 

19 President determines and certifies to the appropriate 

20 congressional committees that the termination of 

21 such sanctions is in the national security interest of 

22 the United States. 

23 (2) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.—Upon mak24 ing the certification described in paragraph (1), the 


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1 President shall submit to the appropriate congres2 sional committees a report assessing— 

3 (A) the extent to which Bashar al-Assad or 

4 members of his regime control Syrian territory; 

5 (B) the existence and capability of a demo6 cratic transitional government to control Syrian 

7 territory and provide basic services to the Syr8 ian people; 

9 (C) whether the transitional government 

10 supports acts of terrorism or has committed 

11 human rights violations; and 

12 (D) whether the transitional government is 

13 cooperating with the United States Government 

14 in locating, securing, and removing conventional 

15 and unconventional weapons. 

16 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 (1) ACCOUNT; CORRESPONDENT ACCOUNT; PAY18 ABLE-THROUGH ACCOUNT.—The terms ‘‘account’’, 

19 ‘‘correspondent account’’, and ‘‘payable-through ac20 count’’ have the meanings given those terms in sec21 tion 5318A of title 31, United States Code. 

22 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT23 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com24 mittees’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Finance, the Com2 mittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af3 fairs, and the Committee on Foreign Relations 

4 of the Senate; and 

5 (B) the Committee on Ways and Means, 

6 the Committee on Financial Services, and the 

7 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

8 Representatives. 

9 (3) FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The 

10 term ‘‘foreign financial institution’’ has the meaning 

11 of that term as determined by the Secretary of the 

12 Treasury pursuant to section 104(i) of the Com13 prehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Di14 vestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8513(i)). 

15 (4) SYRIAN PERSON.—The term ‘‘Syrian per16 son’’ means— 

17 (A) an individual who is a citizen or na18 tional of Syria; or 

19 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

20 Syria or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of 

21 the Government of Syria. 

22 SEC. 204. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

23 The sanctions that are required to be imposed under 

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1 tions that are required to be imposed under any other pro2 vision of law. 

3 TITLE III—AMENDMENTS TO 

4 SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS AC5 COUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012 

6 SEC. 301. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

7 CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE 

8 FOR OR COMPLICIT IN HUMAN RIGHTS 

9 ABUSES COMMITTED AGAINST CITIZENS OF 

10 SYRIA OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 702(c) of the Syria 

12 Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 

13 8791(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall exer16 cise all powers granted by the International Emer17 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

18 seq.) (except that the requirements of section 202 of 

19 such Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply) to the 

20 extent necessary to freeze and prohibit all trans21 actions in all property and interests in property of 

22 a person on the list required by subsection (b) if 

23 such property and interests in property are in the 

24 United States, come within the United States, or are 


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1 or come within the possession or control of a United 

2 States person. 

3 ‘‘(2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS4 SION, OR PAROLE.— 

5 ‘‘(A) EXCLUSION FROM THE UNITED

6 STATES.—The Secretary of State shall deny a 

7 visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Secu8 rity shall exclude from the United States, any 

9 person on the list required by subsection (b) 

10 that is an alien. 

11 ‘‘(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con13 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

14 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des15 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re16 voke any visa or other entry documentation 

17 issued to an alien on the list required by 

18 subsection (b). 

19 ‘‘(ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A 

20 revocation under subclause (I) shall take 

21 effect immediately and shall automatically 

22 cancel any other valid visa or entry docu23 mentation that is in the possession of an 

24 alien on the list required by subsection (b). 


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1 ‘‘(3) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at2 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

3 violation of this section or any regulation, license, or 

4 order issued to carry out this section shall be subject 

5 to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) 

6 of section 206 of the International Emergency Eco7 nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex8 tent as a person that commits an unlawful act de9 scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 

10 ‘‘(4) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—The President 

11 shall, not later than 90 days after the date of the 

12 enactment of this section, promulgate regulations as 

13 necessary for the implementation of this section. 

14 ‘‘(5) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA15 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

16 under paragraph (2) shall not apply to an alien if 

17 admitting the alien into the United States is nec18 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

19 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

20 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

21 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 

22 between the United Nations and the United States, 

23 or other applicable international obligations. 

24 ‘‘(6) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

25 this section shall be construed to limit the authority 


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1 of the President to impose additional sanctions pur2 suant to the International Emergency Economic 

3 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), relevant Exec4 utive orders, regulations, or other provisions of 

5 law.’’. 

6 (b) SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES DESCRIBED.— 

7 Section 702 of the Syria Human Rights Accountability 

8 Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791) is amended by adding at 

9 the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(d) SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES DE11 SCRIBED.—In subsection (b), the term ‘serious human 

12 rights abuses’ includes— 

13 ‘‘(1) the deliberate targeting of civilian infra14 structure to include schools, hospitals, markets, and 

15 power and water systems; 

16 ‘‘(2) the deliberate targeting of humanitarian 

17 aid facilities, convoys, materiel, and personnel; and 

18 ‘‘(3) the intentional denial or obstruction of 

19 prompt and safe access for humanitarian relief orga20 nizations and personnel, including across conflict 

21 lines and borders.’’. 

22 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

23 subsections (a) and (b) shall take effect on the date of 

24 the enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to 

25 the imposition of sanctions under section 702(a) of the 


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1 Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 on or 

2 after such date of enactment. 

3 SEC. 302. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

4 THE TRANSFER OF GOODS OR TECH5 NOLOGIES TO SYRIA THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE 

6 USED TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. 

7 Section 703(b)(2)(C) of the Syria Human Rights Ac8 countability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8792(b)(2)(C)) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; 

11 (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the 

12 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(iii) any article designated by the 

15 President for purposes of the United 

16 States Munitions List under section 

17 38(a)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act 

18 (22 U.S.C. 2778(a)(1)); or 

19 ‘‘(iv) other goods or technologies that 

20 the President determines may be used by 

21 the Government of Syria to commit human 

22 rights abuses against the people of Syria.’’. 


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1 TITLE IV—REPORTS AND WAIV2 ER FOR HUMANITARIAN-RE3 LATED ACTIVITIES WITH RE4 SPECT TO SYRIA 

5 SEC. 401. REPORT ON MONITORING AND EVALUATING OF 

6 ONGOING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN SYRIA 

7 AND TO THE SYRIAN PEOPLE. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 

10 and the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

11 International Development shall submit to the appropriate 

12 congressional committees a report on the monitoring and 

13 evaluation of ongoing assistance programs supported by 

14 United States funding, including such programs imple15 mented through multilateral organizations, in Syria and 

16 to the Syrian people. 

17 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re18 quired by subsection (a) shall include— 

19 (1) the specific project monitoring and evalua20 tion plans, including measurable goals and perform21 ance metrics for cross-border assistance in Syria; 

22 and 

23 (2) the major challenges to monitoring and 

24 evaluating programs in Syria. 


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1 SEC. 402. REPORT ON CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RE2 SPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT IN CERTAIN 

3 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SYRIA. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub6 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a detailed 

7 report with respect to whether each person described in 

8 subsection (b) is a person that meets the requirements de9 scribed in section 702(b) of the Syria Human Rights Ac10 countability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791(b)) for purposes 

11 of inclusion on the list of persons who are responsible for 

12 or complicit in certain human rights abuses under such 

13 section. For any such person who is not included in such 

14 report, the President should include in the report a de15 scription of the reasons why the person was not included, 

16 including information on whether sufficient credible evi17 dence of responsibility for such abuses was found. 

18 (b) PERSONS DESCRIBED.—The persons described in 

19 this subsection are the following: 

20 (1) Bashar Al-Assad. 

21 (2) Asma Al-Assad. 

22 (3) Rami Makhlouf. 

23 (4) Bouthayna Shaaban. 

24 (5) Walid Moallem. 

25 (6) Ali Al-Salim. 

26 (7) Wael Nader Al-Halqi. 


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1 (8) Jamil Hassan. 

2 (9) Suhail Hassan. 

3 (10) Ali Mamluk. 

4 (11) Muhammed Khadour, Deir Ez Zor Mili5 tary and Security. 

6 (12) Jamal Razzouq, Security Branch 243. 

7 (13) Munzer Ghanam, Air Force Intelligence. 

8 (14) Daas Hasan Ali, Branch 327. 

9 (15) Jassem Ali Jassem Hamad, Political Secu10 rity. 

11 (16) Samir Muhammad Youssef, Military Intel12 ligence. 

13 (17) Ali Ahmad Dayoub, Air Force Intelligence. 

14 (18) Khaled Muhsen Al-Halabi, Security 

15 Branch 335. 

16 (19) Mahmoud Kahila, Political Security. 

17 (20) Zuhair Ahmad Hamad, Provincial Secu18 rity. 

19 (21) Wafiq Nasser, Security Branch 245. 

20 (22) Qussay Mayoub, Air Force Intelligence. 

21 (23) Muhammad Ammar Sardini, Political Se22 curity. 

23 (24) Fouad Hammouda, Military Security. 

24 (25) Hasan Daaboul, Branch 261. 

25 (26) Yahia Wahbi, Air Force Intelligence. 


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1 (27) Okab Saqer, Security Branch 318. 

2 (28) Husam Luqa, Political Security. 

3 (29) Sami Al-Hasan, Security Branch 219. 

4 (30) Yassir Deeb, Political Security. 

5 (31) Ibrahim Darwish, Security Branch 220. 

6 (32) Nasser Deeb, Political Security. 

7 (33) Abdullatif Al-Fahed, Security Branch 290. 

8 (34) Adeeb Namer Salamah, Air Force Intel9 ligence. 

10 (35) Akram Muhammed, State Security. 

11 (36) Reyad Abbas, Political Security. 

12 (37) Ali Abdullah Ayoub, Syrian Armed Forces. 

13 (38) Fahd Jassem Al-Freij, Defense Ministry. 

14 (39) Issam Halaq, Air Force. 

15 (40) Ghassan Al-Abdullah, General Intelligence 

16 Directorate. 

17 (41) Maher Al-Assad, Republican Guard. 

18 (42) Fahad Al-Farouch. 

19 (43) Rafiq Shahada, Military Intelligence. 

20 (44) Loay Al-Ali, Military Intelligence. 

21 (45) Nawfal Al-Husayn, Military Intelligence. 

22 (46) Muhammad Zamrini, Military Intelligence. 

23 (47) Muhammad Mahallah, Military Intel24 ligence. 

25 (c) FORM OF REPORT; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 


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1 (1) FORM.—The list required by subsection (a) 

2 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in3 clude a classified annex if necessary. 

4 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassified 

5 portion of the list required by paragraph (1) shall be 

6 made available to the public and posted on the 

7 websites of the Department of the Treasury and the 

8 Department of State. 

9 SEC. 403. ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF 

10 AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ESTABLISH11 MENT OF A NO-FLY ZONE, SAFE ZONES, OR A 

12 NO-BOMBING ZONE IN SYRIA. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub15 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

16 that— 

17 (1) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

18 and operational requirements of the establishment 

19 and maintenance of a no-fly zone over part or all of 

20 Syria, including— 

21 (A) the operational and legal requirements 

22 for United States and coalition air power to es23 tablish a no-fly zone over all or part of Syria; 

24 (B) the impact a no-fly zone over all or 

25 part of Syria would have on humanitarian and 


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1 counterterrorism efforts in Syria and the sur2 rounding region; and 

3 (C) the potential for force contributions 

4 from other countries to establish a no-fly zone 

5 over all or part of Syria; 

6 (2) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

7 and operational requirements for the establishment 

8 of one or more safe zones in Syria for internally dis9 placed persons or for the facilitation of humani10 tarian assistance, including— 

11 (A) the operational and legal requirements 

12 for United States and coalition forces to estab13 lish one or more safe zones in Syria; 

14 (B) the impact one or more safe zones in 

15 Syria would have on humanitarian and counter16 terrorism efforts in Syria and the surrounding 

17 region; and 

18 (C) the potential for contributions from 

19 other countries and vetted non-state actor part20 ners to establish and maintain one or more safe 

21 zones in Syria; and 

22 (3) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

23 and operational requirements of the establishment 

24 and maintenance of a no-bombing zone over all or 

25 part of Syria, including— 


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1 (A) the operational and legal requirements 

2 for United States and coalition air power to es3 tablish a no-bombing zone over all or part of 

4 Syria; 

5 (B) the impact a no-bombing zone over all 

6 or part of Syria would have on humanitarian 

7 and counterterrorism efforts in Syria and the 

8 surrounding region; and 

9 (C) the potential for force contributions 

10 from other countries to establish a no-bombing 

11 zone over all or part of Syria. 

12 (b) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 

13 shall be submitted to the appropriate congressional com14 mittees in unclassified form, but may contain a classified 

15 annex if necessary. 

16 (c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that, in the development of the report required by 

18 subsection (a), the President, or the President’s designees, 

19 should consult with humanitarian organizations operating 

20 in the region. 

21 (d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—The 

22 unclassified information referred to in subsections (a) and 

23 (b) shall be made available on a publicly available Internet 

24 website of the Federal Government. 


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1 SEC. 404. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ENTITIES TAKING AC2 TIONS RELATING TO GATHERING EVIDENCE 

3 FOR INVESTIGATIONS INTO WAR CRIMES OR 

4 CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN SYRIA SINCE 

5 MARCH 2011. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, acting 

7 through the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human 

8 Rights and Labor and the Assistant Secretary for Inter9 national Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, is au10 thorized to provide assistance to support entities that are 

11 conducting criminal investigations, building Syrian inves12 tigative capacity, supporting prosecutions in national 

13 courts, collecting evidence and preserving the chain of evi14 dence for eventual prosecution against those who have 

15 committed war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria 

16 since March 2011. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 

19 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a de20 tailed report on assistance provided under subsection (a). 

21 SEC. 405. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES 

22 DEFINED. 

23 In this title, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional 

24 committees’’ means— 

25 (1) the Select Committee on Intelligence, the 

26 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban AfVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:46 Jan 27, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S138.IS S138

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1 fairs, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

2 the Senate; and 

3 (2) the Permanent Select Committee on Intel4 ligence, the Committee on Financial Services, and 

5 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

6 Representatives. 

7 TITLE V—SUSPENSION OF SANC8 TIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

9 SYRIA 

10 SEC. 501. SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

11 SYRIA. 

12 (a) SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

13 (1) NEGOTIATIONS NOT CONCLUDING IN

14 AGREEMENT.—If the President determines that 

15 internationally recognized negotiations to resolve the 

16 violence in Syria have not concluded in an agree17 ment or are likely not to conclude in an agreement, 

18 the President may suspend, as appropriate, in whole 

19 or in part, the imposition of sanctions otherwise re20 quired under this Act or any amendment made by 

21 this Act for a period not to exceed 120 days, and re22 newable for additional periods not to exceed 120 

23 days, if the President submits to the appropriate 

24 congressional committees in writing a determination 

25 and certification that the Government of Syria has 


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1 ended military attacks against and gross violations 

2 of the human rights of the people of Syria, specifi3 cally— 

4 (A) the air space over Syria is no longer 

5 being utilized by the Government of Syria and 

6 associated forces to target civilian populations 

7 through the use of incendiary devices, including 

8 barrel bombs, chemical weapons, and conven9 tional arms, including air-delivered missiles and 

10 explosives; 

11 (B) areas besieged by the regime of 

12 Bashar al-Assad and associated forces, includ13 ing Hezbollah and irregular Iranian forces, are 

14 no longer cut off from international aid and 

15 have regular access to humanitarian assistance, 

16 freedom of travel, and medical care; 

17 (C) the Government of Syria is releasing 

18 all political prisoners forcibly held within the 

19 prison system of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, 

20 including the facilities maintained by various 

21 security, intelligence, and military elements as22 sociated with the Government of Syria and al23 lowed full access to the same facilities for inves24 tigations by appropriate international human 

25 rights organizations; and 


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1 (D) the forces of the Government of Syria 

2 and associated forces, including Hezbollah, ir3 regular Iranian forces, and air assets of the 

4 Government of the Russian Federation, are no 

5 longer engaged in deliberate targeting of med6 ical facilities, schools, residential areas, and 

7 community gathering places, including markets, 

8 in flagrant violation of international norms. 

9 (2) NEGOTIATIONS CONCLUDING IN AGREE10 MENT.— 

11 (A) INITIAL SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

12 If the President determines that internationally 

13 recognized negotiations to resolve the violence 

14 in Syria have concluded in an agreement or are 

15 likely to conclude in an agreement, the Presi16 dent may suspend, as appropriate, in whole or 

17 in part, the imposition of sanctions otherwise 

18 required under this Act or any amendment 

19 made by this Act for a period not to exceed 120 

20 days if the President submits to the appropriate 

21 congressional committees in writing a deter22 mination and certification that— 

23 (i) in the case in which the negotia24 tions are likely to conclude in an agree25 ment— 


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1 (I) the Government of Syria, the 

2 Syrian High Negotiations Committee 

3 or its successor, and appropriate 

4 international parties are participating 

5 in direct, face-to-face negotiations; 

6 and 

7 (II) the suspension of sanctions 

8 under this Act or any amendment 

9 made by this Act is essential to the 

10 advancement of such negotiations; and 

11 (ii) the Government of Syria has dem12 onstrated a commitment to a significant 

13 and substantial reduction in attacks on 

14 and violence against the people of Syria by 

15 the Government of Syria and associated 

16 forces. 

17 (B) RENEWAL OF SUSPENSION OF SANC18 TIONS.—The President may renew a suspension 

19 of sanctions under subparagraph (A) for addi20 tional periods not to exceed 120 days if, for 

21 each such additional period, the President sub22 mits to the appropriate congressional commit23 tees in writing a determination and certification 

24 that— 


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1 (i) the conditions described in clauses 

2 (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) are con3 tinuing to be met; 

4 (ii) the renewal of the suspension of 

5 sanctions is essential to implementing an 

6 agreement described in subparagraph (A) 

7 or making progress toward concluding an 

8 agreement described in subparagraph (A); 

9 (iii) the Government of Syria and as10 sociated forces have ceased attacks against 

11 Syrian civilians; and 

12 (iv) the Government of Syria has pub13 lically committed to negotiations for a 

14 transitional government in Syria and con15 tinues to demonstrate that commitment 

16 through sustained engagement in talks and 

17 substantive and verifiable progress towards 

18 the implementation of such an agreement. 

19 (3) BRIEFING AND REIMPOSITION OF SANC20 TIONS.— 

21 (A) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days 

22 after the President submits to the appropriate 

23 congressional committees a determination and 

24 certification in the case of a renewal of suspen25 sion of sanctions under paragraph (2)(B), and 


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1 every 30 days thereafter, the President shall 

2 provide a briefing to the appropriate congres3 sional committees on the status and frequency 

4 of negotiations described in paragraph (2). 

5 (B) REIMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—If the 

6 President provides a briefing to the appropriate 

7 congressional committees under subparagraph 

8 (A) with respect to which the President indi9 cates a lapse in negotiations described in para10 graph (2) for a period that equals or exceeds 90 

11 days, the sanctions that were suspended under 

12 paragraph (2)(B) shall be reimposed and any 

13 further suspension of such sanctions is prohib14 ited. 

15 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR

16 DETERMINING A TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT IN

17 SYRIA.—It is the sense of Congress that a transitional 

18 government in Syria is a government that— 

19 (1) is taking verifiable steps to release all polit20 ical prisoners and provided full access to Syrian 

21 prisons for investigations by appropriate inter22 national human rights organizations; 

23 (2) is taking verifiable steps to remove former 

24 senior Syrian government officials who are complicit 

25 in the conception, implementation, or coverup of war 


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1 crimes, crimes against humanity, or human rights 

2 abuses from government positions and any person 

3 subject to sanctions under any provision of law; 

4 (3) is in the process of organizing free and fair 

5 elections for a new government— 

6 (A) to be held in a timely manner and 

7 scheduled while the suspension of sanctions or 

8 the renewal of the suspension of sanctions 

9 under this section is in effect; and 

10 (B) to be conducted under the supervision 

11 of internationally recognized observers; 

12 (4) is making tangible progress toward estab13 lishing an independent judiciary; 

14 (5) is demonstrating respect for and compliance 

15 with internationally recognized human rights and 

16 basic freedoms as specified in the Universal Declara17 tion of Human Rights; 

18 (6) is— 

19 (A) taking steps to verifiably fulfill its 

20 commitments under the Convention on the Pro21 hibition of the Development, Production, Stock22 piling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on 

23 their Destruction, done at Paris January 13, 

24 1993, and entered into force April 29, 1997 

25 (commonly known as the ‘‘Chemical Weapons 


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1 Convention’’) and the Treaty on the Non-Pro2 liferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at Wash3 ington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968 (21 

4 UST 483) (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Nu5 clear Nonproliferation Treaty’’); 

6 (B) making tangible progress toward be7 coming a signatory to the Convention on the 

8 Prohibition of the Development, Production and 

9 Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and 

10 Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, done 

11 at Washington, London, and Moscow April 10, 

12 1972 and entered into force March 26, 1975 

13 (commonly known as the ‘‘Biological Weapons 

14 Convention’’); and 

15 (C) adhering to the Missile Technology 

16 Control Regime and other control lists, as nec17 essary; 

18 (7) has halted the development and deployment 

19 of ballistic and cruise missiles; and 

20 (8) is taking verifiable steps to remove from po21 sitions of authority within the intelligence and secu22 rity services as well as the military those who were 

23 in a position of authority or responsibility during the 

24 conflict and who under the authority of their posi25 tion were implicated in or implicit in the torture, 


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1 extrajudicial killing, or execution of civilians, to in2 clude those who were involved in decisionmaking or 

3 execution of plans to use chemical weapons. 

4 SEC. 502. WAIVERS AND EXEMPTIONS. 

5 (a) EXEMPTIONS.—The following activities and 

6 transactions shall be exempt from sanctions authorized 

7 under this Act and amendments made by this Act: 

8 (1) Any activity subject to the reporting re9 quirements under title V of the National Security 

10 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.), or to any au11 thorized intelligence activities of the United States. 

12 (2) Any transaction necessary to comply with 

13 United States obligations under— 

14 (A) the Agreement between the United Na15 tions and the United States of America regard16 ing the Headquarters of the United Nations, 

17 signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and en18 tered into force November 21, 1947; or 

19 (B) the Convention on Consular Relations, 

20 done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered 

21 into force March 19, 1967. 

22 (b) HUMANITARIAN AND DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE

23 WAIVER.— 

24 (1) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the 

25 policy of the United States to fully utilize the waiver 


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1 authority under this subsection to ensure that ade2 quate humanitarian relief or support for democracy 

3 promotion is provided to the people of Syria. 

4 (2) WAIVER.—The President may waive, on a 

5 case-by-case basis, for a period not to exceed 180 

6 days, and renewable for additional periods not to ex7 ceed 120 days, the application of sanctions author8 ized under this Act or amendments made by this Act 

9 if the President submits to the appropriate congres10 sional committees a written determination that the 

11 waiver is necessary for purposes of providing hu12 manitarian assistance or support for democracy pro13 motion to the people of Syria. 

14 (3) CONTENT OF WRITTEN DETERMINATION.— 

15 A written determination submitted under paragraph 

16 (1) with respect to a waiver shall include a descrip17 tion of all notification and accountability controls 

18 that have been employed in order to ensure that the 

19 activities covered by the waiver are humanitarian as20 sistance or support for democracy promotion and do 

21 not entail any activities in Syria or dealings with the 

22 Government of Syria not reasonably related to hu23 manitarian assistance or support for democracy pro24 motion. 


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1 (4) CLARIFICATION OF PERMITTED ACTIVITIES

2 UNDER WAIVER.—The President may not impose 

3 sanctions authorized under this Act or amendments 

4 made by this Act against an internationally recog5 nized humanitarian organization for— 

6 (A) engaging in a financial transaction re7 lating to humanitarian assistance or for human8 itarian purposes pursuant to a waiver issued 

9 under paragraph (1); 

10 (B) transporting goods or services that are 

11 necessary to carry out operations relating to 

12 humanitarian assistance or humanitarian pur13 poses pursuant to such a waiver; or 

14 (C) having incidental contact, in the course 

15 of providing humanitarian assistance or aid for 

16 humanitarian purposes pursuant to such a 

17 waiver, with individuals who are under the con18 trol of a foreign person subject to sanctions 

19 under this Act or any amendment made by this 

20 Act. 

21 (c) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may, on a 

23 case-by-case basis and for periods not to exceed 120 

24 days, waive the application of sanctions under this 

25 Act or amendments made by this Act with respect 


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1 to a foreign person if the President certifies to the 

2 appropriate congressional committees that such 

3 waiver is vital to the national security interests of 

4 the United States. 

5 (2) CONSULTATION.— 

6 (A) BEFORE WAIVER ISSUED.—Not later 

7 than 5 days before the issuance of a waiver 

8 under paragraph (1) is to take effect, the Presi9 dent shall notify and brief the appropriate con10 gressional committees on the status of the for11 eign person’s involvement in activities described 

12 in this Act or amendments made by this Act. 

13 (B) AFTER WAIVER ISSUED.—Not later 

14 than 90 days after the issuance of a waiver 

15 under paragraph (1), and every 120 days there16 after if the waiver remains in effect, the Presi17 dent shall brief the appropriate congressional 

18 committees on the status of the foreign person’s 

19 involvement in activities described in this Act or 

20 amendments made by this Act. 

21 SEC. 503. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES 

22 DEFINED. 

23 In this title, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional 

24 committees’’ means— 


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1 (1) the Select Committee on Intelligence, the 

2 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af3 fairs, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

4 the Senate; and 

5 (2) the Permanent Select Committee on Intel6 ligence, the Committee on Financial Services, and 

7 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

8 Representatives. 

9 TITLE VI—REGULATORY 

10 AUTHORITY AND SUNSET 

11 SEC. 601. REGULATORY AUTHORITY. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall, not later 

13 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

14 promulgate regulations as necessary for the implementa15 tion of this Act and the amendments made by this Act. 

16 (b) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Not less than 10 

17 days before the promulgation of regulations under sub18 section (a), the President shall notify and provide to the 

19 appropriate congressional committees the proposed regula20 tions and the provisions of this Act and the amendments 

21 made by this Act that the regulations are implementing. 

22 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro23 priate congressional committees’’ means— 


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1 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

2 Committee on Financial Services of the House of 

3 Representatives; and 

4 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

5 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af6 fairs of the Senate. 

7 SEC. 602. SUNSET. 

8 This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on De9 cember 31, 2021. 

Æ 


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