I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1836 

To establish appropriate procedures and sanctions to ensure that unpaid 

parking fines and penalties owed to New York City by foreign countries 

are paid. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 11, 2011 

Mr. GRIMM (for himself, Mr. TOWNS, and Mr. KING of New York) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish appropriate procedures and sanctions to ensure 

that unpaid parking fines and penalties owed to New 

York City by foreign countries are paid. 

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The City of New York is host to the diplo6 matic representatives of 289 missions and consulates 

7 of foreign countries located in the city. 

8 (2) Foreign diplomats in New York City in9 curred more than $17.2 million dollars in fines and 


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1 penalties on parking tickets issued by the munici2 pality. 

3 (3) Many of the parking fines were issued due 

4 to safety violations, including the blocking of fire hy5 drants, which put lives of residents of the city in 

6 danger. 

7 (4) The legal doctrine of diplomatic immunity 

8 prohibits the imposition of traditional sanctions to 

9 ensure payment of such parking fines. 

10 (5) Section 545 of the Foreign Operations, Ex11 port Financing, and Related Programs Appropria12 tions Act, 2002 (Public Law 107–115) provided that 

13 ‘‘an amount equivalent to 110 percent of the total 

14 unpaid fully adjudicated parking fines and penalties 

15 owed to the District of Columbia and New York 

16 City, New York by such country as of the date of 

17 the enactment of this Act that were incurred after 

18 the first day of the fiscal year preceding the current 

19 fiscal year shall be withheld from obligation for such 

20 country until the Secretary of State certifies and re21 ports in writing to the appropriate congressional 

22 committees that such fines and penalties are fully 

23 paid to the governments of the District of Columbia 

24 and New York City, New York’’. 


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1 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to estab2 lish appropriate procedures and sanctions to ensure that 

3 parking fines and penalties incurred in New York, New 

4 York, by foreign countries are paid. 

5 SEC. 2. SANCTIONS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Whenever a foreign country owes 

7 to New York, New York, unpaid fully adjudicated parking 

8 fines and penalties as of September 15 of each year, and 

9 until the Secretary of State receives certification that such 

10 fines and penalties have been paid— 

11 (1) the Secretary of State shall deny the 

12 issuance or renewal of any diplomatic license plates 

13 for vehicles for that country; 

14 (2) notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

15 the Secretary of State shall withhold from obligation 

16 funds available for that country under part I of the 

17 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; and 

18 (3) notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

19 unobligated funds available for that country under 

20 part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 are au21 thorized to be reappropriated to pay any fully adju22 dicated parking fines and penalties owed by that 

23 country to New York, New York. 

24 (b) STANDARD FOR DETERMINATION.—For the pur25 poses of this Act, the term ‘‘fully adjudicated’’ includes 


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1 circumstances in which the registrant has not responded 

2 to the parking violation summons or has not followed the 

3 appropriate adjudication procedure to challenge the sum4 mons and the period of time for payment or challenge of 

5 the summons has lapsed. 

Æ 


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