IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1677 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 18, 2017 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, encourage a negotiated political settlement, and hold Syrian 

human rights abusers accountable for their crimes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

3 ‘‘Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2017’’. 

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

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 

TITLE I—ADDITIONAL ACTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE 

NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 101. Sanctions with respect to Central Bank of Syria and foreign persons 

that engage in certain transactions. 

Sec. 102. Prohibitions with respect to the transfer of arms and related materials to Syria. 

Sec. 103. Rule of construction. 

Sec. 104. Definitions. 

TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS 

ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012 

Sec. 201. 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. 202. 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. 

Sec. 203. Imposition of sanctions with respect to persons who hinder humanitarian access. 

Sec. 204. Report on certain persons who are responsible for or complicit in certain human rights abuses in Syria. 

TITLE III—REPORTS AND WAIVER FOR HUMANITARIAN-RELATED 

ACTIVITIES WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 301. Briefing on monitoring and evaluating of ongoing assistance programs in Syria and to the Syrian people. 

Sec. 302. Assessment of potential methods to enhance the protection of civilians. 

Sec. 303. Assistance to support entities taking actions relating to gathering evidence for investigations into war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria since March 2011. 

TITLE IV—SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 401. Suspension of sanctions with respect to Syria. 

Sec. 402. Waivers and exemptions. 

TITLE V—REGULATORY AUTHORITY, COST LIMITATION, AND 

SUNSET 


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Sec. 501. Implementation and regulatory authorities. 

Sec. 502. Cost limitation. 

Sec. 503. Authority to consolidate reports. 

Sec. 504. Sunset. 

1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 It is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) Bashar al-Assad’s murderous actions 

4 against the people of Syria have directly contributed 

5 to the deaths of more than 480,000 civilians, led to 

6 the destruction of more than 50 percent of Syria’s 

7 critical infrastructure, and forced the displacement 

8 of more than 14 million people, precipitating one of 

9 the worst humanitarian crises in more than 60 

10 years; 

11 (2) international actions to protect vulnerable 

12 populations from attack by uniformed and irregular 

13 forces associated with the Assad regime, including 

14 Hezbollah, on land and by air, including through the 

15 use of barrel bombs, chemical weapons, mass starva16 tion, industrial-scale torture and execution of polit17 ical dissidents, sniper attacks against pregnant 

18 women, and the deliberate targeting of medical fa19 cilities, schools, residential areas, and community 

20 gathering places, including markets, have been insuf21 ficient to date; 

22 (3) Assad’s use of chemical weapons, including 

23 chlorine, against the Syrian people violates the 


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1 Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Syria is a 

2 party; 

3 (4) Assad’s abhorrent use of chemical weapons, 

4 most recently on April 4, 2017, in an attack on the 

5 town of Khan Shakhyn in which more than 90 peo6 ple died, including women and children, and more 

7 than 600 hundred people were injured, is condemned 

8 in the strongest terms; 

9 (5) violent attacks resulting in death, injury, 

10 imprisonment or threat of prosecution against hu11 manitarian aid workers and diplomatic personnel, as 

12 well as attacks on humanitarian supplies, facilities, 

13 transports, and assets, and acts to impede the access 

14 and secure movement of all humanitarian personnel 

15 are in violation of international humanitarian law 

16 and impede the lifesaving work of humanitarian or17 ganizations and diplomatic institutions; and 

18 (6) Assad’s continued claim of leadership and 

19 war crimes in Syria have served as a rallying point 

20 for the extremist ideology of the Islamic State, 

21 Jabhat al-Nusra, and other terrorist organizations. 

22 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

23 It is the policy of the United States that all diplo24 matic and coercive economic means should be utilized to 

25 compel the government of Bashar al-Assad to immediately 


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1 halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people and to 

2 support an immediate transition to a democratic govern3 ment in Syria that respects the rule of law, human rights, 

4 and peaceful co-existence with its neighbors. 

5 TITLE I—ADDITIONAL ACTIONS 

6 IN CONNECTION WITH THE 

7 NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH 

8 RESPECT TO SYRIA 

9 SEC. 101. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CENTRAL BANK 

10 OF SYRIA AND FOREIGN PERSONS THAT EN11 GAGE IN CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS. 

12 (a) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN MEASURES TO CEN13 TRAL BANK OF SYRIA.—Except as provided in subsections 

14 (a) and (b) of section 402, the President shall apply the 

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

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

17 (b) BLOCKING PROPERTY OF FOREIGN PERSONS

18 THAT ENGAGE IN CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on and after the 

20 date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment 

21 of this Act, the President shall impose on a foreign 

22 person the sanctions described in subsection (c) if 

23 the President determines that such foreign person, 

24 on or after such date of enactment, knowingly en25 gages in an activity described 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, or any of its agencies or instrumen13 talities; or 

14 (ii) a foreign person subject to sanc15 tions pursuant to— 

16 (I) the International Emergency 

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

18 1701 et seq.) with respect to Syria or 

19 any other provision of law that im20 poses sanctions with respect to Syria; 

21 or 

22 (II) a resolution that is agreed to 

23 by the United Nations Security Coun24 cil that imposes sanctions with respect 

25 to Syria; 


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1 (B) knowingly— 

2 (i) sells or provides significant goods, 

3 services, technology, information, or other 

4 support that directly and significantly fa5 cilitates the maintenance or expansion of 

6 the Government of Syria’s domestic pro7 duction of natural gas or petroleum or pe8 troleum products of Syrian origin in areas 

9 controlled by the Government of Syria or 

10 associated forces; 

11 (ii) sells or provides to the Govern12 ment of Syria crude oil or condensate, re13 fined petroleum products, liquefied natural 

14 gas, or petrochemical products that have a 

15 fair market value of $500,000 or more or 

16 that during a 12-month period have an ag17 gregate fair market value of $2,000,000 or 

18 more in areas controlled by the Govern19 ment of Syria or associated forces; 

20 (iii) sells or provides aircraft or spare 

21 parts, or provides significant goods, serv22 ices, or technologies associated with the op23 eration of such aircraft or air carriers to 

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1 ciated forces that are used, in whole or in 

2 part, for military purposes; or 

3 (iv) sells or provides significant goods, 

4 services, or technology to a foreign person 

5 operating in the shipping (including ports 

6 and free trade zones), transportation, or 

7 telecommunications sectors in areas con8 trolled by the Government of Syria or asso9 ciated forces; 

10 (C) knowingly facilitates efforts by a for11 eign person to carry out an activity described in 

12 subparagraph (A) or (B); or 

13 (D) knowingly provides significant loans, 

14 credits, including export credits, or financing to 

15 carry out an activity described in subparagraph 

16 (A) or (B). 

17 (c) SANCTIONS AGAINST A FOREIGN PERSON.—The 

18 sanctions to be imposed on a foreign person described in 

19 subsection (b) are the following: 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall exercise 

21 all of the powers granted to the President under the 

22 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

23 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to block 

24 and prohibit all transactions in property and inter25 ests in property of the foreign person if such propVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:30 May 18, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1677.RFS H1677

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1 erty and interests in property are in the United 

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

3 come within the possession or control of a United 

4 States person. 

5 (2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, 

6 OR PAROLE.— 

7 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

8 alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec9 retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 

10 one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason 

11 to believe, meets any of the criteria described in 

12 subsection (a) is— 

13 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

14 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

15 documentation to enter the United States; 

16 and 

17 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

18 or paroled into the United States or to re19 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra20 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

21 seq.). 

22 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

23 (i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con24 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

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1 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re2 voke any visa or other entry documentation 

3 issued to an alien who meets any of the 

4 criteria described in subsection (a) regard5 less of when issued. 

6 (ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev7 ocation under clause (i)— 

8 (I) shall take effect immediately; 

9 and 

10 (II) shall automatically cancel 

11 any other valid visa or entry docu12 mentation that is in the alien’s pos13 session. 

14 (3) 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 (4) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 

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1 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

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

3 violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 

4 causes a violation of regulations promulgated under 

5 section 501(a) to carry out paragraph (1) of this 

6 subsection to the same extent that such penalties 

7 apply to a person that knowingly commits an unlaw8 ful act described in section 206(a) of that Act. 

9 SEC. 102. PROHIBITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSFER 

10 OF ARMS AND RELATED MATERIALS TO 

11 SYRIA. 

12 (a) SANCTIONS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on and after the 

14 date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment 

15 of this Act, the President shall impose on a foreign 

16 person the sanctions described in subsection (b) if 

17 the President determines that such foreign person, 

18 on or after such date of enactment, knowingly ex19 ports, transfers, or provides significant financial, 

20 material, or technological support to the Government 

21 of Syria to— 

22 (A) acquire or develop chemical, biological, 

23 or nuclear weapons or related technologies; 

24 (B) acquire or develop ballistic or cruise 

25 missile capabilities; 


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1 (C) acquire or develop destabilizing num2 bers and types of advanced conventional weap3 ons; or 

4 (D) acquire defense articles, defense serv5 ices, or defense information (as such terms are 

6 defined under the Arms Export Control Act (22 

7 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.)), if the President deter8 mines that a significant type or amount of such 

9 articles, services, or information has been so ac10 quired. 

11 (2) APPLICABILITY TO OTHER FOREIGN PER12 SONS.—The sanctions described in subsection (b) 

13 shall also be imposed on any foreign person that is 

14 a successor entity to a foreign person described in 

15 paragraph (1). 

16 (b) SANCTIONS AGAINST A FOREIGN PERSON.—The 

17 sanctions to be imposed on a foreign person described in 

18 subsection (a) are the following: 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall exercise 

20 all powers granted by the International Emergency 

21 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to 

22 the extent necessary to freeze and prohibit all trans23 actions in all property and interests in property of 

24 the foreign person if such property and interests in 

25 property are in the United States, come within the 


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1 United States, or are or come within the possession 

2 or control of a United States person. 

3 (2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, 

4 OR PAROLE.— 

5 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

6 alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec7 retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 

8 one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason 

9 to believe, meets any of the criteria described in 

10 subsection (a) is— 

11 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

12 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

13 documentation to enter the United States; 

14 and 

15 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

16 or paroled into the United States or to re17 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra18 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

19 seq.). 

20 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

21 (i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con22 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

23 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des24 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re25 voke any visa or other entry documentation 


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1 issued to an alien who meets any of the 

2 criteria described in subsection (a) regard3 less of when issued. 

4 (ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev5 ocation under clause (i)— 

6 (I) shall take effect immediately; 

7 and 

8 (II) shall automatically cancel 

9 any other valid visa or entry docu10 mentation that is in the alien’s pos11 session. 

12 (3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA13 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

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

15 admitting the alien into the United States is nec16 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

17 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

18 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

19 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 

20 between the United Nations and the United States, 

21 or other applicable international obligations. 

22 (4) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at23 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

24 violation of any regulation, license, or order issued 

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1 alties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 

2 206 of the International Emergency Economic Pow3 ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as a 

4 person that commits an unlawful act described in 

5 subsection (a) of that section. 

6 SEC. 103. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

7 Nothing in this title shall be construed to limit the 

8 authority of the President pursuant to the International 

9 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

10 seq.). 

11 SEC. 104. DEFINITIONS. 

12 In this title: 

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

14 and ‘‘alien’’ have the meanings given such terms in 

15 section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

16 (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

17 (2) FINANCIAL, MATERIAL, OR TECHNOLOGICAL

18 SUPPORT.—The term ‘‘financial, material, or techno19 logical support’’ has the meaning given such term in 

20 section 542.304 of title 31, Code of Federal Regula21 tions, as such section was in effect on the date of 

22 the enactment of this Act. 

23 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per24 son’’ means any citizen or national of a foreign 

25 country, or any entity not organized solely under the 


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1 laws of the United States or existing solely in the 

2 United States. 

3 (4) GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA.—The term ‘‘Gov4 ernment of Syria’’ has the meaning given such term 

5 in section 542.305 of title 31, Code of Federal Reg6 ulations, as such section was in effect on the date 

7 of the enactment of this Act. 

8 (5) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’ has 

9 the meaning given such term in section 566.312 of 

10 title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as such sec11 tion was in effect on the date of the enactment of 

12 this Act. 

13 (6) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in14 dividual or entity. 

15 (7) PETROLEUM OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS OF

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

17 products of Syrian origin’’ has the meaning given 

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

19 Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on 

20 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

21 (8) SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTION OR TRANS22 ACTIONS; SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL SERVICES.—A 

23 transaction or transactions or financial services shall 

24 be determined to be a significant for purposes of this 

25 section in accordance with section 566.404 of title 


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1 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as such section 

2 was in effect on the date of the enactment of this 

3 Act. 

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

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

6 of Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect 

7 on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

8 (10) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

9 ‘‘United States person’’ means any United States 

10 citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized 

11 under the laws of the United States (including for12 eign branches), or any person in the United States. 

13 TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO 

14 SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS AC15 COUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012 

16 SEC. 201. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

17 CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE 

18 FOR OR COMPLICIT IN HUMAN RIGHTS 

19 ABUSES COMMITTED AGAINST CITIZENS OF 

20 SYRIA OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 

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

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

23 8791(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall exer2 cise all powers granted by the International Emer3 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

4 seq.) to the extent necessary to freeze and prohibit 

5 all transactions in all property and interests in prop6 erty of a person on the list required by subsection 

7 (b) if such property and interests in property are in 

8 the United States, come within the United States, or 

9 are or come within the possession or control of a 

10 United States person. 

11 ‘‘(2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS12 SION, OR PAROLE.— 

13 ‘‘(A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

14 alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec15 retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 

16 one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason 

17 to believe, meets any of the criteria described in 

18 subsection (b) is— 

19 ‘‘(i) inadmissible to the United States; 

20 ‘‘(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or 

21 other documentation to enter the United 

22 States; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admit24 ted or paroled into the United States or to 

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1 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

2 1101 et seq.). 

3 ‘‘(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con5 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

6 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des7 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re8 voke any visa or other entry documentation 

9 issued to an alien who meets any of the 

10 criteria described in subsection (b) regard11 less of when issued. 

12 ‘‘(ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A 

13 revocation under clause (i)— 

14 ‘‘(I) shall take effect imme15 diately; and 

16 ‘‘(II) shall automatically cancel 

17 any other valid visa or entry docu18 mentation that is in the alien’s pos19 session. 

20 ‘‘(3) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at21 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

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

23 order issued to carry out this section shall be subject 

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

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1 nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex2 tent as a person that commits an unlawful act de3 scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 

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

5 shall, not later than 180 days after the date of the 

6 enactment of this section, promulgate regulations as 

7 necessary for the implementation of this section. 

8 ‘‘(5) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA9 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

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

11 admitting the alien into the United States is nec12 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

13 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

14 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

15 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 

16 between the United Nations and the United States, 

17 or other applicable international obligations. 

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

19 this section shall be construed to limit the authority 

20 of the President pursuant to the International 

21 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 

22 et seq.), relevant Executive orders, regulations, or 

23 other provisions of law.’’. 

24 (b) SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES DESCRIBED.— 

25 Section 702 of the Syria Human Rights Accountability 


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

2 the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(d) SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES DE4 SCRIBED.—In subsection (b), the term ‘serious human 

5 rights abuses’ includes— 

6 ‘‘(1) the deliberate targeting of civilian infra7 structure to include schools, hospitals, markets, and 

8 other infrastructure that is essential to human life, 

9 such as power and water systems; and 

10 ‘‘(2) the deliberate diversion, hindering, or 

11 blocking of access for humanitarian purposes, in12 cluding access across conflict lines and borders.’’. 

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

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

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

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

17 Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 on after 

18 such date of enactment. 

19 SEC. 202. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

20 THE TRANSFER OF GOODS OR TECH21 NOLOGIES TO SYRIA THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE 

22 USED TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. 

23 Section 703(b)(2)(C) of the Syria Human Rights Ac24 countability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8792(b)(2)(C)) is 

25 amended— 


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

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

3 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

5 ‘‘(iii) any article— 

6 ‘‘(I) designated by the President 

7 for purposes of the United States Mu8 nitions List under section 38(a)(1) of 

9 the Arms Export Control Act (22 

10 U.S.C. 2778(a)(1)); and 

11 ‘‘(II) with respect to which the 

12 President determines is significant for 

13 purposes of the imposition of sanc14 tions under subsection (a); or 

15 ‘‘(iv) other goods or technologies that 

16 the President determines may be used by 

17 the Government of Syria to commit human 

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

19 SEC. 203. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

20 PERSONS WHO HINDER HUMANITARIAN AC21 CESS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Syria Human Rights Ac23 countability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791 et seq.) is 

24 amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating sections 705 and 706 as 

2 sections 706 and 707, respectively; 

3 (2) by inserting after section 704 the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 705. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

5 PERSONS WHO HINDER HUMANITARIAN AC6 CESS. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc8 tions described in section 702(c) with respect to each per9 son on the list required by subsection (b). 

10 ‘‘(b) LIST OF PERSONS WHO HINDER HUMANI11 TARIAN ACCESS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of the Caesar Syria 

14 Civilian Protection Act of 2017, the President shall 

15 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

16 a list of persons that the President determines have 

17 engaged in deliberate diversion, hindering, or block18 ing of access for humanitarian purposes for the 

19 United Nations, its specialized agencies and imple20 menting partners, national and international non21 governmental organizations, and all other actors en22 gaged in humanitarian relief activities in Syria, in23 cluding through the deliberate targeting of such hu24 manitarian actors and activities in Syria and across 

25 conflict lines and borders. 


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1 ‘‘(2) UPDATES OF LIST.—The President shall 

2 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

3 an updated list under paragraph (1)— 

4 ‘‘(A) not later than 300 days after the date 

5 of the enactment of the Caesar Syria Civilian 

6 Protection Act of 2017 and every 180 days 

7 thereafter; and 

8 ‘‘(B) as new information becomes avail9 able. 

10 ‘‘(3) FORM.—The list required by paragraph 

11 (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may 

12 contain a classified annex.’’; and 

13 (3) in section 706 (as so redesignated), by 

14 striking ‘‘or 704’’ and inserting ‘‘704, or 705’’. 

15 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

16 for the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 

17 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

18 704 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 705. Imposition of sanctions with respect to persons who hinder humanitarian access.’’. 

19 SEC. 204. REPORT ON CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RE20 SPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT IN CERTAIN 

21 HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN SYRIA. 

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

23 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub24 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a detailed 


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1 report with respect to whether each person described in 

2 subsection (c) meets the requirements described in section 

3 702(b) of the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 

4 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791(b)) for purposes of inclusion on the 

5 list of persons who are responsible for or complicit in cer6 tain human rights abuses under such section. 

7 (b) JUSTIFICATION.—The President shall include in 

8 the report required by subsection (a) a description of the 

9 reasons why any of the persons described in subsection 

10 (c) do not meet the requirements described in section 

11 702(b) of the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 

12 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791(b)), including information on 

13 whether sufficient credible evidence of responsibility for 

14 such abuses was found or whether any of the persons de15 scribed in subsection (c) have been designated pursuant 

16 to— 

17 (1) Executive Order No. 13572 of April 29, 

18 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 24787; relating to blocking 

19 property of certain persons with respect to human 

20 rights abuses in Syria); 

21 (2) Executive Order No. 13573 of May 18, 

22 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 29143; relating to blocking 

23 property of senior officials of the Government of 

24 Syria); 


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1 (3) Executive Order No. 13582 of August 17, 

2 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 52209; relating to blocking 

3 property of the Government of Syria and prohibiting 

4 certain transactions with respect to Syria); or 

5 (4) Executive Order No. 13606 of April 22, 

6 2012 (77 Fed. Reg. 24571; relating to blocking the 

7 property and suspending entry into the United 

8 States of certain persons with respect to grave 

9 human rights abuses by the Governments of Iran 

10 and Syria via information technology). 

11 (c) PERSONS DESCRIBED.—The persons described in 

12 this subsection are the following: 

13 (1) Bashar Al-Assad. 

14 (2) Asma Al-Assad. 

15 (3) Rami Makhlouf. 

16 (4) Bouthayna Shaaban. 

17 (5) Walid Moallem. 

18 (6) Ali Al-Salim. 

19 (7) Wael Nader Al-Halqi. 

20 (8) Jamil Hassan. 

21 (9) Suhail Hassan. 

22 (10) Ali Mamluk. 

23 (11) Muhammed Khadour, Deir Ez Zor Mili24 tary and Security. 

25 (12) Jamal Razzouq, Security Branch 243. 


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1 (13) Munzer Ghanam, Air Force Intelligence. 

2 (14) Daas Hasan Ali, Branch 327. 

3 (15) Jassem Ali Jassem Hamad, Political Secu4 rity. 

5 (16) Samir Muhammad Youssef, Military Intel6 ligence. 

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

8 (18) Khaled Muhsen Al-Halabi, Security 

9 Branch 335. 

10 (19) Mahmoud Kahila, Political Security. 

11 (20) Zuhair Ahmad Hamad, Provincial Secu12 rity. 

13 (21) Wafiq Nasser, Security Branch 245. 

14 (22) Qussay Mayoub, Air Force Intelligence. 

15 (23) Muhammad Ammar Sardini, Political Se16 curity. 

17 (24) Fouad Hammouda, Military Security. 

18 (25) Hasan Daaboul, Branch 261. 

19 (26) Yahia Wahbi, Air Force Intelligence. 

20 (27) Okab Saqer, Security Branch 318. 

21 (28) Husam Luqa, Political Security. 

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

23 (30) Yassir Deeb, Political Security. 

24 (31) Ibrahim Darwish, Security Branch 220. 

25 (32) Nasser Deeb, Political Security. 


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

2 (34) Adeeb Namer Salamah, Air Force Intel3 ligence. 

4 (35) Akram Muhammed, State Security. 

5 (36) Reyad Abbas, Political Security. 

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

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

8 (39) Issam Halaq, Air Force. 

9 (40) Ghassan Al-Abdullah, General Intelligence 

10 Directorate. 

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

12 (42) Fahad Al-Farouch. 

13 (43) Rafiq Shahada, Military Intelligence. 

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

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

16 (46) Muhammad Zamrini, Military Intelligence. 

17 (47) Muhammad Mahallah, Military Intel18 ligence. 

19 (d) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 

20 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain 

21 a classified annex if necessary. 

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

24 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

25 Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on 


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1 Ways and Means, and the Committee on the Judici2 ary of the House of Representatives; and 

3 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

4 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af5 fairs, the Committee on Finance, and the Committee 

6 on the Judiciary of the Senate. 

7 TITLE III—REPORTS AND WAIV8 ER FOR HUMANITARIAN-RE9 LATED ACTIVITIES WITH RE10 SPECT TO SYRIA 

11 SEC. 301. BRIEFING ON MONITORING AND EVALUATING OF 

12 ONGOING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN SYRIA 

13 AND TO THE SYRIAN PEOPLE. 

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

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

16 and the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

17 International Development shall brief the Committee on 

18 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

19 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate on the 

20 monitoring and evaluation of ongoing assistance programs 

21 in Syria and for the Syrian people, including assistance 

22 provided through multilateral organizations. 

23 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The briefing re24 quired by subsection (a) shall include— 


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1 (1) the specific project monitoring and evalua2 tion efforts, including measurable goals and per3 formance metrics for assistance in Syria; 

4 (2) a description of the memoranda of under5 standing entered into by the Department of State, 

6 the United States Agency for International Develop7 ment, and their respective Inspectors General and 

8 the multilateral organizations through which United 

9 States assistance will be delivered that formalize re10 quirements for the sharing of information between 

11 such entities for the conduct of audits, investiga12 tions, and evaluations; and 

13 (3) the major challenges to monitoring and 

14 evaluating such programs. 

15 SEC. 302. ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL METHODS TO EN16 HANCE THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS. 

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

18 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub19 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

20 that— 

21 (1) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

22 and operational requirements of the establishment 

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

24 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-fly zone in Syria; 

4 (B) the impact a no-fly zone in Syria 

5 would have on humanitarian and counterter6 rorism efforts in Syria and the surrounding re7 gion; and 

8 (C) the potential for force contributions 

9 from other countries to establish a no-fly zone 

10 in Syria; 

11 (2) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

12 and operational requirements for the establishment 

13 of one or more safe zones in Syria for internally dis14 placed persons or for the facilitation of humani15 tarian assistance, including— 

16 (A) the operational and legal requirements 

17 for United States and coalition forces to estab18 lish one or more safe zones in Syria; 

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

20 Syria would have on humanitarian and counter21 terrorism efforts in Syria and the surrounding 

22 region; and 

23 (C) the potential for contributions from 

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1 ners to establish and maintain one or more safe 

2 zones in Syria; 

3 (3) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

4 and operational requirements of other non-military 

5 means to enhance the protection of civilians, espe6 cially civilians who are in besieged areas, trapped at 

7 borders, or internally displaced; and 

8 (4) describes the Administration’s plan for re9 cruitment, training, and retention of partner forces, 

10 including— 

11 (A) identification of the United States 

12 partner forces operating on the ground; 

13 (B) the primary source of strength for 

14 each armed actor engaged in hostilities; 

15 (C) the capabilities, requirements, and 

16 vulnerabilities of each armed actor; 

17 (D) the United States role in mitigating 

18 vulnerabilities of partner forces; and 

19 (E) the Administration’s measures of suc20 cess for partner forces, including— 

21 (i) increasing Syrian civilian security; 

22 and 

23 (ii) working toward an end to the con24 flict in Syria. 


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

2 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain 

3 a classified annex if necessary. 

4 (c) CONSULTATION.—The report required by sub5 section (a) shall be informed by consultations with the De6 partment of State, the United States Agency for Inter7 national Development, the Department of Defense, and 

8 international and local organizations operating in Syria or 

9 in neighboring countries to alleviate the suffering of the 

10 Syrian people. 

11 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro12 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

13 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

14 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep15 resentatives; and 

16 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

17 the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 

18 SEC. 303. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ENTITIES TAKING AC19 TIONS RELATING TO GATHERING EVIDENCE 

20 FOR INVESTIGATIONS INTO WAR CRIMES OR 

21 CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN SYRIA SINCE 

22 MARCH 2011. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi24 sion of law, the Secretary of State, acting through the As25 sistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and 


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1 Labor and the Assistant Secretary for International Nar2 cotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, is authorized to pro3 vide assistance to support entities that are conducting 

4 criminal investigations, building Syrian investigative ca5 pacity, supporting prosecutions in national courts, col6 lecting evidence and preserving the chain of evidence for 

7 eventual prosecution against those who have committed 

8 war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria, including 

9 the aiding and abetting of such crimes by foreign govern10 ments and organizations supporting the Government of 

11 Syria, since March 2011. 

12 (b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

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

14 brief the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

15 Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 

16 of the Senate on assistance provided under subsection (a). 

17 TITLE IV—SUSPENSION OF 

18 SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT 

19 TO SYRIA 

20 SEC. 401. SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

21 SYRIA. 

22 (a) SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

23 (1) NEGOTIATIONS NOT CONCLUDING IN

24 AGREEMENT.—If the President determines that 

25 internationally recognized negotiations to resolve the 


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1 violence in Syria have not concluded in an agree2 ment or are likely not to conclude in an agreement, 

3 the President may suspend, as appropriate, in whole 

4 or in part, the imposition of sanctions otherwise re5 quired under this Act or any amendment made by 

6 this Act for a period not to exceed 120 days, and re7 newable for additional periods not to exceed 120 

8 days, if the President submits to the appropriate 

9 congressional committees in writing a determination 

10 and certification that the Government of Syria has 

11 ended military attacks against and gross violations 

12 of the human rights of the Syrian people, specifi13 cally— 

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

15 being utilized by the Government of Syria and 

16 associated forces to target civilian populations 

17 through the use of incendiary devices, including 

18 barrel bombs, chemical weapons, and conven19 tional arms, including air-delivered missiles and 

20 explosives; 

21 (B) areas besieged by the Assad regime 

22 and associated forces, including Hezbollah and 

23 irregular Iranian forces, are no longer cut off 

24 from international aid and have regular access 


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1 to humanitarian assistance, freedom of travel, 

2 and medical care; 

3 (C) the Government of Syria is releasing 

4 all political prisoners forcibly held within the 

5 Assad regime prison system, including the fa6 cilities maintained by various security, intel7 ligence, and military elements associated with 

8 the Government of Syria and allowed full access 

9 to the same facilities for investigations by ap10 propriate international human rights organiza11 tions; and 

12 (D) the forces of the Government of Syria 

13 and associated forces, including Hezbollah, ir14 regular Iranian forces, and Russian government 

15 air assets, are no longer engaged in deliberate 

16 targeting of medical facilities, schools, residen17 tial areas, and community gathering places, in18 cluding markets, in flagrant violation of inter19 national norms. 

20 (2) NEGOTIATIONS CONCLUDING IN AGREE21 MENT.— 

22 (A) INITIAL SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

23 If the President determines that internationally 

24 recognized negotiations to resolve the violence 

25 in Syria have concluded in an agreement or are 


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1 likely to conclude in an agreement, the Presi2 dent may suspend, as appropriate, in whole or 

3 in part, the imposition of sanctions otherwise 

4 required under this Act or any amendment 

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

6 days if the President submits to the appropriate 

7 congressional committees in writing a deter8 mination and certification that— 

9 (i) in the case in which the negotia10 tions are likely to conclude in an agree11 ment— 

12 (I) the Government of Syria, the 

13 Syrian High Negotiations Committee 

14 or its internationally-recognized suc15 cessor, and appropriate international 

16 parties are participating in direct, 

17 face-to-face negotiations; and 

18 (II) the suspension of sanctions 

19 under this Act or any amendment 

20 made by this Act is essential to the 

21 advancement of such negotiations; and 

22 (ii) the Government of Syria has dem23 onstrated a commitment to a significant 

24 and substantial reduction in attacks on 

25 and violence against the Syrian people by 


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1 the Government of Syria and associated 

2 forces. 

3 (B) RENEWAL OF SUSPENSION OF SANC4 TIONS.—The President may renew a suspension 

5 of sanctions under subparagraph (A) for addi6 tional periods not to exceed 120 days if, for 

7 each such additional period, the President sub8 mits to the appropriate congressional commit9 tees in writing a determination and certification 

10 that— 

11 (i) the conditions described in clauses 

12 (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) are con13 tinuing to be met; 

14 (ii) the renewal of the suspension of 

15 sanctions is essential to implementing an 

16 agreement described in subparagraph (A) 

17 or making progress toward concluding an 

18 agreement described in subparagraph (A); 

19 (iii) the Government of Syria and as20 sociated forces have ceased attacks against 

21 Syrian civilians; and 

22 (iv) the Government of Syria has pub23 licly committed to negotiations for a tran24 sitional government in Syria and continues 

25 to demonstrate that commitment through 


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1 sustained engagement in talks and sub2 stantive and verifiable progress towards 

3 the implementation of such an agreement. 

4 (3) BRIEFING AND REIMPOSITION OF SANC5 TIONS.— 

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

7 after the President submits to the appropriate 

8 congressional committees a determination and 

9 certification in the case of a renewal of suspen10 sion of sanctions under paragraph (2)(B), and 

11 every 30 days thereafter, the President shall 

12 provide a briefing to the appropriate congres13 sional committees on the status and frequency 

14 of negotiations described in paragraph (2). 

15 (B) RE-IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—If 

16 the President provides a briefing to the appro17 priate congressional committees under subpara18 graph (A) with respect to which the President 

19 indicates a lapse in negotiations described in 

20 paragraph (2) for a period that equals or ex21 ceeds 90 days, the sanctions that were sus22 pended under paragraph (2)(B) shall be re-im23 posed and any further suspension of such sanc24 tions is prohibited. 


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1 (4) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

2 ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 

3 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

4 Committee on Financial Services, the Com5 mittee on Ways and Means, and the Committee 

6 on the Judiciary of the House of Representa7 tives; and 

8 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

9 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

10 Urban Affairs, the Committee on Finance, and 

11 the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 

12 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR

13 DETERMINING A TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT IN

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

15 government in Syria is a government that— 

16 (1) is taking verifiable steps to release all polit17 ical prisoners and is providing full access to Syrian 

18 prisons for investigations by appropriate inter19 national human rights organizations; 

20 (2) is taking verifiable steps to remove former 

21 senior Syrian Government officials who are complicit 

22 in the conception, implementation, or cover up of 

23 war crimes, crimes against humanity, or human 

24 rights abuses and any person subject to sanctions 


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1 under any provision of law from government posi2 tions; 

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

4 elections for a new government— 

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

6 scheduled while the suspension of sanctions or 

7 the renewal of the suspension of sanctions 

8 under this section is in effect; and 

9 (B) to be conducted under the supervision 

10 of internationally recognized observers; 

11 (4) is making tangible progress toward estab12 lishing an independent judiciary; 

13 (5) is demonstrating respect for and compliance 

14 with internationally recognized human rights and 

15 basic freedoms as specified in the Universal Declara16 tion of Human Rights; 

17 (6) is taking steps to verifiably fulfill its com18 mitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention 

19 and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

20 Weapons and is making tangible progress toward be21 coming a signatory to Convention on the Prohibition 

22 of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of 

23 Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and 

24 on their Destruction, entered into force March 26, 


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1 1975, and adhering to the Missile Technology Con2 trol Regime and other control lists, as necessary; 

3 (7) has halted the development and deployment 

4 of ballistic and cruise missiles; and 

5 (8) is taking verifiable steps to remove from po6 sitions of authority within the intelligence and secu7 rity services as well as the military those who were 

8 in a position of authority or responsibility during the 

9 conflict and who under the authority of their posi10 tion were implicated in or implicit in the torture, 

11 extrajudicial killing, or execution of civilians, to in12 clude those who were involved in decisionmaking or 

13 execution of plans to use chemical weapons. 

14 SEC. 402. WAIVERS AND EXEMPTIONS. 

15 (a) EXEMPTIONS.—The following activities and 

16 transactions shall be exempt from sanctions authorized 

17 under this Act or any amendment made by this Act: 

18 (1) Any activity subject to the reporting re19 quirements under title V of the National Security 

20 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.), or to any au21 thorized intelligence activities of the United States. 

22 (2) Any transaction necessary to comply with 

23 United States obligations under— 

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1 ing the Headquarters of the United Nations, 

2 signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and en3 tered into force November 21, 1947; 

4 (B) the Convention on Consular Relations, 

5 done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered 

6 into force March 19, 1967; or 

7 (C) any other international agreement to 

8 which the United States is a party. 

9 (b) HUMANITARIAN, STABILIZATION, AND DEMOC10 RACY ASSISTANCE WAIVER.— 

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

12 policy of the United States to fully utilize the waiver 

13 authority under this subsection to ensure that ade14 quate humanitarian relief or support for stabilization 

15 and democracy promotion is provided to the Syrian 

16 people. 

17 (2) WAIVER.—Except as provided in paragraph 

18 (5) and subsection (d), the President may waive, on 

19 a case-by-case basis, for a period not to exceed 1 

20 year, and renewable for additional periods not to ex21 ceed 1 year, the application of sanctions authorized 

22 under this Act with respect to a person if the Presi23 dent submits to the appropriate congressional com24 mittees a written determination that the waiver is 

25 necessary for purposes of providing humanitarian or 


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1 stabilization assistance or support for democracy 

2 promotion to the people of Syria. 

3 (3) CONTENT OF WRITTEN DETERMINATION.— 

4 A written determination submitted under paragraph 

5 (2) with respect to a waiver shall include a descrip6 tion of all notification and accountability controls 

7 that have been employed in order to ensure that the 

8 activities covered by the waiver are humanitarian or 

9 stabilization assistance or support for democracy 

10 promotion and do not entail any activities in Syria 

11 or dealings with the Government of Syria not rea12 sonably related to humanitarian or stabilization as13 sistance or support for democracy promotion. 

14 (4) CLARIFICATION OF PERMITTED ACTIVITIES

15 UNDER WAIVER.—The President may not impose 

16 sanctions authorized under this Act against a hu17 manitarian organization for— 

18 (A) engaging in a financial transaction re19 lating to humanitarian assistance or for human20 itarian purposes pursuant to a waiver issued 

21 under paragraph (2); 

22 (B) transporting goods or services that are 

23 necessary to carry out operations relating to 

24 humanitarian assistance or humanitarian pur25 poses pursuant to such a waiver; or 


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1 (C) having incidental contact, in the course 

2 of providing humanitarian assistance or aid for 

3 humanitarian purposes pursuant to such a 

4 waiver, with individuals who are under the con5 trol of a foreign person subject to sanctions 

6 under this Act or any amendment made by this 

7 Act unless the organization or its officers, mem8 bers, representatives or employees have engaged 

9 in (or the President knows or has reasonable 

10 ground to believe is engaged in or is likely to 

11 engage in) conduct described in section 

12 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration and 

13 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

14 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 

15 (5) EXCEPTION TO WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The 

16 President may not exercise the waiver authority 

17 under paragraph (2) with respect to a foreign person 

18 who has (or whose officers, members, representatives 

19 or employees have) engaged in (or the President 

20 knows or has reasonable ground to believe is en21 gaged in or is likely to engage in) conduct described 

22 in section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration 

23 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

24 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 

25 (c) WAIVER.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may, for peri2 ods not to exceed 120 days, waive the application of 

3 sanctions under this Act with respect to a foreign 

4 person if the President certifies to the appropriate 

5 congressional committees that such waiver is vital to 

6 the national security interests of the United States. 

7 (2) CONSULTATION.— 

8 (A) BEFORE WAIVER ISSUED.—Not later 

9 than 5 days before the issuance of a waiver 

10 under paragraph (1) is to take effect, the Presi11 dent shall notify and brief the appropriate con12 gressional committees on the status of the for13 eign person’s involvement in activities described 

14 in this Act. 

15 (B) AFTER WAIVER ISSUED.—Not later 

16 than 90 days after the issuance of a waiver 

17 under paragraph (1), and every 120 days there18 after if the waiver remains in effect, the Presi19 dent shall brief the appropriate congressional 

20 committees on the status of the foreign person’s 

21 involvement in activities described in this Act. 

22 (3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

23 ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 

24 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

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1 mittee on Ways and Means, and the Committee 

2 on the Judiciary of the House of Representa3 tives; and 

4 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

5 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

6 Urban Affairs, the Committee on Finance, and 

7 the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 

8 (d) CODIFICATION OF CERTAIN SERVICES IN SUP9 PORT OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ ACTIVI10 TIES AUTHORIZED.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para12 graph (2), section 542.516 of title 31, Code of Fed13 eral Regulations (relating to certain services in sup14 port of nongovernmental organizations’ activities au15 thorized), as in effect on the day before the date of 

16 the enactment of this Act, shall— 

17 (A) remain in effect on and after such date 

18 of enactment; and 

19 (B) in the case of a nongovernmental orga20 nization that is authorized to export or reexport 

21 services to Syria under such section on the day 

22 before such date of enactment, shall apply to 

23 such organization on and after such date of en24 actment to the same extent and in the same 

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1 zation on the day before such date of enact2 ment. 

3 (2) EXCEPTION.—Section 542.516 of title 31, 

4 Code of Federal Regulations, as codified under para5 graph (1), shall not apply with respect to a foreign 

6 person who has (or whose officers, members, rep7 resentatives or employees have) engaged in (or the 

8 President knows or has reasonable ground to believe 

9 is engaged in or is likely to engage in) conduct de10 scribed in section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immi11 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

12 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 

13 (e) STRATEGY REQUIRED.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

15 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

16 President shall submit to the appropriate congres17 sional committees a report containing a strategy to 

18 ensure that humanitarian organizations can access 

19 financial services to ensure the safe and timely deliv20 ery of assistance to communities in need in Syria. 

21 (2) CONSIDERATION OF DATA FROM OTHER

22 COUNTRIES AND NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZA23 TIONS.—In preparing the strategy required by para24 graph (1), the President shall consider credible data 

25 already obtained by other countries and nongovernVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:30 May 18, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1677.RFS H1677

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1 mental organizations, including organizations oper2 ating in Syria. 

3 (3) FORM.—The strategy required by para4 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but 

5 may contain a classified annex. 

6 TITLE V—REGULATORY AU7 THORITY, COST LIMITATION, 

8 AND SUNSET 

9 SEC. 501. IMPLEMENTATION AND REGULATORY AUTHORI10 TIES. 

11 (a) IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY.—The President 

12 may exercise all authorities provided to the President 

13 under sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer14 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) 

15 for purposes of carrying out this Act and the amendments 

16 made by this Act. 

17 (b) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—The President shall, 

18 not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 

19 of this Act, promulgate regulations as necessary for the 

20 implementation of this Act and the amendments made by 

21 this Act. 

22 (c) BRIEFING TO CONGRESS.—Not less than 10 days 

23 before the promulgation of regulations under subsection 

24 (a), the President shall brief the appropriate congressional 

25 committees on the proposed regulations and the provisions 


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1 of this Act and the amendments made by this Act that 

2 the regulations are implementing. 

3 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro4 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

5 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

6 Committee on Financial Services of the House of 

7 Representatives; and 

8 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

9 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af10 fairs of the Senate. 

11 SEC. 502. COST LIMITATION. 

12 No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 

13 requirements of this Act and the amendments made by 

14 this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using 

15 amounts otherwise authorized. 

16 SEC. 503. AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Any reports required to be sub18 mitted to the appropriate congressional committees under 

19 this Act or any amendment made by this Act that are sub20 ject to a deadline for submission consisting of the same 

21 unit of time may be consolidated into a single report that 

22 is submitted to appropriate congressional committees pur23 suant to such deadline. The consolidated reports shall con24 tain all information required under this Act or any amendVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:30 May 18, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1677.RFS H1677

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1 ment made by this Act, in addition to all other elements 

2 mandated by previous law. 

3 (b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro4 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

5 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

6 Committee on Financial Services of the House of 

7 Representatives; and 

8 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

9 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af10 fairs of the Senate. 

11 SEC. 504. SUNSET. 

12 This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on De13 cember 31, 2021. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 17, 2017. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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