I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1677 

To halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, encourage a negotiated 

political settlement, and hold Syrian human rights abusers accountable 

for their crimes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 22, 2017 

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. ROYCE of California, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. 

DEUTCH, Mr. KINZINGER, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. MESSER, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mrs. 

MCMORRIS RODGERS, and Mr. BEYER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 

to the Committees on Financial Services, and the Judiciary, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

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


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

2 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 violations in Syria. 

TITLE III—REPORTS AND WAIVER FOR HUMANITARIAN-RELATED 

ACTIVITIES WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 301. Report 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 advance a comprehensive relief and recovery strategy in 

Syria. 

Sec. 304. 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 

Sec. 501. Regulatory authority. 

Sec. 502. Cost limitation. 

Sec. 503. Authority to consolidate reports. 

Sec. 504. Sunset. 


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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 14,000,000 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 

24 Chemical Weapons Convention; 

25 (4) violent attacks resulting in death, injury, 

26 imprisonment or threat of prosecution against huVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1677.IH H1677

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1 manitarian aid workers and diplomatic personnel, as 

2 well as attacks on humanitarian supplies, facilities, 

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

4 and secure movement of all humanitarian personnel 

5 are in violation of international humanitarian law 

6 and impede the lifesaving work of humanitarian or7 ganizations and diplomatic institutions; and 

8 (5) Assad’s continued claim of leadership and 

9 war crimes in Syria have served as a rallying point 

10 for the extremist ideology of the Islamic State, 

11 Jabhat al-Nusra, and other terrorist organizations. 

12 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

13 It is the policy of the United States that all diplo14 matic and coercive economic means should be utilized to 

15 compel the government of Bashar al-Assad to immediately 

16 halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people and to 

17 support an immediate transition to a democratic govern18 ment in Syria that respects the rule of law, human rights, 

19 and peaceful co-existence with its neighbors. 


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1 TITLE I—ADDITIONAL ACTIONS 

2 IN CONNECTION WITH THE 

3 NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH 

4 RESPECT TO SYRIA 

5 SEC. 101. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CENTRAL BANK 

6 OF SYRIA AND FOREIGN PERSONS THAT EN7 GAGE IN CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS. 

8 (a) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN MEASURES TO CEN9 TRAL BANK OF SYRIA.—Except as provided in subsections 

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

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

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

13 (b) BLOCKING PROPERTY OF FOREIGN PERSONS

14 THAT ENGAGE IN CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS.— 

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

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

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

18 person the sanctions described in subsection (c) if 

19 the President determines that such foreign person 

20 has, on or after such date of enactment, knowingly 

21 engaged in an activity described in paragraph (2). 

22 (2) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—A foreign person 

23 engages in an activity described in this paragraph if 

24 the foreign person— 


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1 (A) knowingly provided significant finan2 cial, material or technological support to (in3 cluding engaging in or facilitating a significant 

4 transaction or transactions with) or provided 

5 significant financial services for— 

6 (i) the Government of Syria (including 

7 Syria’s intelligence and security services or 

8 its armed forces or government entities op9 erating as a business enterprise) and the 

10 Central Bank of Syria, or any of its agents 

11 or affiliates; or 

12 (ii) a foreign person subject to sanc13 tions pursuant to— 

14 (I) the International Emergency 

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

16 1701 et seq.) with respect to Syria or 

17 any other provision of law that im18 poses sanctions with respect to Syria; 

19 or 

20 (II) a resolution that is agreed to 

21 by the United Nations Security Coun22 cil that imposes sanctions with respect 

23 to Syria; 

24 (B) knowingly— 


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1 (i) sold or provided significant goods, 

2 services, technology, information, or other 

3 support that could directly and signifi4 cantly facilitate the maintenance or expan5 sion of Syria’s domestic production of nat6 ural gas or petroleum or petroleum prod7 ucts of Syrian origin in areas controlled by 

8 the Government of Syria; 

9 (ii) sold or provided to Syria crude oil 

10 or condensate, refined petroleum products, 

11 liquefied natural gas, or petrochemical 

12 products that have a fair market value of 

13 $500,000 or more or that during a 12- 

14 month period have an aggregate fair mar15 ket value of $2,000,000 or more in areas 

16 controlled by the Government of Syria; 

17 (iii) sold or provided civilian aircraft 

18 or spare parts, or provides significant 

19 goods, services, or technologies associated 

20 with the operation of aircraft or airlines to 

21 any foreign person operating in areas con22 trolled by the Government of Syria; or 

23 (iv) sold or provided significant goods, 

24 services, or technology to a foreign person 

25 operating in the shipping (including ports 


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1 and free trade zones), transportation, or 

2 telecommunications sectors in areas con3 trolled by the Government of Syria; 

4 (C) knowingly facilitated efforts by a for5 eign person to carry out an activity described in 

6 subparagraph (A) or (B); 

7 (D) knowingly provided loans, credits, in8 cluding export credits, or financing to carry out 

9 an activity described in subparagraph (A) or 

10 (B); and 

11 (E) is owned or controlled by a foreign 

12 person that engaged in the activities described 

13 in subparagraphs (A) through (C). 

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

15 sanctions to be imposed on a foreign person described in 

16 subsection (b) are the following: 

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

18 all powers granted by the International Emergency 

19 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (ex20 cept that the requirements of section 202 of such 

21 Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply) to the extent 

22 necessary to freeze and prohibit all transactions in 

23 all property and interests in property of the foreign 

24 person if such property and interests in property are 

25 in the United States, come within the United States, 


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1 or are or come within the possession or control of a 

2 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.—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 regulations promulgated under 

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

4 subsection to the same extent that such penalties 

5 apply to a person that knowingly commits an unlaw6 ful act described in section 206(a) of that Act. 

7 SEC. 102. PROHIBITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSFER 

8 OF ARMS AND RELATED MATERIALS TO 

9 SYRIA. 

10 (a) SANCTIONS.— 

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

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

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

14 person the sanctions described in subsection (b) if 

15 the President determines that such foreign person 

16 has, on or after such date of enactment, knowingly 

17 exported, transferred, or provided significant finan18 cial, material, or technological support to the Gov19 ernment of Syria to— 

20 (A) acquire or develop chemical, biological, 

21 or nuclear weapons or related technologies; 

22 (B) acquire or develop ballistic or cruise 

23 missile capabilities; 


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

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.)); or 

8 (E) acquire items designated by the Presi9 dent for purposes of the United States Muni10 tions List under section 38(a)(1) of the Arms 

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

12 (2) APPLICABILITY TO OTHER FOREIGN PER13 SONS.—The sanctions described in subsection (b) 

14 shall also be imposed on any foreign person that— 

15 (A) is a successor entity to a foreign per16 son described in paragraph (1); or 

17 (B) is owned or controlled by a foreign 

18 person described in paragraph (1). 

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

20 sanctions to be imposed on a foreign person described in 

21 subsection (a) are the following: 

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

23 all powers granted by the International Emergency 

24 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (ex25 cept that the requirements of section 202 of such 


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1 Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply) to the extent 

2 necessary to freeze and prohibit all transactions in 

3 all property and interests in property of the foreign 

4 person if such property and interests in property are 

5 in the United States, come within the United States, 

6 or are or come within the possession or control of a 

7 United States person. 

8 (2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, 

9 OR PAROLE.— 

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

11 alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec12 retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 

13 one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason 

14 to believe, meets any of the criteria described in 

15 subsection (a) is— 

16 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

17 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

18 documentation to enter the United States; 

19 and 

20 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

21 or paroled into the United States or to re22 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra23 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

24 seq.). 

25 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con2 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

3 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des4 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re5 voke any visa or other entry documentation 

6 issued to an alien who meets any of the 

7 criteria described in subsection (a) regard8 less of when issued. 

9 (ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev10 ocation under clause (i)— 

11 (I) shall take effect immediately; 

12 and 

13 (II) shall automatically cancel 

14 any other valid visa or entry docu15 mentation that is in the alien’s pos16 session. 

17 (3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA18 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

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

20 admitting the alien into the United States is nec21 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

22 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

23 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

24 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 


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1 between the United Nations and the United States, 

2 or other applicable international obligations. 

3 (4) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at4 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

5 violation of any regulation, license, or order issued 

6 to carry out this section shall be subject to the pen7 alties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 

8 206 of the International Emergency Economic Pow9 ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as a 

10 person that commits an unlawful act described in 

11 subsection (a) of that section. 

12 SEC. 103. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

13 The sanctions that are required to be imposed under 

14 this title are in addition to other similar or related sanc15 tions that are required to be imposed under any other pro16 vision of law. 

17 SEC. 104. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this title: 

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

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

21 section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

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

23 (2) FINANCIAL, MATERIAL, OR TECHNOLOGICAL

24 SUPPORT.—The term ‘‘financial, material, or techno25 logical support’’ has the meaning given such term in 


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1 section 542.304 of title 31, Code of Federal Regula2 tions, as such section was in effect on the date of 

3 the enactment of this Act. 

4 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per5 son’’ means any citizen or national of a foreign 

6 country, or any entity not organized solely under the 

7 laws of the United States or existing solely in the 

8 United States. 

9 (4) GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA.—The term ‘‘Gov10 ernment of Syria’’ has the meaning given such term 

11 in section 542.305 of title 31, Code of Federal Reg12 ulations, as such section was in effect on the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act. 

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

15 the meaning given such term in section 566.312 of 

16 title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as such sec17 tion was in effect on the date of the enactment of 

18 this Act. 

19 (6) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in20 dividual or entity. 

21 (7) PETROLEUM OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS OF

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

23 products of Syrian origin’’ has the meaning given 

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


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1 Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

3 (8) SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTION OR TRANS4 ACTIONS; SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL SERVICES.—A 

5 transaction or transactions or financial services shall 

6 be determined to be a significant for purposes of this 

7 section in accordance with section 566.404 of title 

8 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as such section 

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

10 Act. 

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

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

13 of Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect 

14 on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

15 (10) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

16 ‘‘United States person’’ means any United States 

17 citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized 

18 under the laws of the United States (including for19 eign branches), or any person in the United States. 


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1 TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO 

2 SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS AC3 COUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012 

4 SEC. 201. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

5 CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE 

6 FOR OR COMPLICIT IN HUMAN RIGHTS 

7 ABUSES COMMITTED AGAINST CITIZENS OF 

8 SYRIA OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 

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

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

11 8791(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘(c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall exer14 cise all powers granted by the International Emer15 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

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

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

18 extent necessary to freeze and prohibit all trans19 actions in all property and interests in property of 

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

21 such property and interests in property are in the 

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

23 or come within the possession or control of a United 

24 States person. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS2 SION, OR PAROLE.— 

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

4 alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec5 retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 

6 one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason 

7 to believe, meets any of the criteria described in 

8 subsection (b) is— 

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

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

11 other documentation to enter the United 

12 States; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admit14 ted or paroled into the United States or to 

15 receive any other benefit under the Immi16 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

17 1101 et seq.). 

18 ‘‘(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con20 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

21 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des22 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re23 voke any visa or other entry documentation 

24 issued to an alien who meets any of the 


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1 criteria described in subsection (b) regard2 less of when issued. 

3 ‘‘(ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A 

4 revocation under clause (i)— 

5 ‘‘(I) shall take effect imme6 diately; and 

7 ‘‘(II) shall automatically cancel 

8 any other valid visa or entry docu9 mentation that is in the alien’s pos10 session. 

11 ‘‘(3) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at12 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

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

14 order issued to carry out this section shall be subject 

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

16 of section 206 of the International Emergency Eco17 nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex18 tent as a person that commits an unlawful act de19 scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 

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

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

22 enactment of this section, promulgate regulations as 

23 necessary for the implementation of this section. 

24 ‘‘(5) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA25 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 


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

2 admitting the alien into the United States is nec3 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

4 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

5 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

6 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 

7 between the United Nations and the United States, 

8 or other applicable international obligations. 

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

10 this section shall be construed to limit the authority 

11 of the President to impose additional sanctions pur12 suant to the International Emergency Economic 

13 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), relevant Exec14 utive orders, regulations, or other provisions of 

15 law.’’. 

16 (b) SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES DESCRIBED.— 

17 Section 702 of the Syria Human Rights Accountability 

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

19 the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(d) SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES DE21 SCRIBED.—In subsection (b), the term ‘serious human 

22 rights abuses’ includes— 

23 ‘‘(1) the deliberate targeting of civilian infra24 structure to include schools, hospitals, markets, and 


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1 other infrastructure that is essential to human life, 

2 such as power and water systems; and 

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

4 blocking of access for humanitarian purposes, in5 cluding access across conflict lines and borders.’’. 

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

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

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

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

10 Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 on after 

11 such date of enactment. 

12 SEC. 202. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

13 THE TRANSFER OF GOODS OR TECH14 NOLOGIES TO SYRIA THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE 

15 USED TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. 

16 Section 703(b)(2)(C) of the Syria Human Rights Ac17 countability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8792(b)(2)(C)) is 

18 amended— 

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

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

21 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

23 ‘‘(iii) any article designated by the 

24 President for purposes of the United 

25 States Munitions List under section 


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

2 (22 U.S.C. 2778(a)(1)); or 

3 ‘‘(iv) other goods or technologies that 

4 the President determines may be used by 

5 the Government of Syria to commit human 

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

7 SEC. 203. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

8 PERSONS WHO HINDER HUMANITARIAN AC9 CESS. 

10 The Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 

11 (22 U.S.C. 8791 et seq.) is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating sections 705 and 706 as 

13 sections 706 and 707, respectively; 

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

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

16 PERSONS WHO HINDER HUMANITARIAN AC17 CESS. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc19 tions described in section 702(c) with respect to each per20 son on the list required by subsection (b). 

21 ‘‘(b) LIST OF PERSONS WHO HINDER HUMANI22 TARIAN ACCESS.— 

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

24 after the date of the enactment of the Caesar Syria 

25 Civilian Protection Act of 2017, the President shall 


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1 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

2 a list of persons that the President determines have 

3 engaged in deliberate diversion, hindering, or block4 ing of access for humanitarian purposes for the 

5 United Nations, its specialized agencies and imple6 menting partners, national and international non7 governmental organizations, and all other actors en8 gaged in humanitarian relief activities in Syria, in9 cluding through the deliberate targeting of such hu10 manitarian actors and activities in Syria and across 

11 conflict lines and borders. 

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

13 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

14 an updated list under paragraph (1)— 

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

16 of the enactment of the Caesar Syria Civilian 

17 Protection Act of 2017 and every 180 days 

18 thereafter; and 

19 ‘‘(B) as new information becomes avail20 able. 

21 ‘‘(3) FORM OF REPORT; PUBLIC AVAIL22 ABILITY.— 

23 ‘‘(A) FORM.—The list required by para24 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 

25 form but may contain a classified annex. 


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1 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclas2 sified portion of the list required by paragraph 

3 (1) shall be made available to the public and 

4 posted on the Web sites of the Department of 

5 the Treasury and the Department of State.’’; 

6 and 

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

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

9 SEC. 204. REPORT ON CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RE10 SPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT IN CERTAIN 

11 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SYRIA. 

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

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub14 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a detailed 

15 report with respect to whether each person described in 

16 subsection (c) is a person that meets the requirements de17 scribed in section 702(b) of the Syria Human Rights Ac18 countability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791(b)) for purposes 

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

20 or complicit in certain human rights abuses under such 

21 section. 

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

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

24 reasons why any of the individuals described in subsection 

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


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1 702(b) of the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 

2 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791(b)), including information on 

3 whether sufficient credible evidence of responsibility for 

4 such abuses was found. 

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

6 this subsection are the following: 

7 (1) Bashar Al-Assad. 

8 (2) Asthma Al-Assad. 

9 (3) Rami Makhlouf. 

10 (4) Bouthayna Shaaban. 

11 (5) Walid Moallem. 

12 (6) Ali Al-Salim. 

13 (7) Wael Nader Al-Halqi. 

14 (8) Jamil Hassan. 

15 (9) Suhail Hassan. 

16 (10) Ali Mamluk. 

17 (11) Muhammed Khadour, Deir Ez Zor Mili18 tary and Security. 

19 (12) Jamal Razzouq, Security Branch 243. 

20 (13) Munzer Ghanam, Air Force Intelligence. 

21 (14) Daas Hasan Ali, Branch 327. 

22 (15) Jassem Ali Jassem Hamad, Political Secu23 rity. 

24 (16) Samir Muhammad Youssef, Military Intel25 ligence. 


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

2 (18) Khaled Muhsen Al-Halabi, Security 

3 Branch 335. 

4 (19) Mahmoud Kahila, Political Security. 

5 (20) Zuhair Ahmad Hamad, Provincial Secu6 rity. 

7 (21) Wafiq Nasser, Security Branch 245. 

8 (22) Qussay Mayoub, Air Force Intelligence. 

9 (23) Muhammad Ammar Sardini, Political Se10 curity. 

11 (24) Fouad Hammouda, Military Security. 

12 (25) Hasan Daaboul, Branch 261. 

13 (26) Yahia Wahbi, Air Force Intelligence. 

14 (27) Okab Saqer, Security Branch 318. 

15 (28) Husam Luqa, Political Security. 

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

17 (30) Yassir Deeb, Political Security. 

18 (31) Ibrahim Darwish, Security Branch 220. 

19 (32) Nasser Deeb, Political Security. 

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

21 (34) Adeeb Namer Salamah, Air Force Intel22 ligence. 

23 (35) Akram Muhammed, State Security. 

24 (36) Reyad Abbas, Political Security. 

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


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

2 (39) Issam Halaq, Air Force. 

3 (40) Ghassan Al-Abdullah, General Intelligence 

4 Directorate. 

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

6 (42) Fahad Al-Farouch. 

7 (43) Rafiq Shahada, Military Intelligence. 

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

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

10 (46) Muhammad Zamrini, Military Intelligence. 

11 (47) Muhammad Mahallah, Military Intel12 ligence. 

13 (d) FORM OF REPORT; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 

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

15 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 

16 contain a classified annex if necessary. 

17 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassified 

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

19 made available to the public and posted on the Web 

20 sites of the Department of the Treasury and the De21 partment of State. 

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, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 

6 Senate. 

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

11 SEC. 301. REPORT 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 submit to the Committee 

18 on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and 

19 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a re20 port on the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing assist21 ance programs in Syria and for the Syrian people, includ22 ing assistance provided through multilateral organizations. 

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


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1 (1) the specific project monitoring and evalua2 tion plans, including measurable goals and perform3 ance metrics for assistance in Syria; 

4 (2) a description of the memorandums of un5 derstanding entered into by the Department of 

6 State, the United States Agency for International 

7 Development, and their respective Inspectors Gen8 eral and the multilateral organizations through 

9 which United States assistance will be delivered that 

10 formalize requirements for the sharing of informa11 tion between such entities for the conduct of audits, 

12 investigations, 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 committee 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; and 

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. 

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

9 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain 

10 a classified annex if necessary. 

11 (c) CONSULTATION.—The report required by sub12 section (a) shall be informed by consultations with the De13 partment of State, the United States Agency for Inter14 national Development, the Department of Defense, and 

15 international and local organizations operating in Syria or 

16 in neighboring countries to alleviate the suffering of the 

17 Syrian people. 

18 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro19 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

20 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

21 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep22 resentatives; and 

23 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

24 the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 


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1 SEC. 303. ASSISTANCE TO ADVANCE A COMPREHENSIVE RE2 LIEF AND RECOVERY STRATEGY IN SYRIA. 

3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con4 gress that— 

5 (1) the Government of Syria is in violation of 

6 numerous United Nations Security Council resolu7 tions regarding the provision of humanitarian assist8 ance to the people of Syria; and 

9 (2) the Government of the Russian Federation, 

10 as a guarantor of prospective cessations of hostilities 

11 in Syria, is complicit in the humanitarian crisis in 

12 Syria due to its failure to enforce such United Na13 tions Security Council resolutions. 

14 (b) AUTHORIZATION FOR ASSISTANCE.—The Presi15 dent is authorized to provide assistance to advance a com16 prehensive relief and recovery strategy in Syria that in17 cludes the policy objectives described in subsection (c). 

18 The President shall coordinate the provision of assistance 

19 under this subsection with other donors, international or20 ganizations, international financial institutions, and inter21 national and local nongovernmental organizations. 

22 (c) POLICY OBJECTIVES DESCRIBED.—The policy 

23 objectives described in this subsection are the following: 

24 (1) To meet immediate humanitarian needs in 

25 Syria and in neighboring countries hosting signifi26 cant numbers of Syria refugees. 


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1 (2) To support the peaceful resolution of the 

2 conflict and the establishment of an inclusive, demo3 cratic government in Syria that demonstrates re4 spect for the rule of law, human rights, religious 

5 freedom, and peaceful co-existence with its neigh6 bors. 

7 (3) To build the capacity of legitimate local 

8 councils and leaders inside Syria such that they may 

9 provide basic services in areas liberated from the Is10 lamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). 

11 (4) To support the inclusion and participation 

12 of women, minorities, business leaders, civil society 

13 organizations, and traditional and religious leaders, 

14 including from religious minority groups, in peace 

15 processes and transitional governance arrangements 

16 in Syria. 

17 (5) To work to ensure that any transitional ar18 rangements or future governments in Syria reflect 

19 commitments to— 

20 (A) inclusive and representative democ21 racy; 

22 (B) open and transparent governance; 

23 (C) respect for the rule of law, human 

24 rights, and religious freedom; 

25 (D) accountability and reconciliation; 


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1 (E) ending the violence and supporting 

2 peace and security throughout the country; 

3 (F) stability and peaceful co-existence 

4 throughout the region; and 

5 (G) relief, recovery, and reconstruction 

6 throughout the country, including the rehabili7 tation and reintegration of former combatants. 

8 (6) To build the capacity of legitimate gov9 erning institutions following a democratic transition 

10 in Syria. 

11 (7) To ensure that the Syria Reconstruction 

12 Trust Fund, a multi-donor trust fund established in 

13 2013 to which the United States is a contributing 

14 member, continues to function as a suitable mecha15 nism through which United States contributions can 

16 leverage the support of other donors for the delivery 

17 of essential services in Syria, particularly in areas 

18 liberated from the Assad regime or ISIS control, 

19 until such mechanism is no longer necessary or ap20 propriate. 

21 (d) COORDINATION WITH OTHER DONOR NA22 TIONS.—The United States should work with other donor 

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

24 donor contributions to multilateral mechanisms that meet 


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1 immediate humanitarian needs in Syria and accomplish 

2 the policy objectives described in subsection (c). 

3 SEC. 304. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ENTITIES TAKING AC4 TIONS RELATING TO GATHERING EVIDENCE 

5 FOR INVESTIGATIONS INTO WAR CRIMES OR 

6 CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN SYRIA SINCE 

7 MARCH 2011. 

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

9 through the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human 

10 Rights and Labor and the Assistant Secretary for Inter11 national Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, is au12 thorized to provide assistance to support entities that are 

13 conducting criminal investigations, building Syrian inves14 tigative capacity, supporting prosecutions in national 

15 courts, collecting evidence and preserving the chain of evi16 dence for eventual prosecution against those who have 

17 committed war crimes or crimes against humanity in 

18 Syria, including the aiding and abetting of such crimes 

19 by foreign governments and organizations supporting the 

20 Government of Syria, since March 2011. 

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

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

23 submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

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1 tions of the Senate a detailed report on assistance pro2 vided under subsection (a). 

3 TITLE IV—SUSPENSION OF 

4 SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT 

5 TO SYRIA 

6 SEC. 401. SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

7 SYRIA. 

8 (a) SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

9 (1) NEGOTIATIONS NOT CONCLUDING IN

10 AGREEMENT.—If the President determines that 

11 internationally recognized negotiations to resolve the 

12 violence in Syria have not concluded in an agree13 ment or are likely not to conclude in an agreement, 

14 the President may suspend, as appropriate, in whole 

15 or in part, the imposition of sanctions otherwise re16 quired under this Act or any amendment made by 

17 this Act for a period not to exceed 120 days, and re18 newable for additional periods not to exceed 120 

19 days, if the President submits to the appropriate 

20 congressional committees in writing a determination 

21 and certification that the Government of Syria has 

22 ended military attacks against and gross violations 

23 of the human rights of the Syrian people, specifi24 cally— 


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

2 being utilized by the Government of Syria and 

3 associated forces to target civilian populations 

4 through the use of incendiary devices, including 

5 barrel bombs, chemical weapons, and conven6 tional arms, including air-delivered missiles and 

7 explosives; 

8 (B) areas besieged by the Assad regime 

9 and associated forces, including Hezbollah and 

10 irregular Iranian forces, are no longer cut off 

11 from international aid and have regular access 

12 to humanitarian assistance, freedom of travel, 

13 and medical care; 

14 (C) the Government of Syria is releasing 

15 all political prisoners forcibly held within the 

16 Assad regime prison system, including the fa17 cilities maintained by various security, intel18 ligence, and military elements associated with 

19 the Government of Syria and allowed full access 

20 to the same facilities for investigations by ap21 propriate international human rights organiza22 tions; and 

23 (D) the forces of the Government of Syria 

24 and associated forces, including Hezbollah, ir25 regular Iranian forces, and Russian government 


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1 air assets, are no longer engaged in deliberate 

2 targeting of medical facilities, schools, residen3 tial areas, and community gathering places, in4 cluding markets, in flagrant violation of inter5 national norms. 

6 (2) NEGOTIATIONS CONCLUDING IN AGREE7 MENT.— 

8 (A) INITIAL SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

9 If the President determines that internationally 

10 recognized negotiations to resolve the violence 

11 in Syria have concluded in an agreement or are 

12 likely to conclude in an agreement, the Presi13 dent may suspend, as appropriate, in whole or 

14 in part, the imposition of sanctions otherwise 

15 required under this Act or any amendment 

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

17 days if the President submits to the appropriate 

18 congressional committees in writing a deter19 mination and certification that— 

20 (i) in the case in which the negotia21 tions are likely to conclude in an agree22 ment— 

23 (I) the Government of Syria, the 

24 Syrian High Negotiations Committee 

25 or its successor, and appropriate 


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1 international parties are participating 

2 in direct, face-to-face negotiations; 

3 and 

4 (II) the suspension of sanctions 

5 under this Act or any amendment 

6 made by this Act is essential to the 

7 advancement of such negotiations; and 

8 (ii) the Government of Syria has dem9 onstrated a commitment to a significant 

10 and substantial reduction in attacks on 

11 and violence against the Syrian people by 

12 the Government of Syria and associated 

13 forces. 

14 (B) RENEWAL OF SUSPENSION OF SANC15 TIONS.—The President may renew a suspension 

16 of sanctions under subparagraph (A) for addi17 tional periods not to exceed 120 days if, for 

18 each such additional period, the President sub19 mits to the appropriate congressional commit20 tees in writing a determination and certification 

21 that— 

22 (i) the conditions described in clauses 

23 (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) are con24 tinuing to be met; 


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1 (ii) the renewal of the suspension of 

2 sanctions is essential to implementing an 

3 agreement described in subparagraph (A) 

4 or making progress toward concluding an 

5 agreement described in subparagraph (A); 

6 (iii) the Government of Syria and as7 sociated forces have ceased attacks against 

8 Syrian civilians; and 

9 (iv) the Government of Syria has pub10 lically committed to negotiations for a 

11 transitional government in Syria and con12 tinues to demonstrate that commitment 

13 through sustained engagement in talks and 

14 substantive and verifiable progress towards 

15 the implementation of such an agreement. 

16 (3) BRIEFING AND REIMPOSITION OF SANC17 TIONS.— 

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

19 after the President submits to the appropriate 

20 congressional committees a determination and 

21 certification in the case of a renewal of suspen22 sion of sanctions under paragraph (2)(B), and 

23 every 30 days thereafter, the President shall 

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1 sional committees on the status and frequency 

2 of negotiations described in paragraph (2). 

3 (B) RE-IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—If 

4 the President provides a briefing to the appro5 priate congressional committees under subpara6 graph (A) with respect to which the President 

7 indicates a lapse in negotiations described in 

8 paragraph (2) for a period that equals or ex9 ceeds 90 days, the sanctions that were sus10 pended under paragraph (2)(B) shall be re-im11 posed and any further suspension of such sanc12 tions is prohibited. 

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

14 ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 

15 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

16 Committee on Financial Services, the Com17 mittee on Ways and Means, and the Committee 

18 on the Judiciary of the House of Representa19 tives; and 

20 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

21 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

22 Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the Judi23 ciary of the Senate. 

24 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR

25 DETERMINING A TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT IN


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

2 government in Syria is a government that— 

3 (1) is taking verifiable steps to release all polit4 ical prisoners and provided full access to Syrian 

5 prisons for investigations by appropriate inter6 national human rights organizations; 

7 (2) is taking verifiable steps to remove former 

8 senior Syrian Government officials who are complicit 

9 in the conception, implementation, or cover up of 

10 war crimes, crimes against humanity, or human 

11 rights abuses from government positions and any 

12 person subject to sanctions under any provision of 

13 law; 

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

15 elections for a new government— 

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

17 scheduled while the suspension of sanctions or 

18 the renewal of the suspension of sanctions 

19 under this section is in effect; and 

20 (B) to be conducted under the supervision 

21 of internationally recognized observers; 

22 (4) is making tangible progress toward estab23 lishing an independent judiciary; 

24 (5) is demonstrating respect for and compliance 

25 with internationally recognized human rights and 


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1 basic freedoms as specified in the Universal Declara2 tion of Human Rights; 

3 (6) is taking steps to verifiably fulfill its com4 mitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention 

5 and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

6 Weapons and is making tangible progress toward be7 coming a signatory to Convention on the Prohibition 

8 of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of 

9 Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and 

10 on their Destruction, entered into force March 26, 

11 1975, and adhering to the Missile Technology Con12 trol Regime and other control lists, as necessary; 

13 (7) has halted the development and deployment 

14 of ballistic and cruise missiles; and 

15 (8) is taking verifiable steps to remove from po16 sitions of authority within the intelligence and secu17 rity services as well as the military those who were 

18 in a position of authority or responsibility during the 

19 conflict and who under the authority of their posi20 tion were implicated in or implicit in the torture, 

21 extrajudicial killing, or execution of civilians, to in22 clude those who were involved in decisionmaking or 

23 execution of plans to use chemical weapons. 


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1 SEC. 402. WAIVERS AND EXEMPTIONS. 

2 (a) EXEMPTIONS.—The following activities and 

3 transactions shall be exempt from sanctions authorized 

4 under this Act: 

5 (1) Any activity subject to the reporting re6 quirements under title V of the National Security 

7 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.), or to any au8 thorized intelligence activities of the United States. 

9 (2) Any transaction necessary to comply with 

10 United States obligations under— 

11 (A) the Agreement between the United Na12 tions and the United States of America regard13 ing the Headquarters of the United Nations, 

14 signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and en15 tered into force November 21, 1947; or 

16 (B) the Convention on Consular Relations, 

17 done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered 

18 into force March 19, 1967. 

19 (b) HUMANITARIAN AND DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE

20 WAIVER.— 

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

22 policy of the United States to fully utilize the waiver 

23 authority under this subsection to ensure that ade24 quate humanitarian relief or support for democracy 

25 promotion is provided to the Syrian people. 


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

2 (5), the President may waive, on a case-by-case 

3 basis, for a period not to exceed one year, and re4 newable for additional periods not to exceed one 

5 year, the application of sanctions authorized under 

6 this Act with respect to a person if the President 

7 submits to the appropriate congressional committees 

8 a written determination that the waiver is necessary 

9 for purposes of providing humanitarian assistance or 

10 support for democracy promotion to the people of 

11 Syria. 

12 (3) CONTENT OF WRITTEN DETERMINATION.— 

13 A written determination submitted under paragraph 

14 (1) with respect to a waiver shall include a descrip15 tion of all notification and accountability controls 

16 that have been employed in order to ensure that the 

17 activities covered by the waiver are humanitarian as18 sistance or support for democracy promotion and do 

19 not entail any activities in Syria or dealings with the 

20 Government of Syria not reasonably related to hu21 manitarian assistance or support for democracy pro22 motion. 

23 (4) CLARIFICATION OF PERMITTED ACTIVITIES

24 UNDER WAIVER.—The President may not impose 


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1 sanctions authorized under this Act against a hu2 manitarian organization for— 

3 (A) engaging in a financial transaction re4 lating to humanitarian assistance or for human5 itarian purposes pursuant to a waiver issued 

6 under paragraph (1); 

7 (B) transporting goods or services that are 

8 necessary to carry out operations relating to 

9 humanitarian assistance or humanitarian pur10 poses pursuant to such a waiver; or 

11 (C) having incidental contact, in the course 

12 of providing humanitarian assistance or aid for 

13 humanitarian purposes pursuant to such a 

14 waiver, with individuals who are under the con15 trol of a foreign person subject to sanctions 

16 under this Act or any amendment made by this 

17 Act unless the organization or its officers, mem18 bers, representatives or employees have engaged 

19 in (or the President knows or has reasonable 

20 ground to believe is engaged in or is likely to 

21 engage in) conduct described in section 

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

23 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

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


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1 (5) EXCEPTION TO WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The 

2 President may not exercise the waiver authority 

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

4 who has (or whose officers, members, representatives 

5 or employees have) engaged in (or the President 

6 knows or has reasonable ground to believe is en7 gaged in or is likely to engage in) conduct described 

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

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

10 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 

11 (c) WAIVER.— 

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

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

14 days, waive the application of sanctions under this 

15 Act with respect to a foreign person if the President 

16 certifies to the appropriate congressional committees 

17 that such waiver is vital to the national security in18 terests of the United States. 

19 (2) CONSULTATION.— 

20 (A) BEFORE WAIVER ISSUED.—Not later 

21 than 5 days before the issuance of a waiver 

22 under paragraph (1) is to take effect, the Presi23 dent shall notify and brief the appropriate con24 gressional committees on the status of the forVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1677.IH H1677

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1 eign person involvement in activities described 

2 in this Act. 

3 (B) AFTER WAIVER ISSUED.—Not later 

4 than 90 days after the issuance of a waiver 

5 under paragraph (1), and every 120 days there6 after if the waiver remains in effect, the Presi7 dent shall brief the appropriate congressional 

8 committees on the status of the foreign person’s 

9 involvement in activities described in this Act. 

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

11 ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 

12 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

13 Committee on Financial Services, the Com14 mittee on Ways and Means, and the Committee 

15 on the Judiciary of the House of Representa16 tives; and 

17 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

18 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

19 Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the Judi20 ciary of the Senate. 

21 (d) CODIFICATION OF CERTAIN SERVICES IN SUP22 PORT OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ ACTIVI23 TIES AUTHORIZED.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para25 graph (2), section 542.516 of title 31, Code of FedVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1677.IH H1677

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1 eral Regulations (relating to certain services in sup2 port of nongovernmental organizations’ activities au3 thorized), as in effect on the day before the date of 

4 the enactment of this Act, shall— 

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

6 of enactment; and 

7 (B) in the case of a nongovernmental orga8 nization that is authorized to export or reexport 

9 services to Syria under such section on the day 

10 before such date of enactment, shall apply to 

11 such organization on and after such date of en12 actment to the same extent and in the same 

13 manner as such section applied to such organi14 zation on the day before such date of enact15 ment. 

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

17 Code of Federal Regulations, as codified under para18 graph (1), shall not apply with respect to a foreign 

19 person who has (or whose officers, members, rep20 resentatives or employees have) engaged in (or the 

21 President knows or has reasonable ground to believe 

22 is engaged in or is likely to engage in) conduct de23 scribed in section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immi24 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

25 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 


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1 (e) STRATEGY REQUIRED.— 

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

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

4 President shall submit to the appropriate congres5 sional committees a report containing a strategy to 

6 ensure that humanitarian organizations can access 

7 financial services to ensure the safe and timely deliv8 ery of assistance to communities in need in Syria. 

9 (2) CONSIDERATION OF DATA FROM OTHER

10 COUNTRIES AND NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZA11 TIONS.—In preparing the strategy required by para12 graph (1), the President shall consider credible data 

13 already obtained by other countries and nongovern14 mental organizations, including organizations oper15 ating in Syria. 

16 (3) FORM.—The strategy required by para17 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but 

18 may contain a classified annex. 

19 TITLE V—REGULATORY AU20 THORITY, COST LIMITATION, 

21 AND SUNSET 

22 SEC. 501. REGULATORY AUTHORITY. 

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

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


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1 promulgate regulations as necessary for the implementa2 tion of this Act and the amendments made by this Act. 

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

4 days before the promulgation of regulations under sub5 section (a), the President shall notify and provide to the 

6 appropriate congressional committees the proposed regula7 tions and the provisions of this Act and the amendments 

8 made by this Act that the regulations are implementing. 

9 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro10 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

11 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

12 Committee on Financial Services of the House of 

13 Representatives; and 

14 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

15 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af16 fairs of the Senate. 

17 SEC. 502. COST LIMITATION. 

18 No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 

19 requirements of this Act and the amendments made by 

20 this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using 

21 amounts otherwise authorized. 

22 SEC. 503. AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS. 

23 Any reports required to be submitted to the appro24 priate congressional committees under this Act or any 

25 amendment made by this Act that are subject to a deadVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1677.IH H1677

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1 line for submission consisting of the same unit of time may 

2 be consolidated into a single report that is submitted to 

3 appropriate congressional committees pursuant to such 

4 deadline. The consolidated reports must contain all infor5 mation required under this Act or any amendment made 

6 by this Act, in addition to all other elements mandated 

7 by previous law. 

8 SEC. 504. SUNSET. 

9 This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on De10 cember 31, 2021. 

Æ 


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