II 

Calendar No. 107 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 31 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 23 (legislative day, JANUARY 22), 2019 

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

JUNE 3, 2019 

Reported by Mr. RISCH, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

AN ACT 

To require certain additional actions in connection with the 

national emergency with respect to Syria, and for other 

purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caesar Syria Civilian 

5 Protection Act of 2019’’. 


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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. MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO CENTRAL BANK OF 

6 SYRIA. 

7 (a) DETERMINATION REGARDING CENTRAL BANK OF

8 SYRIA.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the en9 actment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

10 determine, under section 5318A of title 31, United States 

11 Code, whether reasonable grounds exist for concluding 

12 that the Central Bank of Syria is a financial institution 

13 of primary money laundering concern. 

14 (b) ENHANCED DUE DILIGENCE AND REPORTING

15 REQUIREMENTS.—If the Secretary of the Treasury deter16 mines under subsection (a) that reasonable grounds exist 

17 for concluding that the Central Bank of Syria is a finan18 cial institution of primary money laundering concern, the 

19 Secretary, in consultation with the Federal functional reg20 ulators (as defined in section 509 of the Gramm-Leach21 Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. 6809)), shall impose one or more 

22 of the special measures described in section 5318A(b) of 

23 title 31, United States Code, with respect to the Central 

24 Bank of Syria. 

25 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

2 making a determination under subsection (a) as to 

3 whether or not the Central Bank of Syria is a finan4 cial institution of primary money laundering con5 cern, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to 

6 the appropriate congressional committees a report 

7 that includes the reasons for the determination. 

8 (2) FORM.—A report required by paragraph (1) 

9 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in10 clude a classified annex. 

11 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT12 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap13 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

14 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

15 Committee on Financial Services, and the Com16 mittee on Appropriations of the House of Rep17 resentatives; and 

18 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

19 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

20 Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Appro21 priations of the Senate. 

22 SEC. 102. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PER23 SONS THAT ENGAGE IN CERTAIN TRANS24 ACTIONS. 

25 (a) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.— 


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

2 is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 

3 Act, the President shall impose the sanctions de4 scribed in subsection (b) with respect to a foreign 

5 person if the President determines that the foreign 

6 person, on or after such date of enactment, know7 ingly engages in an activity described in paragraph 

8 (2). 

9 (2) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—A foreign person 

10 engages in an activity described in this paragraph if 

11 the foreign person— 

12 (A) knowingly provides significant finan13 cial, material, or technological support to, or 

14 knowingly engages in a significant transaction 

15 with— 

16 (i) the Government of Syria (including 

17 any entity owned or controlled by the Gov18 ernment of Syria) or a senior political fig19 ure of the Government of Syria; 

20 (ii) a foreign person that is a military 

21 contractor, mercenary, or a paramilitary 

22 force knowingly operating in a military ca23 pacity inside Syria for or on behalf of the 

24 Government of Syria, the Government of 


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1 the Russian Federation, or the Govern2 ment of Iran; or 

3 (iii) a foreign person subject to sanc4 tions pursuant to the International Emer5 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

6 1701 et seq.) with respect to Syria or any 

7 other provision of law that imposes sanc8 tions with respect to Syria; 

9 (B) knowingly sells or provides significant 

10 goods, services, technology, information, or 

11 other support that significantly facilitates the 

12 maintenance or expansion of the Government of 

13 Syria’s domestic production of natural gas, pe14 troleum, or petroleum products; 

15 (C) knowingly sells or provides aircraft or 

16 spare aircraft parts that are used for military 

17 purposes in Syria for or on behalf of the Gov18 ernment of Syria to any foreign person oper19 ating in an area directly or indirectly controlled 

20 by the Government of Syria or foreign forces 

21 associated with the Government of Syria; 

22 (D) knowingly provides significant goods 

23 or services associated with the operation of air24 craft that are used for military purposes in 

25 Syria for or on behalf of the Government of 


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1 Syria to any foreign person operating in an 

2 area described in subparagraph (C); or 

3 (E) knowingly, directly or indirectly, pro4 vides significant construction or engineering 

5 services to the Government of Syria. 

6 (3) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

7 Congress that, in implementing this section, the 

8 President should consider financial support under 

9 paragraph (2)(A) to include the provision of loans, 

10 credits, or export credits. 

11 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

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

13 with respect to a foreign person subject to sub14 section (a) are the following: 

15 (A) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—The Presi16 dent shall exercise all of the powers granted to 

17 the President under the International Emer18 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

19 seq.) to the extent necessary to block and pro20 hibit all transactions in property and interests 

21 in property of the foreign person if such prop22 erty and interests in property are in the United 

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

24 come within the possession or control of a 

25 United States person. 


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1 (B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD2 MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

3 (i) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

4 An alien who the Secretary of State or the 

5 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des6 ignee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or 

7 has reason to believe, has knowingly en8 gaged in any activity described in sub9 section (a)(2) is— 

10 (I) inadmissible to the United 

11 States; 

12 (II) ineligible to receive a visa or 

13 other documentation to enter the 

14 United States; and 

15 (III) otherwise ineligible to be 

16 admitted or paroled into the United 

17 States or to receive any other benefit 

18 under the Immigration and Nation19 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 

20 (ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

21 (I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

22 consular officer, the Secretary of 

23 State, or the Secretary of Homeland 

24 Security (or a designee of one of such 

25 Secretaries) shall, in accordance with 


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1 section 221(i) of the Immigration and 

2 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), 

3 revoke any visa or other entry docu4 mentation issued to an alien described 

5 in clause (i) regardless of when the 

6 visa or other entry documentation is 

7 issued. 

8 (II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 

9 A revocation under subclause (I)— 

10 (aa) shall take effect imme11 diately; and 

12 (bb) shall automatically can13 cel any other valid visa or entry 

14 documentation that is in the 

15 alien’s possession. 

16 (2) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 

17 subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter18 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

19 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, 

20 attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

21 violation of regulations promulgated under section 

22 303 to carry out paragraph (1)(A) to the same ex23 tent that such penalties apply to a person that com24 mits an unlawful act described in section 206(a) of 

25 that Act. 


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1 (3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA2 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

3 under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply with respect 

4 to an alien if admitting or paroling the alien into the 

5 United States is necessary to permit the United 

6 States to comply with the Agreement regarding the 

7 Headquarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 

8 Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force No9 vember 21, 1947, between the United Nations and 

10 the United States, or other applicable international 

11 obligations. 

12 TITLE II—ASSISTANCE FOR THE 

13 PEOPLE OF SYRIA 

14 SEC. 201. CODIFICATION OF CERTAIN SERVICES IN SUP15 PORT OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZA16 TIONS’ ACTIVITIES AUTHORIZED. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

18 (b), section 542.516 of title 31, Code of Federal Regula19 tions (relating to certain services in support of nongovern20 mental organizations’ activities authorized), as in effect on 

21 the day before the date of the enactment of this Act, 

22 shall— 

23 (1) remain in effect on and after such date of 

24 enactment; and 


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1 (2) in the case of a nongovernmental organiza2 tion that is authorized to export or reexport services 

3 to Syria under such section on the day before such 

4 date of enactment, apply to such organization on 

5 and after such date of enactment to the same extent 

6 and in the same manner as such section applied to 

7 such organization on the day before such date of en8 actment. 

9 (b) EXCEPTION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 542.516 of title 31, 

11 Code of Federal Regulations, as codified under sub12 section (a), shall not apply with respect to a foreign 

13 person that has been designated as a foreign ter14 rorist organization under section 219 of the Immi15 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189), or oth16 erwise designated as a terrorist organization, by the 

17 Secretary of State, in consultation with or upon the 

18 request of the Attorney General or the Secretary of 

19 Homeland Security. 

20 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Paragraph (1) shall 

21 apply with respect to a foreign person on and after 

22 the date on which the designation of that person as 

23 a terrorist organization is published in the Federal 

24 Register. 


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1 SEC. 202. BRIEFING ON STRATEGY TO FACILITATE HUMANI2 TARIAN ASSISTANCE. 

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

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall brief 

5 the appropriate congressional committees on the strategy 

6 of the President to help facilitate the ability of humani7 tarian organizations to access financial services to help fa8 cilitate the safe and timely delivery of assistance to com9 munities in need in Syria. 

10 (b) CONSIDERATION OF DATA FROM OTHER COUN11 TRIES AND NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.—In 

12 preparing the strategy required by subsection (a), the 

13 President shall consider credible data already obtained by 

14 other countries and nongovernmental organizations, in15 cluding organizations operating in Syria. 

16 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE17 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres18 sional committees’’ means— 

19 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

20 Committee on Financial Services, and the Com21 mittee on Appropriations of the House of Represent22 atives; and 

23 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

24 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af25 fairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

26 Senate. 


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1 TITLE III—GENERAL 

2 PROVISIONS 

3 SEC. 301. SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President may suspend in 

5 whole or in part the imposition of sanctions otherwise re6 quired under this Act for periods not to exceed 180 days 

7 if the President determines that the following criteria have 

8 been met in Syria: 

9 (1) The air space over Syria is no longer being 

10 utilized by the Government of Syria or the Govern11 ment of the Russian Federation to target civilian 

12 populations through the use of incendiary devices, 

13 including barrel bombs, chemical weapons, and con14 ventional arms, including air-delivered missiles and 

15 explosives. 

16 (2) Areas besieged by the Government of Syria, 

17 the Government of the Russian Federation, the Gov18 ernment of Iran, or a foreign person described in 

19 section 102(a)(2)(A)(ii) are no longer cut off from 

20 international aid and have regular access to humani21 tarian assistance, freedom of travel, and medical 

22 care. 

23 (3) The Government of Syria is releasing all po24 litical prisoners forcibly held within the prison sys25 tem of the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the GovVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Jun 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H31.RS H31

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1 ernment of Syria is allowing full access to the same 

2 facilities for investigations by appropriate inter3 national human rights organizations. 

4 (4) The forces of the Government of Syria, the 

5 Government of the Russian Federation, the Govern6 ment of Iran, and any foreign person described in 

7 section 102(a)(2)(A)(ii) are no longer engaged in de8 liberate targeting of medical facilities, schools, resi9 dential areas, and community gathering places, in10 cluding markets, in violation of international norms. 

11 (5) The Government of Syria is— 

12 (A) taking steps to verifiably fulfill its 

13 commitments under the Convention on the Pro14 hibition of the Development, Production, Stock15 piling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on 

16 their Destruction, done at Geneva September 3, 

17 1992, and entered into force April 29, 1997 

18 (commonly known as the ‘‘Chemical Weapons 

19 Convention’’), and the Treaty on the Non-Pro20 liferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at Wash21 ington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968, and 

22 entered into force March 5, 1970 (21 UST 

23 483); and 

24 (B) making tangible progress toward be25 coming a signatory to the Convention on the 


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1 Prohibition of the Development, Production and 

2 Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and 

3 Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, done 

4 at Washington, London, and Moscow April 10, 

5 1972, and entered into force March 26, 1975 

6 (26 UST 583). 

7 (6) The Government of Syria is permitting the 

8 safe, voluntary, and dignified return of Syrians dis9 placed by the conflict. 

10 (7) The Government of Syria is taking 

11 verifiable steps to establish meaningful account12 ability for perpetrators of war crimes in Syria and 

13 justice for victims of war crimes committed by the 

14 Assad regime, including by participation in a cred15 ible and independent truth and reconciliation proc16 ess. 

17 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days 

18 after the President makes a determination described in 

19 subsection (a), the President shall provide a briefing to 

20 the appropriate congressional committees on the deter21 mination and the suspension of sanctions pursuant to the 

22 determination. 

23 (c) REIMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—Any sanctions 

24 suspended under subsection (a) shall be reimposed if the 


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1 President determines that the criteria described in that 

2 subsection are no longer being met. 

3 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec4 tion shall be construed to limit the authority of the Presi5 dent to terminate the application of sanctions under sec6 tion 102 with respect to a person that no longer engages 

7 in activities described in subsection (a)(2) of that section. 

8 (e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE9 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres10 sional committees’’ means— 

11 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

12 Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on 

13 Ways and Means, the Committee on the Judiciary, 

14 and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

15 of Representatives; and 

16 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

17 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af18 fairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Com19 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

20 SEC. 302. EXEMPTIONS; WAIVERS; EXCEPTION RELATING 

21 TO IMPORTATION OF GOODS. 

22 (a) EXEMPTIONS.—The following activities and 

23 transactions shall be exempt from sanctions authorized 

24 under this Act: 


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1 (1) Any activity subject to the reporting re2 quirements under title V of the National Security 

3 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.), or to any au4 thorized law enforcement, national security, or intel5 ligence activities of the United States. 

6 (2) Any transaction necessary to comply with 

7 United States obligations under— 

8 (A) the Agreement regarding the Head9 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 

10 Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 

11 November 21, 1947, between the United Na12 tions and the United States; 

13 (B) the Convention on Consular Relations, 

14 done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered 

15 into force March 19, 1967; or 

16 (C) any other international agreement to 

17 which the United States is a party. 

18 (b) WAIVER.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may, for peri20 ods not to exceed 180 days, waive the application of 

21 any sanction authorized under this Act with respect 

22 to a foreign person if the President certifies to the 

23 appropriate congressional committees that such a 

24 waiver is in the national security interests of the 

25 United States. 


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1 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after 

2 the issuance of a waiver under paragraph (1), and 

3 every 180 days thereafter while the waiver remains 

4 in effect, the President shall brief the appropriate 

5 congressional committees on the reasons for the 

6 waiver. 

7 (c) HUMANITARIAN WAIVER.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may waive, 

9 for renewable periods not to exceed 2 years, the ap10 plication of any sanction authorized under this Act 

11 with respect to a nongovernmental organization pro12 viding humanitarian assistance not covered by the 

13 authorization described in section 201 if the Presi14 dent certifies to the appropriate congressional com15 mittees that such a waiver is important to address 

16 a humanitarian need and is consistent with the na17 tional security interests of the United States. 

18 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after 

19 the issuance of a waiver under paragraph (1), and 

20 every 180 days thereafter while the waiver remains 

21 in effect, the President shall brief the appropriate 

22 congressional committees on the reasons for the 

23 waiver. 

24 (d) EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF

25 GOODS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and require2 ments to impose sanctions authorized under this Act 

3 shall not include the authority or requirement to im4 pose sanctions on the importation of goods. 

5 (2) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subsection, the 

6 term ‘‘good’’ means any article, natural or man7 made substance, material, supply or manufactured 

8 product, including inspection and test equipment, 

9 and excluding technical data. 

10 (e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE11 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres12 sional committees’’ means— 

13 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

14 Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on 

15 Ways and Means, the Committee on the Judiciary, 

16 and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

17 of Representatives; and 

18 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

19 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af20 fairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Com21 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

22 SEC. 303. REGULATORY AUTHORITIES. 

23 The President shall, not later than 180 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, promulgate regula25 tions as necessary for the implementation of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 304. SUNSET. 

2 This Act shall cease to be effective on the date that 

3 is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

4 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

6 ‘‘Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Statement of policy. 

TITLE I—ADDITIONAL ACTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE 

NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 

Sec. 101. Measures with respect to Central Bank of Syria. 

Sec. 102. Sanctions with respect to foreign persons that engage in certain transactions. 

Sec. 103. Strategy relating to areas of Syria in which civilians are subject to 

forced displacement. 

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. 

TITLE III—ASSISTANCE FOR THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA 

Sec. 301. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 302. Briefing on monitoring and evaluating of ongoing assistance programs 

in Syria and to the Syrian people. 

Sec. 303. Assessment of potential methods to enhance the protection of civilians. 

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. 

Sec. 305. Codification of certain services in support of nongovernmental organizations’ activities authorized. 

Sec. 306. Briefing on strategy to facilitate humanitarian assistance. 

TITLE IV—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Sec. 401. Suspension of sanctions. 

Sec. 402. Waivers and exemptions. 

Sec. 403. Implementation and regulatory authorities. 


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Sec. 404. Cost limitation. 

Sec. 405. Authority to consolidate reports. 

Sec. 406. Rule of construction. 

Sec. 407. Prohibition on construction of provisions of this Act as an authorization for use of military force. 

Sec. 408. Sunset. 

1 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 It is the policy of the United States that diplomatic 

3 and coercive economic means should be utilized to compel 

4 the government of Bashar al-Assad to halt its murderous 

5 attacks on the Syrian people and to support a transition 

6 to a government in Syria that respects the rule of law, 

7 human rights, and peaceful co-existence with its neighbors. 

8 TITLE I—ADDITIONAL ACTIONS 

9 IN CONNECTION WITH THE 

10 NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH 

11 RESPECT TO SYRIA 

12 SEC. 101. MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO CENTRAL BANK OF 

13 SYRIA. 

14 (a) DETERMINATION REGARDING CENTRAL BANK OF

15 SYRIA.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deter17 mine, under section 5318A of title 31, United States Code, 

18 whether reasonable grounds exist for concluding that the 

19 Central Bank of Syria is a financial institution of primary 

20 money laundering concern. 

21 (b) ENHANCED DUE DILIGENCE AND REPORTING RE22 QUIREMENTS.—If the Secretary of the Treasury determines 


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1 under subsection (a) that reasonable grounds exist for con2 cluding that the Central Bank of Syria is a financial insti3 tution of primary money laundering concern, the Secretary, 

4 in consultation with the Federal functional regulators (as 

5 defined in section 509 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 

6 U.S.C. 6809)), shall impose one or more of the special meas7 ures described in section 5318A(b) of title 31, United States 

8 Code, with respect to the Central Bank of Syria. 

9 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

11 making a determination under subsection (a) with re12 spect to whether the Central Bank of Syria is a fi13 nancial institution of primary money laundering 

14 concern, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to 

15 the appropriate congressional committees a report 

16 that includes the reasons for the determination. 

17 (2) FORM.—A report required by paragraph (1) 

18 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in19 clude a classified annex. 

20 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

21 DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘appropriate 

22 congressional committees’’ means— 

23 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

24 the Committee on Financial Services of the 

25 House of Representatives; and 


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1 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

2 and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

3 Urban Affairs of the Senate. 

4 SEC. 102. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PERSONS 

5 THAT ENGAGE IN CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS. 

6 (a) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.— 

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

8 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

9 the President shall impose the sanctions described in 

10 subsection (b) with respect to a foreign person if the 

11 President determines that the foreign person, on or 

12 after such date of enactment, knowingly engages in an 

13 activity described in paragraph (2). 

14 (2) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—A foreign person 

15 engages in an activity described in this paragraph if 

16 the foreign person— 

17 (A) knowingly provides significant finan18 cial, material, or technological support to, or 

19 knowingly engages in a significant transaction 

20 with— 

21 (i) the Government of Syria (including 

22 any entity owned or controlled by the Gov23 ernment of Syria) or a senior political fig24 ure of the Government of Syria; 


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1 (ii) a foreign person that is a military 

2 contractor, mercenary, or a paramilitary 

3 force knowingly operating in a military ca4 pacity inside Syria for or on behalf of the 

5 Government of Syria, the Government of the 

6 Russian Federation, or the Government of 

7 Iran; or 

8 (iii) a foreign person subject to sanc9 tions pursuant to the International Emer10 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

11 1701 et seq.) with respect to Syria or any 

12 other provision of law that imposes sanc13 tions with respect to Syria; 

14 (B) knowingly sells or provides significant 

15 goods, services, technology, information, or other 

16 support that significantly facilitates the mainte17 nance or expansion of the Government of Syria’s 

18 domestic production of natural gas, petroleum, 

19 or petroleum products; 

20 (C) knowingly sells or provides aircraft or 

21 spare aircraft parts that are used for military 

22 purposes in Syria for or on behalf of the Govern23 ment of Syria to any foreign person operating in 

24 an area directly or indirectly controlled by the 


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1 Government of Syria or foreign forces associated 

2 with the Government of Syria; 

3 (D) knowingly provides significant goods or 

4 services associated with the operation of aircraft 

5 that are used for military purposes in Syria for 

6 or on behalf of the Government of Syria to any 

7 foreign person operating in an area described in 

8 subparagraph (C); or 

9 (E) knowingly, directly or indirectly, pro10 vides significant construction or engineering 

11 services to the Government of Syria. 

12 (3) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

13 Congress that, in implementing this section, the 

14 President should consider financial support under 

15 paragraph (2)(A) to include the provision of loans, 

16 credits, or export credits. 

17 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

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

19 with respect to a foreign person subject to subsection 

20 (a) are the following: 

21 (A) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—The Presi22 dent shall exercise all of the powers granted to 

23 the President under the International Emergency 

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

25 the extent necessary to block and prohibit all 


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1 transactions in property and interests in prop2 erty of the foreign person if such property and 

3 interests in property are in the United States, 

4 come within the United States, or are or come 

5 within the possession or control of a United 

6 States person. 

7 (B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS8 SION, OR PAROLE.— 

9 (i) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

10 An alien who the Secretary of State or the 

11 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des12 ignee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or 

13 has reason to believe, has knowingly en14 gaged in any activity described in sub15 section (a)(2) is— 

16 (I) inadmissible to the United 

17 States; 

18 (II) ineligible to receive a visa or 

19 other documentation to enter the 

20 United States; and 

21 (III) otherwise ineligible to be ad22 mitted or paroled into the United 

23 States or to receive any other benefit 

24 under the Immigration and Nation25 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 


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1 (ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

2 (I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

3 consular officer, the Secretary of State, 

4 or the Secretary of Homeland Security 

5 (or a designee of one of such Secre6 taries) shall, in accordance with sec7 tion 221(i) of the Immigration and 

8 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), re9 voke any visa or other entry docu10 mentation issued to an alien described 

11 in clause (i) regardless of when the 

12 visa or other entry documentation is 

13 issued. 

14 (II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A 

15 revocation under subclause (I)— 

16 (aa) shall take effect imme17 diately; and 

18 (bb) shall automatically can19 cel any other valid visa or entry 

20 documentation that is in the 

21 alien’s possession. 

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

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

25 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, attempts 


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1 to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation 

2 of regulations promulgated under section 403(b) to 

3 carry out paragraph (1)(A) to the same extent that 

4 such penalties apply to a person that commits an un5 lawful act described in section 206(a) of that Act. 

6 (3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER7 NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under paragraph 

8 (1)(B) shall not apply with respect to an alien if ad9 mitting or paroling the alien into the United States 

10 is necessary to permit the United States to comply 

11 with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

12 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

13 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, be14 tween the United Nations and the United States, or 

15 other applicable international obligations. 

16 SEC. 103. STRATEGY RELATING TO AREAS OF SYRIA IN 

17 WHICH CIVILIANS ARE SUBJECT TO FORCED 

18 DISPLACEMENT. 

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

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall— 

21 (1) identify the areas described in subsection (b); 

22 and 

23 (2) submit to the appropriate congressional com24 mittees the strategy described in subsection (c). 


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1 (b) AREAS DESCRIBED.—The areas described in this 

2 subsection are areas in Syria that the President deter3 mines— 

4 (1) are under the control of— 

5 (A) the Government of Syria; 

6 (B) the Government of the Russian Federa7 tion; 

8 (C) the Government of Iran; or 

9 (D) a foreign person described in section 

10 102(a)(2)(A)(ii); and 

11 (2) are areas in which civilians have been subject 

12 to forced displacement by— 

13 (A) a government specified in subparagraph 

14 (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1); or 

15 (B) a foreign person described in section 

16 102(a)(2)(A)(ii). 

17 (c) STRATEGY DESCRIBED.—The strategy described in 

18 this subsection is a strategy to deter foreign persons from 

19 entering into contracts related to reconstruction in the areas 

20 described in subsection (b) for or on behalf of— 

21 (1) a government specified in subparagraph (A), 

22 (B), or (C) of subsection (b)(1); or 

23 (2) a foreign person described in section 

24 102(a)(2)(A)(ii). 


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1 (d) FORM.—The strategy required by subsection (a)(2) 

2 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a 

3 classified annex. 

4 (e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE5 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres6 sional committees’’ means— 

7 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

8 House of Representatives; and 

9 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

10 Senate. 

11 TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO 

12 SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS AC13 COUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012 

14 SEC. 201. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

15 CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE 

16 FOR OR COMPLICIT IN HUMAN RIGHTS 

17 ABUSES COMMITTED AGAINST CITIZENS OF 

18 SYRIA OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 702 of the Syria Human 

20 Rights Accountability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791) is 

21 amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 702. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

2 CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE 

3 FOR OR COMPLICIT IN HUMAN RIGHTS 

4 ABUSES COMMITTED AGAINST CITIZENS OF 

5 SYRIA OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 

7 sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to each 

8 person on the list required by subsection (b). 

9 ‘‘(b) LIST OF PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR

10 OR COMPLICIT IN SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.— 

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

12 after the date of the enactment of the Caesar Syria 

13 Civilian Protection Act of 2019, the President shall 

14 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

15 list of foreign persons that the President determines 

16 are knowingly responsible for or complicit in serious 

17 human rights abuses committed against citizens of 

18 Syria or their family members, regardless of whether 

19 such abuses occurred in Syria. 

20 ‘‘(2) INCLUSION OF CERTAIN PERSONS.—In de21 veloping the list required by paragraph (1), the Presi22 dent shall consider for inclusion on the list, among 

23 others, the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) the President of Syria. 

25 ‘‘(B) The Prime Minister and Deputy 

26 Prime Minister of Syria. 


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1 ‘‘(C) The Council of Ministers of Syria. 

2 ‘‘(D) The heads of the armed forces of 

3 Syria, including the land forces, air forces, and 

4 intelligence services. 

5 ‘‘(E) The heads of the Ministry of Interior 

6 of Syria, including the Political Security Direc7 torate, the General Intelligence Directorate, and 

8 the National Police Force. 

9 ‘‘(F) The commanders and deputy com10 manders of the Fourth Armored Division of the 

11 armed forces of Syria. 

12 ‘‘(G) The commander of the Republican 

13 Guard of Syria. 

14 ‘‘(H) The Advisor for Strategic Affairs to 

15 the President of Syria. 

16 ‘‘(I) The director and deputy director of the 

17 Scientific Studies and Research Center of Syria. 

18 ‘‘(J) The heads of prisons under the control 

19 of the Government of Syria. 

20 ‘‘(K) The governors and other heads of the 

21 security branches of the 14 provinces of Syria 

22 who are appointed by the President of Syria. 

23 ‘‘(3) UPDATES OF LIST.—The President shall 

24 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

25 an updated list under paragraph (1) not later than 


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1 300 days after the date of the enactment of the Caesar 

2 Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 and annually 

3 thereafter for a period of 5 years. 

4 ‘‘(4) FORM.—The list required by paragraph (1) 

5 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may in6 clude a classified annex. 

7 ‘‘(c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

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

9 with respect to a foreign person under subsection (a) 

10 are the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The President shall ex12 ercise all powers granted by the International 

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

14 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and 

15 prohibit all transactions in all property and in16 terests in property of a person on the list re17 quired by subsection (b) if such property and in18 terests in property are in the United States, 

19 come within the United States, or are or come 

20 within the possession or control of a United 

21 States person. 

22 ‘‘(B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS23 SION, OR PAROLE.— 

24 ‘‘(i) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

25 An alien who the Secretary of State or the 


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1 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des2 ignee of one of such Secretaries) identifies 

3 as on the list required by subsection (b) is— 

4 ‘‘(I) inadmissible to the United 

5 States; 

6 ‘‘(II) ineligible to receive a visa or 

7 other documentation to enter the 

8 United States; and 

9 ‘‘(III) otherwise ineligible to be 

10 admitted or paroled into the United 

11 States or to receive any other benefit 

12 under the Immigration and Nation13 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 

14 ‘‘(ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

15 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

16 consular officer, the Secretary of State, 

17 or the Secretary of Homeland Security 

18 (or a designee of one of such Secre19 taries) shall, in accordance with sec20 tion 221(i) of the Immigration and 

21 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), re22 voke any visa or other entry docu23 mentation issued to an alien who the 

24 Secretary of State or the Secretary of 

25 Homeland Security (or a designee of 


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1 one of such Secretaries) identifies as on 

2 the list required by subsection (b), re3 gardless of when the visa or other docu4 mentation is issued. 

5 ‘‘(II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 

6 A revocation under subclause (I)— 

7 ‘‘(aa) shall take effect imme8 diately; and 

9 ‘‘(bb) shall automatically 

10 cancel any other valid visa or 

11 entry documentation that is in the 

12 alien’s possession. 

13 ‘‘(2) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at14 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a vio15 lation of paragraph (1)(A) or any regulation, license, 

16 or order issued to carry out paragraph (1)(A) shall 

17 be subject to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) 

18 and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency 

19 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same 

20 extent as a person that commits an unlawful act de21 scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 

22 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER23 NATIONAL AGREEMENTS.—Sanctions under para24 graph (1)(B) shall not apply with respect to an alien 

25 if admitting or paroling the alien into the United 


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1 States is necessary to permit the United States to 

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

5 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the United 

6 States, or other applicable international agreements. 

7 ‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec8 tion shall be construed to limit the authority of the Presi9 dent pursuant to the International Emergency Economic 

10 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), relevant Executive or11 ders, regulations, or other provisions of law.’’. 

12 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

13 that the President should impose sanctions under section 

14 702 of the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012, 

15 as amended by subsection (a), for— 

16 (1) the deliberate targeting of civilian schools, 

17 hospitals, or markets; and 

18 (2) the deliberate diversion, hindering, or block19 ing of access for humanitarian purposes, including 

20 access across borders and conflict lines, with the in21 tent to inflict suffering on civilians. 


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1 SEC. 202. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

2 THE TRANSFER OF GOODS OR TECH3 NOLOGIES TO SYRIA THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE 

4 USED TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. 

5 Section 703(b)(2)(C) of the Syria Human Rights Ac6 countability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8792(b)(2)(C)) is 

7 amended— 

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

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

10 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

12 ‘‘(iii) any article— 

13 ‘‘(I) designated by the President 

14 for purposes of the United States Mu15 nitions List under section 38(a)(1) of 

16 the Arms Export Control Act (22 

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

18 ‘‘(II) that the President deter19 mines is significant for purposes of the 

20 imposition of sanctions under sub21 section (a); or 

22 ‘‘(iv) other goods or technologies that 

23 the President determines are used by the 

24 Government of Syria to commit human 

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


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1 TITLE III—ASSISTANCE FOR THE 

2 PEOPLE OF SYRIA 

3 SEC. 301. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

4 It is the sense of Congress that it is in the interests 

5 of the United States to continue to provide assistance to 

6 the people of Syria in order to promote peace, stability, and 

7 development, including through multilateral organizations. 

8 SEC. 302. BRIEFING ON MONITORING AND EVALUATING OF 

9 ONGOING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN SYRIA 

10 AND TO THE SYRIAN PEOPLE. 

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

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

13 and the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

14 International Development shall brief the Committee on 

15 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

16 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate on the moni17 toring and evaluation of ongoing assistance programs in 

18 Syria and for the Syrian people, including assistance pro19 vided through multilateral organizations. 

20 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The briefing re21 quired by subsection (a) shall include a description of— 

22 (1) the specific project monitoring and evalua23 tion efforts, including measurable goals and perform24 ance metrics for assistance in Syria; 


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1 (2) the memoranda of understanding entered 

2 into by the Department of State, the United States 

3 Agency for International Development, and their re4 spective Inspectors General, and the multilateral or5 ganizations through which United States assistance 

6 will be delivered that formalize requirements for the 

7 sharing of information between such entities for the 

8 conduct of audits, investigations, and evaluations; 

9 and 

10 (3) the major challenges to monitoring and eval11 uating such programs. 

12 SEC. 303. ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL METHODS TO EN13 HANCE THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS. 

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

15 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall brief 

16 the appropriate congressional committees on the potential 

17 effectiveness, risks, and operational requirements of mili18 tary and non-military means to enhance the protection of 

19 civilians inside Syria, especially civilians who are in be20 sieged areas, trapped at borders, or internally displaced. 

21 (b) CONSULTATION.—The briefing required by sub22 section (a) shall be informed by consultations with the De23 partment of State, the United States Agency for Inter24 national Development, the Department of Defense, and 


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1 international and local humanitarian aid organizations 

2 operating in Syria. 

3 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE4 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres5 sional committees’’ means— 

6 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

7 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep8 resentatives; and 

9 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 

10 Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 

11 SEC. 304. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ENTITIES TAKING AC12 TIONS RELATING TO GATHERING EVIDENCE 

13 FOR INVESTIGATIONS INTO WAR CRIMES OR 

14 CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN SYRIA SINCE 

15 MARCH 2011. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

17 (b), the Secretary of State, after consultation with the Attor18 ney General and the heads of other appropriate Federal 

19 agencies, is authorized, consistent with the national inter20 est, to provide assistance to support entities that are con21 ducting criminal investigations, supporting prosecutions, 

22 or collecting evidence and preserving the chain of custody 

23 for such evidence for eventual prosecution, against those 

24 who have committed war crimes or crimes against human25 ity in Syria, including the aiding and abetting of such 


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1 crimes by foreign governments and organizations sup2 porting the Government of Syria, since March 2011. 

3 (b) LIMITATION.—No assistance may be provided 

4 under subsection (a) while President Bashar al-Assad re5 mains in power— 

6 (1) to build the investigative or judicial capac7 ities of the Government of Syria; or 

8 (2) to support prosecutions in the domestic 

9 courts in Syria. 

10 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than one year after the date 

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

12 brief the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep13 resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

14 Senate on assistance provided under subsection (a). 

15 SEC. 305. CODIFICATION OF CERTAIN SERVICES IN SUP16 PORT OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZA17 TIONS’ ACTIVITIES AUTHORIZED. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

19 (b), section 542.516 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations 

20 (relating to certain services in support of nongovernmental 

21 organizations’ activities authorized), as in effect on the day 

22 before the date of the enactment of this Act, shall— 

23 (1) remain in effect on and after such date of en24 actment; and 


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1 (2) in the case of a nongovernmental organiza2 tion that is authorized to export or reexport services 

3 to Syria under such section on the day before such 

4 date of enactment, apply to such organization on and 

5 after such date of enactment to the same extent and 

6 in the same manner as such section applied to such 

7 organization on the day before such date of enact8 ment. 

9 (b) EXCEPTION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 542.516 of title 31, 

11 Code of Federal Regulations, as codified under sub12 section (a), shall not apply with respect to a foreign 

13 person that has been designated as a foreign terrorist 

14 organization under section 219 of the Immigration 

15 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189), or otherwise 

16 designated as a terrorist organization, by the Sec17 retary of State, in consultation with or upon the re18 quest of the Attorney General or the Secretary of 

19 Homeland Security. 

20 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Paragraph (1) shall 

21 apply with respect to a foreign person on and after 

22 the date on which the designation of that person as 

23 a terrorist organization is published in the Federal 

24 Register. 


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1 SEC. 306. BRIEFING ON STRATEGY TO FACILITATE HUMANI2 TARIAN ASSISTANCE. 

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

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall brief 

5 the appropriate congressional committees on the strategy of 

6 the President to help facilitate the ability of humanitarian 

7 organizations to access financial services to help facilitate 

8 the safe and timely delivery of assistance to communities 

9 in need in Syria. 

10 (b) CONSIDERATION OF DATA FROM OTHER COUN11 TRIES AND NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.—In pre12 paring the strategy required by subsection (a), the President 

13 shall consider credible data already obtained by other coun14 tries and nongovernmental organizations, including organi15 zations operating in Syria. 

16 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE17 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres18 sional committees’’ means— 

19 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

20 Committee on Financial Services of the House of Rep21 resentatives; and 

22 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 

23 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

24 of the Senate. 


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1 TITLE IV—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

2 SEC. 401. SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President may suspend in 

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

6 for periods not to exceed 180 days if the President deter7 mines that the following criteria have been met in Syria: 

8 (1) The air space over Syria is no longer being 

9 utilized by the Government of Syria or the Govern10 ment of the Russian Federation to target civilian 

11 populations through the use of incendiary devices, in12 cluding barrel bombs, chemical weapons, and conven13 tional arms, including air-delivered missiles and ex14 plosives. 

15 (2) Areas besieged by the Government of Syria, 

16 the Government of the Russian Federation, the Gov17 ernment of Iran, or a foreign person described in sec18 tion 102(a)(2)(A)(ii) are no longer cut off from inter19 national aid and have regular access to humanitarian 

20 assistance, freedom of travel, and medical care. 

21 (3) The Government of Syria is releasing all po22 litical prisoners forcibly held within the prison sys23 tem of the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the Govern24 ment of Syria is allowing full access to the same faVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Jun 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H31.RS H31

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1 cilities for investigations by appropriate inter2 national human rights organizations. 

3 (4) The forces of the Government of Syria, the 

4 Government of the Russian Federation, the Govern5 ment of Iran, and any foreign person described in 

6 section 102(a)(2)(A)(ii) are no longer engaged in de7 liberate targeting of medical facilities, schools, resi8 dential areas, and community gathering places, in9 cluding markets, in violation of international norms. 

10 (5) The Government of Syria is— 

11 (A) taking steps to verifiably fulfill its com12 mitments under the Convention on the Prohibi13 tion of the Development, Production, Stockpiling 

14 and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their De15 struction, done at Geneva September 3, 1992, 

16 and entered into force April 29, 1997 (commonly 

17 known as the ‘‘Chemical Weapons Convention’’), 

18 and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nu19 clear Weapons, done at Washington, London, 

20 and Moscow July 1, 1968, and entered into force 

21 March 5, 1970 (21 UST 483); and 

22 (B) making tangible progress toward becom23 ing a signatory to the Convention on the Prohi24 bition of the Development, Production and Stock25 piling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin 


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1 Weapons and on their Destruction, done at 

2 Washington, London, and Moscow April 10, 

3 1972, and entered into force March 26, 1975 (26 

4 UST 583). 

5 (6) The Government of Syria is permitting the 

6 safe, voluntary, and dignified return of Syrians dis7 placed by the conflict. 

8 (7) The Government of Syria is taking verifiable 

9 steps to establish meaningful accountability for per10 petrators of war crimes in Syria and justice for vic11 tims of war crimes committed by the Assad regime, 

12 including by participation in a credible and inde13 pendent truth and reconciliation process. 

14 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days 

15 after the President makes a determination described in sub16 section (a), the President shall provide a briefing to the ap17 propriate congressional committees on the determination 

18 and the suspension of sanctions pursuant to the determina19 tion. 

20 (c) REIMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—Any sanctions sus21 pended under subsection (a) shall be reimposed if the Presi22 dent determines that the criteria described in that sub23 section are no longer being met. 

24 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 

25 shall be construed to limit the authority of the President 


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1 to terminate the application of sanctions under section 102 

2 with respect to a person that no longer engages in activities 

3 described in subsection (a)(2) of that section. 

4 (e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE5 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres6 sional committees’’ means— 

7 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Com8 mittee on Financial Services, the Committee on Ways 

9 and Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary of 

10 the House of Representatives; and 

11 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

12 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 

13 and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 

14 SEC. 402. WAIVERS AND EXEMPTIONS. 

15 (a) EXEMPTIONS.—The following activities and trans16 actions shall be exempt from sanctions authorized under 

17 this Act or any amendment made by this Act: 

18 (1) Any activity subject to the reporting require19 ments under title V of the National Security Act of 

20 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.), or to any authorized 

21 intelligence activities of the United States. 

22 (2) Any transaction necessary to comply with 

23 United States obligations under— 

24 (A) the Agreement regarding the Head25 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 


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1 Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 

2 November 21, 1947, between the United Nations 

3 and the United States; 

4 (B) the Convention on Consular Relations, 

5 done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered into 

6 force March 19, 1967; or 

7 (C) any other international agreement to 

8 which the United States is a party. 

9 (b) WAIVER.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may, for peri11 ods not to exceed 180 days, waive the application of 

12 any provision of this Act with respect to a foreign 

13 person if the President certifies to the appropriate 

14 congressional committees that such a waiver is in the 

15 national security interests of the United States. 

16 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after the 

17 issuance of a waiver under paragraph (1), and every 

18 180 days thereafter while the waiver remains in ef19 fect, the President shall brief the appropriate congres20 sional committees on the reasons for the waiver. 

21 (c) HUMANITARIAN WAIVER.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may waive, for 

23 renewable periods not to exceed 2 years, the applica24 tion of any provision of this Act with respect to a 

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1 tarian assistance not covered by the authorization de2 scribed in section 305 if the President certifies to the 

3 appropriate congressional committees that such a 

4 waiver is important to address a humanitarian need 

5 and is consistent with the national security interests 

6 of the United States. 

7 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after the 

8 issuance of a waiver under paragraph (1), and every 

9 180 days thereafter while the waiver remains in ef10 fect, the President shall brief the appropriate congres11 sional committees on the reasons for the waiver. 

12 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE13 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres14 sional committees’’ means— 

15 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Com16 mittee on Financial Services, the Committee on Ways 

17 and Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary of 

18 the House of Representatives; and 

19 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

20 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 

21 and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 

22 SEC. 403. IMPLEMENTATION AND REGULATORY AUTHORI23 TIES. 

24 (a) IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY.—The President 

25 may exercise all authorities provided to the President under 


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1 sections 203 and 205 of the International Emergency Eco2 nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for purposes 

3 of carrying out this Act and the amendments made by this 

4 Act. 

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

6 not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

7 this Act, promulgate regulations as necessary for the imple8 mentation of this Act and the amendments made by this 

9 Act. 

10 SEC. 404. COST LIMITATION. 

11 No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 

12 requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this 

13 Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts 

14 otherwise authorized. 

15 SEC. 405. AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Any reports required to be sub17 mitted to the appropriate congressional committees under 

18 this Act or any amendment made by this Act that are sub19 ject to a deadline for submission consisting of the same unit 

20 of time may be consolidated into a single report that is sub21 mitted to the appropriate congressional committees pursu22 ant to such deadline. The consolidated reports shall contain 

23 all information required under this Act or any amendment 

24 made by this Act, in addition to all other elements man25 dated by previous law. 


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50 

•HR 31 RS

1 (b) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE2 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres3 sional committees’’ means— 

4 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

5 Committee on Financial Services of the House of Rep6 resentatives; and 

7 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 

8 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

9 of the Senate. 

10 SEC. 406. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

11 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the au12 thority of the President pursuant to the International 

13 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) 

14 or any other provision of law. 

15 SEC. 407. PROHIBITION ON CONSTRUCTION OF PROVISIONS 

16 OF THIS ACT AS AN AUTHORIZATION FOR USE 

17 OF MILITARY FORCE. 

18 Nothing in this Act may be construed as an authoriza19 tion for use of military force. 

20 SEC. 408. SUNSET. 

21 This Act shall cease to be effective on the date that is 

22 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
Calendar No. 107 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 31 

AN ACT 

To require certain additional actions in connection 

Syria, and for other purposes. with the national emergency with respect to 

JUNE 3, 2019 

Reported with an amendment 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS