116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1837 

AN ACT 

To make improvements to certain defense and security assistance provisions and to authorize assistance for Israel, 

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, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

3 ‘‘United States-Israel Cooperation Enhancement and Re4 gional Security Act’’. 

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

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

TITLE I—ENHANCED COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED 

STATES AND ISRAEL 

Sec. 101. Coordinator of United States-Israel Research and Development. 

Sec. 102. Cooperation on directed energy capabilities. 

Sec. 103. Cooperation on cybersecurity. 

Sec. 104. Report on potential benefits and impact to the United States of establishing a joint United States-Israel Cybersecurity Center of 

Excellence. 

Sec. 105. Cyber diplomacy officer. 

Sec. 106. United States Agency for International Development MemorandumIsrael enhanced cooperation. 

Sec. 107. Cooperative projects among the United States, Israel, and developing 

countries. 

Sec. 108. Joint cooperative program related to innovation and high-tech for the 

Middle East region. 

Sec. 109. Sense of Congress on Eastern Mediterranean energy cooperation. 

Sec. 110. Cooperation on other matters. 

TITLE II—SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR ISRAEL 

Sec. 201. Findings. 

Sec. 202. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 203. Contingency plans to provide Israel with necessary defense articles 

and services. 

Sec. 204. Waiver for existing or imminent military threat to Israel. 

Sec. 205. Security assistance for Israel. 

Sec. 206. Joint assessment of quantity of precision guided munitions for use by 

Israel. 

Sec. 207. Transfer of precision guided munitions to Israel. 

Sec. 208. Sense of Congress on rapid acquisition and deployment procedures. 

Sec. 209. Extension of War Reserves Stockpile authority. 

Sec. 210. Eligibility of Israel for the strategic trade authorization exception to 

certain export control licensing requirements. 

Sec. 211. Extension of loan guarantees to Israel. 

Sec. 212. Definition. 

TITLE III—JUSTICE FOR UNITED STATES VICTIMS OF 

PALESTINIAN TERRORISM 

Sec. 301. Short title. 
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Sec. 302. Facilitation of the settlement of terrorism-related claims of nationals 

of the United States. 

Sec. 303. Modification to consent of certain parties to personal jurisdiction. 

TITLE IV—BUDGETARY EFFECTS 

Sec. 401. Determination of budgetary effects. 

1 TITLE I—ENHANCED COOPERA2 TION BETWEEN THE UNITED 

3 STATES AND ISRAEL 

4 SEC. 101. COORDINATOR OF UNITED STATES-ISRAEL RE5 SEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President is encouraged to 

7 designate the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau 

8 of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific 

9 Affairs to act as Coordinator of United States-Israel Re10 search and Development (in this section referred to as the 

11 ‘‘Coordinator’’). 

12 (b) AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES.—The Coordinator, in 

13 conjunction with the heads of relevant Federal Govern14 ment departments and agencies and in coordination with 

15 the Israel Innovation Authority, shall oversee civilian 

16 science and technology programs on a joint basis with 

17 Israel. 

18 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

19 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 

20 Coordinator shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

21 committees a report on the implementation of this section. 
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1 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

2 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con3 gressional committees’’ means— 

4 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

5 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

6 House of Representatives; and 

7 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

8 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans9 portation of the Senate. 

10 SEC. 102. COOPERATION ON DIRECTED ENERGY CAPABILI11 TIES. 

12 (a) AUTHORITY.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, 

14 upon request of the Ministry of Defense of Israel 

15 and with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, 

16 is authorized to carry out research, development, 

17 test, and evaluation activities, on a joint basis with 

18 Israel, to establish directed energy capabilities that 

19 address threats to the United States, deployed forces 

20 of the United States, or Israel. Any activities carried 

21 out pursuant to such authority shall be conducted in 

22 a manner that appropriately protects sensitive infor23 mation and the national security interests of the 

24 United States and the national security interests of 

25 Israel. 
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1 (2) REPORT.—The activities described in para2 graph (1) may be carried out after the Secretary of 

3 Defense submits to the appropriate congressional 

4 committees a report setting forth the following: 

5 (A) A memorandum of agreement between 

6 the United States and Israel regarding sharing 

7 of research and development costs for the capa8 bilities described in paragraph (1), and any 

9 supporting documents. 

10 (B) A certification that the memorandum 

11 of agreement— 

12 (i) requires sharing of costs of 

13 projects, including in-kind support, be14 tween the United States and Israel; 

15 (ii) establishes a framework to nego16 tiate the rights to any intellectual property 

17 developed under the memorandum of 

18 agreement; and 

19 (iii) requires the United States Gov20 ernment to receive semiannual reports on 

21 expenditure of funds, if any, by the Gov22 ernment of Israel, including a description 

23 of what the funds have been used for, 

24 when funds were expended, and an identi-
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1 fication of entities that expended the 

2 funds. 

3 (b) SUPPORT IN CONNECTION WITH ACTIVITIES.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense is 

5 authorized to provide maintenance and sustainment 

6 support to Israel for the directed energy capabilities 

7 research, development, test, and evaluation activities 

8 authorized in subsection (a)(1). Such authority in9 cludes authority to install equipment necessary to 

10 carry out such research, development, test, and eval11 uation. 

12 (2) REPORT.—The support described in para13 graph (1) may not be provided until 15 days after 

14 the Secretary of Defense submits to the appropriate 

15 congressional committees a report setting forth a de16 tailed description of the support to be provided. 

17 (3) MATCHING CONTRIBUTION.—The support 

18 described in paragraph (1) may not be provided un19 less the Secretary of Defense certifies to the appro20 priate congressional committees that the Govern21 ment of Israel will contribute to such support— 

22 (A) an amount equal to not less than the 

23 amount of support to be so provided; or 
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1 (B) an amount that otherwise meets the 

2 best efforts of Israel, as mutually agreed to by 

3 the United States and Israel. 

4 (c) LEAD AGENCY.—The Secretary of Defense shall 

5 designate an appropriate research and development entity 

6 of a military department as the lead agency of the Depart7 ment of Defense in carrying out this section. 

8 (d) SEMIANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary of De9 fense shall submit to the appropriate congressional com10 mittees on a semiannual basis a report that contains a 

11 copy of the most recent semiannual report provided by the 

12 Government of Israel to the Department of Defense pur13 suant to subsection (a)(2)(B)(iii). 

14 (e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE15 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres16 sional committees’’ means— 

17 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

18 Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 

19 Homeland Security, and the Committee on Appro20 priations of the House of Representatives; and 

21 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

22 Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 

23 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and 

24 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 
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1 SEC. 103. COOPERATION ON CYBERSECURITY. 

2 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

3 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in ac4 cordance with the agreement entitled the ‘‘Agree5 ment between the Government of the United States 

6 of America and the Government of the State of 

7 Israel on Cooperation in Science and Technology for 

8 Homeland Security Matters’’, dated May 29, 2008 

9 (or successor agreement), and the requirements 

10 specified in paragraph (2), shall establish a grant 

11 program at the Department to support— 

12 (A) cybersecurity research and develop13 ment; and 

14 (B) demonstration and commercialization 

15 of cybersecurity technology. 

16 (2) REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 (A) APPLICABILITY.—Notwithstanding any 

18 other provision of law, in carrying out a re19 search, development, demonstration, or com20 mercial application program or activity that is 

21 authorized under this section, the Secretary 

22 shall require cost sharing in accordance with 

23 this paragraph. 

24 (B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

25 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

26 in clause (ii), the Secretary shall require 
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1 not less than 50 percent of the cost of a 

2 research, development, demonstration, or 

3 commercial application program or activity 

4 described in subparagraph (A) to be pro5 vided by a non-Federal source. 

6 (ii) REDUCTION.—The Secretary may 

7 reduce or eliminate, on a case-by-case 

8 basis, the percentage requirement specified 

9 in clause (i) if the Secretary determines 

10 that such reduction or elimination is nec11 essary and appropriate. 

12 (C) MERIT REVIEW.—In carrying out a re13 search, development, demonstration, or com14 mercial application program or activity that is 

15 authorized under this section, awards shall be 

16 made only after an impartial review of the sci17 entific and technical merit of the proposals for 

18 such awards has been carried out by or for the 

19 Department. 

20 (D) REVIEW PROCESSES.—In carrying out 

21 a review under subparagraph (C), the Secretary 

22 may use merit review processes developed under 

23 section 302(14) of the Homeland Security Act 

24 of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 182(14)). 
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1 (3) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—An applicant shall 

2 be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection 

3 if the project of such applicant— 

4 (A) addresses a requirement in the area of 

5 cybersecurity research or cybersecurity tech6 nology, as determined by the Secretary; and 

7 (B) is a joint venture between— 

8 (i)(I) a for-profit business entity, aca9 demic institution, National Laboratory (as 

10 defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy 

11 Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)), or non12 profit entity in the United States; and 

13 (II) a for-profit business entity, aca14 demic institution, or nonprofit entity in 

15 Israel; or 

16 (ii)(I) the Federal Government; and 

17 (II) the Government of Israel. 

18 (4) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

19 grant under this subsection, an applicant shall sub20 mit to the Secretary an application for such grant 

21 in accordance with procedures established by the 

22 Secretary, in consultation with the advisory board 

23 established under paragraph (5). 

24 (5) ADVISORY BOARD.— 
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1 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary 

2 shall establish an advisory board to— 

3 (i) monitor the method by which 

4 grants are awarded under this subsection; 

5 and 

6 (ii) provide to the Secretary periodic 

7 performance reviews of actions taken to 

8 carry out this subsection. 

9 (B) COMPOSITION.—The advisory board 

10 established under subparagraph (A) shall be 

11 composed of three members, to be appointed by 

12 the Secretary, of whom— 

13 (i) one shall be a representative of the 

14 Federal Government; 

15 (ii) one shall be selected from a list of 

16 nominees provided by the United States17 Israel Binational Science Foundation; and 

18 (iii) one shall be selected from a list 

19 of nominees provided by the United States20 Israel Binational Industrial Research and 

21 Development Foundation. 

22 (6) CONTRIBUTED FUNDS.—Notwithstanding 

23 any other provision of law, the Secretary may accept 

24 or retain funds contributed by any person, govern25 ment entity, or organization for purposes of carrying 
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1 out this subsection. Such funds shall be available, 

2 subject to appropriation, without fiscal year limita3 tion. 

4 (7) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

5 the date of completion of a project for which a grant 

6 is provided under this subsection, the grant recipient 

7 shall submit to the Secretary a report that con8 tains— 

9 (A) a description of how the grant funds 

10 were used by the recipient; and 

11 (B) an evaluation of the level of success of 

12 each project funded by the grant. 

13 (8) CLASSIFICATION.—Grants shall be awarded 

14 under this subsection only for projects that are con15 sidered to be unclassified by both the United States 

16 and Israel. 

17 (b) TERMINATION.—The grant program and the ad18 visory board established under this section terminate on 

19 the date that is 7 years after the date of the enactment 

20 of this Act. 

21 (c) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.—No addi22 tional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements 

23 of this section. Such requirements shall be carried out 

24 using amounts otherwise authorized. 

25 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
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1 (1) the term ‘‘cybersecurity research’’ means re2 search, including social science research, into ways 

3 to identify, protect against, detect, respond to, and 

4 recover from cybersecurity threats; 

5 (2) the term ‘‘cybersecurity technology’’ means 

6 technology intended to identify, protect against, de7 tect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity 

8 threats; 

9 (3) the term ‘‘cybersecurity threat’’ has the 

10 meaning given such term in section 102 of the Cy11 bersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (en12 acted as title I of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015 (di13 vision N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

14 2016 (Public Law 114–113))); 

15 (4) the term ‘‘Department’’ means the Depart16 ment of Homeland Security; and 

17 (5) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

18 of Homeland Security. 

19 SEC. 104. REPORT ON POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND IMPACT 

20 TO THE UNITED STATES OF ESTABLISHING A 

21 JOINT UNITED STATES-ISRAEL CYBERSECU22 RITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

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

25 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
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1 a report examining the potential benefits and impact to 

2 the United States of establishing a joint United States3 Israel Cybersecurity Center of Excellence based in the 

4 United States and Israel to leverage the experience, knowl5 edge, and expertise of institutions of higher education (as 

6 such term is defined in subsection (a) or (b) of section 

7 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

8 1001)), private sector entities, and government entities in 

9 the area of cybersecurity and protection of critical infra10 structure (as such term is defined in subsection (e) of sec11 tion 1016 of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act 

12 of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c; enacted in title X of the USA 

13 PATRIOT Act (Public Law 107–56))). 

14 (b) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

15 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con16 gressional committees’’ means— 

17 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

18 Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 

19 Representatives; and 

20 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

21 the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern22 mental Affairs of the Senate. 
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1 SEC. 105. CYBER DIPLOMACY OFFICER. 

2 The Secretary of State is encouraged to appoint a 

3 qualified individual to assume the role of cyber diplomacy 

4 officer at the United States Embassy in Israel. 

5 SEC. 106. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL 

6 DEVELOPMENT MEMORANDUM-ISRAEL EN7 HANCED COOPERATION. 

8 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It should be the policy 

9 of the United States Agency for International Develop10 ment to cooperate with Israel in order to advance common 

11 goals across a wide variety of sectors, including energy, 

12 agriculture and food security, democracy, human rights 

13 and governance, economic growth and trade, education, 

14 environment, global health and water and sanitation. 

15 (b) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—The Sec16 retary of State, acting through the Administrator of the 

17 United States Agency for International Development, is 

18 authorized to enter into memoranda of understanding with 

19 Israel in order to advance common goals on energy, agri20 culture and food security, democracy, human rights and 

21 governance, economic growth and trade, education, envi22 ronment, global health and water sanitation with a focus 

23 on strengthening mutual ties and cooperation with nations 

24 throughout the world. 
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1 SEC. 107. COOPERATIVE PROJECTS AMONG THE UNITED 

2 STATES, ISRAEL, AND DEVELOPING COUN3 TRIES. 

4 Section 106(f) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

5 (22 U.S.C. 2151d) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(f) There are authorized to be appropriated 

7 $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024 

8 to finance cooperative projects among the United States, 

9 Israel, and developing countries that identify and support 

10 local solutions to address sustainability challenges relating 

11 to water resources, agriculture, and energy storage, in12 cluding for the following activities: 

13 ‘‘(1) Establishing public-private partnerships. 

14 ‘‘(2) Supporting the identification, research, de15 velopment testing, and scaling of innovations that 

16 focus on populations that are vulnerable to environ17 mental and resource-scarcity crises, such as subsist18 ence farming communities. 

19 ‘‘(3) Seed or transition-to-scale funding, pub20 licity and marketing promotional support, or 

21 mentorship and partnership brokering support. 

22 ‘‘(4) Acceleration of demonstrations or applica23 tions of local solutions to sustainability challenges, 

24 or the further refinement, testing, or implementation 

25 of innovations that have previously effectively ad26 dressed sustainability challenges.’’. 
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1 SEC. 108. JOINT COOPERATIVE PROGRAM RELATED TO IN2 NOVATION AND HIGH-TECH FOR THE MIDDLE 

3 EAST REGION. 

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

6 (1) the United States should help foster co7 operation in the Middle East region by financing 

8 and, where appropriate, cooperating in projects re9 lated to innovation and high-tech; and 

10 (2) such projects should— 

11 (A) contribute to development and the 

12 quality of life in the Middle East region 

13 through the application of research and tech14 nology; and 

15 (B) contribute to Arab-Israeli cooperation 

16 by establishing strong working relationships 

17 that last beyond the life of such projects. 

18 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State, act19 ing through the Administrator of the United States Agen20 cy for International Development, is authorized to seek to 

21 establish a program between the United States, Israel, 

22 Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, and the West 

23 Bank and Gaza Strip to provide for cooperation in the 

24 Middle East region by financing and, where appropriate, 

25 cooperating in, projects related to innovation and high26 tech. 
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1 (c) PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.—Each project carried 

2 out under the program established by subsection (b)— 

3 (1) shall include participation from at least one 

4 entity of Israel and one entity of Egypt, Jordan, 

5 Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, and the West Bank and 

6 Gaza Strip; and 

7 (2) should include participation from a total of 

8 three or more such entities to the maximum extent 

9 practicable. 

10 SEC. 109. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON EASTERN MEDITERRA11 NEAN ENERGY COOPERATION. 

12 It is the sense of Congress that cooperation between 

13 the United States and Israel for the purpose of research 

14 and development of energy sources would be in the na15 tional interests of not only the United States and Israel, 

16 but also of the other nations in the Eastern Mediterranean 

17 and North Africa with similar natural gas finds. 

18 SEC. 110. COOPERATION ON OTHER MATTERS. 

19 (a) UNITED STATES-ISRAEL ENERGY CENTER.— 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 

21 of Energy $4,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2020, 

22 2021, and 2022 to carry out the activities of the United 

23 States-Israel Energy Center established pursuant to sec24 tion 917(d) of the Energy Independence and Security Act 

25 of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17337(d)). 
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1 (b) UNITED STATES-ISRAEL BINATIONAL INDUS2 TRIAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION.—It 

3 is the sense of Congress that grants to promote covered 

4 energy projects conducted by or in conjunction with the 

5 United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and 

6 Development Foundation should continue to be funded at 

7 not less than $2,000,000 annually under section 917(b) 

8 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 

9 U.S.C. 17337(b)). 

10 (c) UNITED STATES-ISRAEL COOPERATION ON EN11 ERGY, WATER, HOMELAND SECURITY, AGRICULTURE, 

12 AND ALTERNATIVE FUEL TECHNOLOGIES.—Section 7 of 

13 the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 

14 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8606) is amended by adding at the end 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

18 $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 

19 2022.’’. 

20 (d) ANNUAL POLICY DIALOGUE.—It is the sense of 

21 Congress that the Department of Transportation and 

22 Israel’s Ministry of Transportation should engage in an 

23 annual policy dialogue to implement the 2016 Memo24 randum of Cooperation signed by the Secretary of Trans25 portation and the Israeli Minister of Transportation. 
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1 (e) COOPERATION ON SPACE EXPLORATION AND

2 SCIENCE INITIATIVES.—The Administrator of the Na3 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration shall con4 tinue to work with the Israel Space Agency to identify and 

5 cooperatively pursue peaceful space exploration and 

6 science initiatives in areas of mutual interest, taking all 

7 appropriate measures to protect sensitive information, in8 tellectual property, trade secrets, and economic interests 

9 of the United States. 

10 (f) UNITED STATES-ISRAEL BINATIONAL AGRICUL11 TURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUND.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1458(e)(2) of the 

13 National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 

14 Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3291(e)(2)) 

15 is amended— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

17 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

18 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

19 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(C) include food and nutrition research 

22 and development and the commercialization of 

23 the best practices identified through such re24 search and development.’’. 
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1 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 subparagraph (C) of section 1458(e)(2) of the Na4 tional Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teach5 ing Policy Act of 1977, as added by paragraph 

6 (1)(C), $7,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2020, 

7 2021, and 2022. 

8 (3) REPORT.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

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

11 Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the ap12 propriate congressional committees a report on 

13 activities of the United States-Israel Binational 

14 Agricultural Research and Development Fund 

15 under section 1458(e) of the Food and Agri16 culture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3291(e)). 

17 (B) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COM18 MITTEES DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the 

19 term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 

20 means— 

21 (i) the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

22 and the Committee on Agriculture of the 

23 House of Representatives; and 
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1 (ii) the Committee on Foreign Rela2 tions and the Committee on Agriculture, 

3 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. 

4 (g) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

5 RELATING TO DESALINATION TECHNOLOGY.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

7 the date of the enactment of this Act, the White 

8 House Office of Science and Technology Policy shall 

9 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

10 a report on research and development cooperation 

11 with international partners, such as the State of 

12 Israel, in the area of desalination technology as re13 quired under section 9(b)(3) of the Water Desalina14 tion Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 10301 note). 

15 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT16 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap17 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

18 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

19 the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

20 House of Representatives; and 

21 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

22 and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re23 sources of the Senate. 

24 (h) RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF

25 POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.—It is the sense of 
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1 Congress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should 

2 seek to explore collaboration between the Mental Illness 

3 Research, Education and Clinical Centers and Centers of 

4 Excellence and Israeli institutions with expertise in re5 searching and treating posttraumatic stress disorder. 

6 (i) DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

8 appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human 

9 Services $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020, 

10 2021, and 2022 to establish a bilateral cooperative 

11 program with Israel for the development of health 

12 technologies, including health technologies described 

13 in paragraph (2), with an emphasis on collabo14 ratively advancing the use of technology, personal15 ized medicine, and data in relation to aging. 

16 (2) TYPES OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES.—The 

17 health technologies described in this paragraph may 

18 include technologies such as artificial intelligence, 

19 biofeedback, sensors, monitoring devices, and kidney 

20 care. 

21 (j) OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS OF THE

22 FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress 

24 that the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Ad25 ministration should seek to explore collaboration 
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1 with Israel through the Office of International Pro2 grams. 

3 (2) REPORT.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

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

6 Commissioner, acting through the head of the 

7 Office of International Programs, shall submit 

8 to the appropriate congressional committees a 

9 report on the benefits to the United States and 

10 to Israel of opening an office in Israel for the 

11 Office of International Programs. 

12 (B) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COM13 MITTEES DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the 

14 term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 

15 means— 

16 (i) the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

17 and the Committee on Energy and Com18 merce of the House of Representatives; 

19 and 

20 (ii) the Committee on Foreign Rela21 tions and the Committee on Health, Edu22 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 

23 (k) SENSE OF CONGRESS ON UNITED STATES24 ISRAEL ECONOMIC COOPERATION.—It is the sense of 

25 Congress that— 
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1 (1) the United States-Israel economic partner2 ship has achieved great tangible and intangible bene3 fits to both countries and is a foundational compo4 nent of the strong alliance; 

5 (2) science and technology innovations present 

6 promising new frontiers for United States-Israel eco7 nomic cooperation, particularly in light of wide8 spread drought, cybersecurity attacks, and other 

9 major challenges impacting the United States; and 

10 (3) the President should regularize and expand 

11 existing forums of economic dialogue with Israel and 

12 foster both public and private sector participation. 

13 TITLE II—SECURITY 

14 ASSISTANCE FOR ISRAEL 

15 SEC. 201. FINDINGS. 

16 Congress makes the following findings: 

17 (1) On September 14, 2016, the United States 

18 and Israel signed a 10-year Memorandum of Under19 standing reaffirming the importance of continuing 

20 annual United States military assistance to Israel 

21 and cooperative missile defense programs in a way 

22 that enhances Israel’s security and strengthens the 

23 bilateral relationship between the two countries. 

24 (2) The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding 

25 reflected United States support of Foreign Military 
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1 Financing (FMF) grant assistance to Israel over the 

2 10-year period beginning in fiscal year 2019 and 

3 ending in fiscal year 2028. Such FMF grant assist4 ance would equal $3.3 billion annually, totaling $33 

5 billion. 

6 (3) The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding 

7 also reflected United States support for funding for 

8 cooperative programs to develop, produce, and pro9 cure missile, rocket and projectile defense capabili10 ties over a 10-year period beginning in fiscal year 

11 2019 and ending in fiscal year 2028 at a level of 

12 $500 million annually, totaling $5 billion. 

13 SEC. 202. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

14 It is the policy of the United States to provide assist15 ance to the Government of Israel in order to help enable 

16 Israel to defend itself by itself and develop long-term ca17 pacity, primarily through the acquisition of advanced ca18 pabilities that are available from the United States. 

19 SEC. 203. CONTINGENCY PLANS TO PROVIDE ISRAEL WITH 

20 NECESSARY DEFENSE ARTICLES AND SERV21 ICES. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 

23 Secretary of Defense and in consultation with the Sec24 retary of State, shall establish and update as appropriate 

25 contingency plans to provide Israel with defense articles 
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1 and services that are determined by the Secretary of De2 fense to be necessary for the defense of Israel. 

3 (b) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 

4 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annu5 ally thereafter, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation 

6 with the Secretary of State, shall brief the appropriate 

7 congressional committees on the status of the contingency 

8 plans required under subsection (a). 

9 SEC. 204. WAIVER FOR EXISTING OR IMMINENT MILITARY 

10 THREAT TO ISRAEL. 

11 Section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act is amend12 ed by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(l) WAIVER FOR EXISTING OR IMMINENT MILITARY

14 THREAT TO ISRAEL.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Upon receiving information 

16 that Israel is under an existing or imminent threat 

17 of military attack, the President may waive the re18 quirements of this Act and direct the immediate 

19 transfer to Israel of such defense articles or services 

20 the President determines to be necessary to assist 

21 Israel in its defense against such threat. Amounts 

22 obligated or expended to carry out this paragraph 

23 shall not be subject to any limitation in law, or pro24 vision of any bilateral agreement, relating to the 
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1 amount of United States assistance authorized to be 

2 made available to Israel. 

3 ‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—As soon as 

4 practicable after a transfer of defense articles or 

5 services pursuant to the authority provided by para6 graph (1), the President shall provide a notification 

7 in writing to Congress of the details of such trans8 fer, consistent with the requirements of section 36 of 

9 this Act.’’. 

10 SEC. 205. SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR ISRAEL. 

11 Section 513(c) of the Security Assistance Act of 2000 

12 (Public Law 106–280; 114 Stat. 856) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2002 and 

14 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 

15 2024’’; 

16 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘equal to—’’ 

17 and all that follows and inserting ‘‘not less than 

18 $3,300,000,000.’’; and 

19 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Funds au20 thorized’’ and all that follows through ‘‘later.’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘Funds authorized to be available for 

22 Israel under subsection (b)(1) and paragraph (1) of 

23 this subsection for fiscal years 2020, 2021, 2022, 

24 2023, and 2024 shall be disbursed not later than 30 

25 days after the date of the enactment of an Act mak-
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1 ing appropriations for the Department of State, for2 eign operations, and related programs for the re3 spective fiscal year, or October 31 of the respective 

4 fiscal year, whichever is later.’’. 

5 SEC. 206. JOINT ASSESSMENT OF QUANTITY OF PRECISION 

6 GUIDED MUNITIONS FOR USE BY ISRAEL. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 

8 Secretary of Defense and in consultation with the Sec9 retary of State, is authorized to conduct a joint assess10 ment with the Government of Israel with respect to the 

11 matters described in subsection (b). 

12 (b) MATTERS DESCRIBED.—The matters described 

13 in this subsection are the following: 

14 (1) The quantity and type of precision guided 

15 munitions that are necessary for Israel to combat 

16 Hezbollah in the event of a sustained armed con17 frontation between Israel and Hezbollah. 

18 (2) The quantity and type of precision guided 

19 munitions that are necessary for Israel in the event 

20 of a sustained armed confrontation with other armed 

21 groups and terrorist organizations such as Hamas. 

22 (3) The resources the Government of Israel can 

23 plan to dedicate to acquire such precision guided 

24 munitions. 
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1 (4) United States planning to assist Israel to 

2 prepare for the sustained armed confrontations de3 scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) as well as the abil4 ity of the United States to resupply Israel in the 

5 event of such confrontations described in paragraphs 

6 (1) and (2), if any. 

7 (c) REPORT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 days after 

9 the date on which the joint assessment authorized 

10 under subsection (a) is completed, the Secretary of 

11 Defense shall submit to the appropriate congres12 sional committees a report that contains the joint 

13 assessment. 

14 (2) FORM.—The report required under para15 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

16 but may contain a classified annex. 

17 SEC. 207. TRANSFER OF PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS TO 

18 ISRAEL. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 514 of 

20 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321h), 

21 the President is authorized to transfer to Israel precision 

22 guided munitions from reserve stocks for Israel in such 

23 quantities as necessary for legitimate self-defense of Israel 

24 and is otherwise consistent with the purposes and condi-
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1 tions for such transfers under the Arms Export Control 

2 Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 

3 (b) CERTIFICATION.—Except in the case of an emer4 gency as determined by the President, not later than 5 

5 days before making a transfer under subsection (a), the 

6 President shall certify to the appropriate congressional 

7 committees that the transfer of the precision guided muni8 tions— 

9 (1) does not affect the ability of the United 

10 States to maintain a sufficient supply of precision 

11 guided munitions; 

12 (2) does not harm the combat readiness of the 

13 United States or the ability of the United States to 

14 meet its commitment to allies for the transfer of 

15 such munitions; 

16 (3) is necessary for Israel to counter the threat 

17 of rockets in a timely fashion; and 

18 (4) is in the national security interest of the 

19 United States. 

20 SEC. 208. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON RAPID ACQUISITION 

21 AND DEPLOYMENT PROCEDURES. 

22 It is the sense of Congress that the President should 

23 prescribe procedures for the rapid acquisition and deploy24 ment of precision guided munitions for United States 

25 counterterrorism missions, or to assist an ally of the 
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1 United States, including Israel, that is subject to direct 

2 missile threat. 

3 SEC. 209. EXTENSION OF WAR RESERVES STOCKPILE AU4 THORITY. 

5 (a) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS

6 ACT, 2005.—Subsection (d) of section 12001 of the De7 partment of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public 

8 Law 108–287; 118 Stat. 1011) is amended by striking 

9 ‘‘after September 30, 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘after Sep10 tember 30, 2025’’. 

11 (b) FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.—Section 

12 514(b)(2)(A) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

13 U.S.C. 2321h(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘2013, 

14 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020’’ and in15 serting ‘‘2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025’’. 

16 SEC. 210. ELIGIBILITY OF ISRAEL FOR THE STRATEGIC 

17 TRADE AUTHORIZATION EXCEPTION TO CER18 TAIN EXPORT CONTROL LICENSING RE19 QUIREMENTS. 

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

21 (1) Israel has adopted high standards in the 

22 field of export controls. 

23 (2) Israel has declared its unilateral adherence 

24 to the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Aus25 tralia Group, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. 
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1 (3) Israel is a party to— 

2 (A) the Protocol for the Prohibition of the 

3 Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or 

4 Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of 

5 Warfare, signed at Geneva June 17, 1925; and 

6 (B) the Convention on the Physical Protec7 tion of Nuclear Material, adopted at Vienna on 

8 October 26, 1979. 

9 (4) Section 6(b) of the United States-Israel 

10 Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8603 

11 note) directs the President, consistent with the com12 mitments of the United States under international 

13 agreements, to take steps so that Israel may be in14 cluded in the list of countries eligible for the stra15 tegic trade authorization exception under section 

16 740.20(c)(1) of title 15, Code of Federal Regula17 tions, to the requirement for a license for the export, 

18 re-export, or in-country transfer of an item subject 

19 to controls under the Export Administration Regula20 tions. 

21 (b) REPORT ON ELIGIBILITY FOR STRATEGIC TRADE

22 AUTHORIZATION EXCEPTION.— 

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

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

25 President shall submit to the appropriate congres-
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1 sional committees a report that describes the steps 

2 taken to include Israel in the list of countries eligible 

3 for the strategic trade authorization exception under 

4 section 740.20 (c) (1) of title 15, Code of Federal 

5 Regulations section, as required under 6(b) of the 

6 United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 

7 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8603 note). 

8 (2) FORM.—The report required under para9 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

10 but may contain a classified annex. 

11 SEC. 211. EXTENSION OF LOAN GUARANTEES TO ISRAEL. 

12 Chapter 5 of title I of the Emergency Wartime Sup13 plemental Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108–11; 

14 117 Stat. 576) is amended under the heading ‘‘Loan 

15 Guarantees to Israel’’— 

16 (1) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by 

17 striking ‘‘September 30, 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘Sep18 tember 30, 2025’’; and 

19 (2) in the second proviso, by striking ‘‘Sep20 tember 30, 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 

21 2025’’. 

22 SEC. 212. DEFINITION. 

23 In this title, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional 

24 committees’’ means— 
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1 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

2 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep3 resentatives; and 

4 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

5 the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 

6 TITLE III—JUSTICE FOR UNITED 

7 STATES VICTIMS OF PALES8 TINIAN TERRORISM 

9 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE. 

10 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Justice for United 

11 States Victims of Palestinian Terrorism Act’’. 

12 SEC. 302. FACILITATION OF THE SETTLEMENT OF TER13 RORISM-RELATED CLAIMS OF NATIONALS OF 

14 THE UNITED STATES. 

15 (a) COMPREHENSIVE PROCESS TO FACILITATE THE

16 RESOLUTION OF ANTI-TERRORISM ACT CLAIMS.—The 

17 Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney Gen18 eral, shall, not later than 30 days after the date of enact19 ment of this Act, develop and initiate a comprehensive 

20 process for the Department of State to facilitate the reso21 lution and settlement of covered claims. 

22 (b) ELEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE PROCESS.—The 

23 comprehensive process developed under subsection (a) 

24 shall include, at a minimum, the following: 
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1 (1) Not later than 45 days after the date of en2 actment of this Act, the Department of State shall 

3 publish a notice in the Federal Register identifying 

4 the method by which a national of the United 

5 States, or a representative of a national of the 

6 United States, who has a covered claim, may contact 

7 the Department of State to give notice of the cov8 ered claim. 

9 (2) Not later than 120 days after the date of 

10 enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, or a 

11 designee of the Secretary, shall meet (and make 

12 every effort to continue to meet on a regular basis 

13 thereafter) with any national of the United States, 

14 or a representative of a national of the United 

15 States, who has a covered claim and has informed 

16 the Department of State of the covered claim using 

17 the method established pursuant to paragraph (1) to 

18 discuss the status of the covered claim, including the 

19 status of any settlement discussions with the Pales20 tinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organi21 zation. 

22 (3) Not later than 180 days after the date of 

23 enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, or a 

24 designee of the Secretary, shall make every effort to 

25 meet (and make every effort to continue to meet on 
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1 a regular basis thereafter) with representatives of 

2 the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Libera3 tion Organization to discuss the covered claims iden4 tified pursuant to paragraph (1) and potential settle5 ment of the covered claims. 

6 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary of State 

7 shall, not later than 240 days after the date of enactment 

8 of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, submit 

9 to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on 

10 Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 

11 the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

12 the House of Representatives a report describing activities 

13 that the Department of State has undertaken to comply 

14 with this section, including specific updates regarding 

15 paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (b). 

16 (d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that— 

18 (1) covered claims should be resolved in a man19 ner that provides just compensation to the victims; 

20 (2) covered claims should be resolved and set21 tled in favor of the victim to the fullest extent pos22 sible and without subjecting victims to unnecessary 

23 or protracted litigation; 

24 (3) the United States Government should take 

25 all practicable steps to facilitate the resolution and 
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1 settlement of all covered claims, including engaging 

2 directly with the victims or their representatives and 

3 the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Libera4 tion Organization; and 

5 (4) the United States Government should 

6 strongly urge the Palestinian Authority and the Pal7 estine Liberation Organization to commit to good8 faith negotiations to resolve and settle all covered 

9 claims. 

10 (e) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered 

11 claim’’ means any pending action by, or final judgment 

12 in favor of, a national of the United States, or any action 

13 by a national of the United States dismissed for lack of 

14 personal jurisdiction, under section 2333 of title 18, 

15 United States Code, against the Palestinian Authority or 

16 the Palestine Liberation Organization. 

17 SEC. 303. MODIFICATION TO CONSENT OF CERTAIN PAR18 TIES TO PERSONAL JURISDICTION. 

19 (a) AMENDMENT TO TITLE 18.—Section 2334 of title 

20 18, United States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 

22 subsection (e)(1) and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) beginning on the date that is 180 

24 days after the date of enactment of this sub25 paragraph, makes, renews, promotes, or ad-
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1 vances any application in order to obtain the 

2 same standing as a member state in the United 

3 Nations or any specialized agency thereof, or 

4 accepts such standing, outside an agreement 

5 negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians; 

6 or 

7 ‘‘(B) beginning on the date that is 15 days 

8 after the date of enactment of the Justice for 

9 United States Victims of Palestinian Terrorism 

10 Act— 

11 ‘‘(i) continues to maintain any office, 

12 headquarters, premises, or other facilities 

13 or establishments in the United States; or 

14 ‘‘(ii) establishes or procures any of15 fice, headquarters, premises, or other fa16 cilities or establishments in the United 

17 States.’’; and 

18 (2) And by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(3) DEFENDANT DEFINED.—For purposes of 

21 paragraph (1) of this subsection, the term ‘defend22 ant’ means— 

23 ‘‘(A) the Palestinian Authority; 

24 ‘‘(B) the Palestine Liberation Organiza25 tion; 
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1 ‘‘(C) any organization or other entity that 

2 is a successor to or affiliated with the Pales3 tinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Or4 ganization; or 

5 ‘‘(D) any organization or other entity— 

6 ‘‘(i) identified in subparagraph (A), 

7 (B), or (C); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) that self-identifies as, holds itself 

9 out to be, or carries out conduct in the 

10 name of, the ‘State of Palestine’ or ‘Pal11 estine’ in connection with official business 

12 of the United Nations. 

13 ‘‘(4) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN ACTIVITIES AND

14 LOCATIONS.—In determining whether a defendant 

15 shall be deemed to have consented to personal juris16 diction under paragraph (1)(B), a court may not 

17 consider— 

18 ‘‘(A) any office, headquarters, premises or 

19 other facility or establishment used exclusively 

20 for the purpose of conducting official business 

21 of the United Nations; or 

22 ‘‘(B) any activity undertaken exclusively 

23 for the purpose of conducting official business 

24 of the United Nations. 
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1 ‘‘(5) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Notwith2 standing any other law (including any treaty), any 

3 office, headquarters, premises, or other facility or es4 tablishment within the territory of the United States 

5 that is not specifically exempted by paragraph 

6 (4)(A) shall be considered to be in the United States 

7 for purposes of clauses (i) and (ii) of paragraph 

8 (1)(B).’’. 

9 (b) PRIOR CONSENT NOT ABROGATED.—The amend10 ments made by this section do not abrogate any consent 

11 deemed to have been given under section 2334(e) of title 

12 18, United States Code, as in effect on the day before 

13 the date of enactment of this Act. 

14 TITLE IV—BUDGETARY EFFECTS 

15 SEC. 401. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

16 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

17 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

18 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

19 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

20 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

21 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
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1 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

2 vote on passage. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 23, 2019. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1837 

AN ACT 

To make improvements to certain defense and secuance for Israel, and for other purposes. rity assistance provisions and to authorize assist-