II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4695 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 30, 2019 

Received 

AN ACT 

To impose sanctions with respect to Turkey, 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. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protect Against Con3 flict by Turkey Act’’ or the ‘‘PACT Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that— 

6 (1) the United States and Turkey have been 

7 treaty allies since 1952, when Turkey became a 

8 member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

9 (NATO); 

10 (2) being a NATO member means that Turkey 

11 is treaty bound to safeguard the principles of democ12 racy, individual liberty, and the rule of law and, im13 portantly, should be united with other NATO allies 

14 in efforts for collective defense and the preservation 

15 of peace and security; 

16 (3) Turkey’s military invasion of northern Syria 

17 on October 9, 2019, is an unacceptable and unneces18 sary escalation of tensions with the potential to 

19 cause a severe humanitarian crisis and undo the col20 lective gains made in the fight against the Islamic 

21 State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) by the United States 

22 and the 81 countries and organizations of the Global 

23 Coalition to Defeat ISIS, including NATO and the 

24 European Union (EU); 

25 (4) Turkey should immediately cease attacks 

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1 ish and Arab civilians, and other religious and ethnic 

2 minority communities in northern Syria and recall 

3 its forces back to Turkey; 

4 (5) targeted sanctions against Turkey are an 

5 appropriate response in order for Turkey to be held 

6 accountable for its military invasion of northern 

7 Syria; 

8 (6) Turkey’s military invasion of northern Syria 

9 is the latest example of the weakening and problem10 atic United States-Turkey bilateral relationship and 

11 undermines the security of the United States and its 

12 NATO allies, including that of Turkey; 

13 (7) the SDF have been critical partners to 

14 United States and allied counter-ISIS and broader 

15 counterterrorism efforts in Syria, and the United 

16 States should continue this partnership with the 

17 SDF; 

18 (8) the United States Government should utilize 

19 diplomatic and military tools to ensure the enduring 

20 defeat of ISIS; 

21 (9) the United States should stand by critical 

22 allies and partners; 

23 (10) Russian and Iranian political and military 

24 influence in Syria present a threat to United States 

25 national security interests; and 


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1 (11) the United States Government, in concert 

2 with the international community, should hold ac3 countable members of the Syrian regime and the 

4 Governments of the Russian Federation and Iran for 

5 atrocities against the Syrian people. 

6 SEC. 3. SANCTIONS AGAINST SENIOR TURKISH OFFICIALS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 days after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall im9 pose the sanctions described in section 14 with respect to 

10 the following foreign persons in connection with Turkey’s 

11 military invasion of northern Syria on October 9, 2019: 

12 (1) The Minister of National Defense of Tur13 key. 

14 (2) The Chief of the General Staff of the Turk15 ish Armed Forces. 

16 (3) The Commander of the 2nd Army of the 

17 Turkish Armed Forces. 

18 (4) The Minister of Treasury and Finance of 

19 Turkey. 

20 (b) ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS.— 

21 (1) LIST.—Not later than 30 days after the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

23 State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense 

24 and the Director of National Intelligence, shall sub25 mit to the President and appropriate congressional 


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1 committees a list of the following foreign persons in 

2 connection with Turkey’s military invasion of north3 ern Syria on October 9, 2019: 

4 (A) Senior Turkish defense officials in5 volved in the decision to invade northern Syria. 

6 (B) Senior Turkish military officials lead7 ing attacks against the Syrian Democratic 

8 Forces (SDF), Kurdish and Arab civilians, or 

9 other religious or ethnic minority communities 

10 in northern Syria. 

11 (C) Turkish officials significantly facili12 tating Turkey’s military invasion of northern 

13 Syria. 

14 (D) Any Turkish official or member of the 

15 Turkish Armed Forces who is responsible for, 

16 complicit in, or has directly or indirectly en17 gaged, or has attempted to engage, in any of 

18 the following relating to Turkey’s military inva19 sion of northern Syria: 

20 (i) A violation of the law of armed 

21 conflict. 

22 (ii) A gross violation of internationally 

23 recognized human rights. 

24 (2) UPDATES.—The list required under para25 graph (1) shall be updated every 60 days, until the 


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1 sanctions under this section are terminated in ac2 cordance with section 7. 

3 (3) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—Not later than 

4 15 days after submission of the list required under 

5 paragraph (1) and each update relating thereto in 

6 accordance with paragraph (2), the President shall 

7 impose the sanctions described in section 14 with re8 spect to foreign persons identified in such list and 

9 related updates. 

10 (c) WAIVER.— 

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

12 on a case-by-case basis and for a period of not more 

13 than 90 days, the imposition of sanctions under this 

14 section with respect to a foreign person if the Presi15 dent— 

16 (A) determines that— 

17 (i) it is vital to the national security 

18 interests of the United States to do so; and 

19 (ii) Turkey— 

20 (I) has halted attacks against the 

21 SDF, Kurdish and Arab civilians, and 

22 other religious and ethnic minority 

23 communities in northern Syria; and 

24 (II) is not hindering counter-ter25 rorism operations against ISIS; and 


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1 (B) not later than 15 days before issuing 

2 such a waiver, submits to the appropriate con3 gressional committees a justification relating to 

4 such determination. 

5 (2) RENEWAL OF WAIVERS.—The President 

6 may, on a case-by-case basis, renew a waiver under 

7 paragraph (1) for an additional period of not more 

8 than 90 days if, not later than 15 days before such 

9 a waiver expires, the President determines it is vital 

10 to the national security interests of the United 

11 States to do so and submits to the appropriate con12 gressional committees a justification relating to such 

13 determination. 

14 SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON ARMS TRANSFERS TO TURKISH 

15 MILITARY UNITS IN SYRIA. 

16 (a) PROHIBITION.—No United States defense arti17 cles, defense services, or technology under the Arms Ex18 port Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) may be trans19 ferred to the Government of Turkey if such articles, serv20 ices, or technology could be used in operations by the 

21 Turkish Armed Forces in northern Syria. 

22 (b) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition under subsection 

23 (a) shall not apply to transfers for ultimate end use by 

24 the United States military or for use in military operations 

25 approved by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 


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1 (c) NO USE OF EMERGENCY AUTHORITY.—The au2 thority of the President to waive statutory congressional 

3 review periods under the Arms Export Control Act in 

4 cases in which an emergency exists shall not apply to the 

5 transfer of defense articles, defense services, or technology 

6 to the Government of Turkey. 

7 SEC. 5. SANCTIONS AGAINST FOREIGN PERSONS PRO8 VIDING ARMS TO TURKISH ARMED FORCES 

9 IN SYRIA. 

10 (a) REPORT.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 

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

13 of State, in consultation with the Secretary of De14 fense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall 

15 submit to the President and appropriate congres16 sional committees a list of any foreign persons deter17 mined to knowingly have provided, on or after such 

18 date of enactment, defense articles, defense services, 

19 or technology (as such terms are defined and de20 scribed in the Arms Export Control Act) to the Gov21 ernment of Turkey if such articles, services, or tech22 nology could be used in operations by the Turkish 

23 Armed Forces in northern Syria. 

24 (2) UPDATES.—The list required under para25 graph (1) shall be updated every 60 days or as new 


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1 information becomes available, until the sanctions 

2 under this section are terminated in accordance with 

3 section 7. 

4 (b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—The President shall 

5 impose the sanctions described in section 14 with respect 

6 to any foreign persons identified on the list and related 

7 updates required under subsection (a). 

8 (c) EXCEPTION.—The sanctions imposed pursuant to 

9 this section shall not apply to transfers for ultimate end 

10 use by the United States military or for use in military 

11 operations approved by the North Atlantic Treaty Organi12 zation. 

13 (d) WAIVER.— 

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

15 on a case-by-case basis and for a period of not more 

16 than 90 days, the imposition of sanctions under this 

17 section with respect to a foreign person if the Presi18 dent determines it is important to the national secu19 rity interests of the United States to do so and, not 

20 later than 15 days before issuing such a waiver, sub21 mits to the appropriate congressional committees a 

22 justification relating to such determination. 

23 (2) RENEWAL OF WAIVERS.—The President 

24 may, on a case-by-case basis, renew a waiver under 

25 paragraph (1) for an additional period of not more 


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1 than 90 days if, not later than 15 days before such 

2 a waiver expires, the President determines it is im3 portant to the national security interests of the 

4 United States to do so and submits to the appro5 priate congressional committees a justification relat6 ing to such determination. 

7 SEC. 6. TARGETED FOREIGN FINANCIAL SANCTIONS. 

8 (a) HALK BANKASI OR HALKBANK.—Not later than 

9 15 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Presi10 dent shall impose the sanctions described in section 14(1) 

11 with respect to Halk Bankas( or Halkbank or any suc12 cessor entity thereof. 

13 (b) FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary of State, in 

15 consultation with the Secretary of Defense, Sec16 retary of Treasury, and Director of National Intel17 ligence, determines that any foreign financial institu18 tion, in addition to the foreign financial institutions 

19 specified in subsection (a), has knowingly facilitated 

20 significant transactions for the Turkish Armed 

21 Forces or defense industry relating to Turkey’s mili22 tary invasion of northern Syria on October 9, 2019, 

23 the President shall, not later than 60 days after any 

24 such determination, impose the sanctions described 


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1 in section 14(1) with respect to any such foreign fi2 nancial institution. 

3 (2) WAIVER.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The President may 

5 waive, on a case-by-case basis and for a period 

6 of not more than 90 days, the imposition of 

7 sanctions under this subsection if the Presi8 dent— 

9 (i) determines that— 

10 (I) it is vital to the national secu11 rity interests of the United States to 

12 do so; and 

13 (II) Turkey— 

14 (aa) has halted attacks 

15 against the Syrian Democratic 

16 Forces, Kurdish and Arab civil17 ians, and other religious and eth18 nic minority communities in 

19 northern Syria; and 

20 (bb) is not hindering 

21 counter-terrorism operations 

22 against ISIS; and 

23 (ii) not later than 15 days before 

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1 propriate congressional committees a jus2 tification relating to such determination. 

3 (B) RENEWAL OF WAIVERS.—The Presi4 dent may, on a case-by-case basis, renew a 

5 waiver under subparagraph (A) for an addi6 tional period of not more than 90 days if, not 

7 later than 15 days before such a waiver expires, 

8 the President determines it is vital to the na9 tional security interests of the United States to 

10 do so and submits to the appropriate congres11 sional committees a justification relating to 

12 such determination. 

13 SEC. 7. TERMINATION AUTHORITY. 

14 (a) SECTIONS 3, 4, AND 5.—The authority to impose 

15 sanctions under sections 3 and 5 (and the sanctions im16 posed pursuant to such sections) and the prohibitions 

17 under section 4 shall terminate if the President determines 

18 and submits to the appropriate congressional committees 

19 a finding that— 

20 (1) Turkey has halted attacks against the Syr21 ian Democratic Forces, Kurdish and Arab civilians, 

22 and other religious and ethnic minority communities 

23 in northern Syria; 

24 (2) Turkish forces not involved in coordinated 

25 operations with NATO allies or the Global Coalition 


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1 to Defeat ISIS have withdrawn from northern Syria; 

2 and 

3 (3) Turkey is not hindering counter-terrorism 

4 operations against ISIS. 

5 (b) SECTION 6.—The authority to impose financial 

6 sanctions under section 6 (and the sanctions imposed pur7 suant to such section) shall terminate if the President de8 termines and submits to the appropriate congressional 

9 committees the finding described in subsection (a)(1). 

10 SEC. 8. IMPOSITION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS UNDER COUN11 TERING AMERICA’S ADVERSARIES THROUGH 

12 SANCTIONS ACT AGAINST TURKEY. 

13 (a) DETERMINATION.—For the purposes of section 

14 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through 

15 Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9525), Turkey’s acquisition of 

16 the Russian S-400 air and missile defense system begin17 ning July 12, 2019, shall be considered to be a significant 

18 transaction described in such section. 

19 (b) SANCTIONS.—Not later than 30 days after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall im21 pose five or more of the sanctions described in section 235 

22 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanc23 tions Act (22 U.S.C. 9529) with respect to the Govern24 ment of Turkey. 


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1 SEC. 9. PLANS AND REPORTS TO ADDRESS NATIONAL SE2 CURITY THREATS CAUSED BY TURKEY’S MILI3 TARY INVASION OF NORTHERN SYRIA. 

4 Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act— 

6 (1) the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 

7 appropriate congressional committees— 

8 (A) a plan to ensure that ISIS detainees 

9 and families held in Syria remain under proper 

10 custody, in accordance with internationally rec11 ognized human rights requirements, and in a 

12 manner that does not threaten United States 

13 security interests; and 

14 (B) a report on the impact that Turkey’s 

15 military invasion of northern Syria is having on 

16 counterterrorism operations in Syria; and 

17 (2) the Secretary of State shall submit to the 

18 appropriate congressional committees a plan for how 

19 the United States will assist the Syrian Democratic 

20 Forces, Kurdish and Arab civilians, and other reli21 gious and ethnic minority communities affected by 

22 Turkey’s military invasion of northern Syria on Oc23 tober 9, 2019. 


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1 SEC. 10. REPORT ON NET WORTH OF TURKISH PRESIDENT 

2 RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN. 

3 Not later than 120 days after the date of the enact4 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation 

5 with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of 

6 National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate con7 gressional committees a report on the estimated net worth 

8 and known sources of income of Turkish President Recep 

9 Tayyip Erdog ̆an and his family members (including 

10 spouse, children, parents, and siblings), including assets, 

11 investments, other business interests, and relevant bene12 ficial ownership information. 

13 SEC. 11. REPORT ON TURKEY’S MILITARY INVASION OF 

14 NORTHERN SYRIA. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con16 gress that— 

17 (1) the Russian Federation and Iran continue 

18 to— 

19 (A) exploit a security vacuum in Syria; and 

20 (B) pose a threat to vital United States 

21 national security interests; and 

22 (2) continued Turkish military activity inside 

23 Syria will negatively impact the national security in24 terest and regional stability of the United States. 

25 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

3 of State, in consultation with the Secretary of De4 fense, the Administrator of the United States Agen5 cy for International Development, and the heads of 

6 other appropriate Federal agencies, shall submit to 

7 the appropriate congressional committees a report 

8 on Turkey’s military invasion of northern Syria on 

9 October 9, 2019, including the impact of the with10 drawal of United States troops from northern Syria. 

11 The Secretary of State shall provide an updated re12 port or briefing to the appropriate congressional 

13 committees as circumstances warrant. 

14 (2) ELEMENTS OF THE REPORT.—The report, 

15 and any update thereto, required under paragraph 

16 (1) shall include the following elements: 

17 (A) A description of the impact of Tur18 key’s military invasion of northern Syria on the 

19 ability of ISIS to reconstitute a physical caliph20 ate. 

21 (B) A description of the impact of the in22 vasion on the Russian Federation’s military and 

23 political influence in Syria. 


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1 (C) A description of the impact of the in2 vasion on Iran’s ability to increase its military 

3 and political influence in Syria. 

4 (D) A comprehensive assessment of the 

5 United States Government’s activities to 

6 counter Iranian and Russian Federation influ7 ence in Syria. 

8 (E) An outline of planned joint actions by 

9 the Department of State and the Department 

10 of Defense, in consultation with the heads of 

11 the other appropriate Federal agencies, regard12 ing all stabilization funds or activities for Syria, 

13 and an explanation of how such funds and ac14 tivities can contribute to stabilization in the 

15 current environment and without limited United 

16 States troop presence in northern Syria. 

17 (F) The creation and use by the Govern18 ment of Turkey of ‘‘safe zones’’ to justify the 

19 involuntary or uninformed return of Syrian ref20 ugees from Turkey to Syrian territory, to jus21 tify the forced displacement of Syrians inside 

22 Syria, or to prevent Syrians from seeking inter23 national protections. 

24 (G) The role of the Government of Turkey 

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1 manitarian actors, including international non2 governmental organizations (INGOs), for cross3 border work from Turkey and in ensuring effi4 cient, open supply lines for humanitarian assist5 ance and personnel through border crossing 

6 points on the Turkey-Syria and Iraq-Syria bor7 ders, and facilitating safe passage of humani8 tarian assistance to Syrians inside Syria based 

9 on need. 

10 (H) The actions of the Government of 

11 Turkey and Turkish-backed forces in the oper12 ation of all camps for families displaced by con13 flict as civilian facilities, and ensuring that 

14 camp residents, in particular women and chil15 dren, are treated as civilian victims of conflict 

16 in accordance with international law and stand17 ards. 

18 (I) The actions of the Government of Tur19 key and Turkish-backed forces in taking effec20 tive measures to protect civilians and civilian 

21 infrastructure, including health facilities, water 

22 pumping stations, and restricting use of explo23 sive weapons in populated areas. 


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1 SEC. 12. STRATEGY TO PREVENT THE RESURGENCE OF 

2 THE ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA 

3 (ISIS) AND ITS AFFILIATES. 

4 (a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Not later than 60 days 

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

6 of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, 

7 the Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter8 national Development, and the heads of other appropriate 

9 Federal agencies, shall jointly submit to the appropriate 

10 congressional committees a strategy to prevent the resur11 gence of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq 

12 and Syria. 

13 (b) ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY.—The strategy re14 quired under subsection (a) shall include the following ele15 ments: 

16 (1) A summary of the United States national 

17 security interests in Iraq and Syria and the impact 

18 a resurgence of ISIS would have on such interests. 

19 (2) A assessment of current training and sup20 port programs by Federal agency or department, 

21 specifically focused on countering ISIS and other 

22 terrorist organizations, including non-lethal assist23 ance, training, and organizational capacity for the 

24 Syrian Democratic Forces, the Iraqi Security 

25 Forces, the Kurdish Peshmerga, and others to 

26 counter gains by ISIS and its affiliates. 


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1 (3) A description of United States Government 

2 efforts to support, develop, and expand local govern3 ance structures in areas in Syria previously liberated 

4 from ISIS control. 

5 (4) An estimate of the number of current, ac6 tive ISIS members in Iraq and Syria, including an 

7 assessment of those being held in detainee camps or 

8 prisons. 

9 (5) A comprehensive plan to address ISIS de10 tainees currently being held in Syria and Iraq, in11 cluding the following elements: 

12 (A) The designation of an existing official 

13 within the Department of State to serve as a 

14 senior-level coordinator to coordinate, in con15 junction with the lead and other relevant agen16 cies, all matters for the United States Govern17 ment relating to the long-term disposition of 

18 ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees, includ19 ing all matters in connection with— 

20 (i) repatriation, transfer, prosecution, 

21 and intelligence-gathering; 

22 (ii) coordinating a whole-of-govern23 ment approach with other countries and 

24 international organizations, including 

25 INTERPOL, to ensure secure chains of 


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1 custody and locations of ISIS foreign ter2 rorist fighter detainees; 

3 (iii) coordinating technical and evi4 dentiary assistance to foreign countries to 

5 aid in the successful prosecution of ISIS 

6 foreign terrorist fighter detainees; and 

7 (iv) all multilateral and international 

8 engagements led by the Department of 

9 State and other agencies that are related 

10 to the current and future handling, deten11 tion, and prosecution of ISIS foreign ter12 rorist fighter detainees. 

13 (B) A description, which may be in classi14 fied form, of ISIS senior leadership and infra15 structure and efforts to target leadership fig16 ures. 

17 (C) A comprehensive description of United 

18 States activities utilizing social media and other 

19 communication technologies to counter ISIS’s 

20 propaganda, influence, and ability to recruit 

21 fighters domestically and internationally, in22 cluding with private technology companies, and 

23 how such activities are being coordinated across 

24 the United States Government. 


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1 (D) A description of the efforts of the 

2 United States Government, including economic 

3 sanctions, to deny financial resources, including 

4 revenues from natural resources extraction, sale 

5 of antiquities, kidnapping, extortion, taxation, 

6 smuggling, access to cash storage sites, and ac7 cess to international financial networks, to ISIS 

8 and its affiliates, in conjunction with inter9 national partners and financial institutions. 

10 (E) A description of United States Govern11 ment efforts to support credible war crimes 

12 prosecutions against ISIS fighters. 

13 (F) A plan to ensure the delivery of hu14 manitarian assistance. 

15 SEC. 13. REPORT ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR VIOLATIONS 

16 OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, INCLUDING THE 

17 LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT, AND OTHER 

18 HARM TO CIVILIANS IN SYRIA DURING TUR19 KEY’S MILITARY INVASION. 

20 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con21 gress that— 

22 (1) Turkish and pro-Turkish forces should end 

23 all practices involving arbitrary arrests, enforced dis24 appearances, torture, arbitrary executions, and other 

25 unlawful treatment; and 


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1 (2) all stakeholders in Turkey’s military inva2 sion of northern Syria should reveal the fate or the 

3 location of all persons who have been subjected to 

4 enforced disappearance by such stakeholders. 

5 (b) REPORT.— 

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

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec8 retary of State shall submit to the appropriate con9 gressional committees a report that describes the 

10 causes and consequences of civilian harm occurring 

11 during Turkey’s military invasion of northern Syria, 

12 including violations of the law of armed conflict and 

13 gross violations of internationally recognized human 

14 rights, as a result of the actions of all parties to the 

15 conflict. 

16 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 

17 paragraph (1) shall include the following elements: 

18 (A) A description of civilian harm occur19 ring in the context of Turkey’s military inva20 sion, including— 

21 (i) mass casualty incidents; and 

22 (ii) damage to, and destruction of, ci23 vilian infrastructure and services, includ24 ing— 


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1 (I) hospitals and other medical 

2 facilities; 

3 (II) electrical grids; 

4 (III) water systems; and 

5 (IV) other critical infrastructure. 

6 (B) A description of violations of the law 

7 of armed conflict committed during Turkey’s 

8 military invasion by all forces involved in the 

9 Turkish-led coalition and all forces fighting on 

10 its behalf and by any other combatants in the 

11 conflict, including— 

12 (i) alleged violations of the law of 

13 armed conflict; 

14 (ii) specific instances of failure by the 

15 parties to the conflict to exercise distinc16 tion, proportionality, and precaution in the 

17 use force in accordance with the law of 

18 armed conflict; 

19 (iii) arbitrary denials of humanitarian 

20 access and the resulting impact on the alle21 viation of human suffering; 

22 (iv) extra-judicial executions and de23 tention-related abuses; and 

24 (v) other acts that may constitute vio25 lations of the law of armed conflict. 


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1 (C) Recommendations for establishing ac2 countability mechanisms for civilian harm, vio3 lations of the law of armed conflict, and gross 

4 violations of internationally recognized human 

5 rights perpetrated by Turkish and pro-Turkish 

6 forces in Syria, including the potential for pros7 ecuting individuals perpetrating, organizing, di8 recting, or ordering such violations. 

9 SEC. 14. SANCTIONS DESCRIBED. 

10 The sanctions described in this section are the fol11 lowing: 

12 (1) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President shall ex13 ercise all of the powers granted by the International 

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

15 et seq.) (except that the requirements of section 202 

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

17 extent necessary to block and prohibit all trans18 actions in all property and interests in property of 

19 a person if such property and interests in property 

20 are in the United States, come within the United 

21 States, or are or come within the possession or con22 trol of a United States person. 

23 (2) ALIENS INADMISSIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS24 SION, OR PAROLE.— 


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1 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—A 

2 foreign person is— 

3 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

4 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

5 documentation to enter the United States; 

6 and 

7 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

8 or paroled into the United States or to re9 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra10 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

11 seq.). 

12 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.—The visa 

13 or other entry documentation of a foreign per14 son shall be revoked, regardless of when such 

15 visa or other entry documentation is or was 

16 issued. A revocation under this subparagraph 

17 shall take effect immediately and automatically 

18 cancel any other valid visa or entry documenta19 tion that is in the foreign person’s possession. 

20 (C) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED

21 NATIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanc22 tions under this paragraph shall not apply to an 

23 individual if admitting such individual into the 

24 United States is necessary to permit the United 

25 States to comply with the Agreement regarding 


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1 the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 

2 at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 

3 into force November 21, 1947, between the 

4 United Nations and the United States, or other 

5 applicable international obligations of the 

6 United States. 

7 SEC. 15. IMPLEMENTATION. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President— 

9 (1) may exercise all authorities provided to the 

10 President under sections 203 and 205 of the Inter11 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

12 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this Act; and 

13 (2) shall issue such regulations, licenses, and 

14 orders as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

15 (b) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in sub16 sections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International 

17 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall 

18 apply to any person who violates, attempts to violate, con19 spires to violate, or causes a violation of any prohibition 

20 of this Act, or an order or regulation prescribed under this 

21 Act, to the same extent that such penalties apply to a per22 son that commits an unlawful act described in subsection 

23 (a) of that section. 


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1 SEC. 16. EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF 

2 GOODS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and requirements 

4 to impose sanctions under this Act or any amendments 

5 made by this Act shall not include the authority or re6 quirement to impose sanctions on the importation of 

7 goods. 

8 (b) GOOD DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

9 ‘‘good’’ means any article, natural or man-made sub10 stance, material, supply or manufactured product, includ11 ing inspection and test equipment and excluding technical 

12 data. 

13 SEC. 17. HUMANITARIAN WAIVER. 

14 The President may waive the application of any pro15 vision of this Act (other than section 16) for the purpose 

16 of providing humanitarian assistance if the President cer17 tifies to the appropriate congressional committees that 

18 such a waiver is important to address a humanitarian need 

19 and consistent with the national security interests of the 

20 United States, not later than 15 days before issuing such 

21 a waiver, the President submits to such committees a jus22 tification relating to such determination. 

23 SEC. 18. UNITED STATES REFUGEE PROGRAM PRIORITIES. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in con25 sultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 


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1 designate, as Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian 

2 concern— 

3 (1) Syrian Kurds, stateless persons who habit4 ually resided in Syria, and other Syrians, who 

5 partnered with, or worked for or directly with, the 

6 United States Government in Syria for an aggregate 

7 period of not less than 1 year; 

8 (2) Syrian Kurds, stateless persons who habit9 ually resided in Syria, and other Syrians, who were 

10 employed in Syria, for an aggregate period of not 

11 less than 1 year, by— 

12 (A) a media or nongovernmental organiza13 tion based in the United States; 

14 (B) an organization or entity that has re15 ceived a grant from, or entered into a coopera16 tive agreement or contract with, the United 

17 States Government; or 

18 (C) an organization that— 

19 (i) was continuously physically present 

20 in Northeast Syria between 2011 and the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act; and 

22 (ii) has partnered with an organiza23 tion described in subparagraph (A) or (B); 


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1 (3) the spouses, children, sons, daughters, sib2 lings, and parents of aliens described in paragraph 

3 (1); or 

4 (4) Syrian Kurds, stateless persons who habit5 ually resided in Syria, and other Syrians, who have 

6 an immediate relative (as defined in section 

7 201(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality 

8 Act (8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(2)(A)(i)) or a family member 

9 described in section 203(a) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 

10 203(a)) who is physically present in the United 

11 States. 

12 (b) ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION AS A REFUGEE.— 

13 An alien may not be denied the opportunity to apply for 

14 admission as a refugee under this section solely because 

15 such alien qualifies as an immediate relative of a national 

16 of the United States or is eligible for admission to the 

17 United States under any other immigrant classification. 

18 (c) MEMBERSHIP IN CERTAIN SYRIAN ORGANIZA19 TIONS.—An applicant for admission to the United States 

20 under this section may not be deemed inadmissible solely 

21 because the applicant was a member of, or provided sup22 port to, the Syrian Democratic Forces. 

23 (d) EXCLUSION FROM NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS.— 

24 Aliens provided refugee status under this section shall not 

25 be counted against any numerical limitation under section 


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1 201, 202, 203, or 207 of the Immigration and Nationality 

2 Act (8 U.S.C. 1151, 1152, 1153, and 1157). 

3 (e) IDENTIFICATION OF OTHER PERSECUTED

4 GROUPS.—The Secretary of State, or the designee of the 

5 Secretary, is authorized to classify other groups of Syr6 ians, including vulnerable populations, as Priority 2 refu7 gees of special humanitarian concern. 

8 (f) SATISFACTION OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

9 Aliens designated as Priority 2 refugees of special humani10 tarian concern under this section shall be deemed to sat11 isfy the requirements under section 207 of the Immigra12 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) for admission 

13 to the United States. 

14 SEC. 19. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this Act: 

16 (1) ADMISSION; ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms 

17 ‘‘admission’’, ‘‘admitted’’, and ‘‘alien’’ have the 

18 meanings given such terms in section 101 of the Im19 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

20 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT21 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com22 mittees’’ means— 

23 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

24 Committee on Armed Services, and the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:19 Aug 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4695.RDS H4695

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1 mittee on Financial Services of the House of 

2 Representatives; and 

3 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

4 the Committee on Armed Services, and the 

5 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 

6 Affairs of the Senate. 

7 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per8 son’’ means an individual or entity that is not a 

9 United States person. 

10 (4) GROSS VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONALLY

11 RECOGNIZED HUMAN RIGHTS.—The term ‘‘gross vio12 lations of internationally recognized human rights’’ 

13 has the meaning given such term in section 

14 502B(d)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

15 (22 U.S.C. 2304(d)(1)). 

16 (5) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’ with 

17 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 

18 means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 

19 have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 

20 result. 

21 (6) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

22 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

23 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law24 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

25 United States; or 


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1 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

2 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

3 United States, including a foreign branch of 

4 such an entity. 

5 SEC. 20. SUNSET. 

6 This Act shall terminate on the date that is three 

7 years after the date on which sanctions imposed pursuant 

8 to this Act have terminated. 

Passed the House of Representatives October 29, 

2019. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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