I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1327 

To improve United States humanitarian and other assistance to the Syrian 

people, facilitate the transition of Syria to a democratic government, 

provide for United States support to the post-Assad government, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 21, 2013 

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, and Mr. SHERMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services and the 

Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve United States humanitarian and other assistance 

to the Syrian people, facilitate the transition of Syria 

to a democratic government, provide for United States 

support to the post-Assad government, 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 ‘‘Free Syria Act of 

5 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) For decades the Syrian people have suffered 

4 under the oppressive regime of Bashar al-Assad and 

5 his father, Hafiz al-Assad. In March 2011, Syrians 

6 began peaceful protests against the regime. The re7 gime responded brutally, with murders and mass ar8 rests. During the civil war that ensued, the Assad 

9 regime has specifically targeted civilian populations 

10 and committed mass atrocities and other war crimes. 

11 (2) Over 1,000,000 Syrians have become refu12 gees over the last two years, tens of thousands of 

13 others have fled Syria, and more than 2,500,000 are 

14 estimated to be displaced within Syria. More than 

15 70,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict. 

16 (3) The replacement of the Assad regime by a 

17 democratic government that repudiates terrorism 

18 would advance the security of the Syrian people and 

19 their neighbors, as well as that of the United States. 

20 (4) The prolongation of fighting in Syria is like21 ly to enhance the strength of religious extremist 

22 forces, as well as the prospect that such forces will 

23 exert significant influence following Assad’s fall. 

24 (5) The Governments of Iran and Russia con25 tinue to provide the Assad regime with the advanced 


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1 weapons and support necessary to continue its cam2 paign of slaughter against its own people. 

3 (6) Syria is one of the most hazardous environ4 ments in the world for humanitarian aid providers. 

5 The Syrian regime has established a pattern of tar6 geting aid distribution points, including bakeries, 

7 bread lines, medical facilities, and even employees of 

8 the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. 

9 (7) The course of the Syrian transition and its 

10 future leadership may depend on what the United 

11 States does now to save Syrian lives, alleviate suf12 fering, and help Syrians determine their own future. 

13 (8) Syria has been on the United States list of 

14 state sponsors of terrorism since the inception of 

15 that list in 1979. Under the Syria Accountability 

16 and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, 

17 Syria’s continuing provision of material support and 

18 safe haven for terrorist organizations make it sub19 ject to broad legislatively mandated penalties, includ20 ing export sanctions and ineligibility to receive most 

21 forms of United States aid or to purchase United 

22 States military equipment. 

23 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

24 It is the sense of the Congress that— 


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1 (1) the United States should increase its hu2 manitarian support for individuals affected by the 

3 brutal conflict in Syria—refugees, internally dis4 placed persons (IDPs), and others—and should urge 

5 its friends and allies to do likewise; 

6 (2) Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon should be 

7 commended for keeping their borders open and pro8 viding other support to individuals fleeing the vio9 lence and upheaval in Syria and for allowing them 

10 to seek international protection; 

11 (3) the President should urge countries in the 

12 region to keep their borders open to refugees and to 

13 comply with international humanitarian and refugee 

14 law; 

15 (4) the President should urge the United Na16 tions High Commissioner for Refugees to expedite 

17 protection and resettlement of the most vulnerable 

18 Syrian refugees; 

19 (5) in view of the violence and bloodshed in 

20 Syria, the President should provide temporary immi21 gration relief measures, including renewal of Tem22 porary Protected Status, expedited requests for 

23 change or extension of nonimmigrant status, expe24 dited processing of immigrant petitions for Syrians 

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1 role to Syrian nationals with approved immigrant 

2 petitions waiting abroad; 

3 (6) to the extent feasible, the United States 

4 should coordinate its assistance to Syrian refugees 

5 and to individuals inside Syria with the Syrian Op6 position Coalition’s Assistance Coordination Unit; 

7 (7) the Assad regime has committed manifold 

8 war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the in9 dividuals responsible must be brought to justice; 

10 (8) the United States should pursue appro11 priate mechanisms to hold accountable individuals 

12 responsible for war crimes and crimes against hu13 manity in Syria; 

14 (9) United States military assistance should be 

15 provided only to groups that demonstrate a commit16 ment to— 

17 (A) securing and safeguarding, and ulti18 mately eliminating, Syrian chemical, biological, 

19 radiological, and nuclear weapons-related mate20 rials that come under their control; 

21 (B) full cooperation with the United States 

22 and the international community in accom23 plishing that goal; and 

24 (C) respecting all previous international 

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1 cluding agreements reached under the auspices 

2 of the United Nations; 

3 (10) the United States should work in coopera4 tion with its friends and allies to provide non-lethal 

5 military equipment, such as helmets and body 

6 armor, to friendly Syrian opposition military forces; 

7 (11) all countries, and especially Iraq, should 

8 deny use of their airspace to Syrian-bound Iranian 

9 aircraft, unless those aircraft have first been forced 

10 to land, are thoroughly inspected, and found to be 

11 weapons-free; and 

12 (12) the United States and its international 

13 partners should take concrete steps to ensure that 

14 women are full and equal participants in all negotia15 tions regarding the future of Syria and in all transi16 tional and future government institutions. 

17 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this Act— 

19 (1) the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com20 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

21 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

22 Foreign Relations of the Senate; 

23 (2) the term ‘‘economic assistance’’ means for24 eign assistance other than assistance provided to or 

25 for the benefit of foreign security forces; 


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1 (3) the term ‘‘entity’’ means any association, 

2 partnership, body, organization, unit, or group; 

3 (4) the term ‘‘foreign terrorist organization’’ 

4 means an organization designated as a foreign ter5 rorist organization by the Secretary of State in ac6 cordance with section 219(a) of the Immigration and 

7 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a)); 

8 (5) the terms ‘‘humanitarian assistance’’ and 

9 ‘‘humanitarian accounts’’ include— 

10 (A) assistance under chapter 9 of Part I of 

11 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; 

12 (B) emergency food assistance under title 

13 II of the Food for Peace Act (Public Law 83– 

14 480); 

15 (C) refugee and migration assistance under 

16 the Migration and Refugee Act of 1962; and 

17 (D) any other economic assistance pro18 vided to address basic human needs; 

19 (6) the term ‘‘post-Assad Government of Syria’’ 

20 means a government of Syria that meets the require21 ments specified in section 301(a); 

22 (7) the terms ‘‘defense article’’, ‘‘defense infor23 mation’’, ‘‘defense service’’, ‘‘military education and 

24 training’’, and ‘‘value’’ have the meanings given such 


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1 terms in section 644 of the Foreign Assistance Act 

2 of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2403); 

3 (8) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad4 ministrator of the United States Agency for Inter5 national Development; and 

6 (9) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

7 of State. 

8 TITLE I—HUMANITARIAN AND 

9 ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE 

10 SEC. 101. HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES. 

11 United States humanitarian assistance to address the 

12 Syrian conflict shall be conducted in accordance with the 

13 following principles: 

14 (1) The central purpose of humanitarian assist15 ance is to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and 

16 protect vulnerable populations wherever possible. 

17 (2) Humanitarian assistance should be impar18 tial, based solely on and in proportion to need, with19 out discrimination between or within affected popu20 lations, and without regard to the political views, na21 tional origin, or religious affiliation of the bene22 ficiaries. 

23 (3) Humanitarian assistance should be neutral, 

24 without furthering a political or religious agenda or 

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1 pute where such humanitarian assistance is carried 

2 out. 

3 (4) Humanitarian assistance should be inde4 pendent, without regard to the political, economic, 

5 military, or other objectives that any actor may hold 

6 in relation to the affected areas and populations. 

7 (5) Humanitarian assistance should be under8 taken in accordance with international human rights 

9 law, international humanitarian law, refugee law, 

10 and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Inter11 nal Displacement. 

12 (6) Humanitarian assistance includes protection 

13 of affected populations from physical harm, persecu14 tion, exploitation, abuse, family separation, sexual 

15 and gender-based violence, forcible recruitment, and 

16 other threats to human rights. 

17 (7) To best ensure impartiality, neutrality, 

18 independence, and the appearance thereof, humani19 tarian assistance should be carried out by intergov20 ernmental and nongovernmental international hu21 manitarian organizations, in partnership with local 

22 communities and indigenous organizations. 

23 (8) To promote learning, accountability, trans24 parency, and the efficient use of resources, the 


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1 United States should support independent moni2 toring and evaluation of all humanitarian assistance. 

3 SEC. 102. PROTECTING WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND OTHER 

4 VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. 

5 Of the amounts made available for any fiscal year to 

6 carry out this Act, the President is authorized, notwith7 standing any other provision of law, to provide such assist8 ance as may be necessary for protection of populations af9 fected by the conflict in Syria, especially including— 

10 (1) clinical care and psychosocial support for 

11 sexual violence survivors; 

12 (2) improving safety for women, children, and 

13 other vulnerable populations, in camps and settle14 ments for refugees and internally displaced persons; 

15 (3) working to minimize forced marriage, do16 mestic violence, and sexual exploitation; and 

17 (4) case management for separated and other 

18 vulnerable children. 

19 SEC. 103. MEDICAL NEUTRALITY. 

20 (a) PROHIBITION.—No assistance may be provided 

21 under this Act to any entity if the Secretary of State has 

22 credible evidence that such entity knowingly has been in23 volved in— 


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1 (1) organized attacks on health care facilities, 

2 health care providers, patients, medical transport, 

3 medical supplies, or medical records; 

4 (2) preventing medical professionals from ad5 ministering ethical medical care to individuals in 

6 need; or 

7 (3) the arbitrary arrest or detention of health 

8 care service providers or individuals seeking medical 

9 care. 

10 (b) REQUIREMENT.—Any agreement for the provi11 sion of medical or health-related assistance under this Act 

12 shall expressly require that such assistance shall be used 

13 in accordance with the principles established in the Geneva 

14 Conventions and the World Medical Association’s Inter15 national Code of Medical Ethics for health care providers. 

16 SEC. 104. TRANSFER AUTHORITY. 

17 In addition to other authorities available to transfer 

18 funds, the Secretary of State may exercise the authority 

19 under this section to transfer to, and merge with, any hu20 manitarian account such sums as may be necessary from 

21 amounts which have been made available to carry out any 

22 provision of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and 

23 which have not been specifically designated by law for any 

24 particular program or activity, to address humanitarian 

25 needs arising as a result of the conflict in Syria. 


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1 SEC. 105. EMERGENCY REFUGEE AND MIGRATION ASSIST2 ANCE. 

3 Section 2(c) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance 

4 Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601(c)) is amended in paragraph 

5 (1), by striking ‘‘President’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary of 

6 State’’. 

7 SEC. 106. ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO OPPOSITION-ALLIED 

8 LOCAL COORDINATION COMMITTEES. 

9 Of the amounts made available for any fiscal year to 

10 carry out this Act, the President is authorized to make 

11 available such assistance as may be necessary to enhance 

12 the capacity, performance, and accountability of Syrian 

13 opposition-allied local coordination committees, including 

14 support for— 

15 (1) providing basic services to civilian popu16 lations; 

17 (2) carrying out administrative and manage18 ment functions; 

19 (3) improving communications, transparency, 

20 and public outreach; 

21 (4) prevention, research, and documentation of 

22 mass atrocities; 

23 (5) increasing understanding of and respect for 

24 internationally recognized human rights and demo25 cratic principles; and 


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1 (6) preparing for a peaceful, democratic transi2 tion. 

3 SEC. 107. CIVILIAN BROADCASTING TO SYRIA. 

4 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES CIVILIAN

5 BROADCASTING TO SYRIA.—In addition to amounts made 

6 available for grants for broadcasting in the Middle East 

7 and the International Broadcasting Operations of the 

8 Broadcasting Board of Governors, such sums as may be 

9 necessary are authorized to be appropriated for a grant 

10 to the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc., for the 

11 purpose of providing United States civilian broadcasting 

12 to the people of Syria. 

13 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the date 

14 of the enactment of this Act, the Broadcasting Board of 

15 Governors shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

16 committees a detailed report on plans to establish the serv17 ice described in subsection (a). 

18 SEC. 108. MARKING AND BRANDING OF ASSISTANCE. 

19 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Economic assistance made 

20 available under this Act shall be marked as being ‘‘From 

21 the American People’’ and shall include a representation 

22 of the United States flag. 

23 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The requirement of subsection 

24 (a) shall be applicable to all— 

25 (1) articles; and 


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1 (2) program, project, and activity sites. 

2 (c) UNIFIED BRAND.—The marking of assistance 

3 made available under this Act shall not include any logo 

4 of a particular Federal department or agency or division 

5 thereof. 

6 (d) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PROVISIONS OF LAW

7 AND REGULATIONS.—The provisions of this section shall 

8 be applicable notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

9 and notwithstanding any Federal regulation, agency guid10 ance, or procedure to the contrary. 

11 (e) ONGOING PROGRAMS.—To the extent it is feasible 

12 and cost effective to do so, the marking or branding of 

13 articles and program, project, and activity sites financed 

14 pursuant to ongoing agreements, including grants, con15 tracts, and cooperative agreements, to address the conflict 

16 in Syria shall be conformed to meet the requirements of 

17 this section. 

18 (f) EXCEPTIONS.—The requirements of subsection 

19 (a) shall not apply— 

20 (1) to a project or activity if the relevant As21 sistant Secretary of State or Assistant Adminis22 trator of the United States Agency for International 

23 Development determines that the marking of such 

24 project or activity would— 


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1 (A) jeopardize the health, safety, or human 

2 rights of a partner or intended beneficiary; or 

3 (B) be detrimental to the achievement of 

4 project or activity objectives; 

5 (2) to assistance provided inside Syria if the 

6 Secretary of State determines that the marking of 

7 such assistance would be detrimental to the achieve8 ment of overall United States foreign policy objec9 tives in Syria; 

10 (3) to office space occupied by a contractor or 

11 grantee, or to housing, personal vehicles, or other 

12 personal property of employees thereof; or 

13 (4) to a project or activity for which the United 

14 States is one among many donors or has contributed 

15 a small proportion of the total costs. 

16 (g) EXEMPTION FROM DETERMINATION.—A deter17 mination under subsection (f)(2) shall not preclude the 

18 Secretary of State from requiring that specific projects or 

19 activities financed by the United States be subject to the 

20 requirements of subsection (a). 

21 (h) CO-BRANDING.—The requirements of subsection 

22 (c) shall not prohibit the identification of assistance with 

23 a contractor or grantee’s own organizational brand or 

24 logo, subject to any standards or regulations that the 

25 President may establish. 


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1 TITLE II—SECURITY 

2 ASSISTANCE 

3 SEC. 201. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING MILITARY AS4 SISTANCE. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that— 

6 (1) the President should provide appropriate 

7 military assistance, including arms, training, and in8 telligence support, for Syrian opposition forces that 

9 meet the requirements of section 203; 

10 (2) a primary goal of military assistance should 

11 be to integrate the disparate units of the Free Syria 

12 Army into a coherent, effective fighting force under 

13 a unified command; and 

14 (3) the United States should take the initiative 

15 to ensure, insofar as possible, that arms supplied to 

16 the Syrian opposition, from whatever source, are ap17 propriately vetted and are directed only to forces 

18 that support the establishment of a democratic and 

19 peaceful Syria. 

20 SEC. 202. MILITARY ASSISTANCE. 

21 (a) DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY.—The President is au22 thorized, notwithstanding any other provision of law, to 

23 direct the drawdown of defense articles from the stocks 

24 of the Department of Defense, defense services from the 

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1 ing for an entity operating inside Syria that is not ineli2 gible under section 203. Such assistance may include the 

3 following: 

4 (1) Non-lethal military equipment and defense 

5 information, including— 

6 (A) protective gear, including flak jackets 

7 and other forms of body armor; 

8 (B) individual equipment, tents, and orga9 nizational tool sets; and 

10 (C) communications equipment. 

11 (2) Subject to the President making the certifi12 cation required under subsection (g), lethal military 

13 equipment, including— 

14 (A) defense articles; and 

15 (B) defense services. 

16 (b) RESTRICTION.—Defense articles provided pursu17 ant to this section may not include anti-aircraft defensive 

18 systems. 

19 (c) WAIVER.—The President may waive the restric20 tion under subsection (b) if— 

21 (1) it is in the vital national security interest to 

22 do so; 

23 (2) the President notifies Congress not later 

24 than 15 days before such waiver shall be issued; 


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1 (3) the President transmits to the appropriate 

2 congressional committees a report described in sub3 section (h) with the certification required under sub4 section (g) specifically with respect to anti-aircraft 

5 systems not later than 15 days before the issuance 

6 of such a waiver; and 

7 (4) the President certifies that the United 

8 States has consulted with regional allies regarding 

9 the systems provided. 

10 (d) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.—The President 

11 shall notify the appropriate congressional committees at 

12 least 15 days in advance of each obligation of assistance 

13 under this section, including a detailed description of the 

14 assistance to be provided, in accordance with the proce15 dures applicable to reprogramming notifications under 

16 section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

17 U.S.C. 2394–1). 

18 (e) REIMBURSEMENT RELATING TO MILITARY AS19 SISTANCE.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Defense articles, defense 

21 services, and military education and training pro22 vided under subsection (a) shall be made available 

23 without reimbursement to the Department of De24 fense except to the extent that funds are appro25 priated pursuant to paragraph (2). 


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1 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

3 President for fiscal year 2013 such sums as may be 

4 necessary to reimburse the applicable appropriation, 

5 fund, or account for the value of the defense articles, 

6 defense services, or military education and training 

7 provided under subsection (a) of this section. 

8 (f) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Amounts authorized 

9 to be appropriated under this section are authorized to 

10 remain available until expended, and are in addition to 

11 amounts otherwise available for the purposes described in 

12 this section. 

13 (g) CERTIFICATION.—The President shall certify, 

14 and include in each notification submitted pursuant to 

15 subsection (a)(2) and (c)(3), that the defense articles, de16 fense services, and military education and training to be 

17 provided under this section to an entity operating inside 

18 Syria are consistent with the maintenance of regional sta19 bility and with the overall security and stability of neigh20 boring friends and allies. 

21 (h) REPORT.—The report referred to in subsection 

22 (c)(3) is a report that contains a detailed description of 

23 the following: 

24 (1) The intended recipients of the anti-aircraft 

25 defense systems that are at issue. 


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1 (2) The areas where such systems would be de2 ployed. 

3 (3) The targets against which such systems 

4 would be deployed. 

5 (4) An assessment of how such systems would 

6 affect the military and humanitarian situation in 

7 Syria. 

8 (5) An assessment of the risks and benefits of 

9 the intended transfer of such systems. 

10 SEC. 203. VETTING OF ASSISTANCE. 

11 (a) INELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Assistance under this 

12 title may not be provided to an entity that fails to dem13 onstrate a commitment to— 

14 (1) opposing and defeating the Assad regime; 

15 (2) establishing a democratic, pluralistic, and 

16 peaceful Syria; and 

17 (3) securing and safeguarding chemical and bio18 logical weapons, their precursor and constituent 

19 parts, and associated equipment. 

20 (b) PROHIBITION.—No assistance may be provided 

21 under this title to an entity that has been designated as 

22 a foreign terrorist organization in accordance with section 

23 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

24 1189), or as a Specially Designated Terrorist Organiza25 tion under the terms and authorities of the International 


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

2 seq.) 

3 (c) REQUIREMENT.—To the maximum extent prac4 ticable, assistance under this Act shall be provided in ac5 cordance with section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act 

6 of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2378d). 

7 SEC. 204. AUTHORITY FOR PROGRAM TO FACILITATE SYR8 IAN CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 

9 DESTRUCTION. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi11 sion of law, the President may establish a program de12 scribed in subsection (b) to assist the securing, disabling, 

13 dismantling, removal, and destruction of Syrian chemical 

14 and biological weapons and all other weapons of mass de15 struction, their precursor and constituent parts, and asso16 ciated equipment. 

17 (b) TYPE OF PROGRAM.—A program established 

18 under this section shall be limited to cooperation between 

19 the United States and a Syrian entity to— 

20 (1) secure, safeguard, disable, dismantle, trans21 port out of Syria, or destroy chemical and biological 

22 weapons, their precursor and constituent parts and 

23 associated equipment, and 

24 (2) establish verifiable safeguards against the 

25 proliferation of such weapons. 


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1 Any such program may involve assistance in planning and 

2 resolving technical problems associated with the purposes 

3 of the program. Any such program may also involve the 

4 funding of critical short-term requirements related to 

5 weapons destruction and should, to the extent feasible, 

6 draw upon United States technology and United States 

7 technicians. 

8 (c) FUNDING.— 

9 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

10 There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as 

11 may be necessary for fiscal year 2013, to be avail12 able until expended, for the activities of the program 

13 described in this section. 

14 (2) DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY.—The President 

15 may direct, in order to meet the goals of the pro16 gram described in this section, the drawdown of arti17 cles and services from any Federal department or 

18 agency in any fiscal year, in addition to any other 

19 drawdown authority available to the President. 

20 (3) TRANSFER AUTHORITY.—In addition to any 

21 other transfer authority available to the President, 

22 the President may exercise the authority of this 

23 paragraph to transfer to, and merge with, funds 

24 made available to carry out this section such sums 


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1 as may be necessary which have been made available 

2 to carry out any other provision of law. 

3 (4) REPORT ON PROPOSED OBLIGATIONS.—Not 

4 less than 15 days before obligating any funds, draw5 ing down any articles or services from a Federal de6 partment or agency, or transferring any appro7 priated funds from another account, for the program 

8 described in this section, the President shall trans9 mit to Congress a report on such proposed obliga10 tion, drawdown, or transfer. Each such report shall 

11 specify— 

12 (A) the account, budget activity, and par13 ticular program or programs from which the 

14 funds proposed to be obligated, drawndown, or 

15 transferred are to be derived, and the amount 

16 of such proposed obligation, drawdown, or 

17 transfer; and 

18 (B) the activities and forms of assistance 

19 for which the President plans to obligate such 

20 funds. 

21 (d) QUARTERLY REPORTS ON PROGRAM.—Not later 

22 than 30 days after the end of each quarter during which 

23 the United States has been engaged in activities pursuant 

24 to a program established under this section, the President 

25 shall transmit to Congress a report on such activities. 


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1 Each such report shall specify, for the preceding quarter 

2 and cumulatively, at a minimum a description of the fol3 lowing: 

4 (1) The activities carried out. 

5 (2) The types and amounts of assistance pro6 vided for such activities. 

7 (3) The entities receiving such assistance. 

8 (4) The sources of funds and authorities under 

9 which they were provided. 

10 (5) The United States departments or agencies 

11 providing such assistance. 

12 SEC. 205. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

13 Nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize 

14 the use of military force in Syria by the United States 

15 Armed Forces. 

16 TITLE III—TRANSITION 

17 ASSISTANCE 

18 SEC. 301. POST-ASSAD TRANSITION ASSISTANCE. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized, after 

20 making a determination described in subsection (b) and 

21 notwithstanding any other provision of law, to— 

22 (1) provide assistance; 

23 (2) make contributions; and 


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1 (3) use the voice, vote, and influence of the 

2 United States in international financial institutions 

3 for the purposes described in subsection (c). 

4 (b) DETERMINATION.—The determination referred to 

5 in subsection (a) is a determination by the President, 

6 which shall be transmitted in writing to the appropriate 

7 congressional committees, that— 

8 (1) the regime of Bashar al-Assad is no longer 

9 in power; 

10 (2) the United States has recognized a transi11 tional government; and 

12 (3) such transitional government is not con13 trolled by an organization designated as a foreign 

14 terrorist organization in accordance with section 219 

15 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

16 1189). 

17 (c) PURPOSES.—Assistance under this section may be 

18 made available for the following purposes: 

19 (1) Developing or strengthening democratic in20 stitutions and processes. 

21 (2) Short-term economic and political stabiliza22 tion. 

23 (3) Reconstructing or revitalizing basic infra24 structure. 


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1 (4) Fostering reconciliation and the peaceful 

2 resolution of conflict. 

3 SEC. 302. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS. 

4 (a) SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.—The President 

5 may suspend in furtherance of this Act the requirements 

6 of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Res7 toration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–175), section 7007 

8 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 

9 112–74), and any other provision of law relating to assist10 ance, trade, finance, the provision of defense articles and 

11 defense services, and the issuance of visas to nationals of 

12 Syria for a period not to exceed three months if the Presi13 dent transmits to the appropriate congressional commit14 tees in writing a determination that the post-Assad gov15 ernment of Syria is demonstrating a verifiable commit16 ment to— 

17 (1) ceasing support for terrorists, including 

18 Hizballah; 

19 (2) preventing the illegal transfer of missile or 

20 nuclear technology to any other country or entity; 

21 (3) halting all support, including training, safe 

22 haven, supplies, and financing, for— 

23 (A) Hamas, Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic 

24 Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of 

25 Palestine, the Popular Front for the Liberation 


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1 of Palestine-General Command, the Democratic 

2 Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Fatah al3 Intifada, Fatah al-Islam, or the Jabhat al4 Nusra; 

5 (B) any other organization designated by 

6 the Secretary of State as a foreign terrorist or7 ganization in accordance with section 219(a) of 

8 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

9 1189(a)); 

10 (C) any person included on the Annex to 

11 Executive Order 13224 (September 23, 2001) 

12 and any other person identified under section 1 

13 of such Executive Order whose property and in14 terests in property are blocked by such section 

15 (commonly known as a ‘‘specially designated 

16 global terrorist’’); 

17 (D) any person designated under section 3 

18 of Executive Order 13338 (May 13, 2004) or 

19 under section 1 of Executive Order 13438 (July 

20 17, 2007); 

21 (E) the Syrian Social Nationalist Party; or 

22 (F) any agency, instrumentality, affiliate, 

23 or successor organization of the organizations 

24 specified in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), or 

25 (E); 


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•HR 1327 IH

1 (4) dismantling Syria’s chemical, biological, ra2 diological, and nuclear weapons programs and fully 

3 cooperating with the United States and other rel4 evant parties to achieve such result; 

5 (5) ceasing all efforts to design, develop, manu6 facture, or acquire— 

7 (A) a nuclear explosive device or related 

8 materials and technology; 

9 (B) chemical, biological, and radiological 

10 weapons; and 

11 (C) ballistic missiles and ballistic missile 

12 launch technology; and 

13 (6) taking demonstrable steps to combat the 

14 proliferation of the weapons described in paragraph 

15 (5); 

16 (7) refraining from presenting a threat to 

17 United States national security, United States inter18 ests, or United States allies in the region; 

19 (8) respecting the boundaries and sovereignty 

20 of all neighboring countries and rejecting inter21 ference in their internal affairs; and 

22 (9) upholding and defending the human rights, 

23 civil liberties, and political freedoms of all its people, 

24 including minorities. 


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1 (b) RENEWAL.—The President may renew the sus2 pension of sanctions under this section for up to two con3 secutive six-month periods if the President transmits to 

4 the appropriate congressional committees in writing a de5 termination that the post-Assad government of Syria is 

6 making substantial progress toward satisfying the condi7 tions in specified in subsection (a). 

8 (c) FURTHER RENEWAL.—If the maximum number 

9 of suspension renewals specified in subsection (b) has been 

10 reached, the President may further renew the suspension 

11 of sanctions under this section for additional six-month 

12 periods if the President transmits to the appropriate con13 gressional committees in writing a determination that the 

14 post-Assad government has substantially satisfied the con15 ditions specified in paragraphs (1) through (8) of sub16 section (a) and is continuing to make substantial progress 

17 toward satisfying the conditions specified in paragraph (9) 

18 of such subsection. 

19 SEC. 303. TEMPORARY PERSONNEL AUTHORITIES. 

20 (a) CONDITIONAL AUTHORITY.—If the President 

21 makes the determination described in section 301(b), the 

22 following authorities shall apply: 

23 (1) LIMITED CAREER APPOINTMENTS.—The 

24 Secretary and the Administrator may extend for a 

25 period of time not to exceed 12 months a limited apVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:36 Mar 28, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1327.IH H1327

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•HR 1327 IH

1 pointment under section 309(a) of the Foreign Serv2 ice Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3949(a)), and may re3 appoint a non-career Foreign Service employee who 

4 has served five consecutive years under a limited ap5 pointment, to a subsequent limited appointment in 

6 order to facilitate the assignment of qualified em7 ployees to Syria or to posts vacated by employees as8 signed to Syria. 

9 (2) REEMPLOYMENT OF ANNUITANTS.—The 

10 Secretary and the Administrator may waive the ap11 plication of subsections (a) through (d) of section 

12 824 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 

13 4064), and may grant authority to the head of an 

14 executive agency to waive the application of such 

15 subsections, on a case-by-case basis for an annuitant 

16 reemployed on a temporary basis, if and for so long 

17 as such waiver is necessary to facilitate the assign18 ment of qualified employees to Syria or to posts va19 cated by employees assigned to Syria. 

20 (3) PERSONAL SERVICES CONTRACTORS.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State 

22 and the Administrator of the United States 

23 Agency for International Development may each 

24 hire a total of up to 50 United States citizens 

25 or aliens as personal services contractors, for 


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•HR 1327 IH

1 service in the United States, or for service both 

2 in the United States and abroad, subject to the 

3 following conditions: 

4 (i) The Secretary or the Adminis5 trator, as the case may be, determines that 

6 existing personnel resources are insuffi7 cient. 

8 (ii) The contract length, including op9 tions, may not exceed two years, unless the 

10 Secretary or the Administrator, as the case 

11 may be, makes a finding that exceptional 

12 circumstances justify an extension of up to 

13 one additional year. 

14 (iii) The authority provided in this 

15 paragraph may only be used to obtain spe16 cialized skills or experience relevant to, or 

17 to respond to urgent needs resulting from, 

18 the transition in Syria. 

19 (B) AUTHORITY.—The authority provided 

20 in this paragraph shall be in addition to any 

21 other authorities available to the Secretary or 

22 the Administrator to hire personal service con23 tractors. 

24 (b) STATUS OF PERSONAL SERVICES CONTRAC25 TORS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—An individual hired as a per2 sonal services contractor pursuant to subsection 

3 (a)(3) shall not, by virtue of such hiring, be consid4 ered to be an employee of the United States Govern5 ment for purposes of any law administered by the 

6 Office of Personnel Management. 

7 (2) APPLICABLE LAWS.—An individual hired as 

8 a personal services contractor pursuant to subsection 

9 (a)(3) shall be covered, in the same manner as a 

10 similarly situated employee, by— 

11 (A) the Ethics in Government Act of 1978; 

12 (B) chapter 73 of title 5, United States 

13 Code; 

14 (C) sections 201, 203, 205, 207, 208, and 

15 209 of title 18, United States Code; 

16 (D) section 1346 and chapter 171 of title 

17 28, United States Code; and 

18 (E) chapter 21 of title 41, United States 

19 Code. 

20 (3) EXCEPTION.—This subsection shall not af21 fect the determination as to whether an individual 

22 hired as a personal services contractor pursuant to 

23 this section is an employee of the United States Gov24 ernment for purposes of any Federal law not speci25 fied in paragraphs (1) and (2). 


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1 (c) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The administrative au2 thorities provided in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

3 shall apply to assistance made available under this Act. 

4 (d) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authorities 

5 provided under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date 

6 that is three years after the date on which a determination 

7 is made under section 301(a), except that a contract en8 tered into under such subsection (a) may remain in effect 

9 until expiration. 

Æ 


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