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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 462 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 462

  To enhance the strategic partnership between the United States and 
                                Israel.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 5, 2013

   Mrs. Boxer (for herself, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
Cardin, and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill; which was read 
        twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To enhance the strategic partnership between the United States and 
                                Israel.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Israel Strategic 
Partnership Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The people and the Governments of the United States and 
        Israel share a deep and unbreakable bond, forged by over 60 
        years of shared interests and shared values.
            (2) Today, the people and Governments of the United States 
        and Israel are facing a dynamic and rapidly changing security 
        environment in the Middle East and North Africa, necessitating 
        deeper cooperation on a range of defense, security, and 
        intelligence matters.
            (3) From Gaza, Hamas continues to deny Israel's right to 
        exist and persists in firing rockets indiscriminately at 
        population centers in Israel.
            (4) Hezbollah--with support from Iran--continues to 
        stockpile rockets and may be seeking to exploit the tragic and 
        volatile security situation within Syria.
            (5) The Government of Iran continues to pose a grave threat 
        to the region and the world at large with its reckless uranium 
        enrichment program and defiance of multiple United Nations 
        Security Council resolutions.
            (6) The civil war in Syria is threatening the security of 
        Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, which could be deployed 
        against its own people or fall into the hands of terrorists.
            (7) Given these challenges, it is imperative that the 
        United States continue to deepen cooperation with allies like 
        Israel in pursuit of shared policy objectives.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to reaffirm the unwavering support of the United States 
        for the security of Israel as a Jewish state;
            (2) to reaffirm the principals and objectives enshrined in 
        the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 
        2012 (Public Law 112-150) and ensure its implementation to the 
        fullest extent;
            (3) to reaffirm the importance of the 2007 United States-
        Israel Memorandum of Understanding on United States assistance 
        to Israel and the semi-annual Strategic Dialogue between the 
        United States and Israel;
            (4) to pursue every opportunity to deepen cooperation with 
        Israel on a range of critical issues including defense, 
        homeland, energy, and cyber security;
            (5) to continue to provide Israel with robust security 
        assistance, including for the development, procurement, and 
        maintenance of the Iron Dome Missile Defense System; and
            (6) to support the Government of Israel in its ongoing 
        efforts to reach a negotiated political settlement with the 
        Palestinian people that results in two states living side-by-
        side in peace and security.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ISRAEL AS A MAJOR STRATEGIC PARTNER.

    It is the sense of Congress that Israel is a Major Strategic 
Partner.

SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF WAR RESERVES STOCKPILE AUTHORITY.

    (a) Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005.--Section 
12001(d) of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public 
Law 108-287; 118 Stat. 1011) is amended by striking ``more than 10 
years after'' and inserting ``more than 11 years after''.
    (b) Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.--Section 514(b)(2)(A) of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321h(b)(2)(A)) is amended by 
striking ``and 2014'' and inserting ``, 2014, and 2015''.

SEC. 6. ELIGIBILITY OF ISRAEL FOR THE STRATEGIC TRADE AUTHORIZATION 
              EXCEPTION TO CERTAIN EXPORT CONTROL LICENSING 
              REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Finding.--Congress finds that Israel--
            (1) has declared its unilateral adherence to the Missile 
        Technology Control Regime and the Wassenaar Arrangement on 
        Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and 
        Technologies;
            (2) is a party to--
                    (A) the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions 
                on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be 
                Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have 
                Indiscriminate Effects, signed at Geneva October 10, 
                1980;
                    (B) the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in 
                War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of 
                Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, signed at Geneva 
                June 17, 1925; and
                    (C) the Convention on the Physical Protection of 
                Nuclear Material, adopted at Vienna on October 26, 
                1979; and
            (3) is a country with a low risk of diversion of items 
        subject to export controls.
    (b) Eligibility for Strategic Trade Authorization Exception.--The 
Secretary of Commerce shall take steps to include Israel in the list of 
countries eligible for the strategic trade authorization exception 
under section 740.20(c)(1) of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, to 
the requirement for a license for the export, reexport, or in-country 
transfer of an item subject to controls under the Export Administration 
Regulations, consistent with the obligations of the United States 
pursuant to international agreements.

SEC. 7. ENERGY, WATER, HOMELAND SECURITY, AGRICULTURE, AND ALTERNATIVE 
              FUEL TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) In General.--The President is authorized to carry out United 
States-Israel cooperative activities and to provide assistance 
promoting cooperation in the fields of energy, water, homeland 
security, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies.
    (b) Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the President is 
authorized to share and exchange with Israel research, technology, 
intelligence, information, equipment, and personnel that the President 
determines will advance the national security interests of the United 
States and is consistent with the Strategic Dialogue and pertinent 
provisions of law--
            (1) by enhancing scientific cooperation between Israel and 
        the United States; or
            (2) by the sale, lease, exchange in kind, or other 
        techniques the President determines to be suitable.

SEC. 8. REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT OF UNITED STATES-ISRAEL CENTER OF 
              EXCELLENCE ON CYBER SECURITY.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report on the feasibility 
and advisability of establishing a joint United States-Israel Cyber 
Security Center for the purposes of sharing and advancing technologies 
related to the prevention of cybercrimes.

SEC. 9. DESIGNATION OF ISRAEL AS VISA WAIVER PROGRAM COUNTRY.

    Section 217(c)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1187(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting 
        ``subparagraph (G) and'' after ``Except as provided in''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(G) Israel.--The State of Israel shall be 
                designated as a program country on the date on which 
                the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consultation 
                with the Secretary of State, certifies that the 
                Government of Israel--
                            ``(i) has complied with all of the 
                        requirements set forth in subparagraphs (B) 
                        through (F); and
                            ``(ii) has made every reasonable effort, 
                        without jeopardizing the security of the State 
                        of Israel, to ensure that reciprocal travel 
                        privileges are extended to all United States 
                        citizens.''.

SEC. 10. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 4 OF THE UNITED STATES-
              ISRAEL ENHANCED SECURITY COOPERATION ACT OF 2012.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the President shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives, and the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 
the House of Representatives a comprehensive report on current and 
future efforts undertaken by the President to fulfill the objectives of 
section 4 of the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act 
(22 U.S.C. 8603).
                                 <all>
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