Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2019

To impose sanctions with respect to Iranian persons that threaten the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2019 2. Imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons threatening peace or stability in Iraq (a) Sense of congress It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State should continue to implement Executive Order 13438 ( 50 U.S.C. 1701 (b) Imposition of sanctions The President shall impose the sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to any foreign person that the President determines knowingly commits a significant act of violence that has the direct purpose or effect of— (1) threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq; (2) undermining the democratic process in Iraq; or (3) undermining significantly efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people. (c) Sanctions described (1) In general The sanctions described in this subsection are the following: (A) Asset blocking The exercise of all powers granted to the President by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1701 (B) Aliens ineligible for visas, admission, or parole (i) Visas, admission, or parole An alien who the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a designee of one of such Secretaries) determines is subject to subsection (b) is— (I) inadmissible to the United States; (II) ineligible to receive a visa or other documentation to enter the United States; and (III) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or paroled into the United States or to receive any other benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 (ii) Current visas revoked (I) In general Any visa or other documentation issued to an alien who is a foreign person that is described in subsection (b) regardless of when such visa or other documentation was issued, shall be revoked and such alien shall be denied admission to the United States. (II) Effect of revocation A revocation under subclause (I) shall take effect immediately and shall automatically cancel any other valid visa or entry documentation that is in the alien’s possession. (2) Penalties A person that is subject to sanctions described in paragraph (1)(A) shall be subject to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1705 (3) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters agreement Sanctions under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to an alien if admitting the alien into the United States is necessary to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the United States, or other applicable international obligations. (d) Waiver The President may, on a case-by-case basis and for periods not to exceed 180 days, waive the application of sanctions in this section with respect to a foreign person if the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees at least 15 days before such waiver is to take effect that such waiver is vital to the national security interests of the United States. (e) Implementation authority The President may exercise all authorities provided to the President under sections 203 and 205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1702 (f) Regulatory authority (1) In general The President shall, not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, promulgate regulations as necessary for the implementation of this section. (2) Notification to congress Not less than 10 days before the promulgation of regulations under paragraph (1), the President shall notify and provide to the appropriate congressional committees the proposed regulations and the provisions of this section that the regulations are implementing. (g) Definitions In this section— (1) Admitted; alien The terms admitted alien 8 U.S.C. 1101(3) (2) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate. (3) Foreign person The term foreign person (4) Government of Iraq The term Government of Iraq (5) Knowingly The term knowingly (6) Person The term person (7) Property; property interest The terms property property interest (8) United States person The term United States person (h) Sunset This section shall cease to be effective beginning on January 1, 2022. 3. Determination with respect to the imposition of sanctions (a) Determination Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a determination, including a detailed justification, on whether Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba, Liwa Fatemiyoun, Liwa Zainebiyoun, and any foreign person that is an official, agent, affiliate of, or owned or controlled by Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba, Liwa Fatemiyoun, or Liwa Zainebiyoun meets the criteria for— (1) designation as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1189 (2) the application of sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13224 ( 50 U.S.C. 1701 (3) the application of sanctions pursuant to section 2 of this Act. (b) Additional determination (1) In general The Secretary of State shall include in the determination submitted under subsection (a) an additional determination, including a detailed justification, on whether any of the individuals described in paragraph (2) meets the criteria for the application of sanctions described in paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (a). (2) Individuals described The individuals described in this paragraph are the following: (A) Qais al-Khazali. (B) Laith al-Khazali. (C) Akram Abbas al-Kaabi. (D) Shibl al-Zaydi. (E) Kazim al-Ta’i. (F) Hamid al-Jazairi. (G) Ali al-Yasiri. (c) Form The determination in subsection (a) and the additional determination in subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex. (d) Appropriate congressional committees defined In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Financial Services, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 4. Watchlists (a) In general The Secretary of State shall annually establish, maintain, and publish a list of armed groups, militias, or proxy forces in Iraq receiving logistical, military, or financial assistance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps or over which Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps exerts any form of control or influence. (b) Publication The lists required under subsection (a) shall be published at the same time as the Department of State’s Annual Country Reports on Terrorism, beginning with the first such Country Reports published after the date of the enactment of this Act. (c) Form If the Secretary of State determines that it is appropriate to do so, the Secretary may, not later than 30 days after publication of the Annual Country Reports on Terrorism referred to in subsection (b), submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a classified annex.

Summary: Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2019 This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons that use violence to threaten peace and stability in Iraq or to undermine the country's democratic processes and economic reconstruction. The sanctions include blocking property transactions involving such a sanctioned individual and blocking such a person's entry into the United States. Any current visas belonging to a sanctioned individual shall be revoked. The Department of State shall report to Congress whether certain groups, including Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba, qualify as foreign terrorist organizations and whether such groups and individuals affiliated with such groups should be subject to various sanctions. The State Department shall also report to Congress whether certain individuals, including Qais al-Khazali and Laith al-Khazali, would be subject to the sanctions prescribed in this bill.