I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4303 
To enhance United States sanctions against Iran by targeting Iranian govern-
mental officials, prohibiting Federal procurement contracts with persons 
that provide censorship or surveillance technology to the Government 
of Iran, providing humanitarian and people-to-people assistance to the 
Iranian people, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 14, 2009 
Mr. ELLISON (for himself and Mr. DELAHUNT) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 
to the Committees on the Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform, 
and Financial Services, 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 enhance United States sanctions against Iran by tar-
geting Iranian governmental officials, prohibiting Federal 
procurement contracts with persons that provide censor-
ship or surveillance technology to the Government of 
Iran, providing humanitarian and people-to-people assist-
ance to the Iranian people, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stand with the Iranian 
People Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS; STATEMENT OF 
POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Government of Iran has engaged in a 
brutal crackdown on the Iranian people in the after-
math of the disputed presidential election of June 
12, 2009, stifling freedom of speech, press, and as-
sembly and violating fundamental human rights. 
(2) On June 23, 2009, President Obama de-
nounced the crackdown on the Iranian people, say-
ing ‘‘The United States respects the sovereignty of 
the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all inter-
fering in Iran’s affairs. But we must also bear wit-
ness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian peo-
ple, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian so-
ciety’’. 
(3) On June 19, 2009, the House of Represent-
atives adopted H. Res. 560 by a vote of 405–1, ‘‘ex-
pressing support for all Iranian citizens who struggle 
for freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and the 
protection of the rule of law’’. 
(4) Iran’s security forces, particularly the Ira-
nian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the 
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Basij volunteer militia, have been largely responsible 
for the violence and brutality committed against the 
Iranian people in the recent unrest. 
(5) Thousands of Iranian protesters have been 
arrested and detained for taking part in public dem-
onstrations, with many being raped and tortured to 
extract false confessions to be used against them 
and others as part of government-run ‘‘show trials’’. 
(6) On June 20, 2009, twenty-six year old 
Neda Agha Soltan was shot and killed by a member 
of the Basij militia, symbolizing for Iranians and 
people all over the world the government’s brutal 
crackdown against peaceful demonstrators. 
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that the United States— 
(1) respects the sovereignty, proud history, and 
rich culture of the Iranian people; 
(2) respects the universal values of freedom of 
speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom to as-
semble; 
(3) respects and admires the Iranian people as 
they take steps to peacefully express their voices, 
opinions, and aspirations; 
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(4) deplores and condemns the use of coerced 
confessions and ‘‘show trials’’ as tools of political re-
pression in Iran; 
(5) urges the Government of Iran to intensify 
its cooperation on the case of Robert Levinson with 
the Embassy of Switzerland in Tehran and to share 
the results of its investigation into the disappearance 
of Robert Levinson with the Federal Bureau of In-
vestigation; and 
(6) recognizes the importance of diplomacy with 
Iran in order to advance the national security inter-
ests of the United States, but such diplomacy should 
not be construed as official recognition of the de-
clared results from the June 12, 2009, Iranian pres-
idential election. 
(c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It should be the policy 
of the United States to— 
(1) work to ensure that sanctions are clearly 
targeted at the Government of Iran and individuals 
within the Government of Iran, rather than the Ira-
nian society as a whole, in order to avoid creating 
hardship and inflicting harm on the Iranian people; 
(2) encourage United States allies to freeze 
bank accounts held or controlled by Iranian Govern-
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ment officials who have carried out human rights 
abuses against the people of Iran; 
(3) encourage United States allies to deny en-
trance visas for non-official business to Iranian Gov-
ernment officials who have carried out human rights 
abuses against the people of Iran; 
(4) work in the United Nations Security Coun-
cil to impose multilateral political and financial sanc-
tions against Iranian Governmental officials, includ-
ing officials of the IRGC and Basij militia, who have 
carried out human rights abuses against the people 
of Iran; 
(5) work within the United Nations to focus 
international attention on and investigate human 
rights abuses in Iran, and to secure the release of 
prisoners of conscience; 
(6) apply targeted political and financial sanc-
tions against a foreign person or foreign entity that 
provides illicit support to the IRGC and Basij mili-
tia; 
(7) encourage cooperation between United 
States and Iranian nongovernmental organizations, 
particularly with regard to facilitating people-to-peo-
ple exchanges; and 
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(8) expedite admission to the United States of 
any national of Iran who is under threat of severe 
penalty as a result of participating in or reporting 
on pro-democracy activities inside Iran, and should 
encourage other governments to accept such Iranian 
refugees for resettlement, provided applicants have 
not engaged in or provided support for acts of ter-
rorism and satisfy all criteria for acquiring refugee 
status. 
SEC. 3. IMPOSING TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AGAINST IRAN’S 
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall deny 
the issuance of a visa and the Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity shall deny admission to the United States to any 
official of the Government of Iran who is credibly alleged 
to have ordered, acquiesced to, or participated in human 
rights abuses against the people of Iran 
(b) WAIVER.—The ban described in subparagraph (a) 
may be waived if the Secretary of State certifies to Con-
gress that such a waiver is in the national interests of 
the United States. 
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SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON PROCUREMENT CONTRACTS WITH 
PERSONS OR ENTITIES THAT PROVIDE CEN-
SORSHIP OR SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY 
TO THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the head of an executive agency may not enter 
into or renew a contract for the procurement of goods or 
services with a person or entity that provides censorship 
or surveillance technology to the Government of Iran. 
(b) WAIVER PROVISION.—The Secretary concerned 
may waive the application of the prohibition under sub-
section (a) with respect to a person or entity if the Sec-
retary certifies to Congress that such a waiver is in the 
national interest of the United States. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘censorship or surveillance tech-
nology’’ means hardware, software, telecommuni-
cations equipment, or any other technology that the 
President determines is designed to provide a sub-
stantial capability— 
(A) to restrict the free flow of information; 
or 
(B) to disrupt, monitor, or otherwise re-
strict speech; 
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(2) the term ‘‘executive agency’’ has the mean-
ing given that term in section 4 of the Office of Fed-
eral Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403); and 
(3) the term ‘‘Government of Iran’’ means any 
agency or instrumentality of the Government of 
Iran, including any entity that is controlled by the 
Government of Iran. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), this section shall apply to contracts en-
tered into on or after the date that is 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—With respect to a renewal of 
a contract, this section shall apply to a contract re-
newed on or after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES NON-PROFIT 
ORGANIZATIONS’ ACTIVITIES IN IRAN FOR 
THE PROVISION OF HUMANITARIAN AND 
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE ASSISTANCE. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the establishment and carrying out of op-
erations in Iran for the direct provision of humanitarian 
and people-to-people assistance described in subsection (b) 
by any organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the 
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Internal Revenue Code of 1986 may not be prohibited or 
otherwise restricted. 
(b) ASSISTANCE
DESCRIBED.—The humanitarian 
and people-to-people assistance referred to in subsection 
(a) is assistance to— 
(1) promote adequate and reliable nutrition; 
(2) advance child survival and maternal health; 
(3) improve access to safe water, sanitation, 
and shelter; 
(4) prepare for and respond to natural disas-
ters; 
(5) improve access to basic health care; 
(6) prevent and treat drug addiction; 
(7) strengthen education and literacy; 
(8) promote equal rights for women and minori-
ties; 
(9) support human rights and representative 
governance; 
(10) foster international and religious under-
standing and tolerance; and 
(11) facilitate international people-to-people ex-
changes. 
(c) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) shall not apply with 
respect to an organization described in subsection (a) if 
such organization provides services or conducts trans-
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