committees on the status and frequency of nego-
tiations described in paragraph (2). 
(B) RE-IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—If the 
President provides a briefing to the appropriate 
congressional committees under subparagraph 
(A) with respect to which the President indicates 
a lapse in negotiations described in paragraph 
(2) for a period that equals or exceeds 90 days, 
the sanctions that were suspended under para-
graph (2)(B) shall be re-imposed and any fur-
ther suspension of such sanctions is prohibited. 
(4) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 
‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 
Committee on Financial Services, the Committee 
on Ways and Means, and the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs, the Committee on Finance, and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR 
DETERMINING A TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT IN SYRIA.— 
It is the sense of Congress that a transitional government 
in Syria is a government that— 
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(1) is taking verifiable steps to release all polit-
ical prisoners and is providing full access to Syrian 
prisons for investigations by appropriate inter-
national human rights organizations; 
(2) is taking verifiable steps to remove former 
senior Syrian Government officials who are complicit 
in the conception, implementation, or cover up of war 
crimes, crimes against humanity, or human rights 
abuses and any person subject to sanctions under any 
provision of law from government positions; 
(3) is in the process of organizing free and fair 
elections for a new government— 
(A) to be held in a timely manner and 
scheduled while the suspension of sanctions or 
the renewal of the suspension of sanctions under 
this section is in effect; and 
(B) to be conducted under the supervision of 
internationally recognized observers; 
(4) is making tangible progress toward estab-
lishing an independent judiciary; 
(5) is demonstrating respect for and compliance 
with internationally recognized human rights and 
basic freedoms as specified in the Universal Declara-
tion of Human Rights; 
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(6) is taking steps to verifiably fulfill its com-
mitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention 
and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
Weapons and is making tangible progress toward be-
coming a signatory to Convention on the Prohibition 
of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of 
Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and 
on their Destruction, entered into force March 26, 
1975, and adhering to the Missile Technology Control 
Regime and other control lists, as necessary; 
(7) has halted the development and deployment 
of ballistic and cruise missiles; and 
(8) is taking verifiable steps to remove from posi-
tions of authority within the intelligence and security 
services as well as the military those who were in a 
position of authority or responsibility during the con-
flict and who under the authority of their position 
were implicated in or implicit in the torture, 
extrajudicial killing, or execution of civilians, to in-
clude those who were involved in decisionmaking or 
execution of plans to use chemical weapons. 
SEC. 402. WAIVERS AND EXEMPTIONS. 
(a) EXEMPTIONS.—The following activities and trans-
actions shall be exempt from sanctions authorized under 
this Act or any amendment made by this Act: 
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(1) Any activity subject to the reporting require-
ments under title V of the National Security Act of 
1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.), or to any authorized 
intelligence activities of the United States. 
(2) Any transaction necessary to comply with 
United States obligations under— 
(A) the Agreement between the United Na-
tions and the United States of America regard-
ing the Headquarters of the United Nations, 
signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and en-
tered into force November 21, 1947; 
(B) the Convention on Consular Relations, 
done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered into 
force March 19, 1967; or 
(C) any other international agreement to 
which the United States is a party. 
(b) HUMANITARIAN, STABILIZATION, AND DEMOCRACY 
ASSISTANCE WAIVER.— 
(1) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the pol-
icy of the United States to fully utilize the waiver au-
thority under this subsection to ensure that adequate 
humanitarian relief or support for stabilization and 
democracy promotion is provided to the Syrian peo-
ple. 
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(2) WAIVER.—Except as provided in paragraph 
(5) and subsection (d), the President may waive, on 
a case-by-case basis, for a period not to exceed one 
year, and renewable for additional periods not to ex-
ceed one year, the application of sanctions authorized 
under this Act with respect to a person if the Presi-
dent submits to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a written determination that the waiver is 
necessary for purposes of providing humanitarian or 
stabilization assistance or support for democracy pro-
motion to the people of Syria. 
(3) CONTENT OF WRITTEN DETERMINATION.—A 
written determination submitted under paragraph (2) 
with respect to a waiver shall include a description 
of all notification and accountability controls that 
have been employed in order to ensure that the activi-
ties covered by the waiver are humanitarian or sta-
bilization assistance or support for democracy pro-
motion and do not entail any activities in Syria or 
dealings with the Government of Syria not reasonably 
related to humanitarian or stabilization assistance or 
support for democracy promotion. 
(4) CLARIFICATION
OF
PERMITTED
ACTIVITIES 
UNDER
WAIVER.—The President may not impose 
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sanctions authorized under this Act against a human-
itarian organization for— 
(A) engaging in a financial transaction re-
lating to humanitarian assistance or for human-
itarian purposes pursuant to a waiver issued 
under paragraph (2); 
(B) transporting goods or services that are 
necessary to carry out operations relating to hu-
manitarian assistance or humanitarian purposes 
pursuant to such a waiver; or 
(C) having incidental contact, in the course 
of providing humanitarian assistance or aid for 
humanitarian purposes pursuant to such a 
waiver, with individuals who are under the con-
trol of a foreign person subject to sanctions 
under this Act or any amendment made by this 
Act unless the organization or its officers, mem-
bers, representatives or employees have engaged 
in (or the President knows or has reasonable 
ground to believe is engaged in or is likely to en-
gage 
in) 
conduct 
described 
in 
section 
212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration and 
Nationality 
Act 
(8 
U.S.C. 
1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 
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(5) EXCEPTION
TO
WAIVER
AUTHORITY.—The 
President may not exercise the waiver authority 
under paragraph (2) with respect to a foreign person 
who has (or whose officers, members, representatives 
or employees have) engaged in (or the President 
knows or has reasonable ground to believe is engaged 
in or is likely to engage in) conduct described in sec-
tion 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 
(c) WAIVER.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President may, for peri-
ods not to exceed 120 days, waive the application of 
sanctions under this Act with respect to a foreign per-
son if the President certifies to the appropriate con-
gressional committees that such waiver is vital to the 
national security interests of the United States. 
(2) CONSULTATION.— 
(A) BEFORE
WAIVER
ISSUED.—Not later 
than 5 days before the issuance of a waiver 
under paragraph (1) is to take effect, the Presi-
dent shall notify and brief the appropriate con-
gressional committees on the status of the foreign 
person’s involvement in activities described in 
this Act. 
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(B) AFTER
WAIVER
ISSUED.—Not later 
than 90 days after the issuance of a waiver 
under paragraph (1), and every 120 days there-
after if the waiver remains in effect, the Presi-
dent shall brief the appropriate congressional 
committees on the status of the foreign person’s 
involvement in activities described in this Act. 
(3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 
‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 
Committee on Financial Services, the Committee 
on Ways and Means, and the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs, the Committee on Finance, and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 
(d) CODIFICATION OF CERTAIN SERVICES IN SUPPORT 
OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS’ ACTIVITIES AU-
THORIZED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), section 542.516 of title 31, Code of Federal 
Regulations (relating to certain services in support of 
nongovernmental organizations’ activities authorized), 
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as in effect on the day before the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, shall— 
(A) remain in effect on and after such date 
of enactment; and 
(B) in the case of a nongovernmental orga-
nization that is authorized to export or reexport 
services to Syria under such section on the day 
before such date of enactment, shall apply to 
such organization on and after such date of en-
actment to the same extent and in the same 
manner as such section applied to such organiza-
tion on the day before such date of enactment. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—Section 542.516 of title 31, 
Code of Federal Regulations, as codified under para-
graph (1), shall not apply with respect to a foreign 
person who has (or whose officers, members, represent-
atives or employees have) engaged in (or the President 
knows or has reasonable ground to believe is engaged 
in or is likely to engage in) conduct described in sec-
tion 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)). 
(e) STRATEGY REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional commit-
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tees a report containing a strategy to ensure that hu-
manitarian organizations can access financial serv-
ices to ensure the safe and timely delivery of assist-
ance to communities in need in Syria. 
(2) CONSIDERATION
OF
DATA
FROM
OTHER 
COUNTRIES
AND
NONGOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZA-
TIONS.—In preparing the strategy required by para-
graph (1), the President shall consider credible data 
already obtained by other countries and nongovern-
mental organizations, including organizations oper-
ating in Syria. 
(3) FORM.—The strategy required by paragraph 
(1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may 
contain a classified annex. 
TITLE V—REGULATORY AUTHOR-
ITY, COST LIMITATION, AND 
SUNSET 
SEC. 501. IMPLEMENTATION AND REGULATORY AUTHORI-
TIES. 
(a) IMPLEMENTATION
AUTHORITY.—The President 
may exercise all authorities provided to the President under 
sections 203 and 205 of the International Emergency Eco-
nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for purposes 
of carrying out this Act and the amendments made by this 
Act. 
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