I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6669 
To provide resources for United States nationals unlawfully or wrongfully 
detained abroad. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 7, 2023 
Mr. HILL (for himself and Ms. STEVENS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide resources for United States nationals unlawfully 
or wrongfully detained abroad. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Americans 
Wrongfully or Unlawfully Detained Abroad Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. RESOURCES FOR UNITED STATES NATIONALS UN-
LAWFULLY 
OR 
WRONGFULLY 
DETAINED 
ABROAD. 
Section 302(d) of the Robert Levinson Hostage Re-
covery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 
1741(d)) is amended— 
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘RE-
SOURCE
GUIDANCE’’ and inserting ‘‘RESOURCES 
FOR UNITED STATES NATIONALS UNLAWFULLY OR 
WRONGFULLY DETAINED ABROAD’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking the paragraph 
heading and all that follows through ‘‘Not later 
than’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) RESOURCE GUIDANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than’’; 
(3) in paragraph (2), by redesignating subpara-
graphs (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) and clauses (i), 
(ii), (iii), (iv), and (v), respectively, and moving such 
clauses (as so redesignated) 2 ems to the right; 
(4) by redesignating paragraph (2) as subpara-
graph (B) and moving such subparagraph (as so re-
designated) 2 ems to the right; 
(5) in subparagraph (B), as redesignated by 
paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’; and 
(6) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(2) TRAVEL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(A) FAMILY ADVOCACY.—For the purpose 
of facilitating meetings between the United 
States Government and the family members of 
United States nationals unlawfully or wrong-
fully detained abroad, the Secretary shall pro-
vide financial assistance to cover the costs of 
travel to and from Washington, DC, including 
travel by air, train, bus, or other transit as ap-
propriate, to any individual who— 
‘‘(i) is— 
‘‘(I) a family member of a United 
States national unlawfully or wrong-
fully detained abroad as determined 
by the Secretary under subsection (a); 
or 
‘‘(II) an appropriate individual 
who— 
‘‘(aa) is approved by the 
Special Presidential Envoy for 
Hostage Affairs; and 
‘‘(bb) does not represent in 
any legal capacity a United 
States national unlawfully or 
wrongfully detained abroad or 
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the family of such United States 
national; 
‘‘(ii) has a permanent address that is 
more than 50 miles from Washington, DC; 
and 
‘‘(iii) requests such assistance. 
‘‘(B) TRAVEL AND LODGING.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—For each such 
United States national unlawfully or 
wrongfully detained abroad, the financial 
assistance described in subparagraph (A) 
shall be provided for not more than 2 trips 
per fiscal year, unless the Special Presi-
dential Envoy for Hostage Affairs deter-
mines that a third trip is warranted. 
‘‘(ii) LIMITATIONS.—Any trip de-
scribed in clause (i) shall— 
‘‘(I) consist of not more than 2 
family members or other individuals 
approved in accordance with subpara-
graph (A)(i)(II), unless the Special 
Presidential Envoy for Hostage Af-
fairs determines that circumstances 
warrant an additional family member 
or other individual approved in ac-
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cordance with subparagraph (A)(i)(II) 
and approves assistance to such third 
family member or other individual; 
and 
‘‘(II) not exceed more than 2 
nights lodging, which shall not exceed 
the applicable government rate. 
‘‘(C) RETURN
TRAVEL.—If other United 
States Government assistance is unavailable, 
the Secretary may provide to a United States 
national unlawfully or wrongfully detained 
abroad as determined by the Secretary under 
subsection (a), United States assistance, as nec-
essary, for return travel to the United States 
upon release of such United States national. 
‘‘(3) SUPPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
seek to make available physical health services, 
mental health services, and other support as ap-
propriate, including providing information on 
available legal or financial resources, to— 
‘‘(i) any United States national un-
lawfully or wrongfully detained abroad; 
and 
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‘‘(ii) any family member of such 
United States national. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For any support 
described in subparagraph (A) for an indi-
vidual described in clause (i) or (ii) of such 
subparagraph that commences following 
the return of a United States national who 
was unlawfully or wrongfully detained 
abroad, such support shall be made avail-
able for up to 5 years from the date on 
which any individual identified in subpara-
graph (A) chooses to avail themselves of 
the support described in that subpara-
graph, unless the Special Presidential 
Envoy for Hostage Affairs determines that 
circumstances warrant extending such sup-
port. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—The time limita-
tion under clause (i) does not apply to any 
support provided during the pendency of 
the detention of a United States national 
unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad. 
‘‘(4) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.—The Sec-
retary shall notify the Committee on Foreign Rela-
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tions of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs of the House of Representatives, and the Com-
mittees on Appropriations of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives of any amount spent above 
$250,000 for any fiscal year to carry out paragraphs 
(2) and (3). 
‘‘(5) FUNDING.—Funds authorized to be appro-
priated for the Department of State, which may in-
clude funds made available for unforeseen emer-
gencies arising in the diplomatic and consular serv-
ice, may be used to provide the support authorized 
by this section. 
‘‘(6) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committees on Foreign Relations and Ap-
propriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs and Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives a report that includes— 
‘‘(A) a detailed description of expenditures 
made pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (3); 
‘‘(B) a detailed description of types of sup-
port provided pursuant to paragraph (3), pro-
vided that such description does not identify 
any individuals receiving any physical or mental 
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health support, in order to protect their privacy; 
and 
‘‘(C) the number and location of visits out-
side of Washington, DC, during the prior fiscal 
year made by the Special Presidential Envoy 
for Hostage Affairs to family members of each 
United States national unlawfully or wrongfully 
detained abroad. 
‘‘(7) SUNSET.—The authority and requirements 
under paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) shall termi-
nate on December 31, 2027. 
‘‘(8) FAMILY MEMBER DEFINED.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘family member’ means a spouse, 
father, mother, child, brother, sister, grandparent, 
grandchild, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, cousin, fa-
ther-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in- 
law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, step-
mother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, step-
sister, half brother, or half sister.’’. 
Æ 
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