I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4179 
To provide the United States Government with additional tools to deter 
state and non-state actors from wrongfully detaining United States na-
tionals for political leverage, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 26, 2025 
Mr. HILL
of Arkansas (for himself, Mr. KEAN, Mr. LAWLER, Mr. 
MOSKOWITZ, and Mr. GOTTHEIMER) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, 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 provide the United States Government with additional 
tools to deter state and non-state actors from wrongfully 
detaining United States nationals for political leverage, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Countering Wrongful 
Detention Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF A FOREIGN COUNTRY AS A STATE 
SPONSOR OF UNLAWFUL OR WRONGFUL DE-
TENTION. 
The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage- 
Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 306 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 306A. DESIGNATION OF A FOREIGN COUNTRY AS A 
STATE SPONSOR OF UNLAWFUL OR WRONG-
FUL DETENTION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the notice require-
ment of subsection (d)(1)(A), the Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 
agencies, may designate a foreign country that has pro-
vided support for or directly engaged in the unlawful or 
wrongful detention of a United States national as a State 
Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention based on any 
of the following criteria: 
‘‘(1) The unlawful or wrongful detention of a 
United States national occurs in the foreign country. 
‘‘(2) The government of the foreign country or 
a nonstate actor in the foreign country has failed to 
release an unlawfully or wrongfully detained United 
States national within 30 days of being notified by 
the Department of State of such unlawfully or 
wrongfully detained national. 
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‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—A foreign country with re-
spect to which a designation under subsection (a) 
has terminated by reason of the application of sub-
section (b)(2) may be re-designated as a State Spon-
sor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention for purposes 
of subsection (a) if a joint resolution providing for 
such designation is enacted into law. 
‘‘(d) BRIEFING AND REPORTS TO CONGRESS; PUBLI-
CATION.— 
‘‘(1) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 7 days 
after making a designation of a foreign country 
as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful 
Detention under subsection (a), the Secretary 
of State shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report that notifies the 
committees of the proposed designation. 
‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—In each report sub-
mitted under subparagraph (A) with respect to 
the designation of a foreign country as a State 
Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention, 
the Secretary shall include— 
‘‘(i) the justification for the designa-
tion; and 
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‘‘(ii) a description of any action taken 
by the United States Government, includ-
ing the Secretary of State or the head of 
any other relevant Federal agency, to deter 
the unlawful or wrongful detention of for-
eign nationals in the country. 
‘‘(2) INITIAL BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later 
than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Secretary shall brief the appropriate 
congressional committees on the following: 
‘‘(A) Whether any of the following coun-
tries should be designated as a State Sponsor 
of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention under sub-
section (a): 
‘‘(i) Afghanistan. 
‘‘(ii) Eritrea. 
‘‘(iii) The Islamic Republic of Iran. 
‘‘(iv) Nicaragua. 
‘‘(v) The Russian Federation. 
‘‘(vi) The Syrian Arab Republic. 
‘‘(vii) Venezuela under the regime of 
Nicola´s Maduro. 
‘‘(viii) The Republic of Belarus. 
‘‘(ix) The People’s Republic of China. 
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‘‘(B) The steps taken by the Secretary to 
deter the unlawful and wrongful detention of 
United States nationals and to respond to such 
detentions, including— 
‘‘(i) any engagement with private sec-
tor companies to optimize the distribution 
of travel advisories; and 
‘‘(ii) any engagement with private 
companies responsible for promoting travel 
to foreign countries engaged in the unlaw-
ful or wrongful detention of United States 
nationals. 
‘‘(C) An assessment of a possible expan-
sion of chapter 97 of title 28, United States 
Code (commonly known as the ‘Foreign Sov-
ereign Immunities Act of 1976’) to include an 
exception from asset seizure immunity for State 
Sponsors of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention. 
‘‘(D) The progress made in multilateral 
fora, including the United Nations and other 
international organizations, to address the un-
lawful and wrongful detention of United States 
nationals, in addition to nationals of partners 
and allies of the United States in foreign coun-
tries. 
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‘‘(3) ANNUAL BRIEFING.—Not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this section, 
and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Assistant 
Secretary of State for Consular Affairs and the Spe-
cial Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, or des-
ignees thereof, shall provide a briefing to the appro-
priate congressional committees on the countries 
listed under paragraph (2)(A) and actions taken by 
the Secretary of State to deter the wrongful deten-
tion of United States nationals, including any steps 
taken in accordance with paragraph (2)(B). 
‘‘(4) TESTIMONY.—The Special Presidential 
Envoy for Hostage Affairs shall testify before the 
appropriate congressional committees not less than 
once each Congress on activities to deter wrongful 
detention. 
‘‘(5) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 
available on a publicly accessible website of the De-
partment of State, and regularly update, a list of 
foreign countries designated as State Sponsors of 
Unlawful or Wrongful Detention under subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(6) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS 
DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘appropriate 
congressional committees’ means— 
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‘‘(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives; and 
‘‘(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate. 
‘‘(e) REVIEW AND DETERMINATION OF AVAILABLE 
RESPONSES
TO STATE SPONSORS
OF UNLAWFUL
OR 
WRONGFUL DETENTION.—Upon designation of a foreign 
country as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful De-
tention under subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 
agencies, shall conduct a comprehensive review and make 
a determination of the use of existing authorities to re-
spond to and deter the unlawful or wrongful detention of 
United States nationals in the foreign country, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(1) inadmissibilities available under the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); 
‘‘(2) visa restrictions available under section 
7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Oper-
ations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 
2024 (division F of Public Law 118–47; 8 U.S.C. 
1182 note) or any other provision of Federal law; 
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‘‘(3) sanctions available under the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.); 
‘‘(4) restrictions on assistance provided to the 
government of the country under the Foreign Assist-
ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or any 
other provision of Federal law; 
‘‘(5) restrictions on the export of certain goods 
to the country under the Arms Export Control Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), the Export Control Re-
form Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4801 et seq.), or any 
other Federal law; and 
‘‘(6) designating the country as a country 
whose government has repeatedly provided support 
for acts of international terrorism pursuant to— 
‘‘(A) section 1754(c)(1)(A)(i) of the Ex-
port Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 
4813(c)(1)(A)(i)); 
‘‘(B) section 620A of the Foreign Assist-
ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371); 
‘‘(C) section 40(d) of the Arms Export 
Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2780(d)); or 
‘‘(D) any other provision of law. 
‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to imply that every United States 
national detained in a country designated as a State Spon-
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sor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention under subsection 
(a) should be or is determined to be wrongfully detained 
under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hos-
tage-Taking Accountability Act.’’. 
Æ 
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