I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 825 
To promote trade and commercial enhancement between the United States 
and Israel, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2015 
Mr. ROSKAM (for himself and Mr. VARGAS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addi-
tion to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, and the 
Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To promote trade and commercial enhancement between the 
United States and Israel, 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 ‘‘United States-Israel 
Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Israel is America’s dependable, democratic 
ally in the Middle East—an area of paramount stra-
tegic importance to the United States. 
(2) The United States-Israel Free Trade Agree-
ment formed the modern foundation of the bilateral 
commercial relationship between the two countries 
and was the first such agreement signed by the 
United States with a foreign country. 
(3) The United States-Israel Free Trade Agree-
ment has been instrumental in expanding commerce 
and the strategic relationship between the United 
States and Israel. 
(4) More than $45 billion in goods and services 
is traded annually between the two countries in ad-
dition to roughly $10 billion in United States foreign 
direct investment in Israel. 
(5) The United States continues to look for and 
find new opportunities to enhance cooperation with 
Israel, including through the enactment of the 
United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation 
Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–150) and the United 
States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 
(Public Law 113–296). 
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(6) It has been the policy of the United States 
Government to combat all elements of the Arab 
League Boycott of Israel by— 
(A) public statements of Administration of-
ficials; 
(B) enactment of relevant sections of the 
Export Administration Act of 1979 (as contin-
ued in effect pursuant to the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act), including 
sections to ensure foreign persons comply with 
applicable reporting requirements relating to 
the boycott; 
(C) enactment of the 1976 Tax Reform 
Act (Public Law 94–455) that denies certain 
tax benefits to entities abiding by the boycott; 
(D) ensuring through free trade agree-
ments with Bahrain and Oman that such coun-
tries no longer participate in the boycott; and 
(E) ensuring as a condition of membership 
in the World Trade Organization that Saudi 
Arabia no longer enforces the secondary or ter-
tiary elements of the boycott. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENTS OF POLICY. 
Congress— 
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(1) supports the strengthening of United 
States-Israel economic cooperation and recognizes 
the tremendous strategic, economic, and techno-
logical value of cooperation with Israel; 
(2) recognizes the benefit of cooperation with 
Israel to United States companies, including by im-
proving American competitiveness in global markets; 
(3) recognizes the importance of trade and com-
mercial relations to the pursuit and sustainability of 
peace, and supports efforts to bring together the 
United States, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and 
others in enhanced commerce; 
(4) opposes politically motivated actions that 
penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations spe-
cifically with Israel such as boycotts, divestment or 
sanctions; 
(5) notes that the boycott, divestment, and 
sanctioning of Israel by governments, governmental 
bodies, quasi-governmental bodies, international or-
ganizations, and other such entities is contrary to 
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 
(GATT) principle of non-discrimination; 
(6) encourages the inclusion of politically moti-
vated actions that penalize or otherwise limit com-
mercial relations specifically with Israel such as boy-
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cotts, divestment from, or sanctions against Israel as 
a topic of discussion at the U.S.-Israel Joint Eco-
nomic Development Group (JEDG) and other areas 
to support the strengthening of the United States- 
Israel commercial relationship and combat any com-
mercial discrimination against Israel; 
(7) supports efforts to prevent investigations or 
prosecutions by governments or international organi-
zations of United States persons on the sole basis of 
such persons doing business with Israel, with Israeli 
entities, or in Israeli-controlled territories; and 
(8) supports American States examining a com-
pany’s promotion or compliance with unsanctioned 
boycotts, divestment from, or sanctions against 
Israel as part of its consideration in awarding grants 
and contracts and supports the divestment of State 
assets from companies that support or promote ac-
tions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel. 
SEC. 4. PRINCIPAL TRADE NEGOTIATING OBJECTIVES OF 
THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS.—Among the prin-
cipal trade negotiating objectives of the United States for 
proposed trade agreements with foreign countries regard-
ing commercial partnerships are the following: 
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(1) To discourage actions by potential trading 
partners that directly or indirectly prejudice or oth-
erwise discourage commercial activity solely between 
the United States and Israel. 
(2) To discourage politically motivated actions 
to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel and to 
seek the elimination of politically motivated non-tar-
iff barriers on Israeli goods, services, or other com-
merce imposed on the State of Israel. 
(3) To seek the elimination of state-sponsored 
unsanctioned foreign boycotts against Israel or com-
pliance with the Arab League Boycott of Israel by 
prospective trading partners. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section takes effect on 
the date of the enactment of this Act and applies with 
respect to negotiations commenced before, on, or after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. REPORT ON POLITICALLY MOTIVATED ACTS OF 
BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT FROM, AND SANC-
TIONS AGAINST ISRAEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 
the President shall submit to Congress a report on politi-
cally motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanc-
tions against Israel. 
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(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) A description of the establishment of bar-
riers to trade, including non-tariff barriers, invest-
ment, or commerce by foreign countries or inter-
national organizations against United States persons 
operating or doing business in Israel, with Israeli en-
tities, or in Israeli-controlled territories. 
(2) A description of specific steps being taken 
by the United States to encourage foreign countries 
and international organizations to cease creating 
such barriers and to dismantle measures already in 
place and an assessment of the effectiveness of such 
steps. 
(3) A description of specific steps being taken 
by the United States to prevent investigations or 
prosecutions by governments or international organi-
zations of United States persons on the sole basis of 
such persons doing business with Israel, with Israeli 
entities, or in Israeli-controlled territories. 
(4) Decisions by foreign persons, including cor-
porate entities and state-affiliated financial institu-
tions, that limit or prohibit economic relations with 
Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in 
Israeli controlled territories. 
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SEC. 6. ISRAEL TRADE AND COMMERCE BOYCOTT REPORT-
ING. 
Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(15 U.S.C. 78m) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(s) ISRAEL TRADE AND COMMERCE BOYCOTT RE-
PORTING.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each foreign issuer re-
quired to file an annual or quarterly report under 
subsection (a) shall disclose in that report— 
‘‘(A) whether the issuer has discriminated 
against doing business with Israel in the last 
calendar year and in such cases an issuer shall 
provide a description of the discrimination. 
‘‘(B) whether the issuer has been advised 
by a foreign government or a non-member state 
of the United Nations to discriminate against 
doing business with Israel, entities owned or 
controlled by the government of Israel, or enti-
ties operating in Israel or Israeli-controlled ter-
ritory; and 
‘‘(C) any instances where the issuer has 
learned that a person, foreign government, or a 
non-member state of the United Nations is boy-
cotting the issuer, divesting themselves of an 
ownership interest in the issuer, or placing 
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sanctions on the issuer because of the issuer’s 
relationship with Israel, entities owned or con-
trolled by the government of Israel, or entities 
operating in Israel or Israeli-controlled terri-
tory. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section: 
‘‘(A) FOREIGN ISSUER.—The term ‘foreign 
issuer’ means an issuer that is not incorporated 
in the United States. 
‘‘(B) 
NON-MEMBER
STATES
OF
THE 
UNITED
NATIONS.—The term ‘non-member 
states of the United Nations’ has the meaning 
given such term by the United Nations.’’. 
SEC. 7. FOREIGN JUDGMENTS AGAINST UNITED STATES 
PERSONS. 
No court in the United States may recognize or en-
force any judgment which is entered by a foreign court 
against a United States person carrying out business oper-
ations in Israel or in any territory controlled by Israel and 
on which is based a determination by the foreign court 
that the location in Israel, or in any territory controlled 
by Israel, of the facilities at which the business operations 
are carried out is sufficient to constitute a violation of law. 
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SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT FROM, AND SANC-
TIONS AGAINST ISRAEL.—The term ‘‘boycott, divest-
ment from, and sanctions against Israel’’ means ac-
tions by states, non-member states of the United 
Nations, international organizations, or affiliated 
agencies of international organizations that are po-
litically motivated and are intended to penalize or 
otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with 
Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in 
Israeli-controlled territories. 
(2) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per-
son’’ means— 
(A) any natural person who is not lawfully 
admitted for permanent residence (as defined in 
section 101(a)(20) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20)) or who is 
not a protected individual (as defined in section 
274B(a)(3) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)); 
and 
(B) any foreign corporation, business asso-
ciation, partnership, trust, society or any other 
entity or group that is not incorporated or orga-
nized to do business in the United States, as 
well as any international organization, foreign 
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government and any agency or subdivision of 
foreign government, including a diplomatic mis-
sion. 
(3) PERSON.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘person’’ 
means— 
(i) a natural person; 
(ii) a corporation, business associa-
tion, partnership, society, trust, financial 
institution, insurer, underwriter, guar-
antor, and any other business organization, 
any other nongovernmental entity, organi-
zation, or group, and any governmental en-
tity operating as a business enterprise; and 
(iii) any successor to any entity de-
scribed in clause (ii). 
(B) APPLICATION TO GOVERNMENTAL EN-
TITIES.—The term ‘‘person’’ does not include a 
government or governmental entity that is not 
operating as a business enterprise. 
(4) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) a natural person who is a national of 
the United States (as defined in section 
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