I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1327 
To improve United States humanitarian and other assistance to the Syrian 
people, facilitate the transition of Syria to a democratic government, 
provide for United States support to the post-Assad government, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 21, 2013 
Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, and Mr. SHERMAN) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on 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 improve United States humanitarian and other assistance 
to the Syrian people, facilitate the transition of Syria 
to a democratic government, provide for United States 
support to the post-Assad government, 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 ‘‘Free Syria Act of 
2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) For decades the Syrian people have suffered 
under the oppressive regime of Bashar al-Assad and 
his father, Hafiz al-Assad. In March 2011, Syrians 
began peaceful protests against the regime. The re-
gime responded brutally, with murders and mass ar-
rests. During the civil war that ensued, the Assad 
regime has specifically targeted civilian populations 
and committed mass atrocities and other war crimes. 
(2) Over 1,000,000 Syrians have become refu-
gees over the last two years, tens of thousands of 
others have fled Syria, and more than 2,500,000 are 
estimated to be displaced within Syria. More than 
70,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict. 
(3) The replacement of the Assad regime by a 
democratic government that repudiates terrorism 
would advance the security of the Syrian people and 
their neighbors, as well as that of the United States. 
(4) The prolongation of fighting in Syria is like-
ly to enhance the strength of religious extremist 
forces, as well as the prospect that such forces will 
exert significant influence following Assad’s fall. 
(5) The Governments of Iran and Russia con-
tinue to provide the Assad regime with the advanced 
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weapons and support necessary to continue its cam-
paign of slaughter against its own people. 
(6) Syria is one of the most hazardous environ-
ments in the world for humanitarian aid providers. 
The Syrian regime has established a pattern of tar-
geting aid distribution points, including bakeries, 
bread lines, medical facilities, and even employees of 
the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. 
(7) The course of the Syrian transition and its 
future leadership may depend on what the United 
States does now to save Syrian lives, alleviate suf-
fering, and help Syrians determine their own future. 
(8) Syria has been on the United States list of 
state sponsors of terrorism since the inception of 
that list in 1979. Under the Syria Accountability 
and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, 
Syria’s continuing provision of material support and 
safe haven for terrorist organizations make it sub-
ject to broad legislatively mandated penalties, includ-
ing export sanctions and ineligibility to receive most 
forms of United States aid or to purchase United 
States military equipment. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that— 
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(1) the United States should increase its hu-
manitarian support for individuals affected by the 
brutal conflict in Syria—refugees, internally dis-
placed persons (IDPs), and others—and should urge 
its friends and allies to do likewise; 
(2) Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon should be 
commended for keeping their borders open and pro-
viding other support to individuals fleeing the vio-
lence and upheaval in Syria and for allowing them 
to seek international protection; 
(3) the President should urge countries in the 
region to keep their borders open to refugees and to 
comply with international humanitarian and refugee 
law; 
(4) the President should urge the United Na-
tions High Commissioner for Refugees to expedite 
protection and resettlement of the most vulnerable 
Syrian refugees; 
(5) in view of the violence and bloodshed in 
Syria, the President should provide temporary immi-
gration relief measures, including renewal of Tem-
porary Protected Status, expedited requests for 
change or extension of nonimmigrant status, expe-
dited processing of immigrant petitions for Syrians 
in the United States, and granting humanitarian pa-
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role to Syrian nationals with approved immigrant 
petitions waiting abroad; 
(6) to the extent feasible, the United States 
should coordinate its assistance to Syrian refugees 
and to individuals inside Syria with the Syrian Op-
position Coalition’s Assistance Coordination Unit; 
(7) the Assad regime has committed manifold 
war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the in-
dividuals responsible must be brought to justice; 
(8) the United States should pursue appro-
priate mechanisms to hold accountable individuals 
responsible for war crimes and crimes against hu-
manity in Syria; 
(9) United States military assistance should be 
provided only to groups that demonstrate a commit-
ment to— 
(A) securing and safeguarding, and ulti-
mately eliminating, Syrian chemical, biological, 
radiological, and nuclear weapons-related mate-
rials that come under their control; 
(B) full cooperation with the United States 
and the international community in accom-
plishing that goal; and 
(C) respecting all previous international 
agreements that have been signed by Syria, in-
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cluding agreements reached under the auspices 
of the United Nations; 
(10) the United States should work in coopera-
tion with its friends and allies to provide non-lethal 
military equipment, such as helmets and body 
armor, to friendly Syrian opposition military forces; 
(11) all countries, and especially Iraq, should 
deny use of their airspace to Syrian-bound Iranian 
aircraft, unless those aircraft have first been forced 
to land, are thoroughly inspected, and found to be 
weapons-free; and 
(12) the United States and its international 
partners should take concrete steps to ensure that 
women are full and equal participants in all negotia-
tions regarding the future of Syria and in all transi-
tional and future government institutions. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate; 
(2) the term ‘‘economic assistance’’ means for-
eign assistance other than assistance provided to or 
for the benefit of foreign security forces; 
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(3) the term ‘‘entity’’ means any association, 
partnership, body, organization, unit, or group; 
(4) the term ‘‘foreign terrorist organization’’ 
means an organization designated as a foreign ter-
rorist organization by the Secretary of State in ac-
cordance with section 219(a) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a)); 
(5) the terms ‘‘humanitarian assistance’’ and 
‘‘humanitarian accounts’’ include— 
(A) assistance under chapter 9 of Part I of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; 
(B) emergency food assistance under title 
II of the Food for Peace Act (Public Law 83– 
480); 
(C) refugee and migration assistance under 
the Migration and Refugee Act of 1962; and 
(D) any other economic assistance pro-
vided to address basic human needs; 
(6) the term ‘‘post-Assad Government of Syria’’ 
means a government of Syria that meets the require-
ments specified in section 301(a); 
(7) the terms ‘‘defense article’’, ‘‘defense infor-
mation’’, ‘‘defense service’’, ‘‘military education and 
training’’, and ‘‘value’’ have the meanings given such 
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terms in section 644 of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2403); 
(8) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development; and 
(9) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of State. 
TITLE I—HUMANITARIAN AND 
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE 
SEC. 101. HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES. 
United States humanitarian assistance to address the 
Syrian conflict shall be conducted in accordance with the 
following principles: 
(1) The central purpose of humanitarian assist-
ance is to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and 
protect vulnerable populations wherever possible. 
(2) Humanitarian assistance should be impar-
tial, based solely on and in proportion to need, with-
out discrimination between or within affected popu-
lations, and without regard to the political views, na-
tional origin, or religious affiliation of the bene-
ficiaries. 
(3) Humanitarian assistance should be neutral, 
without furthering a political or religious agenda or 
favoring any side in an armed conflict or other dis-
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pute where such humanitarian assistance is carried 
out. 
(4) Humanitarian assistance should be inde-
pendent, without regard to the political, economic, 
military, or other objectives that any actor may hold 
in relation to the affected areas and populations. 
(5) Humanitarian assistance should be under-
taken in accordance with international human rights 
law, international humanitarian law, refugee law, 
and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Inter-
nal Displacement. 
(6) Humanitarian assistance includes protection 
of affected populations from physical harm, persecu-
tion, exploitation, abuse, family separation, sexual 
and gender-based violence, forcible recruitment, and 
other threats to human rights. 
(7) To best ensure impartiality, neutrality, 
independence, and the appearance thereof, humani-
tarian assistance should be carried out by intergov-
ernmental and nongovernmental international hu-
manitarian organizations, in partnership with local 
communities and indigenous organizations. 
(8) To promote learning, accountability, trans-
parency, and the efficient use of resources, the 
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United States should support independent moni-
toring and evaluation of all humanitarian assistance. 
SEC. 102. PROTECTING WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND OTHER 
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. 
Of the amounts made available for any fiscal year to 
carry out this Act, the President is authorized, notwith-
standing any other provision of law, to provide such assist-
ance as may be necessary for protection of populations af-
fected by the conflict in Syria, especially including— 
(1) clinical care and psychosocial support for 
sexual violence survivors; 
(2) improving safety for women, children, and 
other vulnerable populations, in camps and settle-
ments for refugees and internally displaced persons; 
(3) working to minimize forced marriage, do-
mestic violence, and sexual exploitation; and 
(4) case management for separated and other 
vulnerable children. 
SEC. 103. MEDICAL NEUTRALITY. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—No assistance may be provided 
under this Act to any entity if the Secretary of State has 
credible evidence that such entity knowingly has been in-
volved in— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—An individual hired as a per-
sonal services contractor pursuant to subsection 
(a)(3) shall not, by virtue of such hiring, be consid-
ered to be an employee of the United States Govern-
ment for purposes of any law administered by the 
Office of Personnel Management. 
(2) APPLICABLE LAWS.—An individual hired as 
a personal services contractor pursuant to subsection 
(a)(3) shall be covered, in the same manner as a 
similarly situated employee, by— 
(A) the Ethics in Government Act of 1978; 
(B) chapter 73 of title 5, United States 
Code; 
(C) sections 201, 203, 205, 207, 208, and 
209 of title 18, United States Code; 
(D) section 1346 and chapter 171 of title 
28, United States Code; and 
(E) chapter 21 of title 41, United States 
Code. 
(3) EXCEPTION.—This subsection shall not af-
fect the determination as to whether an individual 
hired as a personal services contractor pursuant to 
this section is an employee of the United States Gov-
ernment for purposes of any Federal law not speci-
fied in paragraphs (1) and (2). 
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