I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9976 
To amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Ac-
countability Act to establish a designation of state sponsor of wrongful 
or unlawful, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 11, 2024 
Mr. LAWLER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judi-
ciary, 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 amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hos-
tage-Taking Accountability Act to establish a designation 
of state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful, 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 ‘‘State Sponsor of 
Wrongful or Unlawful Detention Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress as follows: 
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(1) There has been a significant rise in the 
wrongful detention of United States nationals and 
lawful permanent residents by both state and non- 
state actors in foreign countries, often used as a tac-
tic for diplomatic leverage to threaten the United 
States and the American people. 
(2) Existing mechanisms to hold foreign actors 
accountable for wrongful detentions and the practice 
of hostage diplomacy are insufficient. 
(3) Wrongful detentions and hostage taking 
pose a threat to United States national security, vio-
late fundamental human rights, and undermine 
international law and norms. 
(4) It is the responsibility of the United States 
Government to protect its nationals and lawful per-
manent residents from wrongful detention and to 
provide recourse, justice, and a pathway to com-
pensation for victims. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF STATE SPONSOR OF WRONGFUL 
OR UNLAWFUL DETENTION. 
The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage- 
Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating sections 307 and 308 as 
sections 308 and 309, respectively; and 
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(2) by inserting after section 306 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 307. DESIGNATION OF STATE SPONSOR OF WRONG-
FUL OR UNLAWFUL DETENTION. 
‘‘(a) PENALTIES FOR DESIGNATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any country the govern-
ment of which the Secretary of State designates as 
a state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful detention 
under this section shall— 
‘‘(A) be subject to sanctions under relevant 
provisions of law, including visa sanctions with 
respect to government officials of such country; 
and 
‘‘(B) be prohibited from receiving foreign 
assistance under relevant provisions of law. 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC NOTICE.—The Secretary of State 
shall— 
‘‘(A) update travel advisories to reflect the 
designation of countries as state sponsors of ar-
bitrary detention under this section; and 
‘‘(B) work with airlines to provide a warn-
ing to potential travelers to such designated 
countries. 
‘‘(b) CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION.—A country may 
be designated as a state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful 
detention under this section if the Secretary of State de-
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termines that the government of such country has pro-
vided support for or directly engaged in the wrongful de-
tention of United States nationals based on one or more 
of the following: 
‘‘(1) The repeated wrongful detention or hos-
tage taking of United States nationals as provided 
for in this Act. 
‘‘(2) The repeated failure of the foreign govern-
ment to resolve a wrongful detention once notified 
by the Department of State as provided for in this 
Act. 
‘‘(3) Actions that indicate the complicity or ac-
tive support of the government of such country for 
engaging in wrongful detentions or hostage taking. 
‘‘(4) Actions that pose, in the judgment of the 
Secretary, a sufficient risk of wrongful detention or 
hostage taking of United States nationals in such 
country. 
‘‘(c) CONGRESSIONAL
NOTIFICATION.—The Sec-
retary of State shall notify the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Foreign Relations of the Senate not later than 30 days 
after each determination to designate a country as a state 
sponsor of wrongful or unlawful detention under this sec-
tion. 
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‘‘(d) WITHDRAWAL OF DESIGNATION.—A designa-
tion as a state sponsor of wrongful or unlawful detention 
may be removed or withdrawn with respect to a country 
if the Secretary of State certifies to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate that— 
‘‘(1) the government of such country is no 
longer supporting acts of wrongful detention or hos-
tage taking; and 
‘‘(2) such government has provided evidence- 
based assurances to the Secretary that it will not 
support and actively oppose acts of wrongful deten-
tion or hostage taking in the future. 
‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed to alter or affect the authorities 
of the Secretary of State with respect to determining that 
the detention in a foreign country of a United States per-
son is wrongful pursuant to this Act or any other provision 
of law.’’. 
SEC. 4. OTHER MODIFICATIONS TO THE ROBERT LEVINSON 
HOSTAGE RECOVERY AND HOSTAGE-TAKING 
ACCOUNTABILITY ACT. 
The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage- 
Taking Accountability Act is amended— 
(1) in section 303(c) (22 U.S.C. 1741a(c))— 
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(A) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), 
and (5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respec-
tively; 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 
following: 
‘‘(3) chair the Hostage Response Group and 
regularly convene the group in accordance with sec-
tion 305;’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated), 
by inserting ‘‘or held hostage’’ after ‘‘unlawfully 
or wrongly detained’’; and 
(2) in section 305 (22 U.S.C. 1741c)— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘a des-
ignated member of the National Security Coun-
cil or the Deputies Committee of the National 
Security Council’’ and inserting ‘‘the Special 
Envoy appointed pursuant to section 303’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘the Spe-
cial Envoy appointed pursuant to section 303,’’. 
Æ 
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