I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 779 
To restrict United States nationals from traveling to countries in which 
foreign governments or anti-government forces allow foreign terrorist 
organizations to engage in armed conflict for purposes of participating 
in such armed conflict or from providing material support to entities 
that are engaged in such armed conflict, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 31, 2017 
Mr. WITTMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To restrict United States nationals from traveling to coun-
tries in which foreign governments or anti-government 
forces allow foreign terrorist organizations to engage in 
armed conflict for purposes of participating in such 
armed conflict or from providing material support to 
entities that are engaged in such armed conflict, 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 ‘‘International Conflicts 
of Concern Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION OF COUNTRIES OF CONFLICT 
CONCERN. 
(a) IDENTIFICATION.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
submit to Congress a report that identifies each country 
the government of which or anti-government forces in 
which the President believes, based on all information 
available to the President, is allowing one or more foreign 
terrorist organizations to engage in armed conflict that is 
occurring in such country. 
(b) UPDATES.—The President shall update the re-
port required under subsection (a)— 
(1) as new information becomes available; and 
(2) not less frequently than semi-annually. 
(c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 
and the updates required under subsection (b) shall be 
submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classi-
fied annex if necessary. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF COUNTRIES OF CONFLICT CON-
CERN. 
(a) DESIGNATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The President shall des-
ignate a country as a ‘‘Country of Conflict Concern’’ 
if the President determines that— 
(A) the government of such country or 
anti-government forces in the country is allow-
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ing one or more foreign terrorist organizations 
to engage in armed conflict that is occurring in 
such country as identified in the report required 
under section 2(a) or any update to the report 
required under section 2(b); and 
(B) it is in the national security interest of 
the United States to restrict travel by any 
United States national to such country and to 
restrict material support provided by United 
States nationals to entities that are engaged in 
armed conflict in such country. 
(2) INITIAL
DESIGNATION.—Syria shall be 
deemed to have been designated by the President 
under paragraph (1) as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act and the President is not required to no-
tify Congress of such designation of Syria under 
subsection (b). 
(b) REPORT ON DESIGNATION.—Upon designating a 
country as a Country of Conflict Concern under subsection 
(a), the President shall submit to Congress a report noti-
fying Congress of the designation of the country. 
(c) LICENSING REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to any country 
designated as a Country of Conflict Concern under 
subsection (a), the President shall exercise the au-
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thorities of the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705 et seq.) without regard 
to section 202 of such Act to require a United 
States national to obtain a license— 
(A) to travel to such country; or 
(B) to provide material support to entities 
that are engaged in armed conflict in such 
country. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—The requirement to obtain a 
license under paragraph (1) shall not apply with re-
spect to a United States national who is a full-time 
officer or employee of the United States Government 
for purposes of carrying out official business of the 
United States Government. 
(d) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in sub-
sections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall 
apply to a person who violates paragraph (1) or (2) of 
subsection (c), or a regulation prescribed under this Act, 
to the same extent that such penalties apply to a person 
that commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a) 
of that Act (50 U.S.C. 1705(a)). 
(e) TERMINATION OF DESIGNATION.—The designa-
tion of a country as a Country of Conflict Concern under 
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subsection (a) shall terminate on the date on which the 
President submits to Congress a report that contains— 
(1) a determination and certification that sub-
paragraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(1) (as the 
case may be), or both, no longer applies with respect 
to the country; and 
(2) a justification for the determination and 
certification. 
SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 
The President is authorized to promulgate such regu-
lations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions 
of this Act, including the promulgation of such regulations 
under the authority of section 205 of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1704). 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘foreign terrorist organization’’ means any or-
ganization so designated by the Secretary of State 
under section 219 of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189). 
(2) UNITED
STATES
NATIONAL.—The term 
‘‘United States national’’ means— 
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