I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4507 
To protect Saudi dissidents in the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 
Mr. CONNOLLY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Permanent Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence, 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 protect Saudi dissidents in the United States, 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 ‘‘Protection of Saudi 
Dissidents Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and 
Washington Post columnist, was killed and dis-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
membered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Tur-
key on October 2, 2018, by agents with close ties to 
the Government of Saudi Arabia. 
(2) Khashoggi was a longtime resident of the 
United States, living in Virginia under an ‘‘O’’ visa 
and was in the process of applying for a permanent 
residency. Two of his four children are United 
States citizens. 
(3) For many years, Khashoggi wrote on Saudi 
political and cultural issues and after criticisms of 
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Khashoggi 
chose to reside in the United States due to his grow-
ing fear of arrest in Saudi Arabia. From a self-im-
posed exile, he wrote monthly columns in the Wash-
ington Post, including columns that criticized var-
ious Saudi policies. 
(4) On October 2, 2018, Khashoggi visited the 
Saudi consulate in Istanbul with his fiance´e to con-
duct routine consular matters. She waited for him 
for over ten hours outside the consulate, but he 
never re-emerged. The Turkish authorities subse-
quently reported that Khashoggi was murdered in-
side the Saudi consulate. 
(5) For over two weeks following the murder, 
Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi’s 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
under the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et 
seq.), regardless of the amount of such articles, services, 
or equipment, to an intelligence, internal security, or law 
enforcement agency or instrumentality of the Government 
of Saudi Arabia, or to any person acting as an agent of 
or on behalf of such agency or instrumentality. 
(b) SUBSEQUENT PERIODS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During the 120-day period 
beginning on the day after the end of the 120-day 
period described in subsection (a), and every 120 
days thereafter, the President may not transfer, sell, 
or authorize a license for export of any defense arti-
cles or services, any design and construction serv-
ices, or any major defense equipment under the 
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), 
regardless of the amount of such articles, services, 
or equipment, to an intelligence, internal security, or 
law enforcement agency or instrumentality of the 
Government of Saudi Arabia, or to any person act-
ing as an agent of or on behalf of such agency or 
instrumentality, unless the President submits to the 
chairman and ranking member of the appropriate 
congressional committees a certification described in 
paragraph (2) with respect to such 120-day period. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
(2) CERTIFICATION.—A certification described 
in this paragraph is a certification that contains a 
determination of the President that— 
(A) the Government of Saudi Arabia is co-
operating with an independent, international in-
vestigation 
into 
the 
murder 
of 
Jamal 
Khashoggi; 
(B) the Government of Saudi Arabia has 
released any individual who is a journalist, 
blogger, human rights defender, advocate for 
religious freedom, or civil society activist de-
tained by the Government of Saudi Arabia for 
such individual’s work; 
(C) the Government of Saudi Arabia is re-
fraining 
from 
arresting, 
detaining, 
and 
harassing individuals for blasphemy and apos-
tasy, and is protecting the equal rights of all 
citizens to freedom of religion or belief; 
(D) the Government of Saudi Arabia has 
taken verifiable steps to end the torture of de-
tainees; and 
(E) the Government of Saudi Arabia has 
disbanded any units of its intelligence or secu-
rity apparatus dedicated to the forced repatri-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
ation, silencing, or killing of dissidents in other 
countries. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 
SEC. 4. REPORT ON CONSISTENT PATTERN OF ACTS OF IN-
TIMIDATION 
OR 
HARASSMENT 
DIRECTED 
AGAINST 
INDIVIDUALS 
IN 
THE 
UNITED 
STATES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2756) states that no export licenses may 
be issued to any country determined by the Presi-
dent to be engaged in a consistent pattern of acts 
of intimidation or harassment directed against indi-
viduals in the United States. 
(2) Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act 
further requires the President to report any such de-
termination promptly to the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
of the House of Representatives, and to the chair-
man of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate a report on whether any official of the Govern-
ment of Saudi Arabia engaged in a consistent pattern of 
acts of intimidation or harassment directed against Jamal 
Khashoggi or any individual in the United States. 
(c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (b) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 5. REPORT AND CERTIFICATION WITH RESPECT TO 
SAUDI DIPLOMATS AND DIPLOMATIC FACILI-
TIES IN THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and 
the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report covering 
the three year period before such date regarding whether 
and to what extent covered persons used diplomatic cre-
dentials or covered facilities to monitor, track, surveil, har-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
ass, or harm other Saudi nationals living in the United 
States. 
(b) CERTIFICATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act and an-
nually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of 
State shall, if the Secretary determines that such is 
the case, submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a certification that covered persons are 
not using diplomatic credentials or covered facilities 
to monitor, track, surveil, harass, or harm Saudi na-
tionals living in the United States during the time 
period covered by each such certification. 
(2) FAILURE
TO
SUBMIT
CERTIFICATION.—If 
the Secretary of State does not submit a certifi-
cation under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) close one or more covered facilities for 
such period of time until the Secretary does 
submit such a certification; and 
(B) submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committee a report that contains— 
(i) a detailed explanation of why the 
Secretary is unable to make such a certifi-
cation; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
(ii) an identification of the locations 
of the covered facilities referred to in sub-
paragraph (A). 
(c) FORM.—Each report required by subsection (a) 
and the certification and report required by subsection (b) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain 
a classified annex. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate. 
(2) COVERED
FACILITY.—The term ‘‘covered 
facility’’ means a diplomatic or consular facility of 
Saudi Arabia in the United States. 
(3) COVERED
PERSON.—The term ‘‘covered 
person’’ means a Saudi national credentialed to a 
covered facility. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
SEC. 6. REPORT ON THE DUTY TO WARN OBLIGATION OF 
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that Intelligence 
Community Directive 191 provides that— 
(1) when an element of the intelligence commu-
nity of the United States collects or acquires credible 
and specific information indicating an impending 
threat of intentional killing, serious bodily injury, or 
kidnapping directed at a person, the agency must 
‘‘warn the intended victim or those responsible for 
protecting the intended victim, as appropriate’’; and 
(2) when issues arise with respect to whether 
the threat information rises to the threshold of 
‘‘duty to warn’’, the directive calls for resolution in 
favor of warning the intended victim. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National In-
telligence shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report with respect to— 
(1) whether and how the intelligence community 
fulfilled its duty to warn Jamal Khashoggi of threats 
to his life and liberty pursuant to Intelligence Com-
munity Directive 191; and 
(2) in the case of the intelligence community 
not fulfilling its duty to warn as described in para-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
graph (1), why the intelligence community did not 
fulfill this duty. 
(c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (b) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain 
a classified annex. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate. 
(2) DUTY TO WARN.—The term ‘‘duty to warn’’ 
has the meaning given that term in Intelligence 
Community Directive 191, as in effect on July 21, 
2015. 
(3) INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY.—The term 
‘‘intelligence community’’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 3(4) of the National Security 
Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)). 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:31 Oct 01, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4507.IH
H4507
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS