I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5910 
To amend title 31, United States Code, to establish within the Department 
of the Treasury an Economic Sanctions Strategy, Coordination, and 
Planning Group, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 14, 2016 
Mr. YOUNG of Indiana (for himself, Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois, and Mr. HECK 
of Nevada) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 31, United States Code, to establish within 
the Department of the Treasury an Economic Sanctions 
Strategy, Coordination, and Planning Group, 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 ‘‘Improving Economic 
Sanctions Act of 2016’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ECONOMIC SANCTIONS 
STRATEGY, COORDINATION, AND PLANNING 
GROUP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 3 of sub-
title I of title 31, United States Code, is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 316. Economic Sanctions Strategy, Coordination, 
and Planning Group 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Department of the Treasury an Economic Sanctions 
Strategy, Coordination, and Planning Group (in this sec-
tion referred to as the ‘Group’), which shall— 
‘‘(1) be within the Office of Terrorism and Fi-
nancial Intelligence; and 
‘‘(2) report directly to the Secretary of the 
Treasury. 
‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of the Group 
shall include— 
‘‘(1) the Undersecretary of the Treasury for 
Terrorism and Financial Crimes, who shall serve as 
chairperson of the Group; and 
‘‘(2) a senior level representative (selected by 
the Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial 
Crimes) from each of the following offices and bu-
reau of the Department of the Treasury: 
‘‘(A) The Office of International Affairs. 
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‘‘(B) The Office of Economic Policy. 
‘‘(C) The Office of Legislative Affairs. 
‘‘(D) The Office of Foreign Assets Control. 
‘‘(E) The Office of Intelligence and Anal-
ysis. 
‘‘(F) The Office of Terrorist Financing. 
‘‘(G) The Financial Crimes Enforcement 
Network. 
‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) CONTINGENCY PLANNING.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Group shall con-
duct contingency planning to enable the Office 
of Foreign Assets Control to rapidly impose, 
monitor, and enforce an economic sanctions 
program against a foreign country or entity 
pursuant to the authority of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 
1701 et seq.) or any other provision of law. 
‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—The contingency 
planning required under subparagraph (A) shall 
be based on and guided by the following consid-
erations: 
‘‘(i) The estimated vulnerability of the 
foreign country or entity to economic sanc-
tions. 
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‘‘(ii) Whether certain types of eco-
nomic sanctions will be more effective 
against the economy of the foreign country 
or entity. 
‘‘(iii) Whether economic sanctions can 
be imposed against the foreign country or 
entity with limited costs to the economy of 
the United States. 
‘‘(iv) Whether economic sanctions will 
be more effective if imposed unilaterally by 
the United States or in conjunction with 
other foreign countries and international 
entities. 
‘‘(v) The manner in which economic 
sanctions will be lifted. 
‘‘(2) STRATEGY TO IMPROVE UNITED STATES 
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS POLICY.—The Group shall— 
‘‘(A) review each economic sanctions pro-
gram administered by the Office of Foreign As-
sets Control to identify— 
‘‘(i) specific problems with each eco-
nomic sanctions program; and 
‘‘(ii) general problems with United 
States economic sanctions policy; and 
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‘‘(B) create a strategy to improve each eco-
nomic sanctions program administered by the 
Office of Foreign Assets Control and United 
States economic sanctions policy. 
‘‘(3) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—The Un-
dersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes 
shall— 
‘‘(A) coordinate the development of United 
States economic sanctions policy with the De-
partment of State, Department of Defense, De-
partment of Justice, Department of Commerce, 
National Security Council, Office of the Direc-
tor of National Intelligence, and any other exec-
utive agency as the President may designate; 
and 
‘‘(B) ensure that information related to 
United States economic sanctions policy is 
shared equally between the departments and en-
tities described in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(d) MEETINGS.—The Group may not meet less than 
once per month. 
‘‘(e) SUPPORT STAFF.—The Undersecretary for Ter-
rorism and Financial Crimes or the Secretary of the 
Treasury may assign on a non-reimbursable basis any per-
sonnel of the Department of the Treasury to the Group 
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to assist the Group in carrying out the functions under 
subsection (c). 
‘‘(f) CONSULTATIONS.—In carrying out the functions 
under subsection (c), the Group may consult with policy 
experts from academia, research organizations, the private 
sector, and other relevant organizations and institutions. 
‘‘(g) ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 
2017, and annually thereafter, the Group shall sub-
mit to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Ways 
and Means of the House of Representatives, the 
Committees on Foreign Relations and Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, the Per-
manent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
House of Representatives, and the Select Committee 
on Intelligence of the Senate a report which— 
‘‘(A) shall include— 
‘‘(i) an overview of the contingency 
planning described in subsection (c)(1); 
‘‘(ii) an annex of the problems identi-
fied pursuant to subsection (c)(2)(A); 
‘‘(iii) the strategy created under sub-
section (c)(2)(B); 
‘‘(iv) an overview of the interagency 
coordination described in subsection (c)(3); 
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‘‘(v) an annex of the policy experts 
with whom the Group consulted under sub-
section (f); and 
‘‘(vi) a comprehensive sanctions im-
pact assessment; and 
‘‘(B) may include a classified index and 
closed briefings for the Permanent Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Select Committee on Intel-
ligence of the Senate. 
‘‘(2) COMPONENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE SANC-
TIONS
IMPACT
ASSESSMENT.—The comprehensive 
sanctions impact assessment required under para-
graph (1)(A)(vi)— 
‘‘(A) may be completed using a variety of 
social scientific research methods, including 
quantitative research methods, qualitative re-
search methods, econometrics, and formal mod-
eling; and 
‘‘(B) shall include— 
‘‘(i) an assessment of each economic 
sanctions program administered by the Of-
fice of Foreign Assets Control, including 
the impact of the sanctions on the economy 
of the foreign country or entity, the impact 
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of the sanctions on the economy of the 
United States, and, if applicable, the be-
havioral changes of the foreign country or 
entity in response to the sanctions; and 
‘‘(ii) an annex of the social scientific 
research methods that were used to com-
plete each assessment under clause (i). 
‘‘(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Each report sub-
mitted under this subsection, excluding classified in-
formation, shall be made publicly available on the 
website of the Department of the Treasury and may 
be amended as an economic sanctions program is 
lifted or modified. 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘executive 
agency’ has the meaning given the term in section 
105 of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(2) UNITED
STATES
ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS 
POLICY.—The term ‘United States economic sanc-
tions policy’ means the measures by which the De-
partment of the Treasury develops, implements, 
monitors, enforces, and lifts sanctions against a for-
eign country or entity pursuant to the authority of 
the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
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(50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or any other provision of 
law.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 312(a)(6) 
of such title is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subparagraph: 
‘‘(G) The Economic Sanctions Strategy, 
Coordination, and Planning Group, which shall 
report directly to the Secretary of the Treas-
ury.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 3 of such title is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to section 315 the fol-
lowing new item: 
‘‘316. Economic Sanctions Strategy, Coordination, and Planning Group.’’. 
Æ 
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