(A) procedures the Department has insti-
tuted to protect international cultural property 
at risk of destruction due to political instability, 
armed conflict, or natural or other disasters; 
and 
(B) actions the Department has taken to 
protect international cultural property in con-
flicts to which the United States is a party; 
(3) the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) to protect international cul-
tural property, including activities and coordination 
with other Federal agencies, international organiza-
tions, and nongovernmental organizations regarding 
the protection of international cultural property at 
risk due to political unrest, armed conflict, natural 
or other disasters, and USAID development pro-
grams; 
(4) the Department of Defense to protect inter-
national cultural property, including activities under-
taken pursuant to the Hague Convention for the 
Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of 
Armed Conflict and other cultural property protec-
tion statutes and international agreements, includ-
ing—
(A) directives, policies, and regulations the 
Department has instituted to protect inter-
national cultural property at risk of destruction 
due to political instability, armed conflict, or 
natural or other disasters; and 
(B) actions the Department has taken to 
avoid damage to cultural property through con-
struction activities abroad; and 
(5) the Department of Homeland Security and 
the Department of Justice, including the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, to protect both inter-
national cultural property abroad and international 
cultural property located in, or attempted to be im-
ported into, the United States, including activities 
undertaken pursuant to statutes and international 
agreements, including— 
(A) statutes and regulations the Depart-
ment has employed in criminal, civil, and civil 
forfeiture actions to prevent and interdict traf-
ficking in stolen and smuggled cultural prop-
erty, including investigations into transnational 
organized crime and smuggling networks; and 
(B) actions the Department has taken in 
order to ensure the consistent and effective ap-
plication of law in cases relating to both inter-
national cultural property abroad and inter-
national cultural property located in, or at-
tempted to be imported into, the United States. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES TO EN-
GAGE IN INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROP-
ERTY PROTECTION ACTIVITIES WITH THE 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any 
agency that is involved in international cultural property 
protection activities is authorized to enter into agreements 
or memoranda of understanding with the Smithsonian In-
stitution to temporarily engage personnel from the Smith-
sonian Institution for the purposes of furthering such 
international cultural property protection activities. 
SEC. 8. EMERGENCY PROTECTION FOR SYRIAN CULTURAL 
PROPERTY. 
(a) 
PRESIDENTIAL
DETERMINATION.—Notwith-
standing subsection (b) of section 304 of the Convention 
on Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 
2603) (relating to a Presidential determination that an 
emergency condition applies with respect to any archae-
ological or ethnological material of any State Party to the 
Convention), the President shall apply the import restric-
tions referred to in such section 304 with respect to any 
archaeological or ethnological material of Syria, except
that subsection (c) of such section 304 shall not apply. 
Such import restrictions shall take effect not later than 
120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) ANNUAL DETERMINATION REGARDING CERTIFI-
CATION.— 
(1) DETERMINATION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The President shall, 
not less often than annually, determine whether 
at least one of the conditions specified in sub-
paragraph (B) is met, and shall notify the ap-
propriate congressional committees of such de-
termination. 
(B) CONDITIONS.—The conditions referred 
to in subparagraph (A) are the following: 
(i) The Government of Syria is in-
capable, at the time a determination under 
such subparagraph is made, of fulfilling 
the requirements to request an agreement 
under section 303 of the Convention on 
Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 
U.S.C. 2602). 
(ii) It would be against the United 
States national interest to enter into such 
an agreement.
(2) TERMINATION OF RESTRICTIONS.—The im-
port restrictions referred to in subsection (a) shall 
terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date 
on which the President determines that neither of 
the conditions specified in paragraph (1)(B) are 
met, unless before such termination date Syria re-
quests to enter into an agreement with the United 
States pursuant to section 303 of the Convention on 
Cultural Property Implementation Act, in which case 
such import restrictions may remain in effect until 
the earliest of either— 
(A) the date that is 3 years after the date 
on which Syria makes such a request; or 
(B) the date on which the United States 
and Syria enter into such an agreement. 
(c) WAIVER.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The President may waive 
the import restrictions referred to in subsection (a) 
for specified cultural property if the President cer-
tifies to the appropriate congressional committees 
that the conditions described in paragraph (2) are 
met. 
(2) CONDITIONS.—The conditions referred to in 
paragraph (1) are the following:
(A) The foreign owner or custodian of the 
specified cultural property has requested such 
property be temporarily located in the United 
States for protection purposes. 
(B) Such property shall be returned to the 
foreign owner or custodian when requested by 
such foreign owner or custodian. 
(C) Granting a waiver under this sub-
section will not contribute to illegal trafficking 
in cultural property or financing of criminal or 
terrorist activities. 
(3) ACTION.—If the President grants a waiver 
under this subsection, the specified cultural property 
that is the subject of such waiver shall be placed in 
the temporary custody of the United States Govern-
ment or in the temporary custody of a cultural or 
educational institution within the United States for 
the purpose of protection, restoration, conservation, 
study, or exhibition, without profit. 
(4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
Act shall prevent application of the Act to render 
immune from seizure under judicial process certain 
objects of cultural significance imported into the 
United States for temporary display or exhibition, 
and for other purposes (22 U.S.C. 2459; Public Law
89–259) with respect to archaeological or ethno-
logical material of Syria. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘archaeological or ethnological ma-
terial of Syria’’ means cultural property of Syria and 
other items of archaeological, historical, cultural, 
rare scientific, or religious importance unlawfully re-
moved from Syria on or after March 15, 2011; and 
(2) the term ‘‘State Party’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 302 of the Convention on 
Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 
2601). 
Passed the House of Representatives June 1, 2015. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 1493 
AN ACT 
To protect and preserve international cultural prop-
erty at risk due to political instability, armed 
conflict, or natural or other disasters, and for 
other purposes.