I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1736 
To prohibit the availability of funds to provide assistance to foreign countries 
that criminalize or discriminate based on sexual orientation, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 23, 2023 
Mr. SANTOS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To prohibit the availability of funds to provide assistance 
to foreign countries that criminalize or discriminate 
based on sexual orientation, 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 ‘‘Equality and Fiscal 
Accountability Protection Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
FOREIGN COUNTRIES THAT CRIMINALIZE OR 
DISCRIMINATE BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTA-
TION. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b), no Federal funds may be obligated or expended to 
provide assistance, directly or indirectly, to a country de-
scribed in subsection (c). 
(b) EXCEPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President may author-
ize an obligation or expenditure of Federal funds to 
assist a country described in subsection (c) only if 
the President determines, on a case-by-case basis, 
that such proposed obligation or expenditure is vital 
to the national security interests of the United 
States. 
(2) BRIEFING.—Upon making a determination 
under paragraph (1), the President, acting through 
the Secretary of State, shall provide to the appro-
priate congressional committees and congressional 
leadership a briefing on such determination. 
(c) COUNTRIES DESCRIBED.—A country described in 
this subsection is a foreign country the government of 
which the President determines has enacted or established 
and is implementing any provision of law, or provision 
which has the force and effect of law, that criminalizes 
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or discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, includ-
ing by criminalizing homosexuality or same-sex marriage. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the following: 
(A) The Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
of the House of Representatives. 
(B) The Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate. 
(2) CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP.—The term 
‘‘congressional leadership’’ means the following: 
(A) The Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
(B) The minority leader of the House of 
Representatives. 
(C) The majority leader of the Senate. 
(D) The minority leader of the Senate. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act shall take effect on 
the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
Æ 
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