I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5595 
To impose additional prohibitions relating to foreign boycotts under Export 
Control Reform Act of 2018, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 13, 2020 
Mr. ZELDIN (for himself, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. BARR, Mr. COOK, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. 
SCHWEIKERT, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. WALKER, Mr. 
GROTHMAN, Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. PERRY, Mr. ROUZER, 
Mr. KATKO, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. LATTA, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mr. 
COMER, Mrs. RODGERS of Washington, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. MOONEY of 
West Virginia, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. FLORES, Mr. BYRNE, Mr. BABIN, Mr. 
BANKS, Mr. MITCHELL, Mr. MAST, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. 
JOHNSON of Ohio, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee, Mr. 
GAETZ, Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. ESTES, Ms. 
FOXX of North Carolina, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. GRAVES of Georgia, Mr. 
DESJARLAIS, Mr. DAVIDSON of Ohio, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
COLLINS of Georgia, Mr. COLE, Mr. DUNN, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. 
NEWHOUSE, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. BUCSHON, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. BUDD, Mr. 
DIAZ-BALART, Mr. LONG, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. AUSTIN 
SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. CURTIS, Mr. YOHO, and 
Mr. NORMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To impose additional prohibitions relating to foreign boycotts 
under Export Control Reform Act of 2018, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Israel Anti-Boycott 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Government of the United States should 
use its voice, vote, and influence with and in inter-
national governmental organizations to actively op-
pose politically motivated actions to boycott, divest 
from, or sanction Israel; 
(2) the Government of the United States com-
bats anti-Israel boycotts and other discriminatory 
activity under the Export Control Reform Act of 
2018 (subtitle B of title XVII of Public Law 115– 
232), under part VI of title X of the Tax Reform 
Act of 1976 (Public Law 94–455; 90 Stat. 1649) 
(commonly referred to as the ‘‘Ribicoff Amend-
ment’’), through trade promotion authorities, in free 
trade agreements, and in accession negotiations to 
the World Trade Organization; however, due to the 
increased anti-Israel economic activity in inter-
national governmental organizations, it is necessary 
to update Federal authorities to combat anti-Israel 
boycotts and other discriminatory activity in such 
fora, including the United Nations Human Rights 
Council; 
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(3) actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction 
Israel represent a concerted effort to extract conces-
sions from Israel outside of direct negotiations be-
tween the Israelis and Palestinians; and 
(4) the United States-Israel Strategic Partner-
ship Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–296; 128 Stat. 
4075) should be fully implemented through en-
hanced, governmentwide, coordinated United States- 
Israel scientific and technological cooperation in ci-
vilian areas, such as with respect to energy, water, 
agriculture, alternative fuel technology, civilian space 
technology, and security in order to counter the ef-
fects of actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction 
Israel. 
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO FOR-
EIGN BOYCOTTS UNDER EXPORT CONTROL 
REFORM ACT OF 2018. 
(a) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—Section 1772 of the 
Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4841) is 
amended— 
(1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(1) to oppose restrictive trade practices or 
boycotts fostered or imposed by foreign countries or 
international governmental organizations, or efforts 
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by foreign countries or international governmental 
organizations to collect information that have the ef-
fect of furthering or supporting restrictive trade 
practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by foreign 
countries or international governmental organiza-
tions, against other countries friendly to the United 
States or against any United States person;’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or inter-
national governmental organization’’ after ‘‘any for-
eign country’’. 
(b) FOREIGN BOYCOTTS.—Section 1773 of the Ex-
port Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4842) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘United States 
person’’ and inserting ‘‘covered per-
son’’; and 
(II) by inserting after ‘‘foreign 
country’’ the following: ‘‘or an inter-
national governmental organization, 
or efforts by a foreign country or 
international governmental organiza-
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tice or boycott fostered or imposed by a foreign 
country or international governmental organiza-
tion. Such information includes information 
about whether any person has, has had, or pro-
poses to have any business relationship (includ-
ing a relationship by way of sale, purchase, 
legal or commercial representation, shipping or 
other transport, insurance, investment, or sup-
ply)— 
‘‘(I) with or in the country to which 
the restrictive trade practice or boycott ap-
plies; 
‘‘(II) with any business concern orga-
nized under the laws of that country; 
‘‘(III) with any national or resident of 
that country; or 
‘‘(IV) with any other person which is 
known or believed to be restricted from 
having any business relationship with or in 
a foreign country, or with an international 
governmental organization, that fosters or 
imposes the restrictive trade practice or 
boycott. 
‘‘(iii) Nothing in this paragraph shall pro-
hibit the furnishing of normal business informa-
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tion in a commercial context as defined by the 
Secretary.’’; and 
(iv) in subparagraph (F), by striking 
‘‘United States person’’ and inserting 
‘‘covered person’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)(F), by striking 
‘‘United States person’’ and inserting ‘‘covered 
person’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘United 
States person’’ and inserting ‘‘covered person’’; 
(2) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘or inter-
national governmental organizations against other 
countries, or regarding efforts by foreign countries 
or international governmental organizations to col-
lect information that have the effect of furthering or 
supporting restrictive trade practices or boycotts fos-
tered or imposed by foreign countries or inter-
national governmental organizations’’ after ‘‘foreign 
countries’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) COVERED PERSON DEFINED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 
‘covered person’ means— 
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‘‘(A) any domestic concern (including any 
permanent domestic establishment of any for-
eign concern); 
‘‘(B) any foreign subsidiary or affiliate (in-
cluding any permanent foreign establishment) 
of any domestic concern which is controlled in 
fact by such domestic concern, as determined 
under regulations of the President; 
‘‘(C) the government of the United States 
or any State, territory, or possession of the 
United States, or any subdivision, department, 
agency, or commission of any such government; 
or 
‘‘(D) an individual who is— 
‘‘(i) a United States resident or na-
tional (other than such an individual resid-
ing outside the United States and em-
ployed by other than a United States per-
son); 
‘‘(ii) an owner, officer, director, em-
ployee, or agent of a domestic concern de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) or a foreign 
subsidiary or affiliate described in subpara-
graph (B) or an officer, director, employee, 
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or agent of an entity described in subpara-
graph (C); and 
‘‘(iii) acting in the individual’s official 
capacity as such an owner, officer, direc-
tor, employee, or agent. 
‘‘(2) DOMESTIC
CONCERN.—For purposes of 
paragraph (1), the term ‘domestic concern’ does not 
include an individual.’’. 
(c) VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 1773(a).—Section 1774 
of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 
4843) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘A person’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in subsection (e), 
a person’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) CERTAIN VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 1773(a).— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whoever knowingly violates 
or conspires to or attempts to violate a regulation 
issued under section 1773(a) prohibiting an action 
described in paragraph (2) shall be subject to only 
a monetary penalty under subsection (a) or (b). 
‘‘(2) ACTIONS
DESCRIBED.—An action de-
scribed in this paragraph is any action described in 
subparagraphs 
(A) 
through 
(F) 
of 
section 
1773(a)(1) taken by a covered person (as defined in 
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section 1773(d)), or knowingly agreed to be taken by 
such a person, with respect to the person’s activities 
in the interstate or foreign commerce of the United 
States, with the intent to comply with, further, or 
support— 
‘‘(A) any boycott fostered or imposed by an 
international governmental organization against 
a country which is friendly to the United States 
and which is not itself the object of any form 
of boycott pursuant to United States law or 
regulation; or 
‘‘(B) efforts by a foreign country or inter-
national governmental organization to collect 
information that have the effect of furthering or 
supporting restrictive trade practices or boy-
cotts fostered or imposed by a foreign country 
or 
international 
governmental 
organization 
against a country described in subparagraph 
(A).’’. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—Part II of the Export Control Re-
form Act of 2018 is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 1775. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this part: 
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‘‘(1) INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTAL ORGANI-
ZATION.—The term ‘international governmental or-
ganization’ includes— 
‘‘(A) the United Nations, including organi-
zations within the United Nations such as the 
United Nations Human Rights Council; and 
‘‘(B) the European Union. 
‘‘(2) EFFORTS
BY
A
FOREIGN
COUNTRY
OR 
INTERNATIONAL
GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATION, 
ETC.—The term ‘efforts by a foreign country or 
international governmental organization to collect in-
formation that have the effect of furthering or sup-
porting a restrictive trade practice or boycott fos-
tered or imposed by a foreign country or inter-
national governmental organization’ includes efforts 
by the United Nations Human Rights Council to col-
lect information for the establishment of a database 
of entities that operate, or have business relations 
with entities that operate, beyond Israel’s 1949 Ar-
mistice lines, including East Jerusalem.’’. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment 
of this Act and apply with respect to actions described 
in section 1773(a) of the Export Control Reform Act of 
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