Hizballah in Latin America Accountability Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.5039 | Sponsor: Rep. Wilson, Joe (R-SC)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Hizballah in Latin America Accountability Act of 2021
This bill establishes requirements related to activities of Hizballah in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Specifically, the President must impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons determined to have knowingly engaged in significant transactions with, or provided material support to, Hizballah in a Latin American or Caribbean country.
The Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Department of State, must report on illicit activities of Hizballah in Latin America and the Caribbean. This report must include (1) an estimate of how much of Hizbollah's budget derives from such activities, (2) an assessment of interagency efforts and progress in countering such activities, and (3) an identification of financial institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean known to be operating on behalf of or with ties to Hizballah.
The Department of Homeland Security must seek to improve (1) data sharing among trade transparency units with respect to operations against malign actors among Latin American and Caribbean countries, and (2) cooperation with federal agencies with respect to trade transparency units.

To impose certain measures with respect to Hizballah-affected areas in 
Latin America and the Caribbean and to impose sanctions with respect to 
     senior foreign political figures in Latin America who support 
                   Hizballah, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hizballah in Latin America 
Accountability Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--In this section, 
        the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the 
                Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Financial Services of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Covered country.--The term ``covered country'' means 
        any of the following:
                    (A) Argentina.
                    (B) Belize.
                    (C) Bolivia.
                    (D) Brazil.
                    (E) Chile.
                    (F) Colombia.
                    (G) Cuba.
                    (H) The Dominican Republic.
                    (I) Ecuador.
                    (J) Mexico.
                    (K) Nicaragua.
                    (L) Panama.
                    (M) Paraguay.
                    (N) Peru.
                    (O) Uruguay.
                    (P) Venezuela.
            (3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 101(d) of the Hizballah 
        International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-
        102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note).
            (4) Good.--The term ``good'' means any article, natural or 
        man-made substance, material, supply or manufactured product, 
        including inspection and test equipment, and excluding 
        technical data.

SEC. 3. REPORTING ON ILLICIT ACTIVITIES OF HIZBALLAH IN LATIN AMERICA 
              AND THE CARIBBEAN.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on illicit activities of Hizballah in 
Latin America and the Caribbean that--
            (1) estimates--
                    (A) the number of operatives acting on behalf of 
                the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and intelligence 
                services in covered countries;
                    (B) the number of operatives acting on behalf of 
                Hizballah in covered countries and whether that number 
                exceeds the number of such operatives last estimated by 
                Mr. Roger F. Noriega in testimony before the Permanent 
                Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
                Representatives in July 2011;
                    (C) how much of Hizballah's annual budget derives 
                from illicit operations in covered countries;
                    (D) the type of weapons that have been smuggled to 
                drug trafficking organizations from Iran, Hizballah, or 
                the Quds Force to Latin America and the Caribbean; and
                    (E) the amount of resources the governments of 
                Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Cuba are supplying 
                to Iran to assist in the development of Iran's weapons 
                of mass destruction programs;
            (2) describes--
                    (A) recruiting efforts and modes of recruitment by 
                Hizballah, including the target audience of such 
                efforts and the language used; and
                    (B) how Hizballah and the Quds Force have advanced 
                their tactics within the covered countries in the 10 
                years preceding the date of the enactment of this Act;
            (3) identifies--
                    (A) financial institutions in covered countries 
                known to be operating on behalf or with ties to 
                Hizballah or the Quds Force; and
                    (B) officials of the governments of covered 
                countries with financial or other ties to the Quds 
                Force or members of Hizballah; and
            (4) assesses--
                    (A) whether Margarita Island, the tri-border area 
                between Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, or any other 
                free trade zone is a headquarters for Hizballah;
                    (B) the relationship between dissidents of the 
                Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (commonly known 
                as the ``FARC'') and members of the National Liberation 
                Army of Colombia (commonly known as the ``ELN'') and 
                Hizballah;
                    (C) interagency efforts and progress in combatting 
                illicit activities of Hizballah in covered countries;
                    (D) the actions of Hizballah in covered countries 
                that violate or undermine internationally recognized 
                human rights;
                    (E) the ability and efforts of the government of 
                each covered country to curb illicit activities of 
                Hizballah; and
                    (F) the extent of the role of multilateral fora in 
                efforts of the United States to counter the illicit 
                activities of Hizballah.
    (b) Briefing Required.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State, shall brief the appropriate 
congressional committees on how Hizballah uses cryptocurrency to 
conduct illicit activities.
    (c) Form of Report.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.

SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF TRADE TRANSPARENCY UNITS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the 
Treasury, shall seek to improve--
            (1) the regional sharing of data among trade transparency 
        units with respect to operations against malign actors among 
        covered countries with trade transparency units and the United 
        States; and
            (2) cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration, 
        the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other Federal agencies 
        with respect to trade transparency units.
    (b) Briefing Required.--Not later than 120 days after date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the 
Treasury, shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on--
            (1) the legal restrictions and limitations in each 
        bilateral agreement between the United States and a covered 
        country establishing a trade transparency unit that prevent the 
        Department of Homeland Security and authorities in that country 
        from operating to their fullest extent against malign actors; 
        and
            (2) recommendations for legislative action to address those 
        restrictions and limitations.

SEC. 5. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SENIOR FOREIGN POLITICAL FIGURES IN 
              LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN SUPPORTING HIZBALLAH.

    (a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions described 
in section 101(b) of the Hizballah International Financing Prevention 
Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) with respect to 
each individual on the list required by subsection (b).
    (b) List.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a list of individuals who 
        are senior foreign political figures in a covered country that 
        the President determines--
                    (A) have knowingly provided material support to or 
                engaged in a significant transaction with Hizballah; or
                    (B) meet the criteria for the imposition of 
                sanctions under the Hizballah International Financing 
                Prevention Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C. 
                1701 note).
            (2) Form.--The list required by paragraph (1) shall be 
        submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified 
        annex.

SEC. 6. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PERSONS SUPPORTING HIZBALLAH 
              IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.

    (a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions described 
in section 101(b) of the Hizballah International Financing Prevention 
Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) with respect to 
each foreign person on the list required by subsection (b).
    (b) List.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a list of foreign persons 
        that the President determines have knowingly directly or 
        indirectly engaged in significant transactions with or provided 
        material support to Hizballah in a covered country.
            (2) Form.--The list required by paragraph (1) shall be 
        submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified 
        annex.

SEC. 7. WAIVER; EXCEPTIONS; PENALTIES.

    (a) Waiver.--The President may waive the imposition of sanctions 
under section 5 or 6 with respect to a foreign person if the 
President--
            (1) determines that such a waiver is in the national 
        interests of the United States; and
            (2) submits to the appropriate congressional committees 
        notice of, and a justification for, the waiver.
    (b) Penalties; Exception To Comply With United Nations Headquarters 
Agreement; Enforcement.--Subsections (b) and (d)(2) of section 105 of 
the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 (Public 
Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) apply with respect to the imposition 
of sanctions under sections 5 and 6 to the same extent as such 
subsections apply with respect to the imposition of sanctions under 
that Act.
    (c) Exception Relating to Importation of Goods.--The authorities 
and requirements to impose sanctions under this Act shall not include 
the authority or requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of 
goods.

SEC. 8. REGULATORY AUTHORITY.

    The President shall issue such regulations, licenses, and orders as 
are necessary to carry out this Act.
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