PUNISH Act of 2022
Bill: S.4924 | Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni (R-IA)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian Supported Homicides Act of 2022 or the PUNISH Act of 2022
This bill extends sanctions and national emergencies related to Iran established by specified executive orders and limits the authority of the President to waive sanctions related to Iran. The bill requires the Department of State to periodically report whether Iran or any foreign person has supported specified activities, including murder or politically motivated detention in Iran of a U.S. citizen.

To continue in effect certain Executive orders imposing sanctions with 
respect to Iran, to prevent the waiver of certain sanctions imposed by 
  the United States with respect to Iran until the Government of Iran 
ceases to attempt to assassinate United States officials, other United 
 States citizens, and Iranian nationals residing in the United States, 
                        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 ``Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious 
Iranian Supported Homicides Act of 2022'' or the ``PUNISH Act of 
2022''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Appropriations, 
                and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; 
                and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, 
                and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of 
                the House of Representatives.
            (2) Covered executive order.--The term ``covered Executive 
        order'' means any of the following:
                    (A) Executive Order 13871 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; 
                relating to imposing sanctions with respect to the 
                iron, steel, aluminum, and copper sectors of Iran), as 
                in effect on May 10, 2019.
                    (B) Executive Order 13876 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; 
                relating to imposing sanctions with respect to Iran), 
                as in effect on June 24, 2019.
                    (C) Executive Order 13902 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; 
                relating to imposing sanctions with respect to 
                additional sectors of Iran), as in effect on January 
                10, 2020.
                    (D) Executive Order 13949 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; 
                relating to blocking property of certain persons with 
                respect to the conventional arms activities of Iran), 
                as in effect on September 21, 2020.
            (3) Covered provision of law.--The term ``covered provision 
        of law'' means any of the following:
                    (A) This Act.
                    (B) Each covered Executive order.
                    (C) The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-
                172; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note).
                    (D) The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 
                Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 
                8501 et seq.).
                    (E) Section 1245 of the National Defense 
                Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (22 U.S.C. 
                8513a).
                    (F) The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human 
                Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8701 et seq.).
                    (G) The Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act 
                of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8801 et seq.).
                    (H) Title I of the Countering America's Adversaries 
                Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9401 et seq.).
                    (I) The International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
                (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq).
            (4) Government of iran.--The term ``Government of Iran'' 
        includes--
                    (A) any agency or instrumentality of the Government 
                of Iran; and
                    (B) any person owned or controlled by that 
                Government.

SEC. 3. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF CERTAIN EXECUTIVE ORDERS IMPOSING 
              SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO IRAN.

    (a) In General.--Each covered Executive order shall remain in 
effect and continue to apply, and may not be modified, until the 
termination date described in section 10.
    (b) Continuation in Effect of Sanctions Designations.--With respect 
to each person designated for the imposition of sanctions pursuant to a 
covered Executive order before the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the designation of the person, and sanctions applicable to the person 
pursuant to the designation, shall remain in effect and continue to 
apply, and may not be modified, until the termination date described in 
section 10.
    (c) Publication.--In publishing this Act in slip form and in the 
United States Statutes at Large pursuant to section 112 of title 1, 
United States Code, the Archivist of the United States shall include at 
the end an appendix setting forth the text of each covered Executive 
order.

SEC. 4. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF NATIONAL EMERGENCIES DECLARED WITH 
              RESPECT TO IRAN.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding subsection (a)(2) or (d) of 
section 202 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622), the 
national emergencies specified in subsection (b) shall remain in effect 
and continue to apply, and may not be modified, until the termination 
date described in section 10.
    (b) National Emergencies Specified.--The national emergencies 
specified in this subsection are the following national emergencies 
declared with respect to Iran:
            (1) The national emergency declared by Executive Order 
        12170 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking Iranian 
        Government property) and most recently continued by the Notice 
        of the President issued November 9, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 62,709).
            (2) The national emergency declared by Executive Order 
        12957 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to prohibiting certain 
        transactions with respect to the development of Iranian 
        petroleum resources) and most recently continued by the Notice 
        of the President issued March 3, 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 12,555).

SEC. 5. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE CENTRAL 
              BANK OF IRAN, THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND OF IRAN, THE 
              ETEMAD TEJARTE PARS COMPANY, THE NATIONAL IRANIAN OIL 
              COMPANY, AND THE NATIONAL IRANIAN TANKER COMPANY UNDER 
              EXECUTIVE ORDER 13224.

    With respect to each Iranian person designated on January 1, 2021, 
for the imposition of sanctions under Executive Order 13224 (50 U.S.C. 
1701 note; relating to blocking property and prohibiting transactions 
with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism), as 
in effect on September 9, 2019, the designation of the person, and 
sanctions applicable to the person pursuant to the designation, shall 
remain in effect and continue to apply, and may not be modified, until 
the termination date described in section 10.

SEC. 6. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION 
              DESIGNATION OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS.

    The designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a 
foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189), and sanctions applicable to the 
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pursuant to that designation, shall 
remain in effect and continue to apply, and may not be modified, until 
the termination date described in section 10.

SEC. 7. PROHIBITION ON SANCTIONS RELIEF FOR IRANIAN FINANCIAL 
              INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO PETROLEUM 
              PURCHASES FROM IRAN.

    Section 1245(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8513a(d)) is amended by striking paragraph 
(4) and inserting the following:
            ``(4) Limitation on authority.--The President may not 
        exercise the authority under paragraph (5) to waive the 
        imposition of sanctions under paragraph (1), or issue any 
        license to authorize the purchase of petroleum or petroleum 
        products from Iran, unless the determination set forth in the 
        most recent report submitted under subsection (a) of section 9 
        of the Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian Supported 
        Homicides Act of 2022 was a determination that the Government 
        of Iran has not engaged in any of activities described in 
        subsection (b) of that section during the 5-year period 
        preceding submission of the report.''.

SEC. 8. LIMITATION ON WAIVER, SUSPENSION, OR REDUCTION OF SANCTIONS 
              WITH RESPECT TO IRAN.

    The President may not waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, 
or otherwise limit the application of sanctions imposed pursuant to any 
covered provision of law unless, in addition to the requirements for a 
waiver under that provision of law, the determination set forth in the 
most recent report submitted under subsection (a) of section 9 was a 
determination that the Government of Iran has not engaged in any of 
activities described in subsection (b) of that section during the 5-
year period preceding submission of the report.

SEC. 9. DETERMINATION ON THE CESSATION OF IRANIAN-SPONSORED 
              ASSASSINATIONS OR ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATIONS OF UNITED 
              STATES CITIZENS AND IRANIAN RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED 
              STATES.

    (a) Determination Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the 
Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the 
Director of National Intelligence, and the Secretary of the Treasury, 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
setting forth a determination of whether the Government of Iran or any 
foreign person (including any foreign financial institution) has 
directly or indirectly ordered, controlled, directed, or otherwise 
supported (including through the use of Iranian agents or affiliates of 
the Government of Iran, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Kata'ib Hezbollah, 
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or any other entity determined to be such an 
agent or affiliate) any of the activities described in subsection (b) 
during the 5-year period preceding submission of the report.
    (b) Activities Described.--The activities described in this 
subsection are--
            (1) the murder, attempted murder, assault, or other use or 
        threat to use violence against--
                    (A) any current or former official of the 
                Government of the United States, wherever located;
                    (B) any United States citizen or alien lawfully 
                admitted for permanent residence in the United States, 
                wherever located; or
                    (C) any Iranian national residing in the United 
                States; or
            (2) the politically motivated intimidation, abuse, 
        extortion, or detention or trial--
                    (A) in Iran, of a United States citizen or alien 
                lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United 
                States; or
                    (B) outside of Iran, of an Iranian national or 
                resident or individual of Iranian origin.

SEC. 10. TERMINATION DATE.

    The termination date described in this section is the date that is 
30 days after the date on which the President submits to Congress the 
certification described in section 401(a) of the Comprehensive Iran 
Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 
8551(a)).
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