Title: Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act
This bill states that it should be U.S. policy to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.
The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel, (2) every Israeli citizen should have the right to reside anywhere in Jerusalem, (3) the President and the Department of State should affirm as a matter of U.S. policy that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel, (4) the President should implement the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and begin the process of relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, (5) U.S. officials should refrain from actions that contradict U.S. law on this subject, and (6) any official U.S. government document that lists countries and their capital cities should identify Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is amended to eliminate the President's authority to waive certain funding limitations for State Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
The bill: (1) prohibits more than 50% of the amounts appropriated to the State Department for FY2017 for embassy security, construction, and maintenance from being obligated until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened; and (2) restricts the availability and expenditure of amounts authorized for such purpose for FY 2018 and FY2019 to construction and other costs associated with the establishment of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 11 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 11

    To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, to relocate to 
 Jerusalem the United States Embassy in Israel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 3, 2017

   Mr. Heller (for himself, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Cotton, and Mr. 
    Inhofe) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, to relocate to 
 Jerusalem the United States Embassy in Israel, 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 ``Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition 
Act''.

SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL AND 
              RELOCATION OF THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM.

    (a) Statement of Policy.--It should be the policy of the United 
States to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of 
Israel, both de jure and de facto.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the 
        rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as 
        they have been by Israel since 1967;
            (2) every citizen of Israel should have the right to reside 
        anywhere in the undivided city of Jerusalem;
            (3) the President and the Secretary of State should 
        publicly affirm as a matter of United States policy that 
        Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of the State of 
        Israel;
            (4) the President should immediately implement the 
        provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 
        104-45) and begin the process of relocating the United States 
        Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem;
            (5) United States officials should refrain from any actions 
        that contradict United States law on this subject; and
            (6) any official document of the United States Government 
        which lists countries and their capital cities should identify 
        Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
    (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``United States 
Embassy'' means the offices of the United States diplomatic mission and 
the residence of the United States chief of mission.
    (d) Amendment of Waiver Authority.--The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 
1995 (Public Law 104-45) is amended--
            (1) by striking section 7; and
            (2) by redesignating section 8 as section 7.
    (e) Restriction on Funding Subject to Opening Determination.--Not 
more than 50 percent of the amounts appropriated to the Department of 
State for fiscal year 2017 under the heading ``Embassy Security, 
Construction, and Maintenance'' may be obligated until the Secretary of 
State determines and reports to Congress that the United States Embassy 
in Jerusalem has officially opened.
    (f) Funding.--
            (1) Fiscal year 2018.--Of the amounts authorized to be 
        appropriated under the heading ``Embassy Security, 
        Construction, and Maintenance'' for the Department of State for 
        fiscal year 2018, such sums as may be necessary should be made 
        available until expended only for construction and other costs 
        associated with the establishment of the United States Embassy 
        in Jerusalem.
            (2) Fiscal year 2019.--Of the amounts authorized to be 
        appropriated under the heading ``Embassy Security, 
        Construction, and Maintenance'' for the Department of State for 
        fiscal year 2019, such sums as may be necessary should be made 
        available until expended only for construction and other costs 
        associated with the establishment of the United States Embassy 
        in Jerusalem.

SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.

    Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of State shall submit a report to Congress that--
            (1) details the Department of State's plan to implement 
        this Act;
            (2) includes estimated dates of completion for each phase 
        of the establishment of the United States Embassy, including--
                    (A) site identification;
                    (B) land acquisition;
                    (C) architectural, engineering, and construction 
                surveys;
                    (D) site preparation; and
                    (E) construction; and
            (3) includes an estimate of the funding needed to implement 
        this Act, including all costs associated with establishing the 
        United States Embassy in Jerusalem.
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