Title: Stop Iran From Smuggling Weapons to Terrorists Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Stop Iran From Smuggling Weapons to Terrorists Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide training to: (1) the national military or other security forces of Israel, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar that have among their functional responsibilities maritime security missions; and (2) ministry, agency, and headquarters level organizations for such forces.
Such assistance and training may be referred to as the Counter Iran Maritime Initiative.
Such training: (1) may include the provision of de minimis equipment, supplies, and small-scale military construction; and (2) shall include the promotion of human rights and respect for legitimate civilian authority.
It is the sense of Congress that DOD should seek payments from such countries to offset training costs. DOD shall negotiate a training cost-sharing agreement with a recipient country that covers at least 50% of related costs.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1619 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1619

To authorize assistance and training to increase maritime security and 
 domain awareness of foreign countries bordering the Persian Gulf, the 
  Arabian Sea, or the Mediterranean Sea in order to deter and counter 
  illicit smuggling and related maritime activity by Iran, including 
                   illicit Iranian weapons shipments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2017

   Mr. Ruiz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize assistance and training to increase maritime security and 
 domain awareness of foreign countries bordering the Persian Gulf, the 
  Arabian Sea, or the Mediterranean Sea in order to deter and counter 
  illicit smuggling and related maritime activity by Iran, including 
                   illicit Iranian weapons shipments.

    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 ``Stop Iran From Smuggling Weapons to 
Terrorists Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING TO INCREASE 
              MARITIME SECURITY AND DOMAIN AWARENESS OF FOREIGN 
              COUNTRIES BORDERING THE PERSIAN GULF, ARABIAN SEA, OR 
              MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to authorize 
assistance and training to increase maritime security and domain 
awareness of foreign countries bordering the Persian Gulf, the Arabian 
Sea, or the Mediterranean Sea in order to deter and counter illicit 
smuggling and related maritime activity by Iran, including illicit 
Iranian weapons shipments.
    (b) Authority.--
            (1) In general.--To carry out the purpose of this section 
        as described in subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense, with 
        the concurrence of the Secretary of State, is authorized--
                    (A) to provide training to the national military or 
                other security forces of Israel, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, 
                the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar that 
                have among their functional responsibilities maritime 
                security missions; and
                    (B) to provide training to ministry, agency, and 
                headquarters level organizations for such forces.
            (2) Designation.--The provision of assistance and training 
        under this section may be referred to as the ``Counter Iran 
        Maritime Initiative''.
    (c) Types of Training.--
            (1) Authorized elements of training.--Training provided 
        under subsection (b)(1)(A) may include the provision of de 
        minimis equipment, supplies, and small-scale military 
        construction.
            (2) Required elements of training.--Training provided under 
        subsection (b) shall include elements that promote the 
        following:
                    (A) Observance of and respect for human rights and 
                fundamental freedoms.
                    (B) Respect for legitimate civilian authority 
                within the country to which the assistance is provided.
    (d) Availability of Funds.--Of the amount authorized to be 
appropriated for fiscal year 2018 and available for operation and 
maintenance for Defense-wide activities, $50,000,000 shall be available 
only for the provision of assistance and training under subsection (b).
    (e) Cost Sharing.--
            (1) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, 
        given income parity among recipient countries, the Secretary of 
        Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, should 
        seek, through appropriate bilateral and multilateral 
        arrangements, payments sufficient in amount to offset any 
        training costs associated with implementation of subsection 
        (b).
            (2) Cost-sharing agreement.--The Secretary of Defense, with 
        the concurrence of the Secretary of State, shall negotiate a 
        cost-sharing agreement with a recipient country regarding the 
        cost of any training provided pursuant to subsection (b). The 
        agreement shall set forth the terms of cost sharing that the 
        Secretary of Defense determines are necessary and appropriate, 
        but such terms shall not be less than 50 percent of the overall 
        cost of the training.
            (3) Credit to appropriations.--The portion of such cost 
        sharing received by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to this 
        subsection may be credited towards appropriations available for 
        operation and maintenance for Defense-wide activities.
    (f) Notice to Congress on Training.--Not later than 15 days before 
exercising the authority under subsection (b) with respect to a 
recipient country, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a notification containing the 
following:
            (1) An identification of the recipient country.
            (2) A detailed justification of the program for the 
        provision of the training concerned, and its relationship to 
        United States security interests.
            (3) The budget for the program, including a timetable of 
        planned expenditures of funds to implement the program, an 
        implementation timeline for the program with milestones 
        (including anticipated delivery schedules for any assistance 
        and training under the program), the military department or 
        component responsible for management of the program, and the 
        anticipated completion date for the program.
            (4) A description of the arrangements, if any, to support 
        recipient country sustainment of any capability developed 
        pursuant to the program, and the source of funds to support 
        sustainment efforts and performance outcomes to be achieved 
        under the program beyond its completion date, if applicable.
            (5) A description of the program objectives and an 
        assessment framework to be used to develop capability and 
        performance metrics associated with operational outcomes for 
        the recipient force.
            (6) Such other matters as the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.
    (g) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
        Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
        House of Representatives.
    (h) Termination.--Assistance and training may not be provided under 
this section after September 30, 2021.
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