Title: Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2019
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2019
This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons that use violence to threaten peace and stability in Iraq or to undermine the country's democratic processes and economic reconstruction. The sanctions include blocking property transactions involving such a sanctioned individual and blocking such a person's entry into the United States. Any current visas belonging to a sanctioned individual shall be revoked.
The Department of State shall report to Congress whether certain groups, including Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba, qualify as foreign terrorist organizations and whether such groups and individuals affiliated with such groups should be subject to various sanctions. The State Department shall also report to Congress whether certain individuals, including Qais al-Khazali and Laith al-Khazali, would be subject to the sanctions prescribed in this bill.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 571 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 571

 To impose sanctions with respect to Iranian persons that threaten the 
         peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 15, 2019

   Mr. Kinzinger (for himself, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Sherman, and Mr. Diaz-
   Balart) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, 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 impose sanctions with respect to Iranian persons that threaten the 
         peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq.

    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 Destabilization of Iraq 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PERSONS 
              THREATENING PEACE OR STABILITY IN IRAQ.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State should continue to 
implement Executive Order 13438 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 
blocking property of certain persons who threaten stabilization efforts 
in Iraq).
    (b) Imposition of Sanctions.--The President shall impose the 
sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to any foreign 
person that the President determines knowingly commits a significant 
act of violence that has the direct purpose or effect of--
            (1) threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the 
        Government of Iraq;
            (2) undermining the democratic process in Iraq; or
            (3) undermining significantly efforts to promote economic 
        reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide 
        humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people.
    (c) Sanctions Described.--
            (1) In general.--The sanctions described in this subsection 
        are the following:
                    (A) Asset blocking.--The exercise of all powers 
                granted to the President by the International Emergency 
                Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the 
                extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions 
                in all property and interests in property of a foreign 
                person determined by the President to be subject to 
                subsection (b) if such property and interests in 
                property are in the United States, come within the 
                United States, or are or come within the possession or 
                control of a United States person.
                    (B) Aliens ineligible for visas, admission, or 
                parole.--
                            (i) Visas, admission, or parole.--An alien 
                        who the Secretary of State or the Secretary of 
                        Homeland Security (or a designee of one of such 
                        Secretaries) determines is subject to 
                        subsection (b) is--
                                    (I) inadmissible to the United 
                                States;
                                    (II) ineligible to receive a visa 
                                or other documentation to enter the 
                                United States; and
                                    (III) otherwise ineligible to be 
                                admitted or paroled into the United 
                                States or to receive any other benefit 
                                under the Immigration and Nationality 
                                Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
                            (ii) Current visas revoked.--
                                    (I) In general.--Any visa or other 
                                documentation issued to an alien who is 
                                a foreign person that is described in 
                                subsection (b) regardless of when such 
                                visa or other documentation was issued, 
                                shall be revoked and such alien shall 
                                be denied admission to the United 
                                States.
                                    (II) Effect of revocation.--A 
                                revocation under subclause (I) shall 
                                take effect immediately and shall 
                                automatically cancel any other valid 
                                visa or entry documentation that is in 
                                the alien's possession.
            (2) Penalties.--A person that is subject to sanctions 
        described in paragraph (1)(A) shall be subject to the penalties 
        set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the 
        International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to 
        the same extent as a person that commits an unlawful act 
        described in subsection (a) of that section.
            (3) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters 
        agreement.--Sanctions under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to 
        an alien if admitting the alien into the United States is 
        necessary to permit the United States to comply with the 
        Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, 
        signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 
        November 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the United 
        States, or other applicable international obligations.
    (d) Waiver.--The President may, on a case-by-case basis and for 
periods not to exceed 180 days, waive the application of sanctions in 
this section with respect to a foreign person if the President 
certifies to the appropriate congressional committees at least 15 days 
before such waiver is to take effect that such waiver is vital to the 
national security interests of the United States.
    (e) Implementation Authority.--The President may exercise all 
authorities provided to the President under sections 203 and 205 of the 
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) 
for purposes of carrying out this section.
    (f) Regulatory Authority.--
            (1) In general.--The President shall, not later than 90 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, promulgate 
        regulations as necessary for the implementation of this 
        section.
            (2) Notification to congress.--Not less than 10 days before 
        the promulgation of regulations under paragraph (1), the 
        President shall notify and provide to the appropriate 
        congressional committees the proposed regulations and the 
        provisions of this section that the regulations are 
        implementing.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) Admitted; alien.--The terms ``admitted'' and ``alien'' 
        have the meanings given those terms in section 101(3) of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(3)).
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee 
                on the Judiciary, the Committee on Ways and Means, and 
                the Committee on Financial Services of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the 
                Senate.
            (3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means a 
        person that is not a United States person.
            (4) Government of iraq.--The term ``Government of Iraq'' 
        has the meaning given that term in section 576.310 of title 31, 
        Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on June 22, 2016.
            (5) Knowingly.--The term ``knowingly'', with respect to 
        conduct, a circumstance, or a result, means that a person has 
        actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the 
        circumstance, or the result.
            (6) Person.--The term ``person'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 576.311 of title 31, Code of Federal 
        Regulations, as in effect on June 22, 2016.
            (7) Property; property interest.--The terms ``property'' 
        and ``property interest'' have the meanings given those terms 
        in section 576.312 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as 
        in effect on June 22, 2016.
            (8) United states person.--The term ``United States 
        person'' has the meaning given that term in section 576.317 of 
        title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on June 22, 
        2016.
    (h) Sunset.--This section shall cease to be effective beginning on 
January 1, 2022.

SEC. 3. DETERMINATION WITH RESPECT TO THE IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.

    (a) Determination.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a determination, including a 
detailed justification, on whether Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hizballah 
al-Nujaba, Liwa Fatemiyoun, Liwa Zainebiyoun, and any foreign person 
that is an official, agent, affiliate of, or owned or controlled by 
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba, Liwa Fatemiyoun, or 
Liwa Zainebiyoun meets the criteria for--
            (1) designation as a foreign terrorist organization 
        pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
        (8 U.S.C. 1189);
            (2) the application of sanctions pursuant to 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); or
            (3) the application of sanctions pursuant to section 2 of 
        this Act.
    (b) Additional Determination.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall include in 
        the determination submitted under subsection (a) an additional 
        determination, including a detailed justification, on whether 
        any of the individuals described in paragraph (2) meets the 
        criteria for the application of sanctions described in 
        paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (a).
            (2) Individuals described.--The individuals described in 
        this paragraph are the following:
                    (A) Qais al-Khazali.
                    (B) Laith al-Khazali.
                    (C) Akram Abbas al-Kaabi.
                    (D) Shibl al-Zaydi.
                    (E) Kazim al-Ta'i.
                    (F) Hamid al-Jazairi.
                    (G) Ali al-Yasiri.
    (c) Form.--The determination in subsection (a) and the additional 
determination in subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified form 
but may contain a classified annex.
    (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Select Committee on 
        Intelligence, the Committee on Financial Services, and the 
        Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the 
        Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the 
        Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.

SEC. 4. WATCHLISTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall annually establish, 
maintain, and publish a list of armed groups, militias, or proxy forces 
in Iraq receiving logistical, military, or financial assistance from 
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps or over which Iran's Revolutionary 
Guard Corps exerts any form of control or influence.
    (b) Publication.--The lists required under subsection (a) shall be 
published at the same time as the Department of State's Annual Country 
Reports on Terrorism, beginning with the first such Country Reports 
published after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Form.--If the Secretary of State determines that it is 
appropriate to do so, the Secretary may, not later than 30 days after 
publication of the Annual Country Reports on Terrorism referred to in 
subsection (b), submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
a classified annex.
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