Title: Zero Tolerance for Unlawful Detentions of United States Citizens in Lebanon Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Zero Tolerance for Unlawful Detentions of United States Citizens in Lebanon Act
This bill imposes sanctions on certain Lebanese government officials who are involved in or facilitated the wrongful arrest, detention, or abuse of a U.S. citizen in Lebanon.
The bill requires the Department of State to develop a list of such persons. The State Department shall deny a visa to a listed person, their family, or their associates, and the President shall freeze the assets of a listed person if such assets are in the United States or the posssession of a U.S. person.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3327 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3327

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to officials of the 
    Government of Lebanon responsible for the wrongful or unlawful 
   detention of citizens and nationals of the United States held in 
                                Lebanon.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 24, 2020

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Cruz) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to officials of the 
    Government of Lebanon responsible for the wrongful or unlawful 
   detention of citizens and nationals of the United States held in 
                                Lebanon.

    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 ``Zero Tolerance for Unlawful 
Detentions of United States Citizens in Lebanon Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.

    (a) Identification of Officials.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall develop a 
        list of each individual--
                    (A) who is a current or former official of the 
                Government of Lebanon (including the judiciary and the 
                Military Court); and
                    (B) with respect to whom the Secretary has credible 
                information indicating that the individual was involved 
                in or facilitated the wrongful, unlawful, or inhumane 
                arrest, detention, or abuse of a citizen or national of 
                the United States being held in Lebanon as of the date 
                of the list.
            (2) Submission to congress.--The Secretary shall submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees--
                    (A) the list required by paragraph (1) not later 
                than 15 days after the date of the enactment of this 
                Act; and
                    (B) an update to the list not less frequently than 
                every 30 days thereafter and as new information becomes 
                available.
            (3) Form.--The list required by paragraph (1) shall be 
        submitted in unclassified form and published in the Federal 
        Register.
            (4) Removal from list.--An individual may be removed from 
        the list required by paragraph (1) if the President determines 
        and reports to the appropriate congressional committees not 
        less than 15 days before the removal of the individual from the 
        list that all citizens and nationals of the United States who 
        were wrongfully, unlawfully, or inhumanely held in Lebanon have 
        been released.
    (b) Inadmissibility to the United States of Identified Individuals, 
Family Members, and Associates.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall deny a visa 
        to an alien described in paragraph (2) and revoke, in 
        accordance with section 221(i) of the Immigration and 
        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), any visa of such an alien, 
        and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall exclude any such 
        alien from the United States.
            (2) Aliens described.--An alien described in this paragraph 
        is an alien who is--
                    (A) an individual on the list required by 
                subsection (a);
                    (B) an immediate family member of such an 
                individual; or
                    (C) an associate of an individual described in 
                subparagraph (A) or (B).
            (3) Exception to comply with international agreements.--
        Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect 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 of the United States.
    (c) Blocking of Property of Identified Individuals.--
            (1) In general.--The President shall block and prohibit, in 
        accordance with the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
        (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), all transactions in all property and 
        interests in property of any individual on the list required by 
        subsection (a) if such property and interests are in the United 
        States, come within the United States, or are or come within 
        the possession or control of a United States person.
            (2) Inapplicability of national emergency requirement.--The 
        requirements of section 202 of the International Emergency 
        Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply for 
        purposes of this section.
            (3) Exception relating to importation of goods.--
                    (A) In general.--The authorities and requirements 
                to impose sanctions authorized under this subsection 
                shall not include the authority or a requirement to 
                impose sanctions on the importation of goods.
                    (B) Good defined.--In this paragraph, the term 
                ``good'' means any article, natural or manmade 
                substance, material, supply, or manufactured product, 
                including inspection and test equipment, and excluding 
                technical data.
    (d) Implementation; Penalties.--
            (1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all 
        authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the 
        International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 
        1704) to carry out this section.
            (2) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to 
        violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of 
        subsection (c)(1) or any regulation, license, or order issued 
        to carry out that subsection 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.
    (e) Nonapplicability of Confidentiality Requirement With Respect to 
Visa Records.--The President shall publish the list required by 
subsection (a) without regard to the requirements of section 222(f) of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1202(f)) with respect to 
confidentiality of records pertaining to the issuance or refusal of 
visas or permits to enter the United States.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Alien.--The terms ``admitted'' and ``alien'' have the 
        meanings given those terms in section 101 of the Immigration 
        and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee 
                on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Financial Services, the Committee on Foreign 
                Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
                House of Representatives.
            (3) United states person.--The term ``United States 
        person'' means--
                    (A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully 
                admitted for permanent residence to the United States; 
                or
                    (B) an entity organized under the laws of the 
                United States or of any jurisdiction within the United 
                States, including a foreign branch of such an entity.
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