Hezbollah Anti-Terrorism Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-2215
Sponsor: Rep. Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-28]
Introduced: 2011-06-16 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Foreign aid and international relief
Foreign loans and debt
International organizations and cooperation
Lebanon
Middle East
Multilateral development programs
Sanctions
Terrorism
United Nations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-06-16
text: 
Hezbollah Anti-Terrorism Act of 2011 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit assistance from being provided to or for the benefit of a Hezbollah-dependent government of Lebanon unless the President certifies to Congress that: (1) Hezbollah has ceased its support for terrorism, renounced violence, and disarmed; or (2) the government of Lebanon has made progress toward dismantling Hezbollah terrorist and military infrastructure within Lebanon, arresting and bringing wanted Hezbollah terrorists to justice, ending Hezbollah imports of military and terrorism-related equipment, destroying unauthorized Hezbollah arms factories, stopping terrorist attacks, and fully cooperating with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers.
 
Requires recertifications to be made every six months.
 
Exempts from such prohibition assistance for: (1) basic human needs, (2) promotion of democracy, (3) disarmament, (4) the U.S. government's International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, and (5) educational institutions.
 
Prohibits, in the case of a government of Lebanon in which Hezbollah is a minority element in a governing coalition, assistance from being provided to, or for the benefit of, any ministry, agency, or instrumentality in which the chief official or other senior-level officials are members of Hezbollah or which is otherwise controlled by Hezbollah unless a certification or a recertification is in effect.
 
Provides that assistance may be provided to nongovernmental organizations working in Lebanon only during a period for which a certification or a recertification is in effect. Exempts from such limitation assistance for: (1) basic human needs, (2) promotion of democracy, (3) disarmament, (4) non-salary assistance to Lebanese government members who are not members of Hezbollah or any other foreign terrorist organization, and (5) other assistance that is in U.S. national security interests. 
 
Provides, with respect to assistance for such nongovernmental organizations, that: (1) the Secretary of State shall ensure that such assistance is not provided to or through any individual or entity that has engaged in terrorist activity, and (2) no funds shall be used to honor individuals who have committed acts of terrorism.
 
Urges the President to direct the U.S. Executive Directors at international financial institutions to use U.S. influence to prohibit assistance to a Hezbollah-dependent government of Lebanon during any period for which a certification or a recertification is not in effect. Exempts from such prohibition assistance for basic human needs or to promote democracy.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade.
action_date: 2011-06-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, 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.
action_date: 2011-06-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, 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.
action_date: 2011-06-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-06-16
text: Introduced in House