Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act

Bill: 114-s-1887
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2015-07-29 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Archaeology and anthropology
Conflicts and wars
Congressional oversight
Crimes against property
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Department of State
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Foreign aid and international relief
Historical and cultural resources
International law and treaties
Middle East
Organized crime
Smithsonian Institution
Smuggling and trafficking
Syria
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2015-07-29
text: 

Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act

 
Directs the Department of State to designate a Department employee at the Assistant Secretary level or above to serve concurrently as the U.S. Coordinator for International Cultural Property Protection to: 
 
 
coordinate and promote federal agency efforts to address international cultural property protection activities; 
 
support activities to assist countries that are the principal sources of trafficked cultural property to protect cultural heritage sites and to prevent cultural property looting and theft; 
 
develop strategies to reduce illegal trade and trafficking in international cultural property in the United States and abroad, including by reducing consumer demand for such trade; and 
 
Chair the Coordinating Committee on International Cultural Property Protection.
 
 
 Establishes a Coordinating Committee on International Cultural Property Protection to facilitate the Coordinator's work. 
 
Directs the Department, through the U.S. Coordinator for International Cultural Property Protection, to report to Congress annually for seven years regarding activities of the U.S. Coordinator and the Coordinating Committee, the Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice to protect international cultural property.
 
Authorizes any agency involved in international cultural property protection activities to enter into agreements with the Smithsonian Institution to engage Smithsonian personnel temporarily to assist in such activities.
 
Directs the President to apply specified import restrictions with respect to any archaeological or ethnological material of Syria as if Syria were a State Party to the Convention on prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property.
 
 Sets forth the conditions for termination of such restrictions. 
 
 Authorizes the President to waive such import restrictions for specified cultural property if the President certifies to Congress that: 
 
 
the foreign owner or custodian of the specified cultural property has requested that such property be temporarily located in the United States for protection purposes, 
 
such property shall be returned upon request to the foreign owner or custodian, and 
 
the grant of a waiver will not contribute to illegal trafficking in cultural property or financing of criminal or terrorist activities.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-07-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2015-07-29
text: Introduced in Senate