No Bonuses for Terrorists Act

Bill: 115-hr-789
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Budd, Ted [R-NC-13]
Introduced: 2017-02-01
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Arab-Israeli relations

Conflicts and wars

Congressional oversight

Foreign aid and international relief

Israel

Middle East

Military assistance, sales, and agreements

Palestinians

Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status

Terrorism
Latest action: action_date: 2017-02-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-02-01
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>No Bonuses for Terrorists Act</strong></p> <p>This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the provision of assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) until the Department of State has certified that the PA and the PLO have ceased paying financial compensation or any other benefit not generally available to the Palestinian population at large to the families of Palestinians killed in connection with an act of terrorism. Recertification is required every six months.</p> <p>If the State Department is unable to make such a certification: (1) it shall report to Congress why it is unable to do so, and (2) funds that otherwise would have been provided to the PA and the PLO shall be transferred and made available to the Department of Defense for assistance to Israel for procurement of the Iron Dome defense system.</p> <p> The State Department shall annually report on the amount of bonuses, financial compensation, or other benefits that have been disbursed by the PA and the PLO in the preceding 12 months. </p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 789 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 1, 2017 Mr. Budd (for himself, Mr. Sanford , Mr. Meadows , Mrs. Black , and Mr. Gohmert ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to limit assistance to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the No Bonuses for Terrorists Act . 2. Limitations on assistance to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization Chapter 1 of part III of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2351 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 620N. Limitations on assistance to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (a) Limitations (1) Palestinian Authority In addition to the limitation on assistance to the Palestinian Authority described in sections 620K and 620L, assistance may be provided under this Act to the Palestinian Authority only during a period for which a certification described in subsection (b) is in effect. (2) Palestine Liberation Organization Assistance may be provided under this Act to the Palestine Liberation Organization only during a period for which a certification described in subsection (b) is in effect. (b) Certification A certification described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a) is a certification submitted by the Secretary of State to Congress that contains a determination of the Secretary that the Palestinian Authority, including any ministry, agency, or instrumentality or any official acting on behalf of any such ministry, agency, or instrumentality, and the Palestine Liberation Organization, as the case may be, has ceased the payment of any bonuses, financial compensation, or any other benefit not generally or otherwise available to the Palestinian population at large to the families of Palestinians killed in connection with— (1) conspiring to commit an act of terrorism; or (2) the commission of an act of terrorism. (c) Recertifications Not later than 90 days after the date on which the Secretary of State submits to Congress an initial certification under subsection (b) and every six months thereafter— (1) the Secretary shall submit to Congress a recertification that the conditions described in subsection (b) are continuing to be met; or (2) if the Secretary is unable to make such a recertification, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that contains the reasons therefor. (d) Congressional notification Assistance made available under this Act to the Palestinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization may not be provided until 15 days after the date on which the Secretary of State has provided notice thereof to the appropriate congressional committees in accordance with the procedures applicable to reprogramming notifications under section 634A(a). (e) Availability of funds for Iron Dome If the Secretary of State is unable to submit a certification to Congress under subsection (b) or a recertification under subsection (c), funds made available under this Act for assistance to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization that otherwise would have been provided to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, be transferred and made available to the Secretary of Defense to provide assistance to the Government of Israel for the procurement of the Iron Dome defense system to counter short-range rocket threats. (f) Annual reports The Secretary of State shall annually submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the amount of any bonuses, financial compensation, or any other benefit described in subsection (b) that have been disbursed by the Palestinian Authority, including by any ministry, agency, or instrumentality or any official acting on behalf of any such ministry, agency, or instrumentality, and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the preceding 12-month period. (g) Definitions In this section: (1) Act of terrorism The term act of terrorism means an act dangerous to human life that would violate the criminal laws of the United States if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States that appears to be intended to— (A) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (B) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; (C) affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; or (D) impair Israel’s existence as a Jewish, democratic state within its current territorial boundaries. (2) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. (3) Foreign terrorist organization The term foreign terrorist organization means an organization designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1189(a) ). (4) Palestinian Authority The term Palestinian Authority means the interim Palestinian administrative organization that governs part of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip (or any successor Palestinian governing entity), including the Palestinian Legislative Council. .