zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Boko Haram Disarmament and Northeast Nigeria Recovery Act of 2015

Directs the President to develop and submit to Congress a regional strategy to guide U.S. support for multilateral efforts to: (1) eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability from Boko Haram, and (2) enforce the rule of law and ensure full humanitarian access in Boko Haram-affected areas.

States that such strategy should include a plan to work with Nigeria and other international partners to liberate Boko Haram's kidnapping victims.

Authorizes the President to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the populations in Boko Haram-affected areas. Makes funds available for such assistance pursuant to final judgment of a specified legal case.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should support efforts by the people of Boko Haram-affected areas and the governments of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger to:

 assist internally displaced people and returnees; enhance the administrative competency of state and local governance institutions and public agencies in northeast Nigeria; provide all children with a quality basic education while ensuring student and faculty safety; strengthen the operational capacity of the civilian police in Nigeria, and strengthen measures to prevent corruption; and promote programs to address physical harm and psychosocial trauma. Expresses the sense of Congress that:

 the Secretary of State and Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development should work with Congress to increase future assistance to support reconstruction activities if Nigeria demonstrates a commitment to transparent reconstruction in Boko Haram-affected areas of Nigeria, and the Secretary should withhold assistance if Nigeria is not committed to transparent reconstruction and reconciliation in the Boko Haram-affected areas of Nigeria.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Warren Weinstein Hostage Rescue Act

This bill amends the National Security Act of 1947 to establish: (1) the Committee on Hostage Recovery within the National Security Council (NSC), and (2) the Interagency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery which shall execute the Committee's hostage retrieval strategies.

The Committee's functions shall include:

 coordinating retrieval of U.S. hostages among federal departments and agencies and among the United States and its allies; coordinating with the Interagency Fusion Cell on Hostage Recovery; developing hostage retrieval strategies and guidelines; developing information sharing policies and procedures; and developing a strategy to keep family members of U.S. hostages informed, and policies that do not compromise U.S. national security. It is the sense of Congress that the President should appoint a Special Advisor on Hostage Affairs who: (1) serves as the chair of the NSC Committee on Hostage Recovery; (2) has extensive foreign policy, counterterrorism, and hostage recovery experience; and; (3) serves (or the designee of the Special Advisor serves) as a primary liaison between the federal government and the family of a U.S. hostage.

Nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing the federal government to negotiate with a state sponsor of terrorism or a foreign terrorist organization.

Date: 2015-05-01
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Declares that the Kosovo Liberation Army shall not be considered a terrorist organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), unless the Secretary of State decides otherwise in the Secretary's sole and unreviewable discretion.

 Amends INA to make terrorist activity-related inadmissibility criteria inapplicable to an alien's activities undertaken in association with the Kosovo Liberation Army if the alien:

 is applying for a nonimmigrant visa, unless a consular officer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that the alien poses a threat to U.S. security, or believes that the visa should not be issued; or presents himself or herself for inspection and admission as a nonimmigrant to an immigration officer at a port of entry or is applying in the United States for nonimmigrant status, unless the Secretary of Homeland Security knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe, that the alien poses a threat to U.S. security, or otherwise believes that the alien should not be admitted to the United States or granted nonimmigrant status. Authorizes the Secretary of State to suspend such prohibition on a case-by-case basis.

Date: 2015-05-01
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Immigration
Prevent Trafficking in Cultural Property Act

(Sec. 3) This bill declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) ensure that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components enhance and unify their efforts to interdict, detain, seize, and investigate cultural property illegally imported into the United States, disrupt and dismantle smuggling and trafficking networks engaged in or facilitating illegal trade in cultural property, and support prosecutions of persons engaged in such illegal trade; and (2) protect cultural property pursuant to obligations under international conventions.

(Sec. 4) It directs the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to: (1) designate a principal coordinator to direct, manage, coordinate, and update policies and procedures, and conduct interagency communications, regarding illegally imported cultural property; (2) update and devise directives, regulations, rules, and memoranda of understanding relating to policies and procedures on the illegal importation of cultural property; and (3) train relevant personnel on cultural property laws, identification of at-risk items, and investigative techniques with respect to illegally traded cultural property.

(Sec. 5) DHS must authorize relevant component heads to enter into agreements or memoranda of understanding with the Smithsonian Institution to further activities to protect cultural property.

(Sec. 6) The CBP and ICE must jointly report to Congress on implementation of this bill and other actions to prevent the illegal importation of cultural property into the United States.

Date: 2015-05-13
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on December 7, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

First Responder Identification of Emergency Needs in Disaster Situations or the FRIENDS Act

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report that describes select state and local programs and policies related to the preparedness and protection of first responders, which may include information on:

 the degree to which such programs and policies include consideration of the presence of a first responder's family in an area impacted by a terrorist attack, the availability of personal protective equipment for first responders, and the availability of home Medkits for first responders and their families for biological incident response. The GAO may provide information: (1) in a format that delineates high risk urban areas from rural communities; and (2) on the degree to which the selected state and local programs and policies were developed or are being executed with funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including grants from the State Homeland Security Grant Program or the Urban Area Security Initiative.

DHS shall consider the report's findings and assess its applicability for federal first responders.

Date: 2015-06-16
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Emergency management
This bill directs the President to designate an existing federal officer as the Interagency Hostage Recovery Coordinator, who shall coordinate efforts to secure the release of U.S. persons held hostage outside the United States by hostile groups or state sponsors of terrorism.

Date: 2015-06-24
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Providing Retaliation Options against Those Engaging in Cyberattacks Targeting the United States Act or PROTECT US Act

This bill directs the President to submit to Congress a list of countries designated as state-sponsors of cyberattacks.

 A country shall be so designated if the President determines that the United States or a U.S. person has been targeted in a cyber-enabled activity originating from or directed by a person located in a foreign country, and such activity is likely to result in or have contributed to a threat to U.S. national security or foreign policy, or harmed U.S. economic health or financial stability or a U.S. person, or has the purpose or effect of:

 harming or compromising the provision of services by a computer or network of computers that support the United States or a U.S. person in a critical infrastructure sector; compromising the provision of services by the United States or a U.S. person in a critical infrastructure sector; disrupting the availability of a computer or network of computers owned or operated by the United States or a U.S. person; or causing a misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personally identifiable information, or financial information of the United States or a U.S. person. The President may impose a trade-related penalty and take other actions, including assistance limitations, trade embargoes, and cyber counter attacks, with respect to a designated country.

A country may be removed from the list of state-sponsors of cyberattacks if: (1) the President determines that it no longer meets the requirements for the designation, or (2) Congress enacts a law providing for such removal.

A country that has been removed from the list by Congress may not be added back to the list by the President until at least one year after removal.

Date: 2015-07-13
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Immigrant Detainee Legal Rights Act 

Directs the Department of Justice to:

 establish within the Executive Office for Immigration Review an Office of Legal Access Programs to administer a system of legal orientation programs to make immigration proceedings more efficient by educating aliens regarding administrative procedures and legal rights under U.S. immigration law, and to establish other programs to assist in providing aliens access to legal information; and submit a plan to Congress that includes a schedule to develop and deploy legal orientation programs for all detainees. Requires the legal orientation programs to:

 provide programs to assist detained aliens in making decisions regarding their removal and eligibility for relief from removal in order to increase efficiency s in immigration proceedings and federal custody processes and to improve access to legal services; ensure that programs and written notice of rights are available in English and the five most common native languages spoken by the detainees held in custody at that location during the preceding fiscal year; and identify unaccompanied alien children, aliens with a serious mental disability, and other particularly vulnerable aliens for right to counsel considerations. Authorizes such programs to provide services to detained aliens in specified immigration (detention and removal) and asylum proceedings.

Directs the Department of Homeland Security to establish procedures: (1) that ensure that legal orientation programs are available for all detained aliens within five days of arrival into custody; and (2) to inform such aliens of the basic procedures of immigration hearings, their rights relating to those hearings, information that may deter such aliens from filing frivolous legal claims, and a contact list of potential legal resources and providers.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Immigration
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Know the CBRN Terrorism Threats to Transportation Act

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis, to conduct a terrorism threat assessment of the transportation of chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological materials through U.S. land borders and within the United States.

The Under Secretary shall disseminate such assessment to federal partners, including the Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy, and state and local partners, including the National Network of Fusion Centers.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Clarifying Amendment to Provide Terrorism Victims Equity Act or the CAPTIVE Act

 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to allow a person's court-awarded judgment against a terrorist party that is based on an act of terrorism to be satisfied with assets that the United States has seized or frozen from that terrorist party under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. Under current law, assets seized or frozen under the Trading with the Enemy Act or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are the only assets seized or frozen by the United States that may be used to satisfy such a person's judgment against a terrorist party.

The bill also narrows the categories of "persons" who may satisfy their judgments against terrorist parties with such seized or frozen assets to natural persons who, at the time the act of terrorism was committed upon which the judgment was obtained, were:

 U.S. nationals; members of the U.S. Armed Forces; or otherwise employees of the federal government, or of a federal contractor, acting within the scope of employment. If a person described is deceased, the personal representative of the estate of that deceased person shall count as the person.

(Sec. 3) The bill applies retroactively to judgments entered before its enactment.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Law
Flight School Security Act of 2015

 Revises requirements with respect to the training of aliens and other individuals designated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security in the operation of certain aircraft.

Authorizes a flight instructor, pilot school, or aviation training center to provide training in the operation of an aircraft with a takeoff weight of more than 12,500 pounds to an individual who does not hold a valid Federal Aviation Administration airman's certification only if: (1) that individual has been checked against the terrorist watchlist by the TSA to determine if he or she poses a threat to aviation or national security or a threat of terrorism, and (2) the TSA determines that the individual does not pose a threat that warrants denial of access to such training.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act

 (Sec. 2) This bill prohibits the President, until Iran has paid each judgment against it, from:

 limiting the application of specified sanctions on Iran or refraining from applying them; or removing a foreign person (including entities) listed in Attachments 3 or 4 to Annex II of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) from the list of designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury. These sanctions are the ones contained in:

 sections 4 through 7.9 of Annex II of the JCPA; and any other agreement related to Iran's nuclear program that includes the United States, commits the United States to take action, or pursuant to which the United States commits or otherwise agrees to take action, regardless of the form it takes, whether a political commitment or otherwise, and regardless of whether the agreement is legally binding or not. A judgment is any final judgment entered by the courts of the United States or of the states that:

 relates to a claim brought against Iran or its political subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities and for which the court determined that none of them were immune under specified terrorism exceptions from the court's jurisdiction; and was entered between April 24, 1996, and the date of the enactment of this Act. The JCPA is the agreement signed at Vienna on July 14, 2015, by Iran, China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and all related implementing materials and agreements.

Date: 2015-09-09
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
(Securing the Cities Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Director for Domestic Nuclear Detection to establish the Securing the Cities program to enhance the ability of the United States to detect and prevent terrorist attacks and other high consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radiological materials that pose a high risk to homeland security in high-risk urban areas.

Under such program, the Director shall:

 assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in designing and implementing, or enhancing existing, architectures for coordinated and integrated detection and interdiction of nuclear or other radiological materials that are out of regulatory control; support the development of a region-wide operating capability to detect and report on nuclear and other radioactive materials out of operational control; provide resources to enhance detection, analysis, communication, and coordination to better integrate state, local, tribal, and territorial assets into federal operations; facilitate alarm adjudication and provide subject matter expertise and technical assistance on concepts of operations, training, exercises, and alarm response protocols; communicate with, and promote sharing of information about the presence or detection of nuclear or other radiological materials among, appropriate federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in a manner that ensures transparency; and designate participating jurisdictions from among high-risk urban areas and other cities and regions, as appropriate, and notify Congress at least three days before designating or changing such jurisdictions. The Comptroller General is required to submit an assessment evaluating the effectiveness of the program.

(Sec. 3) This section requires the Director to report to Congress on the feasibility of developing model exercises to test the preparedness of jurisdictions participating in the program in meeting the challenges that may be posed by a range of nuclear and radiological threats.

Date: 2015-09-11
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Emergency management
IRGC Terrorist Designation Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization and should be so designated by the Secretary of State.

The Secretary shall report to Congress on whether the IRGC meets such criteria and, if not, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met.

Date: 2015-09-29
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the President to transmit to Congress a report on U.S. strategy to combat terrorists' and terrorist organizations' use of social media.

The report must include:

 an evaluation of the role social media plays in radicalization in the United States and elsewhere; an analysis of how terrorists and terrorist organizations are using social media; recommendations to improve the federal government's efforts to disrupt and counter the use of social media by terrorists and terrorist organizations; an analysis of how social media is being used for counter-radicalization and counter-propaganda purposes, irrespective of whether such efforts are made by the federal government; an assessment of the value to law enforcement of terrorists' social media posts; and an overview of training available to law enforcement and intelligence personnel to combat terrorists' use of social media and recommendations for improving or expanding existing training opportunities. (Sec. 3) The President must also transmit to Congress a comprehensive strategy to counter terrorists' and terrorist organizations' use of social media, as committed to in the President's 2011 Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States.

Date: 2015-09-30
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
IRGC Terrorist Sanctions Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to report to Congress on:

 whether Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the requirements for designation as a terrorist entity, whether an entity whose board of directors is controlled by members of the IRGC or by representatives of entities controlled by members of the IRGC is considered to be an entity controlled by the government of Iran, and factors used to determine control and a controlling interest.

Date: 2015-10-06
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act

This bill amends the federal judicial code to narrow the scope of foreign sovereign immunity by authorizing U.S. courts to hear cases involving claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damages that occur inside the United States as a result of a tort, including an act of terrorism, committed anywhere by a foreign state or official.

It amends the federal criminal code to permit civil claims against a foreign state or official for injuries, death, or damages from an act of international terrorism. Additionally, the bill authorizes federal courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over and impose liability on a person who commits, or aids, abets, or conspires to commit, an act of international terrorism against a U.S. national.

Date: 2015-10-23
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
This bill requires:

 the Department of State and the Department of Defense to develop jointly and submit to Congress a five-year strategy to help Nigeria, members of the Multinational Joint Task Force to Combat Boko Haram, and relevant partners to counter Boko Haram, and to assist Nigeria and its neighbors to address legitimate grievances of vulnerable populations in areas affected by Boko Haram; and the Director of National Intelligence to assess the willingness and capability Nigeria and regional partners to implement such strategy. It is the sense of Congress that lack of economic opportunity and access to education, justice, and other social services contributes to Boko Haram's ability to radicalize and recruit individuals.

Date: 2015-10-26
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
September 11th VCF Reauthorization and U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Compensation Act

This bill amends the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 to exclude future medical expense loss from the economic losses that may be claimed under the fund.

Eligibility for compensation under the fund is expanded to include individuals (or relatives of deceased individuals) who were injured or killed in the rescue and recovery efforts after the aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001.

The filing period for claims is extended until October 4, 2021. The 9/11 Fund is established to pay claimants filing after October 3, 2016. A specified amount paid to the U.S. government as part of a plea agreement between the Department of Justice and BNP Paribas must be deposited into the 9/11 Fund.

Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act

The United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund is established to compensate victims of state-sponsored terrorism and the Iran hostage crisis. Deposited into the fund are: (1) criminal and civil penalties for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act or the Trading with the Enemy Act, or for a federal offense arising from doing business with or acting on behalf of a state sponsor of terrorism; (2) the amount remaining from the plea agreement between the Department of Justice and BNP Paribas after the deposit to the 9/11 Fund; and (3) proceeds from the sale of certain assets of Iran.

The bill provides for compensation to a person who informs the Department of Justice of funds or property of a state sponsor of terrorism.

Date: 2015-10-29
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Health
This bill amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to require notification of Congress at least 15 days after a reward is authorized under the Department of State's rewards for justice program.

 Notification shall include information about the identity of the individual receiving the award, the reward's amount, the acts for which the reward is being made, and how the reward is being publicized.

Date: 2015-11-02
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2015

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Muslim Brotherhood has met the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization, and (2) the Department of State should so designate it.

Requires the State Department to report to Congress within 60 days whether the Muslim Brotherhood meets the criteria for foreign terrorist designation and, if not, which criteria have not been met.

Date: 2015-11-03
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Define it to Fight it Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of State to withhold 10% of U.S. contributions to the regularly assessed biennial budget of the United Nations (U.N.) until the U.N. adopts a definition of international terrorism concurrent with U.S. laws.

"International terrorism" shall mean terrorism involving one or more citizens of a country, or the territory of one or more countries, if the government of any such country consents to, or with knowledge, allows, tolerates, or disregards the activities of that citizen or that use of the territory, including its use as a transit point.

Date: 2015-11-19
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Enemy Expatriation Act

 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include traveling abroad to join, participate in, train with, fight for, conspire with, or otherwise support a foreign terrorist organization to the list of acts for which U.S. nationals shall lose their nationality.

Date: 2015-12-08
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Immigration
Stop Funding for Terrorism Act

This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 with respect to requirements the Department of State must meet to rescind any determination that the government of a foreign country:

 has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism; and for this reason may not receive assistance under the Act, the Food for Peace Act, the Peace Corps Act, or the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945. The State Department may rescind such a determination and waive the prohibition on assistance only if, in addition to other existing requirements for rescission and waiver, Congress enacts a joint resolution of approval according to a specified procedure.

Date: 2015-12-08
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Tracking Foreign Fighters in Terrorist Safe Havens Act

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit reports to Congress every 180 days for two years regarding foreign fighter flows to and from terrorist safe havens abroad.

The reports must include, with respect to each terrorist safe haven, the total number of: (1) foreign fighters who have traveled or are suspected of having traveled to the terrorist safe haven since 2011, including their countries of origin; (2) U.S. citizens present in the terrorist safe haven; and (3) foreign fighters who have left the terrorist safe haven or whose whereabouts are unknown.

 If a report is submitted in classified form, it must include an unclassified summary.

Date: 2015-12-11
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on April 15, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

No Fly for Foreign Fighters Act

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report to Congress within one year on: (1) whether past weaknesses in the operation and administration of the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) and its subsets (e.g., the No Fly list) have been addressed, and (2) the extent to which additional changes may address or mitigate existing vulnerabilities.

The study and report must include, with respect to the TSDB, information on: (1) timely integration of information, (2) increased demands for information, (3) accessibility to relevant agencies, and (4) identification of known or suspected terrorists by users.

Date: 2015-12-11
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Liberty Through Strength Act II

This bill requires the National Security Agency (NSA) to have access to business records, telephone call records, and other tangible things collected under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) prior to November 29, 2015, in the same manner and for the same purposes for which the NSA had access to such records prior to such date (thereby allowing the NSA to access such records in the same manner as prior to the effective date of amendments made by the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015).

The NSA must maintain such records for five years after they are acquired.

The NSA's authority to access such business records under this Act shall be in effect for five years after enactment of this Act.

The bill amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to make permanent expiring FISA provisions concerning: (1) roving electronic surveillance orders, (2) a revised definition of "agent of a foreign power" that includes any non-U.S. persons who engage in international terrorism or preparatory activities (commonly referred to as the "lone wolf" provision), and (3) authority for the Department of Justice and the Director of National Intelligence to authorize the targeting of non-U.S. persons located outside the United States to acquire foreign intelligence information.

The federal criminal code is amended to: (1) return procedures for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) access to toll and transactional records to how they operated prior to the USA FREEDOM Act in order to allow the FBI (without using a term that specifically identifies a person, entity, telephone, or account) to request the name, address, length of service, and local and long distance toll billing records of a person or entity if the FBI certifies to the wire or electronic communication service provider that such information is relevant to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities; and (2) add electronic communications transactional records as information that the FBI may request under such certification procedures.

Date: 2015-12-16
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Sanctions Implementation and Review Act

This bill amends the Iran Threat Reduction and Syrian Human Rights Act of 2012 to require the President to block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests of a foreign person that knowingly supports or conducts certain transactions with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or other sanctioned persons if that property and those property interests are in the United States, come within the United States, or are or come within the possession or control of a U.S. person.

The President may issue licenses to U.S. persons to engage in such property transactions with an otherwise blocked foreign person.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall report annually to the President and Congress on all foreign persons not currently subject to such sanctions that, within the preceding three years, have been reported to have conducted transactions or have provided material support to the IRGC or any of its agents or affiliates.

 The President shall:

 review an identified foreign person to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to impose sanctions; and if so, include that person on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury and impose sanctions. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended to require securities issuers to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission any financial transactions with a foreign person identified in the most recent GAO report before the commencement of the transaction or dealing.

Date: 2015-12-18
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terror Act of 2016 or the ALERT Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide training at state and major urban area fusion centers for the purpose of administering community awareness briefings and related activities in furtherance of its efforts to counter violent extremism, identify and report suspicious activities, and increase awareness of and more quickly identify terrorism threats, including the travel or attempted travel of individuals from the United States to support a foreign terrorist organization abroad. (A "fusion center" serves as a focal point within the state and local environment for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local, tribal, territorial and private sector partners.)

(Sec. 3) The bill directs DHS to assess its efforts to support countering violent extremism at the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels. Such assessment shall include:

 a cataloging of DHS efforts to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in countering violent extremism; a review of cooperative agreements between DHS and such governments relating to countering violent extremism; and an evaluation of DHS plans and any potential opportunities to better support such governments that are in furtherance of DHS's countering violent extremism objectives and consistent with all relevant constitutional, legal, and privacy protections. (Sec. 4) DHS shall notify Congress of the number of employees of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments with security clearances sponsored by DHS, including a detailed list of the agencies that employ such employees, the level of clearance held, and whether such employees are assigned as representatives to state and major urban area fusion centers.

(Sec. 5) The bill prohibits the authorization of additional funds to carry out this Act.

Date: 2016-02-01
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Emergency management
Foreign Fighter Review Act of 2016 

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the President, through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to initiate a review of known instances since 2011 in which a person has traveled or attempted to travel to a conflict zone in Iraq or Syria from the United States to join or provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization.

 Such review shall:

 include relevant information held by the U.S. government related to each instance; ascertain factors that may have undermined efforts to prevent such travel, including the timely identification of suspects, information sharing, intervention, and interdiction; and identify lessons learned and areas for improvement to prevent additional travel by such persons to a conflict zone in Iraq or Syria, or other terrorist safe havens abroad, to join or provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization. DHS shall submit to Congress the results of such review, which may include information on travel routes of greatest concern.

No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.

Date: 2016-02-01
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and conduct an exercise related to the terrorist and foreign fighter threat in order to enhance domestic preparedness for and the collective response to terrorism, promote the dissemination of homeland security information, and test the U.S. security posture.

Such exercise shall include: (1) a scenario involving persons traveling from the United States to join or provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization abroad and terrorist infiltration into the United States, including by U.S. citizens and foreign nationals; and (2) coordination with appropriate federal agencies, foreign governments, and state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector stakeholders.

DHS shall submit an after-action report, including any identified or potential vulnerabilities in U.S. defenses and requested legislative changes.

(Sec. 3) The bill amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to require the national exercise program (a program to test and evaluate the national preparedness goal, National Incident Management System, National Response Plan, and other related plans and strategies) to be designed to include exercises addressing emerging terrorist threats, such as such a scenario.

Date: 2016-02-01
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Emergency management
National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the President to transmit to Congress a national strategy to combat terrorist travel. Such strategy shall address efforts to intercept terrorists and foreign fighters and constrain domestic and international travel by such persons.

 The President shall direct: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop the initial national strategy, an updated strategy (to be submitted within 180 after the commencement of a new presidential administration), and implementation plans for each national strategy; and (2) other federal agencies to coordinate with DHS in the development and implementation of such strategy and updates.

The initial national strategy and updates shall:

 include an accounting and description of all federal government programs, projects, and activities to constrain travel by terrorists and foreign fighters; identify specific security vulnerabilities within the United States and abroad that may be exploited by such persons; delineate goals for closing those vulnerabilities and enhancing the federal government's ability to constrain such travel; and describe actions and the means needed to achieve such goals. The requirement to transmit: (1) updated national strategies shall terminate 7 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and (2) implementation plans shall terminate 10 years after such date.

Date: 2016-02-01
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Emergency management
PLO Accountability Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress concerning the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the peace process and adherence to diplomatic agreements with Israel, PA support for an International Criminal Court investigation of Israel, and the presence of a PLO office in Washington, DC.

 The Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987 is amended to authorize the President to waive for up to six months the prohibition against establishment or maintenance of a PLO office, headquarters, premises, or other facilities within U.S. jurisdiction, if the President certifies to Congress that the Palestinians have entered into a final negotiated peace agreement with, and have ceased hostilities against, Israel or that:

 the Palestinians have not, on or after April 1, 2015, obtained state standing in the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof outside an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians; the Palestinians have officially ceased to be members of the ICC and have withdrawn from the Rome Statute; any ICC investigation against Israel initiated by, or on behalf of, the Palestinians has been withdrawn and terminated; the PLO and the PA no longer provide financial awards or salaries to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel for terrorist attacks, or to their families; and the PLO and the PA no longer engage in a pattern of incitement against the United States or Israel.

Date: 2016-02-10
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Requiring Reporting of Online Terrorist Activity Act

This bill requires an electronic communication or remote computing service company that obtains actual knowledge of terrorist activity to report relevant facts and circumstances to appropriate authorities, including information related to unlawful distribution of explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction.

It directs the Department of Justice to determine the appropriate authorities.

The bill does not require an electronic communication or a remote computing service company to monitor any user, subscriber, or customer, or the content of such person's communication.

Date: 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to incorporate the public statements of former violent extremists or their associates into its efforts to combat terrorist recruitment, including efforts to counter-message foreign terrorist organization communications and related community engagement and public education efforts.

Additionally, DHS must coordinate with federal agencies and, as appropriate, engage nongovernmental and international partners in the identification and use of such public statements.

It declares that nothing in this Act may be construed to require DHS to collect statements directly from former violent extremists or their associates.

Date: 2016-03-21
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Energy and American Security Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should take appropriate actions to prohibit energy production by the Islamic State and its ability to profit from energy production revenues, and (2) U.S. national energy policy should include consideration of national security.

The Department of Energy may provide technical assistance to the Armed Forces regarding Armed Forces activities to address Islamic State energy resources.

Such assistance may include identifying: (1) energy resources and related revenue streams; and (2) methods to hinder, destroy, or discourage the development, transportation, and sale of such energy resources.

"Islamic State" means the Islamic State, any affiliate, or any immediate successor organization.

Date: 2016-03-22
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
No Fly for Terrorists Act

This bill amends federal transportation provisions and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to prohibit Department of Homeland Security personnel from prohibiting a citizen or permanent resident of the United States from boarding a flight or a cruise ship as a passenger based on his or her inclusion on any no fly list, no transport list, automatic selectee list, consolidated and integrated terrorist watchlist, or other similar list maintained by the government unless the individual has been convicted of a federal crime of terrorism.

Date: 2016-05-10
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Transportation and public works
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require tax-exempt organizations to disclose details regarding employees and board members involved in terror finance activities.

An organization applying for tax-exempt status must disclose in its application the names and addresses of any officer, director, trustee, or highly compensated employee who, at any time prior to the date of the application, was:

 a member or employee of an organization: (1) named on the Department of the Treasury's Designated Charities and Potential Fundraising Front Organizations for FTOs (Foreign Terrorist Organizations) list, or (2) with property that has been blocked pending investigation by Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control; an unindicted coconspirator with respect to a terror finance scheme of an organization described above, or an employee of any charity found liable for civil damages due to an act of international terrorism. In lieu of the disclosure, the organization may include a statement indicating that no officer, director, trustee, or highly compensated employee of the organization (or individual with similar powers and responsibilities) meets the criteria described above.

Tax-exempt organizations must also include either the required disclosure or the statement in annual tax returns filed after the enactment of this bill.

Date: 2016-05-10
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Taxation
North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2016

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that North Korea meets the criteria for, and should be designated as, a state sponsor of terrorism.

The President shall submit to Congress a report that finds, with respect to each of 22 acts specified by this bill, whether: (1) North Korea or any of its agents or instrumentalities committed, conspired to commit, attempted, or abetted such act; and (2) such act constitutes support for international terrorism.

If the President finds that North Korea or its agents or instrumentalities committed any of such acts, the Department of State shall submit to Congress: (1) a determination that North Korea is a state sponsor of terrorism, or (2) a detailed justification as to why the conduct does not meet the legal criteria for such a determination.

Date: 2016-05-12
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: International affairs
Expanding DHS Overseas Passenger Security Screening and Vetting Operations Act

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to Congress:

 a comprehensive five-year strategy for international programs or operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that are targeted at vetting and screening persons seeking to enter the United States and in which DHS personnel and resources are deployed abroad; annually with the President's budget request for each fiscal year through FY2022, an implementation plan based on such strategy; a plan for expanding, within five years, the Visa Security Program in a risk-based manner, and a plan for deploying the Pre-Adjudicated Threat Recognition and Intelligence Operations Team program, to at least 50 U.S. diplomatic and consular posts that issue visas; and a plan for expanding participation in trusted traveler programs. CBP shall increase the numbers of CBP officers and Agriculture Specialists for each of FY2017-FY2018.

The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within CBP the Immigration Cooperation Program, under which CBP may cooperate with foreign authorities, air carriers, and security employees at foreign airports to identify persons who may be inadmissible to the United States or otherwise pose a risk to U.S. security.

The Government Accountability Office shall review and report on the adequacy and appropriateness of the security screening process for each U.S. nonimmigrant visa category.

Date: 2016-05-16
Topic: International Affairs (Terrorism)
Subject: Emergency management