Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act 2020-06-15 Passed Senate Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act

This bill establishes various entities and procedures to address the wrongful detainment of U.S. nationals abroad.

The President shall appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The envoy's duties shall include leading diplomatic engagement on U.S. hostage policy and coordinating diplomatic engagements in support of hostage recovery efforts.

The President shall establish an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which shall assess and track all hostage cases of U.S. nationals and coordinate agency efforts to safely recover hostages. The President shall also establish the Hostage Recovery Group, which shall make recommendations regarding hostage recovery options and coordinate the development and implementation of U.S. hostage recovery policies.

The President is authorized to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against any foreign person responsible for or complicit in the unlawful or wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad.

The Department of State shall review cases where U.S. nationals are detained abroad and refer instances of wrongful or unlawful detainment to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

]]> 2020-06-03 Reported to Senate Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act

This bill establishes various entities and procedures to address the wrongful detainment of U.S. nationals abroad.

The President shall appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The envoy's duties shall include leading diplomatic engagement on U.S. hostage policy and coordinating diplomatic engagements in support of hostage recovery efforts.

The President shall establish an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which shall assess and track all hostage cases of U.S. nationals and coordinate agency efforts to safely recover hostages. The President shall also establish the Hostage Recovery Group, which shall make recommendations regarding hostage recovery options and coordinate the development and implementation of U.S. hostage recovery policies.

The President is authorized to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against any foreign person responsible for or complicit in the unlawful or wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad.

The Department of State shall review cases where U.S. nationals are detained abroad and refer instances of wrongful or unlawful detainment to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

]]> 2019-03-07 Introduced in Senate Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act

This bill establishes various entities and procedures to address the wrongful detainment of U.S. nationals abroad.

The President shall appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The envoy's duties shall include leading diplomatic engagement on U.S. hostage policy and coordinating diplomatic engagements in support of hostage recovery efforts.

The President shall establish an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which shall assess and track all hostage cases of U.S. nationals and coordinate agency efforts to safely recover hostages. The President shall also establish the Hostage Recovery Group, which shall make recommendations regarding hostage recovery options and coordinate the development and implementation of U.S. hostage recovery policies.

The President is authorized to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against any foreign person responsible for or complicit in the unlawful or wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad.

The Department of State shall review cases where U.S. nationals are detained abroad and refer instances of wrongful or unlawful detainment to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

]]> text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.