[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 873 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 873

   To amend the prohibition of title 18, United States Code, against 
 financial transactions with state sponsors of international terrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 10, 1997

 Mr. Ashcroft introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the prohibition of title 18, United States Code, against 
 financial transactions with state sponsors of international terrorism.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prohibition on Financial 
Transactions With Countries Supporting Terrorism Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS WITH STATE SPONSORS OF INTERNATIONAL 
              TERRORISM.

    (a) Prohibited Transactions.--Section 2332d(a) of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Except as provided in regulations issued 
        by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of State, whoever'' and inserting ``(1) Except as 
        provided in paragraph (2) or (3), whoever'';
            (2) by inserting ``of 1979'' after ``Export Administration 
        Act''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any financial transaction--
            ``(A) engaged in by an officer or employee of the United 
        States acting within his or her official capacity;
            ``(B) for the sole purpose of providing humanitarian 
        assistance in a country designated under section 6(j) of the 
        Export Administration Act of 1979;
            ``(C) involving travel or other activity by any journalist 
        or other member of the news media in a country designated under 
        section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979; or
            ``(D) within a class of financial transactions, and with a 
        specified country, covered by a determination of the President 
        stating that it is vital to the national security interests of 
        the United States that financial transactions of that class and 
        with that country be permitted.
    ``(3) Each determination under paragraph (2)(D) shall be published 
in the Federal Register at least 15 days in advance of the transaction 
and shall include a statement of the determination, a detailed 
explanation of the types of financial transactions permitted, the 
estimated dollar amount of the financial transactions permitted, and an 
explanation of the manner in which those financial transactions would 
further the national interests of the United States.
    ``(4) The President shall submit a report to the Committees on 
Foreign Relations and Appropriations of the Senate and the Committees 
on International Relations and Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
containing any determination under paragraph (2)(D) at least 30 days 
before the determination is to take effect. Any such determination 
shall be effective only for a period of 12 months but may be extended 
for an additional period or periods of 12 months each.''.
    (b) Definition.--Section 2332d(b) of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (1);
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) the term `humanitarian assistance' includes, but is 
        not limited to, the provision of medicines and religious 
        materials; and''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to financial transactions entered into on or after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>