[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1789 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1789

   To improve defense cooperation between the United States and the 
                      Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 16, 2015

   Mr. Rubio introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To improve defense cooperation between the United States and the 
                      Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

    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 ``United States-Jordan Defense 
Cooperation Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) As of January 22, 2015, the United States Government 
        has provided $3,046,343,000 in assistance to respond to the 
        Syria humanitarian crisis, of which nearly $467,000,000 has 
        been provided to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
            (2) As of January 2015, according to the United Nations 
        High Commissioner for Refugees, there were 621,937 registered 
        Syrian refugees in Jordan and 83.8 percent of whom lived 
        outside refugee camps.
            (3) In 2000, the United States and Jordan signed a free-
        trade agreement that went into force in 2001.
            (4) In 1996, the United States granted Jordan major non-
        NATO ally status.
            (5) Jordan is suffering from the Syrian refugee crisis and 
        the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
            (6) The Government of Jordan was elected as a non-permanent 
        member of the United Nations Security Council for a 2-year term 
        ending in December 2015.
            (7) Enhanced support for defense cooperation with Jordan is 
        important to the national security of the United States, 
        including through creation of a status in law for Jordan 
        similar to the countries in the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization, Japan, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Israel, 
        and New Zealand, with respect to consideration by Congress of 
        foreign military sales to Jordan.
            (8) The Colorado National Guard's relationship with the 
        Jordanian military provides a significant benefit to both the 
        United States and Jordan.
            (9) Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh was brutally murdered 
        by ISIL.
            (10) On February 3, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry and 
        Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh signed a new Memorandum 
        of Understanding that reflects the intention to increase United 
        States assistance to the Government of Jordan from $660,000,000 
        to $1,000,000,000 for each of the years 2015 through 2017.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It should be the policy of the United States--
            (1) to support the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in its 
        response to the Syrian refugee crisis;
            (2) to provide necessary assistance to alleviate the 
        domestic burden to provide basic needs for the assimilated 
        Syrian refugees;
            (3) to cooperate with Jordan to combat the terrorist threat 
        from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or other 
        terrorist organizations; and
            (4) to help secure the border between Jordan and its 
        neighbors Syria and Iraq.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that expeditious consideration of 
certifications of letters of offer to sell defense articles, defense 
services, design and construction services, and major defense equipment 
to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan under section 36(b) of the Arms 
Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(b)) is fully consistent with United 
States security and foreign policy interests and the objectives of 
world peace and security.

SEC. 5. ENHANCED DEFENSE COOPERATION.

    (a) In General.--During the 3-year period beginning on the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan shall be 
treated as if it were a country listed in the provisions of law 
described in subsection (b) for purposes of applying and administering 
such provisions of law.
    (b) Arms Export Control Act.--The provisions of law described in 
this subsection are--
            (1) subsections (b)(2), (d)(2)(B), (d)(3)(A)(i), and (d)(5) 
        of section 3 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2753);
            (2) subsections (e)(2)(A), (h)(1)(A), and (h)(2) of section 
        21 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2761);
            (3) subsections (b)(1), (b)(2), (b)(6), (c), and (d)(2)(A) 
        of section 36 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2776);
            (4) section 62(c)(1) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2796a(c)(1)); 
        and
            (5) section 63(a)(2) (22 U.S.C. 2796b(a)(2)).

SEC. 6. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.

    Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of 
State is authorized to enter into a memorandum of understanding with 
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to increase economic support funds, 
military cooperation, including joint military exercises, personnel 
exchanges, support for international peacekeeping missions, and 
enhanced strategic dialogue.
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