[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8073 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8073

To provide for a limitation on obligation and expenditure of funds for 
   bilateral economic assistance to the Republic of El Salvador, the 
          Republic of Guatemala, and the Republic of Honduras.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 18, 2024

    Ms. Mace (for herself, Mr. Rosendale, and Mr. Gooden of Texas) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for a limitation on obligation and expenditure of funds for 
   bilateral economic assistance to the Republic of El Salvador, the 
          Republic of Guatemala, and the Republic of Honduras.

    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 ``Northern Triangle Asylum Cooperative 
Agreement Reimplementation Act''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON OBLIGATION AND EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--Beginning on the date that is 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act--
            (1) none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or 
        otherwise made available for bilateral economic assistance 
        under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
        2151 et seq.) may be obligated or expended for the provision of 
        assistance to the Republic of El Salvador until the Secretary 
        of State submits to Congress a certification described in 
        subsection (b)(1);
            (2) none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or 
        otherwise made available for bilateral economic assistance 
        under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
        2151 et seq.) may be obligated or expended for the provision of 
        assistance to the Republic of Guatemala until the Secretary of 
        State submits to Congress a certification described in 
        subsection (b)(2); and
            (3) none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or 
        otherwise made available for bilateral economic assistance 
        under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
        2151 et seq.) may be obligated or expended for the provision of 
        assistance to the Republic of Honduras until the Secretary of 
        State submits to Congress a certification described in 
        subsection (b)(3).
    (b) Certification.--A certification referred to in subsection (a) 
is a certification that--
            (1) for the purposes of subsection (a)(1), there is entered 
        into force an agreement between the Government of the United 
        States of America and the Government of the Republic of El 
        Salvador that contains terms and conditions that are 
        substantially similar to the terms and conditions contained in 
        the Agreement Between the United States of America and the 
        Government of the Republic of El Salvador for Cooperation in 
        the Examination of Protection Claims, signed on September 30, 
        2019, and terminated on August 4, 2021;
            (2) for the purposes of subsection (a)(2), there is entered 
        into force an agreement between the Government of the United 
        States of America and the Government of the Republic of 
        Guatemala that contains terms and conditions that are 
        substantially similar to the terms and conditions contained in 
        the Agreement Between the United States of America and the 
        Government of the Republic of Guatemala on Cooperation 
        Regarding the Examination of Protection Claims, signed on July 
        26, 2019, and terminated on May 4, 2021; and
            (3) for the purposes of subsection (a)(3), there is entered 
        into force an agreement between the Government of the United 
        States of America and the Government of the Republic of 
        Honduras that contains terms and conditions that are 
        substantially similar to the terms and conditions contained in 
        the Agreement Between the United States of America and the 
        Government of the Republic of Honduras on Cooperation in the 
        Examination of Protection Claims, signed on September 25, 2019, 
        and terminated on August 5, 2021.
    (c) Recertifications.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date on 
        which the Secretary of State submits to Congress an initial 
        certification under subsection (a), and every 180 days 
        thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
        recertification that the conditions described in subsection (b) 
        are continuing to be met.
            (2) Further limitation.--If the Secretary of State is 
        unable to make a recertification described in paragraph (1), or 
        fails to make such a recertification, the limitations on the 
        obligations and expenditures of funds described in of 
        subsection (a) shall apply.
    (d) Implementation.--Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the 
agreements that are the subject of a certification under subsection (b) 
shall be implemented in accordance with the interim final rule entitled 
``Implementing Bilateral and Multilateral Asylum Cooperative Agreements 
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act'' (84 FR 63994). Such interim 
final rule shall thereafter have the force and effect of law, and may 
not be repealed or amended.
    (e) Limitation.--For purposes of the implementation of any 
agreement that is the subject of a certification under subsection (b)--
            (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security may not find that it 
        is in the public interest for an alien subject to the agreement 
        to receive asylum in the United States; and
            (2) the Secretary may not otherwise permit an alien to 
        remain in the United States on the basis that the alien's life 
        or freedom would be threatened in the Republic of El Salvador, 
        the Republic of Guatemala, or the Republic of Honduras because 
        of--
                    (A) climate, environmental conditions, or weather-
                related natural disasters; or
                    (B) violence from a criminal street gang.
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