[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8934 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8934

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons 
               engaged in piracy, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 5, 2024

   Mr. Jackson of Illinois 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 require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons 
               engaged in piracy, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 2011, there were 212 attempted attacks against 
        vessels off of the Somali coast, more than 1,000 crew were held 
        hostage, and 35 seafarers were killed.
            (2) Over the past decade through the beginning of 2023, 
        rates of piracy in the Western Indian Ocean subsided.
            (3) Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red 
        Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Hamas terrorist attack against 
        Israel on October 7th have impacted global shipping markets.
            (4) There has been a surge in Somali pirate attacks, 
        beginning in the fall of 2023 and lasting into 2024, that has 
        coincided with and taken advantage of Houthi aggression.
            (5) On March 12, 2024, Somali pirates hijacked a 
        Bangladeshi-flagged ship and took its crew hostage.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States Government should seek to stop piracy 
        all around the world, including off the Somali Coast and in the 
        Gulf of Aden;
            (2) high seas pirates, and the criminal networks and 
        enterprises with whom they are affiliated, should be sanctioned 
        upon identification; and
            (3) the United States should seek to work with allies and 
        partners around the globe to combat piracy around the globe and 
        to curb the surge in piracy off of the coast of Somalia and in 
        the Gulf of Aden.

SEC. 4. SANCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--The President shall impose sanctions described in 
subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person the President 
determines knowingly engages in piracy.
    (b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this 
subsection are the following:
            (1) Asset blocking.--Notwithstanding the requirements of 
        section 202 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
        (50 U.S.C. 1701), the President may exercise of all powers 
        granted to the President by that Act to the extent necessary to 
        block and prohibit all transactions in all property and 
        interests in property of the foreign person if such property 
        and interests in property are in the United States, come within 
        the United States, or are or come within the possession or 
        control of a United States person.
            (2) Visas, admission, or parole.--
                    (A) In general.--An alien who the Secretary of 
                State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a 
                designee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has 
                reason to believe, is described in subsection (a) is--
                            (i) inadmissible to the United States;
                            (ii) ineligible for a visa or other 
                        documentation to enter the United States; and
                            (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 
                        or paroled into the United States or to receive 
                        any other benefit under the Immigration and 
                        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
                    (B) Current visas revoked.--
                            (i) In general.--The issuing consular 
                        officer, the Secretary of State, or the 
                        Secretary of Homeland Security (or a designee 
                        of one of such Secretaries) shall, in 
                        accordance with section 221(i) of the 
                        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
                        1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry 
                        documentation issued to an alien described in 
                        subparagraph (A) regardless of when the visa or 
                        other entry documentation is issued.
                            (ii) Effect of revocation.--A revocation 
                        under clause (i)--
                                    (I) shall take effect immediately; 
                                and
                                    (II) shall automatically cancel any 
                                other valid visa or entry documentation 
                                that is in the alien's possession.
    (c) Exceptions.--
            (1) Exception to comply with international obligations.--
        Sanctions under subsection (b)(2) shall not apply with respect 
        to the admission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien 
        into the United States is necessary to permit the United States 
        to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 
        United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and 
        entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United 
        Nations and the United States, or other applicable 
        international obligations.
            (2) Exception relating to the provision of humanitarian 
        assistance.--Sanctions under this section may not be imposed 
        with respect to transactions or the facilitation of 
        transactions for--
                    (A) the sale of agricultural commodities, food, 
                medicine, or medical devices;
                    (B) the provision of humanitarian assistance;
                    (C) financial transactions relating to humanitarian 
                assistance; or
                    (D) transporting goods or services that are 
                necessary to carry out operations relating to 
                humanitarian assistance.
            (3) Exception for intelligence, law enforcement, and 
        national security activities.--Sanctions under this section 
        shall not apply to any authorized intelligence, law 
        enforcement, or national security activities of the United 
        States.
    (d) Classified Information.--In any judicial review of a 
determination made under this section, if the determination was based 
on classified information (as defined in section 1(a) of the Classified 
Information Procedures Act) such information may be submitted to the 
reviewing court ex parte and in camera. This subsection may not be 
construed to confer or imply any right to judicial review.
    (e) Implementation; Penalties.--
            (1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all 
        authorities provided to the President under sections 203 and 
        205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
        U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this section.
            (2) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections 
        (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency 
        Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person 
        that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
        causes a violation of regulations promulgated to carry out this 
        section to the same extent that such penalties apply to a 
        person that commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a) 
        of that Act.
    (f) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions 
imposed with respect to a foreign person under this section if the 
President certifies to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
not later than 15 days before such waiver is to take effect that the 
waiver is crucial to the national security interests of the United 
States.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means an 
        individual or entity that is not a United States person.
            (2) United states person.--The term ``United States 
        person'' means--
                    (A) a United States citizen;
                    (B) a permanent resident alien of the United 
                States; or
                    (C) an entity organized under the laws of the 
                United States or of any jurisdiction within the United 
                States, including a foreign branch of such an entity.
            (3) Piracy.--The term ``piracy'' means any act in violation 
        of one or more provisions of chapter 81 of title 18, United 
        States Code.
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