[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9299 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9299

To make certain improvements relating to the coordination of efforts to 
  promote internet freedom and access to information in Iran, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2024

Mr. Swalwell (for himself, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Khanna, Ms. 
Salazar, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Lawler, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Peters, Ms. 
 Malliotakis, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. 
  Wittman, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Mills, Mr. Levin, Mrs. Bice, and Mr. Himes) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To make certain improvements relating to the coordination of efforts to 
  promote internet freedom and access to information in Iran, 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 ``Internet Reach and Access Now Act'' 
or ``IRAN Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED COORDINATION OF EFFORTS TO PROMOTE INTERNET FREEDOM 
              AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN IRAN.

    (a) Duties.--The Secretary of State shall be the Federal official 
with primary responsible for the following duties:
            (1) Promoting widespread internet freedom in Iran and 
        access to information in Iran.
            (2) Coordinating any efforts carried out by the heads of 
        other Federal departments and agencies relating to the 
        promotion of widespread internet freedom in Iran and access to 
        information in Iran.
            (3) Serving as the principal official within the Federal 
        Government responsible for coordinating updates to the strategy 
        required under section 414 of the Iran Threat Reduction and 
        Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8754) and 
        implementing such strategy and any updates thereto.
    (b) Updates to Comprehensive Strategy To Promote Internet Freedom 
and Access to Information in Iran.--
            (1) Updates.--Section 414 of the Iran Threat Reduction and 
        Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8754) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``Not later than'' and inserting 
                ``(a) Initial Strategy.--Not later than'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (11) and (12) as 
                paragraphs (14) and (15), respectively;
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (10) the following 
                new paragraphs:
            ``(11) evaluate the use of virtual private networks and 
        direct-to-cell satellite technologies by civil society and 
        human rights activists in Iran and develop strategies for 
        increasing the accessibility of such networks and technologies;
            ``(12) develop guidance for the Department of the Treasury 
        to ensure that enforcement of sanctions does not prevent 
        companies from providing to Iranian civilians the technology 
        and other tools necessary to access the open internet;
            ``(13) assess the ability of the Iranian regime to cut off 
        all access to the internet and develop a strategy to circumvent 
        internet blackouts for Iranian civil society;''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(b) Updates.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, and the heads 
of the elements of the intelligence community (as such term is defined 
in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)), 
shall review the strategy under subsection (a) on an ongoing basis and 
update the strategy as appropriate, taking into account the results of 
such review.''.
            (2) Submission of first updates.--
                    (A) Submission.--Not later than 120 days after the 
                date of the enactment, the Secretary of State shall--
                            (i) review and update the strategy pursuant 
                        to section 414(b) of the Iran Threat Reduction 
                        and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 
                        8754), as amended by paragraph (1); and
                            (ii) submit such updated strategy to the 
                        appropriate congressional committees.
                    (B) Form.--The strategy under subparagraph (A) 
                shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 
                include a classified annex.
    (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--The term 
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the following:
            (1) The Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
        Energy and Commerce, the Permanent Select Committee on 
        Intelligence, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
        of Representatives.
            (2) The Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
        Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Select Committee on 
        Intelligence, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
        Senate.
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