[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4848-S4850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2522. Mr. COTTON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal

[[Page S4849]]

year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the end of title XII, add the following:

   Subtitle G--PLO and PA Terror Payments Accountability Act of 2024

     SEC. 1291. SHORT TITLE.

       This subtitle may be cited as the ``PLO and PA Terror 
     Payments Accountability Act of 2024''.

     SEC. 1292. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Palestine Liberation Organization and the 
     Palestinian Authority provide hundreds of millions of dollars 
     per year in payments, salaries, and benefits to terrorists 
     and the families of terrorists as part of a system 
     compensation that incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and 
     supports acts of terrorism.
       (2) The Palestine Liberation Organization and the 
     Palestinian Authority policies, laws, and regulations that 
     direct, authorize, enact, facilitate, and implement a system 
     of compensation in support of acts of terrorism require 
     payments, salaries, and benefits to terrorists including 
     those who are members and part of organizations designated as 
     foreign terrorist organizations by the Secretary of State 
     under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1189), including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that receive 
     direct support including financial and military assistance 
     from Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the 
     world.
       (3) In 2018, Congress passed the Taylor Force Act (title X 
     of division S of Public Law 115-141; 132 Stat. 1143) into law 
     that calls on the Palestine Liberation Organization and the 
     Palestinian Authority to end their system of compensation 
     that incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of 
     terrorism and restricts United States assistance ``that 
     directly benefits the Palestinian Authority'' unless the 
     Secretary of State certifies to Congress that the Palestine 
     Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority have 
     met specific conditions including terminating that system of 
     compensation and revoking the policies, laws, and regulations 
     that authorize and implement the system of compensation.
       (4) Despite the enactment of the Taylor Force Act, the 
     Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian 
     Authority have continued their system of compensation that 
     incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of 
     terrorism.
       (5) On October 7, 2023, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other 
     Gaza-based terrorist organizations attacked Israel on Shabbat 
     and during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, committing 
     the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the 
     Holocaust.
       (6) On October 7, 2023, Hamas fired thousands of rockets 
     into Israel, deliberately targeting Israeli civilians, and 
     thousands of terrorists invaded Israeli communities--
     massacring, raping, torturing, decapitating, burning alive, 
     seriously injuring, and kidnapping Israelis and Americans, 
     including men, women, children, babies, and grandparents, and 
     including Holocaust survivors, with children being murdered 
     in front of their parents and parents being murdered in front 
     of their children.
       (7) On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered more than 1,200 who 
     were mostly civilians, and kidnapped more than 240, including 
     Israeli and American men, women, children, babies, and 
     grandparents, and took them to Gaza as hostages.
       (b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the 
     United States to hold the Palestine Liberation Organization 
     and the Palestinian Authority accountable including through 
     the imposition of sanctions for providing payments, salaries, 
     and benefits to terrorists and the families of terrorists as 
     part of a system compensation that incentivizes, encourages, 
     rewards, and supports acts of terrorism.

     SEC. 1293. DEFINITIONS.

       In this subtitle:
       (1) Act of terrorism.--The term ``act of terrorism''--
       (A) means an act of international terrorism (as defined in 
     section 2331 of title 18, United States Code); and
       (B) includes the meanings given the terms ``terrorist 
     activity'' and ``engage in terrorist activity'' by section 
     212(a)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1182(a)(3)(B)).
       (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.
       (3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means any 
     person or entity that is not a United States person.
       (4) Knowingly.--The term ``knowingly'', with respect to 
     conduct, a circumstance, or a result, means that a person had 
     actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the 
     circumstance, or the result.
       (5) System of compensation.--The term ``system of 
     compensation'', with respect to the Palestinian Authority and 
     the Palestinian Liberation Organization, means the payments 
     described in subparagraph (B) of section 1004(a)(1) of the 
     Taylor Force Act (22 U.S.C. 2378c-1) and the system of 
     compensation described in subparagraph (C) of that section.
       (6) United states person.--The term ``United States 
     person'' means--
       (A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted 
     for permanent residence to the United States;
       (B) an entity organized under the laws of the United States 
     or any jurisdiction within the United States, including a 
     foreign branch of such an entity; or
       (C) a person in the United States.

     SEC. 1294. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN FOREIGN PERSONS 
                   SUPPORTING TERRORISM.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and an ongoing basis thereafter, 
     the President shall impose the sanctions described in 
     subsection (b) on--
       (1) any foreign person that--
       (A) has served in a position as a representative, minister, 
     official, or employee of the Palestine Liberation 
     Organization, the Palestinian Authority, or any other foreign 
     person that has directed, authorized, been responsible for, 
     materially assisted with, enacted, implemented, or otherwise 
     facilitated the Palestine Liberation Organization and the 
     Palestinian Authority system of compensation supporting acts 
     of terrorism; or
       (B) has provided payments, salaries, and benefits to 
     terrorists and the families of terrorists as part of the 
     Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian 
     Authority system of compensation supporting acts of 
     terrorism;
       (2) any entity that directly or indirectly has operated, 
     ordered, controlled, directed, or otherwise facilitated the 
     Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian 
     Authority system of compensation supporting acts of terrorism 
     including the Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, 
     the Institute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and 
     the Wounded, the Palestine National Fund, National 
     Association of the Families of the Martyrs of Palestine, or 
     any successor, agency, instrumentality, organization, or 
     affiliated entities thereof; or
       (3) any foreign person that has knowingly provided 
     significant financial, technological, or material support and 
     resources support to, or knowingly engaged in a significant 
     transaction with a foreign person described in subparagraphs 
     (1) or (2).
       (b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions that shall be 
     imposed with respect to a foreign person described a 
     subsection (a) are the following:
       (1) Blocking of property.--The President shall exercise all 
     of the powers granted to the President under the 
     International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 
     et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all 
     transactions in 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) Ineligibility for visas, admission, or parole.--
       (A) Visas, admission, or parole.--An alien described in 
     subsection (a) is--
       (i) inadmissible to the United States;
       (ii) ineligible to receive 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.--An alien described in subsection (a) is 
     subject to revocation of any visa or other entry 
     documentation regardless of when the visa or other entry 
     documentation is or was issued.
       (ii) Immediate effect.--A revocation under clause (i) 
     shall--
       (I) take effect immediately; and
       (II) automatically cancel any other valid visa or entry 
     documentation that is in the alien's possession.
       (iii) 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 this section or any 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.
       (c) Congressional Requests.--Not later than 30 days after 
     receiving a request from the chairman or ranking member of 
     one of the appropriate congressional committees with respect 
     to whether a person meets the criteria of a person described 
     in subsection (a), the President shall--
       (1) determine if the person meets such criteria; and
       (2) submit a classified or unclassified report to the 
     chairman or ranking member, that submitted the request with 
     respect to that determination that includes a statement of 
     whether or not the President imposed or intends to impose 
     sanctions with respect to the person.
       (d) Implementation; Regulations.--
       (1) In general.--The President may exercise all authorities 
     provided under sections 203 and 205 of the International 
     Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for 
     purposes of carrying out this section.
       (2) Regulations.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President shall issue such 
     regulations or other guidance as may be necessary for the 
     implementation of this section.

[[Page S4850]]

       (e) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Material support or resources.--The term ``material 
     support or resources'' has the meaning given that term in 
     section 2339A(b) of title 18, United States Code.

     SEC. 1295. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FINANCIAL 
                   INSTITUTIONS THAT FACILITATE TRANSACTIONS 
                   SUPPORTING TERRORISM.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and on an ongoing basis 
     thereafter, the President shall impose the sanctions 
     described in subsection (c) with respect to each foreign 
     financial institution that engages in the activities 
     described in subsection (b).
       (b) Activities Described.--A foreign financial institution 
     engages in an activity described in this subsection if the 
     institution--
       (1) processes, participates in, facilitates, or provides a 
     transaction that are payments, salaries, or benefits, or any 
     other conduct described in section 1294(a); or
       (2) knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant 
     financial transaction with any foreign person subject to 
     sanctions under section 1294(a).
       (c) Sanctions Described.--The President shall prohibit the 
     opening, and prohibit or impose strict donations on the 
     maintaining, in the United States of a correspondent account 
     or a payable-through account by a foreign financial 
     institution described in subsection (a).
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Correspondent account; payable-through account.--The 
     terms ``correspondent account'' and ``payable-through 
     account'' have the meanings given those terms in section 
     5318A of title 31, United States Code.
       (2) Foreign financial institution.--The term ``foreign 
     financial institution'' has the meaning of that term as 
     determined by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 
     section 104(i) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 
     Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 
     8513(i)).

     SEC. 1296. TERMINATION.

       The provisions of this subtitle shall have no force or 
     effect only if the Secretary of State certifies in writing to 
     the appropriate congressional committees that the Palestine 
     Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority system 
     of compensation providing payments, salaries, and benefits to 
     terrorists and the families of terrorists that incentivizes, 
     encourages, rewards, and supports acts of terrorism as 
     described in this subtitle, has ceased to be in effect and is 
     no longer taking place.
                                 ______