[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14212-14223]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              CAESAR SYRIA CIVILIAN PROTECTION ACT OF 2016

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill

[[Page 14213]]

(H.R. 5732) to halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, 
encourage a negotiated political settlement, and hold Syrian human 
rights abusers accountable for their crimes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5732

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Caesar 
     Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 4. Statement of policy.

 TITLE I--ADDITIONAL ACTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY 
                         WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA

Sec. 101. Sanctions with respect to Central Bank of Syria and foreign 
              persons that engage in certain transactions.
Sec. 102. Prohibitions with respect to the transfer of arms and related 
              materials to Syria.
Sec. 103. Rule of construction.

 TITLE II--AMENDMENTS TO SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012

Sec. 201. Imposition of sanctions with respect to certain persons who 
              are responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses 
              committed against citizens of Syria or their family 
              members.
Sec. 202. Imposition of sanctions with respect to the transfer of goods 
              or technologies to Syria that are likely to be used to 
              commit human rights abuses.
Sec. 203. Imposition of sanctions with respect to persons who hinder 
              humanitarian access.

TITLE III--REPORTS AND WAIVER FOR HUMANITARIAN-RELATED ACTIVITIES WITH 
                            RESPECT TO SYRIA

Sec. 301. Report on monitoring and evaluating of ongoing assistance 
              programs in Syria and to the Syrian people.
Sec. 302. Report on certain persons who are responsible for or 
              complicit in certain human rights violations in Syria.
Sec. 303. Assessment of potential effectiveness of and requirements for 
              the establishment of safe zones or a no-fly zone in 
              Syria.
Sec. 304. Assistance to support entities taking actions relating to 
              gathering evidence for investigations into war crimes or 
              crimes against humanity in Syria since March 2011.

        TITLE IV--SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA

Sec. 401. Suspension of sanctions with respect to Syria.
Sec. 402. Waivers and exemptions.

       TITLE V--REGULATORY AUTHORITY, COST LIMITATION, AND SUNSET

Sec. 501. Regulatory authority.
Sec. 502. Cost limitation.
Sec. 503. Sunset.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Over 14,000,000 Syrians have become refugees or 
     internally displaced persons over the last five years.
       (2) The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported 
     that since 2012, over 60,000 Syrians, including children, 
     have died in Syrian prisons.
       (3) In July 2014, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
     House of Representatives heard testimony from a former Syrian 
     military photographer, alias ``Caesar'', who fled Syria and 
     smuggled out thousands of photos of tortured bodies. In 
     testimony, Caesar said, ``I have seen horrendous pictures of 
     bodies of people who had tremendous amounts of torture, deep 
     wounds and burns and strangulation.''.
       (4) In a June 16, 2015, hearing of the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives, United States 
     Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha 
     Power, testified that there are alarming and grave reports 
     that the Assad regime has been turning chlorine into a 
     chemical weapon, and on June 16, 2015, Secretary of State 
     John Kerry stated that he was ``absolutely certain'' that the 
     Assad regime has used chlorine against his people.
       (5) The Assad regime has repeatedly blocked civilian access 
     to or diverted humanitarian assistance, including medical 
     supplies, to besieged and hard-to-reach areas, in violation 
     of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
       (6) The course of the Syrian transition and its future 
     leadership may depend on what the United States and its 
     partners do now to save Syrian lives, alleviate suffering, 
     and help Syrians determine their own future.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) Bashar al-Assad's murderous actions against the people 
     of Syria have caused the deaths of more than 400,000 
     civilians, led to the destruction of more than 50 percent of 
     Syria's critical infrastructure, and forced the displacement 
     of more than 14,000,000 people, precipitating the worst 
     humanitarian crisis in more than 60 years;
       (2) international actions to date have been insufficient in 
     protecting vulnerable populations from being attacked by 
     uniformed and irregular forces, including Hezbollah, 
     associated with the Assad regime, on land and from the air, 
     through the use of barrel bombs, chemical weapons, mass 
     starvation campaigns, industrial-scale torture and execution 
     of political dissidents, sniper attacks on pregnant women, 
     and the deliberate targeting of medical facilities, schools, 
     residential areas, and community gathering places, including 
     markets;
       (3) Assad's use of chemical weapons, including chlorine, 
     against the Syrian people violates the Chemical Weapons 
     Convention; and
       (4) Assad's continued claim of leadership and actions in 
     Syria are a rallying point for the extremist ideology of the 
     Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra, and other terrorist 
     organizations.

     SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States that all diplomatic 
     and coercive economic means should be utilized to compel the 
     government of Bashir al-Assad to immediately halt the 
     wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people and actively work 
     towards transition to a democratic government in Syria, 
     existing in peace and security with its neighbors.

 TITLE I--ADDITIONAL ACTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY 
                         WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA

     SEC. 101. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CENTRAL BANK OF SYRIA AND 
                   FOREIGN PERSONS THAT ENGAGE IN CERTAIN 
                   TRANSACTIONS.

       (a) Application of Certain Measures to Central Bank of 
     Syria.--Except as provided in subsections (a) and (b) of 
     section 402, the President shall apply the measures described 
     in section 5318A(b)(5) of title 31, United States Code, to 
     the Central Bank of Syria.
       (b) Blocking Property of Foreign Persons That Engage in 
     Certain Transactions.--
       (1) In general.--Beginning on and after the date that is 30 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     President shall impose on a foreign person the sanctions 
     described in subsection (c) if the President determines that 
     such foreign person has, on or after such date of enactment, 
     knowingly engaged in an activity described in paragraph (2).
       (2) Activities described.--A foreign person engages in an 
     activity described in this paragraph if the foreign person--
       (A) knowingly provided significant financial, material or 
     technological support to (including engaging in or 
     facilitating a significant transaction or transactions with) 
     or provided significant financial services for--
       (i) the Government of Syria (including Syria's intelligence 
     and security services or its armed forces or government 
     entities operating as a business enterprise) and the Central 
     Bank of Syria, or any of its agents or affiliates; or
       (ii) a foreign person subject to sanctions pursuant to--

       (I) the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
     U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) with respect to Syria or any other 
     provision of law that imposes sanctions with respect to 
     Syria; or
       (II) a resolution that is agreed to by the United Nations 
     Security Council that imposes sanctions with respect to 
     Syria;

       (B) knowingly--
       (i) sold or provided significant goods, services, 
     technology, information, or other support that could directly 
     and significantly facilitate the maintenance or expansion of 
     Syria's domestic production of natural gas or petroleum or 
     petroleum products of Syrian origin in areas controlled by 
     the Government of Syria;
       (ii) sold or provided to Syria crude oil or condensate, 
     refined petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, or 
     petrochemical products that have a fair market value of 
     $500,000 or more or that during a 12-month period have an 
     aggregate fair market value of $2,000,000 or more in areas 
     controlled by the Government of Syria;
       (iii) sold or provided civilian aircraft or spare parts, or 
     provides significant goods, services, or technologies 
     associated with the operation of aircraft or airlines to any 
     foreign person operating in areas controlled by the 
     Government of Syria; or
       (iv) sold or provided significant goods, services, or 
     technology to a foreign person operating in the shipping 
     (including ports and free trade zones), transportation, or 
     telecommunications sectors in areas controlled by the 
     Government of Syria;
       (C) knowingly facilitated efforts by a foreign person to 
     carry out an activity described in subparagraph (A) or (B);
       (D) knowingly provided loans, credits, including export 
     credits, or financing to carry out an activity described in 
     subparagraph (A) or (B); and

[[Page 14214]]

       (E) is owned or controlled by a foreign person that engaged 
     in the activities described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
       (c) Sanctions Against a Foreign Person.--The sanctions to 
     be imposed on a foreign person described in subsection (b) 
     are the following:
       (1) In general.--The President shall exercise all powers 
     granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
     (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (except that the requirements of 
     section 202 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply) to 
     the extent necessary to freeze 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) Aliens ineligible for visas, admission, or parole.--
       (A) Visas, admission, or parole.--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, meets any of the criteria 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.--The issuing consular officer, the 
     Secretary of State, or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or 
     a designee of one of such Secretaries) shall revoke any visa 
     or other entry documentation issued to an alien who meets any 
     of the criteria described in subsection (a) regardless of 
     when 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.

       (3) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters 
     agreement.--Sanctions under paragraph (2) shall not apply to 
     an alien if admitting 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.
       (4) 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 knowingly violates, attempts to violate, conspires to 
     violate, or causes a violation of regulations promulgated 
     under section 501(a) to carry out paragraph (1) of this 
     subsection to the same extent that such penalties apply to a 
     person that knowingly commits an unlawful act described in 
     section 206(a) of that Act.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Admitted; alien.--The terms ``admitted'' and ``alien'' 
     have the meanings given such terms in section 101 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
       (2) Financial, material, or technological support.--The 
     term ``financial, material, or technological support'' has 
     the meaning given such term in section 542.304 of title 31, 
     Code of Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (3) Government of syria.--The term ``Government of Syria'' 
     has the meaning given such term in section 542.305 of title 
     31, Code of Federal Regulations, as such section was in 
     effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (4) Knowingly.--The term ``knowingly'' has the meaning 
     given such term in section 566.312 of title 31, Code of 
     Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on the 
     date of the enactment of this Act.
       (5) Petroleum or petroleum products of syrian origin.--The 
     term ``petroleum or petroleum products of Syrian origin'' has 
     the meaning given such term in section 542.314 of title 31, 
     Code of Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (6) Significant transaction or transactions; significant 
     financial services.--A transaction or transactions or 
     financial services shall be determined to be a significant 
     for purposes of this section in accordance with section 
     566.404 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as such 
     section was in effect on the date of the enactment of this 
     Act.
       (7) Syria.--The term ``Syria'' has the meaning given such 
     term in section 542.316 of title 31, Code of Federal 
     Regulations, as such section was in effect on the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 102. PROHIBITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSFER OF ARMS 
                   AND RELATED MATERIALS TO SYRIA.

       (a) Sanctions.--
       (1) In general.--Beginning on and after the date that is 30 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     President shall impose on a foreign person the sanctions 
     described in subsection (b) if the President determines that 
     such foreign person has, on or after such date of enactment, 
     knowingly exported, transferred, or provided significant 
     financial, material, or technological support to the 
     Government of Syria to--
       (A) acquire or develop chemical, biological, or nuclear 
     weapons or related technologies;
       (B) acquire or develop ballistic or cruise missile 
     capabilities;
       (C) acquire or develop destabilizing numbers and types of 
     advanced conventional weapons;
       (D) acquire defense articles, defense services, or defense 
     information (as such terms are defined under the Arms Export 
     Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.)); or
       (E) acquire items designated by the President for purposes 
     of the United States Munitions List under section 38(a)(1) of 
     the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778(a)(1)).
       (2) Applicability to other foreign persons.--The sanctions 
     described in subsection (b) shall also be imposed on any 
     foreign person that--
       (A) is a successor entity to a foreign person described in 
     paragraph (1); or
       (B) is owned or controlled by a foreign person described in 
     paragraph (1).
       (b) Sanctions Against a Foreign Person.--The sanctions to 
     be imposed on a foreign person described in subsection (a) 
     are the following:
       (1) In general.--The President shall exercise all powers 
     granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
     (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (except that the requirements of 
     section 202 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply) to 
     the extent necessary to freeze 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) Aliens ineligible for visas, admission, or parole.--
       (A) Visas, admission, or parole.--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, meets any of the criteria 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.--The issuing consular officer, the 
     Secretary of State, or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or 
     a designee of one of such Secretaries) shall revoke any visa 
     or other entry documentation issued to an alien who meets any 
     of the criteria described in subsection (a) regardless of 
     when 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.

       (3) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters 
     agreement.--Sanctions under paragraph (2) shall not apply to 
     an alien if admitting 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.
       (4) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to 
     violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of any 
     regulation, license, or order issued to carry out this 
     section shall be subject to the penalties set forth in 
     subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International 
     Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same 
     extent as a person that commits an unlawful act described in 
     subsection (a) of that section.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Admitted; alien.--The terms ``admitted'' and ``alien'' 
     have the meanings given such terms in section 101 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
       (2) Financial, material, or technological support.--The 
     term ``financial, material, or technological support'' has 
     the meaning given such term in section 542.304 of title 31, 
     Code of Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' has the 
     meaning given such term in section 594.304 of title 31, Code 
     of Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on the 
     date of the enactment of this Act.
       (4) Knowingly.--The term ``knowingly'' has the meaning 
     given such term in section 566.312 of title 31, Code of 
     Federal Regulations, as such section was in effect on the 
     date of the enactment of this Act.
       (5) Syria.--The term ``Syria'' has the meaning given such 
     term in section 542.316 of title 31, Code of Federal 
     Regulations, as such section was in effect on the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.
       (6) United states person.--The term ``United States 
     person'' has the meaning given such term in section 542.319 
     of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as such section was 
     in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.

[[Page 14215]]



     SEC. 103. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       The sanctions that are required to be imposed under this 
     title are in addition to other similar or related sanctions 
     that are required to be imposed under any other provision of 
     law.

 TITLE II--AMENDMENTS TO SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2012

     SEC. 201. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN 
                   PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT IN 
                   HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES COMMITTED AGAINST CITIZENS 
                   OF SYRIA OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.

       (a) In General.--Section 702(c) of the Syria Human Rights 
     Accountability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8791(c)) is amended to 
     read as follows:
       ``(c) Sanctions Described.--
       ``(1) In general.--The President shall exercise all powers 
     granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
     (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (except that the requirements of 
     section 202 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply) to 
     the extent necessary to freeze and prohibit all transactions 
     in all property and interests in property of a person on the 
     list required by subsection (b) 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) Aliens ineligible for visas, admission, or parole.--
       ``(A) Visas, admission, or parole.--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, meets any of the criteria described in subsection 
     (b) 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.--The issuing consular officer, the 
     Secretary of State, or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or 
     a designee of one of such Secretaries) shall revoke any visa 
     or other entry documentation issued to an alien who meets any 
     of the criteria described in subsection (b) regardless of 
     when 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.

       ``(3) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to 
     violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this 
     section or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry 
     out this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth 
     in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the 
     International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) 
     to the same extent as a person that commits an unlawful act 
     described in subsection (a) of that section.
       ``(4) Regulatory authority.--The President shall, not later 
     than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section, 
     promulgate regulations as necessary for the implementation of 
     this section.
       ``(5) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters 
     agreement.--Sanctions under paragraph (2) shall not apply to 
     an alien if admitting 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.
       ``(6) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section shall 
     be construed to limit the authority of the President to 
     impose additional sanctions pursuant to the International 
     Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), 
     relevant Executive orders, regulations, or other provisions 
     of law.''.
       (b) Serious Human Rights Abuses Described.--Section 702 of 
     the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 
     8791) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Serious Human Rights Abuses Described.--In subsection 
     (b), the term `serious human rights abuses' includes--
       ``(1) the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure 
     to include schools, hospitals, and markets; and
       ``(2) hindering the prompt and safe access for all actors 
     engaged in humanitarian relief activities, including across 
     conflict lines and borders.''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) 
     and (b) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of 
     this Act and shall apply with respect to the imposition of 
     sanctions under section 702(a) of the Syria Human Rights 
     Accountability Act of 2012 on after such date of enactment.

     SEC. 202. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 
                   TRANSFER OF GOODS OR TECHNOLOGIES TO SYRIA THAT 
                   ARE LIKELY TO BE USED TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS 
                   ABUSES.

       Section 703(b)(2)(C) of the Syria Human Rights 
     Accountability Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8792(b)(2)(C)) is 
     amended--
       (1) in clause (i), by striking ``or'' at the end;
       (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting a semicolon; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(iii) any article designated by the President for 
     purposes of the United States Munitions List under section 
     38(a)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2778(a)(1)); or
       ``(iv) other goods or technologies that the President 
     determines may be used by the Government of Syria to commit 
     human rights abuses against the people of Syria.''.

     SEC. 203. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO PERSONS WHO 
                   HINDER HUMANITARIAN ACCESS.

       The Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 (22 
     U.S.C. 8791 et seq.) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating sections 705 and 706 as sections 706 
     and 707, respectively;
       (2) by inserting after section 704 the following:

     ``SEC. 705. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO PERSONS 
                   WHO HINDER HUMANITARIAN ACCESS.

       ``(a) In General.--The President shall impose sanctions 
     described in section 702(c) with respect to each person on 
     the list required by subsection (b).
       ``(b) List of Persons Who Hinder Humanitarian Access.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date 
     of the enactment of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act 
     of 2016, the President shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a list of persons that the President 
     determines have engaged in hindering the prompt and safe 
     access for the United Nations, its specialized agencies and 
     implementing partners, national and international non-
     governmental organizations, and all other actors engaged in 
     humanitarian relief activities in Syria, including across 
     conflict lines and borders.
       ``(2) Updates of list.--The President shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees an updated list under 
     paragraph (1)--
       ``(A) not later than 300 days after the date of the 
     enactment of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016 
     and every 180 days thereafter; and
       ``(B) as new information becomes available.
       ``(3) Form of report; public availability.--
       ``(A) Form.--The list required by paragraph (1) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified 
     annex.
       ``(B) Public availability.--The unclassified portion of the 
     list required by paragraph (1) shall be made available to the 
     public and posted on the websites of the Department of the 
     Treasury and the Department of State.''; and
       (3) in section 706 (as so redesignated), by striking ``or 
     704'' and inserting ``704, or 705''.

TITLE III--REPORTS AND WAIVER FOR HUMANITARIAN-RELATED ACTIVITIES WITH 
                            RESPECT TO SYRIA

     SEC. 301. REPORT ON MONITORING AND EVALUATING OF ONGOING 
                   ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN SYRIA AND TO THE SYRIAN 
                   PEOPLE.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
     of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations of the Senate a report on the monitoring and 
     evaluation of ongoing assistance programs in Syria and to the 
     Syrian people.
       (b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required by 
     subsection (a) shall include--
       (1) the specific project monitoring and evaluation plans, 
     including measurable goals and performance metrics for 
     assistance in Syria; and
       (2) the major challenges to monitoring and evaluating 
     programs in Syria.

     SEC. 302. REPORT ON CERTAIN PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR 
                   OR COMPLICIT IN CERTAIN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS 
                   IN SYRIA.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a detailed report with 
     respect to whether each person described in subsection (b) is 
     a person that meets the requirements described in section 
     702(b) of the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 
     (22 U.S.C. 8791(b) for purposes of inclusion on the list of 
     persons who are responsible for or complicit in certain human 
     rights abuses under such section. For any such person who is 
     not included in such report, the President should include in 
     the report a description of the reasons why the person was 
     not included, including information on whether sufficient 
     credible evidence of responsibility for such abuses was 
     found.
       (b) Persons Described.--The persons described in this 
     subsection are the following:
       (1) Bashar Al-Assad.
       (2) Asma Al-Assad.
       (3) Rami Makhlouf.
       (4) Bouthayna Shaaban.
       (5) Walid Moallem.
       (6) Ali Al-Salim.
       (7) Wael Nader Al-Halqi.

[[Page 14216]]

       (8) Jamil Hassan.
       (9) Suhail Hassan.
       (10) Ali Mamluk.
       (11) Muhammed Khadour, Deir Ez Zor Military and Security.
       (12) Jamal Razzouq, Security Branch 243.
       (13) Munzer Ghanam, Air Force Intelligence.
       (14) Daas Hasan Ali, Branch 327.
       (15) Jassem Ali Jassem Hamad, Political Security.
       (16) Samir Muhammad Youssef, Military Intelligence.
       (17) Ali Ahmad Dayoub, Air Force Intelligence.
       (18) Khaled Muhsen Al-Halabi, Security Branch 335.
       (19) Mahmoud Kahila, Political Security.
       (20) Zuhair Ahmad Hamad, Provincial Security.
       (21) Wafiq Nasser, Security Branch 245.
       (22) Qussay Mayoub, Air Force Intelligence.
       (23) Muhammad Ammar Sardini, Political Security.
       (24) Fouad Hammouda, Military Security.
       (25) Hasan Daaboul, Branch 261.
       (26) Yahia Wahbi, Air Force Intelligence.
       (27) Okab Saqer, Security Branch 318.
       (28) Husam Luqa, Political Security.
       (29) Sami Al-Hasan, Security Branch 219.
       (30) Yassir Deeb, Political Security.
       (31) Ibrahim Darwish, Security Branch 220.
       (32) Nasser Deeb, Political Security.
       (33) Abdullatif Al-Fahed, Security Branch 290.
       (34) Adeeb Namer Salamah, Air Force Intelligence.
       (35) Akram Muhammed, State Security.
       (36) Reyad Abbas, Political Security.
       (37) Ali Abdullah Ayoub, Syrian Armed Forces.
       (38) Fahd Jassem Al-Freij, Defense Ministry.
       (39) Issam Halaq, Air Force.
       (40) Ghassan Al-Abdullah, General Intelligence Directorate.
       (41) Maher Al-Assad, Republican Guard.
       (42) Fahad Al-Farouch.
       (43) Rafiq Shahada, Military Intelligence.
       (44) Loay Al-Ali, Military Intelligence.
       (45) Nawfal Al-Husayn, Military Intelligence.
       (46) Muhammad Zamrini, Military Intelligence.
       (47) Muhammad Mahallah, Military Intelligence.
       (c) Form of Report; Public Availability.--
       (1) Form.--The list required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified 
     annex if necessary.
       (2) Public availability.--The unclassified portion of the 
     list required by paragraph (1) shall be made available to the 
     public and posted on the Web sites of the Department of the 
     Treasury and the Department of State.
       (d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
     Financial Services, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the 
     Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; 
     and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the 
     Judiciary of the Senate.

     SEC. 303. ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AND 
                   REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SAFE 
                   ZONES OR A NO-FLY ZONE IN SYRIA.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committee a report that--
       (1) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, and 
     operational requirements of the establishment and maintenance 
     of a no-fly zone over part or all of Syria, including--
       (A) the operational and legal requirements for United 
     States and coalition air power to establish a no-fly zone in 
     Syria;
       (B) the impact a no-fly zone in Syria would have on 
     humanitarian and counterterrorism efforts in Syria and the 
     surrounding region; and
       (C) the potential for force contributions from other 
     countries to establish a no-fly zone in Syria; and
       (2) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, and 
     operational requirements for the establishment of one or more 
     safe zones in Syria for internally displaced persons or for 
     the facilitation of humanitarian assistance, including--
       (A) the operational and legal requirements for United 
     States and coalition forces to establish one or more safe 
     zones in Syria;
       (B) the impact one or more safe zones in Syria would have 
     on humanitarian and counterterrorism efforts in Syria and the 
     surrounding region; and
       (C) the potential for contributions from other countries 
     and vetted non-state actor partners to establish and maintain 
     one or more safe zones in Syria.
       (b) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified 
     annex if necessary.
       (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the Senate.

     SEC. 304. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ENTITIES TAKING ACTIONS 
                   RELATING TO GATHERING EVIDENCE FOR 
                   INVESTIGATIONS INTO WAR CRIMES OR CRIMES 
                   AGAINST HUMANITY IN SYRIA SINCE MARCH 2011.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, acting through the 
     Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and 
     the Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law 
     Enforcement Affairs, is authorized to provide assistance to 
     support entities that are conducting criminal investigations, 
     building Syrian investigative capacity, supporting 
     prosecutions in national courts, collecting evidence and 
     preserving the chain of evidence for eventual prosecution 
     against those who have committed war crimes or crimes against 
     humanity in Syria, including the aiding and abetting of such 
     crimes by foreign governments and organizations supporting 
     the Government of Syria, since March 2011.
       (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
     the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
     Senate a detailed report on assistance provided under 
     subsection (a).

        TITLE IV--SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA

     SEC. 401. SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA.

       (a) Suspension of Sanctions.--
       (1) Negotiations not concluding in agreement.--If the 
     President determines that internationally recognized 
     negotiations to resolve the violence in Syria have not 
     concluded in an agreement or are likely not to conclude in an 
     agreement, the President may suspend, as appropriate, in 
     whole or in part, the imposition of sanctions otherwise 
     required under this Act or any amendment made by this Act for 
     a period not to exceed 120 days, and renewable for additional 
     periods not to exceed 120 days, if the President submits to 
     the appropriate congressional committees in writing a 
     determination and certification that the Government of Syria 
     has ended military attacks against and gross violations of 
     the human rights of the Syrian people, specifically--
       (A) the air space over Syria is no longer being utilized by 
     the Government of Syria and associated forces to target 
     civilian populations through the use of incendiary devices, 
     including barrel bombs, chemical weapons, and conventional 
     arms, including air-delivered missiles and explosives;
       (B) areas besieged by the Assad regime and associated 
     forces, including Hezbollah and irregular Iranian forces, are 
     no longer cut off from international aid and have regular 
     access to humanitarian assistance, freedom of travel, and 
     medical care;
       (C) the Government of Syria is releasing all political 
     prisoners forcibly held within the Assad regime prison 
     system, including the facilities maintained by various 
     security, intelligence, and military elements associated with 
     the Government of Syria and allowed full access to the same 
     facilities for investigations by appropriate international 
     human rights organizations; and
       (D) the forces of the Government of Syria and associated 
     forces, including Hezbollah, irregular Iranian forces, and 
     Russian government air assets, are no longer engaged in 
     deliberate targeting of medical facilities, schools, 
     residential areas, and community gathering places, including 
     markets, in flagrant violation of international norms.
       (2) Negotiations concluding in agreement.--
       (A) Initial suspension of sanctions.--If the President 
     determines that internationally recognized negotiations to 
     resolve the violence in Syria have concluded in an agreement 
     or are likely to conclude in an agreement, the President may 
     suspend, as appropriate, in whole or in part, the imposition 
     of sanctions otherwise required under this Act or any 
     amendment made by this Act for a period not to exceed 120 
     days if the President submits to the appropriate 
     congressional committees in writing a determination and 
     certification that--
       (i) in the case in which the negotiations are likely to 
     conclude in an agreement--

       (I) the Government of Syria, the Syrian High Negotiations 
     Committee or its successor, and appropriate international 
     parties are participating in direct, face-to-face 
     negotiations; and
       (II) the suspension of sanctions under this Act or any 
     amendment made by this Act is essential to the advancement of 
     such negotiations; and

       (ii) the Government of Syria has demonstrated a commitment 
     to a significant and substantial reduction in attacks on and 
     violence against the Syrian people by the Government of Syria 
     and associated forces.

[[Page 14217]]

       (B) Renewal of suspension of sanctions.--The President may 
     renew a suspension of sanctions under subparagraph (A) for 
     additional periods not to exceed 120 days if, for each such 
     additional period, the President submits to the appropriate 
     congressional committees in writing a determination and 
     certification that--
       (i) the conditions described in clauses (i) and (ii) of 
     subparagraph (A) are continuing to be met;
       (ii) the renewal of the suspension of sanctions is 
     essential to implementing an agreement described in 
     subparagraph (A) or making progress toward concluding an 
     agreement described in subparagraph (A);
       (iii) the Government of Syria and associated forces have 
     ceased attacks against Syrian civilians; and
       (iv) the Government of Syria has publically committed to 
     negotiations for a transitional government in Syria and 
     continues to demonstrate that commitment through sustained 
     engagement in talks and substantive and verifiable progress 
     towards the implementation of such an agreement.
       (3) Briefing and reimposition of sanctions.--
       (A) Briefing.--Not later than 30 days after the President 
     submits to the appropriate congressional committees a 
     determination and certification in the case of a renewal of 
     suspension of sanctions under paragraph (2)(B), and every 30 
     days thereafter, the President shall provide a briefing to 
     the appropriate congressional committees on the status and 
     frequency of negotiations described in paragraph (2).
       (B) Re-imposition of sanctions.--If the President provides 
     a briefing to the appropriate congressional committees under 
     subparagraph (A) with respect to which the President 
     indicates a lapse in negotiations described in paragraph (2) 
     for a period that equals or exceeds 90 days, the sanctions 
     that were suspended under paragraph (2)(B) shall be re-
     imposed and any further suspension of such sanctions is 
     prohibited.
       (4) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
     Financial Services, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the 
     Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; 
     and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the 
     Judiciary of the Senate.
       (b) Sense of Congress To Be Considered for Determining a 
     Transitional Government in Syria.--It is the sense of 
     Congress that a transitional government in Syria is a 
     government that--
       (1) is taking verifiable steps to release all political 
     prisoners and provided full access to Syrian prisons for 
     investigations by appropriate international human rights 
     organizations;
       (2) is taking verifiable steps to remove former senior 
     Syrian Government officials who are complicit in the 
     conception, implementation, or cover up of war crimes, crimes 
     against humanity, or human rights abuses from government 
     positions and any person subject to sanctions under any 
     provision of law;
       (3) is in the process of organizing free and fair elections 
     for a new government--
       (A) to be held in a timely manner and scheduled while the 
     suspension of sanctions or the renewal of the suspension of 
     sanctions under this section is in effect; and
       (B) to be conducted under the supervision of 
     internationally recognized observers;
       (4) is making tangible progress toward establishing an 
     independent judiciary;
       (5) is demonstrating respect for and compliance with 
     internationally recognized human rights and basic freedoms as 
     specified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
       (6) is taking steps to verifiably fulfill its commitments 
     under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Treaty on the 
     Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and is making tangible 
     progress toward becoming a signatory to Convention on the 
     Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of 
     Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their 
     Destruction, entered into force March 26, 1975, and adhering 
     to the Missile Technology Control Regime and other control 
     lists, as necessary;
       (7) has halted the development and deployment of ballistic 
     and cruise missiles; and
       (8) is taking verifiable steps to remove from positions of 
     authority within the intelligence and security services as 
     well as the military those who were in a position of 
     authority or responsibility during the conflict and who under 
     the authority of their position were implicated in or 
     implicit in the torture, extrajudicial killing, or execution 
     of civilians, to include those who were involved in 
     decisionmaking or execution of plans to use chemical weapons.

     SEC. 402. WAIVERS AND EXEMPTIONS.

       (a) Exemptions.--The following activities and transactions 
     shall be exempt from sanctions authorized under this Act:
       (1) Any activity subject to the reporting requirements 
     under title V of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 
     3091 et seq.), or to any authorized intelligence activities 
     of the United States.
       (2) Any transaction necessary to comply with United States 
     obligations under--
       (A) the Agreement between the United Nations and the United 
     States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United 
     Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 
     into force November 21, 1947; or
       (B) the Convention on Consular Relations, done at Vienna 
     April 24, 1963, and entered into force March 19, 1967.
       (b) Humanitarian and Democracy Assistance Waiver.--
       (1) Statement of policy.--It shall be the policy of the 
     United States to fully utilize the waiver authority under 
     this subsection to ensure that adequate humanitarian relief 
     or support for democracy promotion is provided to the Syrian 
     people.
       (2) Waiver.--Except as provided in paragraph (5), the 
     President may waive, on a case-by-case basis, for a period 
     not to exceed 120 days, and renewable for additional periods 
     not to exceed 120 days, the application of sanctions 
     authorized under this Act with respect to a person if the 
     President submits to the appropriate congressional committees 
     a written determination that the waiver is necessary for 
     purposes of providing humanitarian assistance or support for 
     democracy promotion to the people of Syria.
       (3) Content of written determination.--A written 
     determination submitted under paragraph (1) with respect to a 
     waiver shall include a description of all notification and 
     accountability controls that have been employed in order to 
     ensure that the activities covered by the waiver are 
     humanitarian assistance or support for democracy promotion 
     and do not entail any activities in Syria or dealings with 
     the Government of Syria not reasonably related to 
     humanitarian assistance or support for democracy promotion.
       (4) Clarification of permitted activities under waiver.--
     The President may not impose sanctions authorized under this 
     Act against a humanitarian organization for--
       (A) engaging in a financial transaction relating to 
     humanitarian assistance or for humanitarian purposes pursuant 
     to a waiver issued under paragraph (1);
       (B) transporting goods or services that are necessary to 
     carry out operations relating to humanitarian assistance or 
     humanitarian purposes pursuant to such a waiver; or
       (C) having incidental contact, in the course of providing 
     humanitarian assistance or aid for humanitarian purposes 
     pursuant to such a waiver, with individuals who are under the 
     control of a foreign person subject to sanctions under this 
     Act or any amendment made by this Act unless the organization 
     or its officers, members, representatives or employees have 
     engaged in (or the President knows or has reasonable ground 
     to believe is engaged in or is likely to engage in) conduct 
     described in section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)).
       (5) Exception to waiver authority.--The President may not 
     exercise the waiver authority under paragraph (2) with 
     respect to a foreign person who has (or whose officers, 
     members, representatives or employees have) engaged in (or 
     the President knows or has reasonable ground to believe is 
     engaged in or is likely to engage in) conduct described in 
     section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)).
       (c) Waiver.--
       (1) In general.--The President may, on a case-by-case basis 
     and for periods not to exceed 120 days, waive the application 
     of sanctions under this Act with respect to a foreign person 
     if the President certifies to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that such waiver is vital to the national security 
     interests of the United States.
       (2) Consultation.--
       (A) Before waiver issued.--Not later than 5 days before the 
     issuance of a waiver under paragraph (1) is to take effect, 
     the President shall notify and brief the appropriate 
     congressional committees on the status of the foreign person 
     involvement in activities described in this Act.
       (B) After waiver issued.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     issuance of a waiver under paragraph (1), and every 120 days 
     thereafter if the waiver remains in effect, the President 
     shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on the 
     status of the foreign person's involvement in activities 
     described in this Act.
       (3) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
     Financial Services, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the 
     Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; 
     and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the 
     Judiciary of the Senate.
       (d) Codification of Certain Services in Support of 
     Nongovernmental Organizations' Activities Authorized.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
     section 542.516 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations 
     (relating to certain services in support of nongovernmental 
     organizations' activities authorized), as in effect on the 
     day before the date of the enactment of this Act, shall--

[[Page 14218]]

       (A) remain in effect on and after such date of enactment; 
     and
       (B) in the case of a nongovernmental organization that is 
     authorized to export or reexport services to Syria under such 
     section on the day before such date of enactment, shall apply 
     to such organization on and after such date of enactment to 
     the same extent and in the same manner as such section 
     applied to such organization on the day before such date of 
     enactment.
       (2) Exception.--Section 542.516 of title 31, Code of 
     Federal Regulations, as codified under paragraph (1), shall 
     not apply with respect to a foreign person who has (or whose 
     officers, members, representatives or employees have) engaged 
     in (or the President knows or has reasonable ground to 
     believe is engaged in or is likely to engage in) conduct 
     described in section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)).

       TITLE V--REGULATORY AUTHORITY, COST LIMITATION, AND SUNSET

     SEC. 501. REGULATORY AUTHORITY.

       (a) In General.--The President shall, not later than 90 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, promulgate 
     regulations as necessary for the implementation of this Act 
     and the amendments made by this Act.
       (b) Notification to Congress.--Not less than 10 days before 
     the promulgation of regulations under subsection (a), the 
     President shall notify and provide to the appropriate 
     congressional committees the proposed regulations and the 
     provisions of this Act and the amendments made by this Act 
     that the regulations are implementing.
       (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Financial Services of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.

     SEC. 502. COST LIMITATION.

       No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 
     requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this Act. 
     Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts 
     otherwise authorized.

     SEC. 503. SUNSET.

       This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on December 
     31, 2021.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             GENERAL LEAVE

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to enter 
any extraneous material into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, first of all, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel). He is the ranking member of this committee, but he 
has also been the leader in authorizing this critical legislation and 
also has been such a prophetic voice on this subject of Syria policy 
from the beginning, from that first day when we saw people out, on CNN, 
out on the streets in Damascus, saying, ``peaceful, peaceful,'' only to 
see the automatic weapons of the regime open up on those citizens.
  From that day forward, he has tried to focus us on this issue.
  I wish this body and I wish the White House had done more to heed his 
calls, for what we have now is a grim lesson, a grim lesson in human 
suffering. The Syrian regime has launched wave after wave after wave of 
unrelenting destruction, and I am talking about the airstrikes, the 
chemical weapons, the starvation, the industrial-scale torture, and the 
deliberate targeting, as we have seen time and time again, of hospitals 
and of schools and of marketplaces with precision bombs, and then with 
crude barrel bombs, and then with chemical weapons.
  These are the hallmarks of life for millions of people in Syria. The 
number of dead from this alone exceeds 450,000, and another 14 million 
souls have been driven from their homes.
  ISIS plays a role, also, for the people of Syria in the violence that 
they face there, and so it is that they face this twin challenge. But 
it is Bashar al-Assad and his backers that have this instrument of 
death from the air, this capacity.
  It is Russia, it is Iran and Hezbollah who now are the primary 
drivers of the death and the destruction. It is the Russian and Syrian 
fighter planes, helicopters, that drop these bombs on these hospitals 
and schools. It is Hezbollah, and it is the IRGC fighters from Iran and 
the commanders who besiege cities, who burn the crops and prevent food 
and water and medical supplies from reaching cities. It is Assad's 
secret police and intelligence groups, the intelligence apparatus of 
maybe 14 different agencies, who kidnap and then torture and then get 
new names from those they have killed and then go out to repeat that 
process and murder civilians from every ethnic group and every 
political party. Whether Sunni or Shia or Christian or Alawite, none 
are safe.
  We have gone through, in the committee, some of the--well, there were 
tens of thousands of photographs, but I think we have identified 11,000 
souls, people in these photographs that were individually killed, 
tortured and killed in the prisons, Assad's prisons.
  And there is this bizarre--I have never understood it--this bizarre 
focus on recording every death. That is why we know the numbers, 
recording the death and putting a number on that body and cataloging 
this. For some reason, totalitarian regimes have done this from the 
Soviet era to the Nazis to Pol Pot; and for whatever reason, this 
practice continues.
  The Foreign Affairs Committee heard the agonizing testimony from 
Syrians caught in this horror, including the brave Syrian defector 
known to the world now as Caesar and for whom this bill is named, who 
testified to us of the shocking scale of torture being carried out 
within the prisons of Syria. It was his job for the regime to document 
this with his camera.
  Throughout all of the suffering, the administration has failed to use 
the tools at its disposal. Time after time, when given the opportunity 
to take steps to stop this suffering, the administration has decided 
not to decide; and that, itself, unfortunately, has set a course where 
here we sit and we watch, and the violence only worsens.
  Mr. Speaker, America has been sitting back and watching these 
atrocities for far too long. Vital U.S. national security interests are 
at stake, and from increased humanitarian aid to serious, increased 
assistance to the moderate opposition, to safe zones, to the 
application of U.S. economic power, there are options available. These 
options are available to us.
  This particular legislation is designed to increase the cost to Assad 
and to his outside backers by targeting the sectors of the economy that 
allow Assad to murder with impunity.

                              {time}  1545

  Under the bill, foreign companies and banks will have to choose 
between doing business with that regime that is carrying out these 
kinds of practices or with the United States.
  For there to be peace in Syria, the parties must come together. And 
as long as Assad and his backers can slaughter the people of Syria with 
no consequences, there is no hope for peace.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill is long overdue. I urge all Members to support 
this legislation as we seek to ease the suffering of the Syrian people.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                               Washington, DC, September 15, 2016.
     Hon. Jeb Hensarling,
     Chairman, Committee on Financial Services,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Hensarling: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from 
     further consideration of H.R. 5732, the Caesar Syria Civilian 
     Protection Act of 2016, so that the bill may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House floor.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of 
     your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives 
     on this resolution or similar legislation in the future. I 
     would support your effort to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees from your committee to any 
     House-Senate conference on this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 5732 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor

[[Page 14219]]

     consideration of the resolution. I appreciate your 
     cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to 
     continuing to work together as this measure moves through the 
     legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                              Committee on Financial Services,

                               Washington, DC, September 16, 2016.
     Hon. Ed Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing concerning H.R. 5732, the 
     ``Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016.''
       As a result of your having consulted with the Committee on 
     Financial Services concerning provisions in the bill that 
     fall within our Rule X jurisdiction, I agree to forgo action 
     on the bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House 
     Floor. The Committee on Financial Services takes this action 
     with our mutual understanding that, by foregoing 
     consideration of H.R. 5732 at this time, we do not waive any 
     jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or 
     similar legislation, and that our Committee will be 
     appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar 
     legislation moves forward so that we may address any 
     remaining issues that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction. 
     Our Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of 
     an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate 
     conference involving this or similar legislation, and 
     requests your support for any such request.
       Finally, I would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters 
     on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during 
     floor consideration of the legislation.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Jeb Hensarling,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                               Washington, DC, September 15, 2016.
     Hon. Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Goodlatte: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from 
     further consideration of H.R. 5732, the Caesar Syria Civilian 
     Protection Act of 2016, so that the bill may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House floor.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of 
     your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives 
     on this resolution or similar legislation in the future. I 
     would support your effort to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees from your committee to any 
     House-Senate conference on this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 5732 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the 
     resolution. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this 
     legislation and look forward to continuing to work together 
     as this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                               Washington, DC, September 16, 2016.
     Hon. Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce: I write with respect to H.R. 5732, the 
     ``Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016,'' which was 
     referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and in addition 
     to the Committee on the Judiciary among others. As a result 
     of your having consulted with us on provisions within H.R. 
     5732 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on the Judiciary, I agree to discharge our 
     committee from further consideration of this bill so that it 
     may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for 
     consideration.
       The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 5732 at 
     this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject 
     matter contained in this or similar legislation and that our 
     committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as 
     this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may 
     address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our 
     committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate 
     conference involving this or similar legislation and asks 
     that you support any such request.
       I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming 
     this understanding with respect to H.R. 5732 and would ask 
     that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be 
     included in your committee report and in the Congressional 
     Record during floor consideration of H.R. 5732.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                  Committee on Ways and Means,

                                   Washington, DC, August 1, 2016.
     Hon. Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing with respect to H.R. 
     5732, the ``Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016.'' 
     As a result of your having consulted with us on provisions in 
     H.R. 5732 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on Ways and Means, I agree not to request a 
     sequential referral on this bill so that it may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House floor.
       The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the 
     mutual understanding that by forgoing formal consideration of 
     H.R. 5732, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject 
     matter contained in this or similar legislation, and the 
     Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the 
     bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may 
     address any remaining issues that fall within our Rule X 
     jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek 
     appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any 
     House-Senate conference involving this or similar 
     legislation, and requests your support for such request.
       Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter 
     confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of 
     our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration thereof.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Kevin Brady,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                               Washington, DC, September 15, 2016.
     Hon. Kevin Brady,
     Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Brady: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Foreign Affairs Committee on HR. 5732, the Caesar Syria 
     Civilian Protection Act of 2016, and for agreeing to forgo a 
     sequential referral request so that the bill may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House floor.
       I agree that your declining to pursue a sequential referral 
     in this case does not diminish or alter the jurisdiction of 
     the Committee on Ways and Means, or prejudice its 
     jurisdictional prerogatives on this bill or similar 
     legislation in the future. I would support your effort to 
     seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees from 
     your committee to any House-Senate conference on this 
     legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on this bill into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. 
     I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and 
     look forward to continuing to work with the Committee on Ways 
     and Means as this measure moves through the legislative 
     process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my measure.
  First of all, as usual, I want to thank our chairman, Ed Royce, for 
his leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee and for agreeing to 
bring this bill forward. I am proud to have him as my partner. I am 
proud to have him as the lead Republican cosponsor of the bill. And 
more than 80 of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle have joined 
as cosponsors, putting their support behind this legislation. This is 
what I said before, this is what we do best on the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Mr. Speaker: we advance meaningful legislation with broad-
based support.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, as Mr. Royce just said, a man known as 
Caesar sat before the Foreign Affairs Committee and told his story 
through words and, horrifically, through pictures. He was a 
photographer who worked for the Assad Government in Syria. The images 
he captured of the Assad regime's brutality eventually pushed him to 
defect to the opposition.
  His real name wasn't Caesar. He was in hiding. He wore a mask. We 
couldn't see his face. These are images he shared with members of our 
committee: images of death, torture, and unthinkable, inhuman cruelty. 
I will never forget what he showed us. We know that what we saw was the 
smallest fraction of what the Assad regime was inflicting on its own 
citizens, and we know that violence has gone on unabated for at least 2 
years since. Those bodies--those dead bodies--lined up are 
unbelievable. I will never get it out of my mind.
  More is needed to jolt this crisis out of its bloody status quo. I 
welcome the

[[Page 14220]]

recent decision by the European Union to sanction members of the regime 
responsible for the brutal air campaign against civilians in Aleppo. We 
need to look for more ways to work with partners to dial up pressure on 
Assad and his enablers. This bill would give the administration more 
tools to do so. It will impose new sanctions on parties that continue 
to do business with the Assad regime.
  As Chairman Royce said 3, 3\1/2\ years ago, 4 years ago, I thought 
that we should have aided the Free Syria Army. They came to us in 
Washington and begged us for help. They weren't looking for American 
troops. They were simply looking for weaponry.
  I really believe if we had given it to them, the situation in Syria 
would have been different today. You can't prove it because it didn't 
happen. But all I know is we never would have imagined that now, as we 
are going into the new year of 2017, Assad still clings to power at the 
expense of killing millions of his citizens.
  So we need to look for more ways to work with partners to dial up 
pressure on Assad and his enablers. This bill would give the 
administration, as I mentioned, more tools. It would impose new 
sanctions on parties that continue to do business with the Assad 
regime. We want to go after the things driving the war machine: money, 
airplanes, spare parts, oil--the military supply chain. And, yes, we 
want to go after Assad's partners in violence.
  Russia's air campaign has enabled the Syrian regime, along with 
Iranian and Hezbollah forces. Russian planes have targeted schools, 
hospitals, and public spaces. When Syrian helicopters would attack, at 
least the civilians would hear them coming and have a few minutes to 
run for cover. President Putin's planes don't even give them that 
chance.
  Under this legislation, if you are acting as a lifeline to the Assad 
regime, you risk getting caught up in the net of our sanctions.
  Mr. Speaker, we marked this bill up in committee several months ago. 
It was ready to come to the floor before we left for the election. But, 
at the time, a cease-fire showed a glimmer of hope, and we thought 
maybe we can wait because maybe the cease-fire would come, but it 
didn't. The glimmer has gone out. It is time now, finally, to take a 
different approach and try to move towards a resolution.
  When we are on that path, the bill will also help lay the groundwork 
for addressing the war crimes and the crimes against humanity that have 
marked this conflict. This bill will guide efforts to put together 
evidence for an eventual prosecution and would establish a report so 
that the world knows the names of those responsible for these brutal 
human rights violations.
  Once again, I am grateful to Chairman Royce for his leadership. He 
has been a strong and consistent voice on Syria, and I know he wants to 
see an end to the bloodshed as well.
  I ask all Members to support my bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen). She chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee 
on the Middle East and North Africa.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and my good 
friend, the ranking member, for bringing forth this important bill to 
the floor before us today.
  I rise in strong support of this bill, H.R. 5732, the Caesar Syria 
Civilian Protection Act, a bill of which I am proud to be an original 
cosponsor. And I want to thank again our wonderful chairman and 
esteemed ranking member for always working together in a strong 
bipartisan manner to bring important issues to the House floor. This 
bill is no exception.
  Often lost in the debate on the fight against ISIS or the future of 
Syria is the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from this conflict 
that is now in its sixth year with no end in sight. These numbers are 
horrific. You heard Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel speak of 
them: hundreds of thousands dead, millions that have fled their homes, 
and millions more who are in desperate need of assistance.
  Yet the Assad regime and its patrons in Iran and Russia continue to 
bring pain and suffering to the people of Syria. What is worse is they 
continue to deny humanitarian assistance to parts of the country.
  Actions need to be taken, Mr. Speaker, against Assad and his regime, 
and they need to be taken against those who are providing materiel 
support to Assad that allows this horrific conflict to continue.
  Accountability is imperative, and that is what this bill aims to do. 
Mr. Speaker, this bill builds upon a bill that I authored in 2012 which 
became law: the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act. It 
expands the sanctions currently on the books, and it gives the 
administration the tools to go after those who are responsible for this 
humanitarian crisis and the ongoing suffering of the people of Syria.
  I was so pleased to work with Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel 
to include amendments that I authored into this bill that would 
determine that denying or hindering access to humanitarian aid is, 
indeed, a serious human rights violation and, as such, would allow the 
administration to sanction any individual responsible for doing so.
  The United Nations Security Council has already passed several 
resolutions to allow for direct and free access to humanitarian aid. 
But, Mr. Speaker, as reported in a recent GAO review that I 
commissioned alongside our esteemed Foreign Affairs colleagues, 
Congressman Ted Deutch, Ron DeSantis, and Gerry Connolly, the Assad 
regime, between the years 2015 and earlier this year, has denied 100 of 
the 113 requests from the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid. 
This is unconscionable. This must be put to an end immediately.
  This step, therefore, Mr. Speaker, is a step in that correct 
direction to bring accountability to Assad and the supporters of this 
evil regime for the atrocities they have committed or are complicit in.
  I would urge my colleagues to support this important measure before 
us, and I would urge the administration to lend its strong support for 
this bill and use this legislation as an opportunity to fully and 
vigorously enforce these sanctions in an attempt to put an end to one 
of the greatest humanitarian tragedies in a generation.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Kildee) who was an original cosponsor of the bill.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the ranking member, and 
Chairman Royce for their work on this really important piece of 
legislation.
  For 5 years--for 5 long years--the world has witnessed this terrible 
tragedy unfold before our eyes. Nearly half a million Syrians have been 
killed--not soldiers--men, women, and children killed, 5 million Syrian 
citizens driven from their own country, 10 million displaced from their 
homes, often leaving homes that have generation after generation of 
history, leaving behind their legacy; and atrocities, as we have 
recounted, the targeting of children, the targeting of hospitals, and 
the targeting of schools.
  Clearly, this Congress can and should act, and that is why I am so 
pleased to be a cosponsor of this and to join my colleagues in 
supporting this important legislation.
  This legislation would bring much-needed and long overdue 
accountability to the Assad regime. After all, they are responsible for 
these horrific crimes. It would do so by imposing sanctions on those 
responsible and for those who are abetting these coldhearted and 
merciless acts. It would authorize the Department of State to do what 
they need to do to assist those entities investigating these terrible 
war crimes and to hold the Assad regime accountable.
  It would mandate that the U.S. Government explore every option 
available to it to address this horrific conflict, to do whatever we 
can in order to bring it to an end, and to use every tool we

[[Page 14221]]

have available to us to stand with the Syrian people. Assad must be 
held accountable for this massacre--the massacre of his own people.
  It is also important, as we move forward with this legislation, that 
we pause for a moment to thank those many people who have worked for so 
long to get this legislation to the floor. I am talking about citizens, 
particularly a lot of young people who, facing incredible pain, have 
made it their cause to ensure that this day comes. Let's not just stand 
with the Syrian people against Assad but also stand with those who have 
brought this question to us, and validate and support their exercise of 
their civic responsibility and their democratic efforts to get this 
Congress to do the work of the American people.
  Our principles demand that we support this legislation. This is the 
American thing to do. We have to act, and I am proud to stand with my 
colleagues and encourage all my colleagues--Democrats and Republicans--
to speak with one voice on this matter and pass this really critical 
and important humanitarian legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his time, and I thank the 
chairman for his efforts on this matter.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Curbelo).
  Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 5732, the Caesar 
Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016. This legislation would impose 
sanctions on those who are responsible for the Syrian humanitarian 
crisis and on those who hinder or deny humanitarian assistance in Syria 
by declaring that to be a serious abuse of human rights.
  I have consistently said that the conflict in Syria is one of the 
greatest blemishes on human history, and it is imperative that we do 
more to put an end to it. Bashar al-Assad's regime has committed 
horrific abuses against civilians in his country by employing 
widespread torture and other tactics that have shocked the 
international community. The regime also continues to block aid from 
reaching parts of Syria in spite of U.N. Security Council resolutions 
calling for access to humanitarian assistance. This legislation holds 
not only regime officials accountable but also those who are providing 
the regime the support it needs to carry out its appalling crimes.

                              {time}  1600

  Since 2011, millions have been forced to flee from their homes to 
escape the brutal violence and unlivable conditions that plague the 
country. Half a million people have died. I believe that strong action 
is long overdue. H.R. 5732 is a step forward, and I encourage all of my 
colleagues to vote in favor of it.
  I want to thank Representative Engel for introducing this important 
legislation and Chairman Royce for all of his work.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith), chairman of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee 
responsible not only for Africa, but also for global human rights 
issues.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend 
and colleague, Ed Royce, the chairman of our committee, for his 
leadership on all things related to the Syrian crisis, the Iranian 
crisis, and the large number of hearings that we have had that have 
brought a focus on these horrific atrocities being committed by Assad. 
And I want to thank Eliot Engel for sponsoring the Caesar Syria 
Civilian Protection Act of 2016.
  Mr. Speaker, for more than 5 years, the Assad regime has been 
committing crimes against humanity and war crimes against civilians, 
including murder, torture, and rape, and has been doing so on an 
industrial scale. No one has been spared from its targeting--not even 
children. These atrocities have fueled the largest refugee crisis since 
World War II, overwhelming the region and propelling a refugee crisis 
in Europe. More than 6 million people are also internally displaced 
inside of Syria, which has become one of the most deadly places in the 
world to deliver humanitarian assistance.
  The administration's response has not stopped the carnage, nor have 
the European efforts. This has emboldened the regime; and for months 
the Syrian and Russian militaries have systematically been bombing 
Aleppo, Syria's most populous city before the conflict, and they have 
been bombing it into rubble.
  The United States must impose the strongest available sanctions on 
perpetrators in the Syrian regime who are complicit in these atrocities 
and foreigners who feed its killing machine. This legislation is a 
very, very important step in that direction.
  I urge its support and, again, thank the chairman and the ranking 
member for their leadership.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  We cannot delay action on Syria any longer. The violence has gone on 
too long and at too great a cost. If we don't get this legislation 
across the finish line in the next few weeks, we are back at square 
one.
  The gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who spoke earlier, 
talked about working in this region and the legislation that we did. 
Well, in 2004, I believe, she and I cosponsored the Syria 
Accountability Act and it passed into law. We really regarded it at the 
time as a major achievement which helped calm things down in that area. 
But now it has been many years and things are getting worse.
  When I speak with people who have direct knowledge of what is going 
on on a daily basis in Aleppo and in other places, they tell me that 
not only are barrel bombs being dropped on the civilian population--
and, as somebody mentioned before, these aren't people dying who are 
dying in war; they are civilians, and they have had barrel bombs 
dropped on them, which is
terrible--now do you know what the Assad regime is doing? It is 
dropping bunker-buster bombs on its people, on its civilians. So the 
people who go underground--literally underground--to avoid the bombs 
from being dropped on top of them get murdered by bunker-busting bombs 
that actually go there and have no purpose except to kill innocent 
civilians. It is absolutely a disgrace, and we cannot stand idly by and 
just allow this to happen.
  This legislation won't tie the hands of this administration or the 
next administration. This bill has plenty of flexibility built in so 
that we can adapt to changing conditions. But if we pass it and put it 
to work, this measure will tie the hands of the Assad regime. It will 
help to cut off its ability to carry out violence against its own 
people, and it will discourage other powers from sustaining the 
campaign of violence.
  I echo every word that was said today from our colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle. So let's do the right thing for the Syrian people, 
the right thing for humanity, and pass this bill. I urge all Members to 
vote ``aye.''
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  In closing, I want to once again recognize our colleague, Ranking 
Member Eliot Engel, not only for authoring this bill, but, over the 
years, for raising this issue with his colleagues, with the President 
of the United States, with the media, and with the NGO community in 
order to try to get action. And I thank, also, other Members who 
contributed on this bill.
  Our committee, as Eliot has shared with you, has heard firsthand 
accounts of the suffering. I guess the one thing I would say is that 
the EU has finally been moved to take steps recently. We welcome those 
steps to sanction those within the Assad regime responsible for the 
brutal air campaign against innocent civilians in Aleppo.
  We heard firsthand accounts not only of the suffering, but we heard 
the testimony from Raed Saleh of the Syrian White Helmets. These are 
the doctors and the nurses and the volunteers who actually, when the 
bombs come, run toward the areas that have been hit in order to try to 
get the injured civilians medical treatment. They try to provide relief 
for these victims. They have lost

[[Page 14222]]

over 600 doctors and nurses. Doctors and nurses come from all over the 
world to try to assist.
  When Mr. Engel told you about these bunker-buster bombs that are 
being dropped from the air, they are being dropped on civilians, but 
they are also being dropped on the hospitals. In Aleppo, there are six 
hospitals. Four of them have been destroyed. Last week, four of those 
last six were utterly destroyed by bunker-buster bombs dropped by 
Russian planes and by the Syrian Air Force. But there are two that are 
partially left. In these two, there is, no longer, morphine and there 
are, no longer, medical supplies. They bring those injured who have 
some chance of survival in there to try to treat them. In the meantime, 
the bombs rain down every day.
  They were nominated, the organization, the White Helmets--the 
volunteer group, doctors and nurses--for a Nobel Peace Prize, but so 
many of them now have gone to their graves.
  We have heard of the terror. Dr. Mohamed Tennari of the Syrian 
American Medical Society described for the committee the sound of those 
helicopters overhead, the thump of exploding bombs and the overpowering 
smell of bleach in the area, that bleach that is dropped as part of 
chemical weaponry, and then the effects of the toxic gas on the human 
body: foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath, dying slow, agonizing 
deaths as the chlorine gas turns to hydrochloric acid in the lungs of 
the victims.
  Many of those victims--so many of those victims--are children, and so 
many of those attacks come in the dead of night. And again, these are 
the broad civilian areas of that country that are not presently 
controlled by the Assad regime. We are not talking about the attacks on 
the front lines. We are talking about the attacks on hospitals in the 
civilian sectors.
  Mr. Speaker, for 5 years, or nearly that, international diplomats 
have debated ways to protect the civilian populations targeted by the 
Assad regime and its backers. Listen, we can see the ethnic cleansing 
going on. There is a reason why you have got 14 million people fleeing.
  It is this aggressive campaign, when we talk about ethnic cleansing, 
aggressive campaign now by the Russian Air Force that has joined the 
Syrian Air Force in hitting Aleppo and other parts of the country. Even 
the United Nations calls this crimes of historic proportions--crimes of 
historic proportions.
  Enough is enough. Today we send a message that this will not stand 
and that the United States will work to ensure that war crimes 
committed by Assad, that the war machine cannot rain down on the people 
of Syria unrelentingly. It is not too late to act. We have to cut off 
their ability to have this capacity, and we have to put those sanctions 
in place on this.
  I urge all Members to support this legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a former member of the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs and Senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee; I 
rise in support of H.R. 5732, the ``Caesar Syria Civilian Protection 
Act of 2016.''
  The situation in Syria is truly appalling, innocent civilians are 
subject to the Assad's brutality.
  Over 14 million Syrians have become refugees or have been internally 
displaced over the last five years.
  The Syrian transition and its future leadership are likely to depend 
on what the United States and its partners do now to save the lives of 
innocent Syrians.
  I am pleased to join in co-sponsoring this legislation that will 
hinder the Assad's access to resources it uses to harm its people.
  This bill is named in honor of the courageous former Syrian military 
photographer, known as ``Caesar,'' who testified before the House 
Foreign Affairs Committee in 2014 about the Assad regime's torture of 
Syrian civilians.
  H.R. 5732 will help halt the slaughter of the Syrian people, 
encourage a negotiated political settlement, and hold Syrian human 
rights abusers accountable for their crimes.
  H.R. 5732 requires the President to report to Congress the persons 
responsible for, or complicit in, gross violations of human rights of 
the Syrian people.
  This process will name and shame the violator of these human rights.
  H.R. 5732 additionally requires the President to impose new sanctions 
on anyone who (1) does business with or provides financing to the 
Government of Syria, including Syrian intelligence and security 
services, or the Central Bank of Syria;
  (2) provides aircraft or spare parts for aircraft to Syria's airlines 
(including financing);
  (3) does business with transportation or telecom sectors controlled 
by the Syrian government; or
  (4) supports Syria's energy industry.
  H.R. 5732 requires the President to submit a report on the potential 
effectiveness of imposing a No-Fly Zone and the risks, and operational 
requirements of the establishment.
  This report will additionally contain maintenance updates of a no-fly 
zone or a safe zone over part or all of Syria.
  H.R. 5732 authorizes the President also to waive sanctions on a case-
by-case basis.
  Sanctions cans also be suspended if the parties are engaged in 
meaningful negotiations and the violence against civilians has ceased.
  Suspension is renowable if the suspension is critical to the 
continuation of negotiations and attacks against civilians have ceased.
  On balance, I support H.R. 5732 because it will help alleviate the 
suffering of the Syrian people.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 5732.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 5732, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016.
  In September, a trending comment on Twitter read: This is not 
Pompeii, this is Aleppo. Think about that for a minute. The death and 
destruction in Aleppo has reached such epic proportions that we are 
comparing it to one of the most deadly natural disasters in world 
history.
  The President and his administration have continued to highlight the 
horrors of Syria exhibited by Assad and Putin by using terms like 
``barbarism'', ``beyond the pale'', and ``haunting''. I think the more 
apt term for this is ``a problem from hell.''
  Yet, even as the President, Secretary of State, and Ambassador to the 
UN continue to talk about the carnage in Syria, there has been very 
little action to end the suffering of the people of Aleppo and across 
Syria.
  Mr. Speaker, it pains me every single time I come to the well of the 
House to talk about the atrocities in Syria. But we are failing the 
innocent people of Syria through our inaction.
  Rather than enforcing red lines for Assad's use of chemical weapons 
or enhancing sanctions against the Russians for their war crimes in the 
bombing of medical facilities and aid convoys, the President and 
Secretary of State focus their attention on sham ceasefires that are 
continually violated by the people with which we negotiate.
  They constantly worry about the Iranians walking away from flawed 
nuclear deals instead of leading the global community to end the 
atrocities in Syria.
  I have said it before, and I will say it again: Russia and Iran are 
not our allies. Their interests lie in destabilizing Europe and turning 
the Middle East into a wasteland of murder and chaos.
  Mr. Speaker, there needs to be a true cost for the complicity in war 
crimes and crimes against humanity. It's time that Russia, Iran, and 
Syria are held accountable.
  That is why this bill is so important. It would increase sanctions on 
the Assad regime and its supporters for the continued atrocities 
committed against the Syrian people. It requires this administration 
and any future administration to stand up and impose costs on the 
Russians, Syrians, and Iranians for the barrel bombing and gassing of 
innocent civilians.
  I want to thank my colleagues, Congressman Engel and Congressman 
Royce for introducing this critical bill.
  We owe it to the innocent people of Syria to bring justice against 
the Assad regime, Russian military, and their allies and help the 
struggling people of Syria.
  If we fail to act, fail to lead--this Syrian Civil War will be the 
greatest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5732, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[[Page 14223]]



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