Bill Summary
The Hizballah in Latin America Accountability Act of 2021 is a bill that aims to address the threat of the terrorist group Hizballah in Latin American and Caribbean countries. It proposes measures to combat illicit activities of Hizballah in these regions and impose sanctions on senior foreign political figures and foreign persons who support the group. The bill requires a report to be submitted to Congress on the activities of Hizballah in Latin America and the Caribbean, including recruitment efforts, financial ties, and weapons smuggling. It also calls for the expansion of trade transparency units and the imposition of sanctions on individuals and entities found to be supporting Hizballah. The President has the authority to waive these sanctions if it is in the national interest and must issue regulations to carry out the provisions of this bill.
Possible Impacts
1. Businesses or individuals in Latin American and Caribbean countries may be restricted from engaging in certain financial transactions with designated individuals or entities that support Hizballah, which could impact their ability to conduct business or access certain resources.
2. Politicians or government officials in covered countries that have ties to Hizballah may face sanctions, which could affect their political standing or ability to travel to the United States.
3. The Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with other agencies, may be required to share data and cooperate with other countries in order to combat illicit activities of Hizballah, which could impact their regular operations and resources.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1651 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1651
To impose certain measures with respect to Hizballah-affected areas in
Latin America and the Caribbean and to impose sanctions with respect to
senior foreign political figures in Latin America who support
Hizballah, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 13, 2021
Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To impose certain measures with respect to Hizballah-affected areas in
Latin America and the Caribbean and to impose sanctions with respect to
senior foreign political figures in Latin America who support
Hizballah, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Hizballah in Latin America
Accountability Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and
the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee
on Financial Services, and the Committee on the
Judiciary of the House of Representatives.
(2) Covered country.--The term ``covered country'' means
any of the following:
(A) Argentina.
(B) Belize.
(C) Bolivia.
(D) Brazil.
(E) Chile.
(F) Colombia.
(G) Cuba.
(H) The Dominican Republic.
(I) Ecuador.
(J) Mexico.
(K) Nicaragua.
(L) Panama.
(M) Paraguay.
(N) Peru.
(O) Uruguay.
(P) Venezuela.
(3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' has the
meaning given the term in section 101(d) of the Hizballah
International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-
102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note).
(4) Good.--The term ``good'' means any article, natural or
man-made substance, material, supply or manufactured product,
including inspection and test equipment, and excluding
technical data.
SEC. 3. REPORTING ON ILLICIT ACTIVITIES OF HIZBALLAH IN LATIN AMERICA
AND THE CARIBBEAN.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation
with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report on illicit activities of Hizballah in
Latin America and the Caribbean that--
(1) estimates--
(A) the number of operatives acting on behalf of
the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and intelligence
services in covered countries;
(B) the number of operatives acting on behalf of
Hizballah in covered countries and whether that number
exceeds the number of such operatives last estimated by
Mr. Roger F. Noriega in testimony before the Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives in July 2011;
(C) how much of Hizballah's annual budget derives
from illicit operations in covered countries;
(D) the type of weapons that have been smuggled to
drug trafficking organizations from Iran, Hizballah, or
the Quds Force to Latin America and the Caribbean; and
(E) the amount of resources the governments of
Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Cuba are supplying
to Iran to assist in the development of Iran's weapons
of mass destruction programs;
(2) describes--
(A) recruiting efforts and modes of recruitment by
Hizballah, including the target audience of such
efforts and the language used; and
(B) how Hizballah and the Quds Force have advanced
their tactics within the covered countries in the 10
years preceding the date of the enactment of this Act;
(3) identifies--
(A) financial institutions in covered countries
known to be operating on behalf or with ties to
Hizballah or the Quds Force; and
(B) officials of the governments of covered
countries with financial or other ties to the Quds
Force or members of Hizballah; and
(4) assesses--
(A) whether Margarita Island, the tri-border area
between Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, or any other
free trade zone is a headquarters for Hizballah;
(B) the relationship between dissidents of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (commonly known
as the ``FARC'') and members of the National Liberation
Army of Colombia (commonly known as the ``ELN'') and
Hizballah;
(C) interagency efforts and progress in combatting
illicit activities of Hizballah in covered countries;
(D) the actions of Hizballah in covered countries
that violate or undermine internationally recognized
human rights;
(E) the ability and efforts of the government of
each covered country to curb illicit activities of
Hizballah; and
(F) the extent of the role of multilateral fora in
efforts of the United States to counter the illicit
activities of Hizballah.
(b) Briefing Required.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury, in
consultation with the Secretary of State, shall brief the appropriate
congressional committees on how Hizballah uses cryptocurrency to
conduct illicit activities.
(c) Form of Report.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF TRADE TRANSPARENCY UNITS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security, in
consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the
Treasury, shall seek to improve--
(1) the regional sharing of data among trade transparency
units with respect to operations against malign actors among
covered countries with trade transparency units and the United
States; and
(2) cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration,
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other Federal agencies
with respect to trade transparency units.
(b) Briefing Required.--Not later than 120 days after date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in
consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the
Treasury, shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on--
(1) the legal restrictions and limitations in each
bilateral agreement between the United States and a covered
country establishing a trade transparency unit that prevent the
Department of Homeland Security and authorities in that country
from operating to their fullest extent against malign actors;
and
(2) recommendations for legislative action to address those
restrictions and limitations.
SEC. 5. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SENIOR FOREIGN POLITICAL FIGURES IN
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN SUPPORTING HIZBALLAH.
(a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions described
in section 101(b) of the Hizballah International Financing Prevention
Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) with respect to
each individual on the list required by subsection (b).
(b) List.--
(1) 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 list of individuals who
are senior foreign political figures in a covered country that
the President determines--
(A) have knowingly provided material support to or
engaged in a significant transaction with Hizballah; or
(B) meet the criteria for the imposition of
sanctions under the Hizballah International Financing
Prevention Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C.
1701 note).
(2) Form.--The list required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified
annex.
SEC. 6. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PERSONS SUPPORTING HIZBALLAH
IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.
(a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions described
in section 101(b) of the Hizballah International Financing Prevention
Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) with respect to
each foreign person on the list required by subsection (b).
(b) List.--
(1) 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 list of foreign persons
that the President determines have knowingly directly or
indirectly engaged in significant transactions with or provided
material support to Hizballah in a covered country.
(2) Form.--The list required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified
annex.
SEC. 7. WAIVER; EXCEPTIONS; PENALTIES.
(a) Waiver.--The President may waive the imposition of sanctions
under section 5 or 6 with respect to a foreign person if the
President--
(1) determines that such a waiver is in the national
interests of the United States; and
(2) submits to the appropriate congressional committees
notice of, and a justification for, the waiver.
(b) Penalties; Exception to Comply With United Nations Headquarters
Agreement; Enforcement.--Subsections (b) and (d)(2) of section 105 of
the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 (Public
Law 114-102; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) apply with respect to the imposition
of sanctions under sections 5 and 6 to the same extent as such
subsections apply with respect to the imposition of sanctions under
that Act.
(c) Exception Relating to Importation of Goods.--The authorities
and requirements to impose sanctions under this Act shall not include
the authority or requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of
goods.
SEC. 8. REGULATORY AUTHORITY.
The President shall issue such regulations, licenses, and orders as
are necessary to carry out this Act.
<all>