Supporting Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act of 2019

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1529 To make additional financial assets of the Government of Iran available to pay compensatory damages to the victims of terrorism sponsored by that Government, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 16, 2019 Mr. COTTON (for himself, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. JONES, Mr. CRUZ, Ms. ROSEN, and Mr. ISAKSON) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To make additional financial assets of the Government of Iran available to pay compensatory damages to the vic- tims of terrorism sponsored by that Government, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Victims 4 of Iranian Terrorism Act of 2019’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:42 May 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1529 IS SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF AVAILABILITY OF FINANCIAL AS- 1 SETS OF IRAN TO VICTIMS OF TERRORISM. 2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find- 3 ings: 4 (1) On October 23, 1983, terrorists sponsored 5 by the Government of Iran bombed the United 6 States Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The ter- 7 rorists killed 241 servicemen and injured scores 8 more. 9 (2) Those servicemen were killed or injured 10 while on a peacekeeping mission. 11 (3) Terrorism sponsored by the Government of 12 Iran threatens the national security of the United 13 States. 14 (4) The United States has a vital interest in en- 15 suring that members of the Armed Forces killed or 16 injured by such terrorism, and the family members 17 of such members, are able to seek justice. 18 (b) AMENDMENTS.—Section 502 of the Iran Threat 19 Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 20 U.S.C. 8772) is amended— 21 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 22 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘in 23 the United States’’ and inserting ‘‘by or’’; 24 (B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, 25 or an asset that would be blocked if the asset 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:42 May 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1529 IS were located in the United States,’’ after 1 ‘‘unblocked)’’; and 2 (C) in the flush text at the end— 3 (i) by inserting after ‘‘in aid of execu- 4 tion’’ the following: ‘‘, or to an order di- 5 recting that the asset be brought to the 6 State in which the court is located and 7 subsequently to execution or attachment in 8 aid of execution,’’; and 9 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, without regard to 10 concerns relating to international comity’’ 11 after ‘‘resources for such an act’’; 12 (2) in subsection (b)— 13 (A) by striking ‘‘that are identified’’ and 14 inserting the following: ‘‘that are— 15 ‘‘(1) identified’’; 16 (B) by striking the period at the end and 17 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 19 ‘‘(2) identified in and the subject of proceedings 20 in the United States District Court for the Southern 21 District of New York in Peterson et al. v. Islamic 22 Republic of Iran et al., Case No. 13 Civ. 9195 23 (LAP).’’; 24 (3) by striking subsection (e); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:42 May 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1529 IS (4) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 1 subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 2 (5) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol- 3 lowing: 4 ‘‘(c) PERSONAL JURISDICTION.—For purposes of 5 this section, the United States District Court for the 6 Southern District of New York shall have personal juris- 7 diction over any foreign securities intermediary that cred- 8 ited financial assets described in subsection (b) to an ac- 9 count the intermediary holds outside the United States.’’. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:42 May 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS