What This Bill Does
This bill stops the Secretary of the Department that operates the United States Coast Guard from making agreements with foreign governments that sponsor terrorism about checking security measures at foreign ports. The bill changes the existing rules in a section of federal law about foreign port security assessments.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of the Department operating the United States Coast Guard. Foreign governments and their ports, especially those designated as state sponsors of terrorism. Coast Guard personnel involved in port security assessments and alien repatriation.
Key Provisions
- The Secretary cannot enter into agreements with any foreign government that is a state sponsor of terrorism to assess antiterrorism measures at their ports. (Sec. 2(g)(1)(A))
- The Secretary must treat all ports under control of a state sponsor of terrorism as not having effective antiterrorism measures. (Sec. 2(g)(2)(A))
- The Secretary must immediately apply sanctions described in section 70110(a) to ports controlled by state sponsors of terrorism. (Sec. 2(g)(2)(B))
- The Secretary cannot enter into agreements with foreign terrorist organizations about port security assessments. (Sec. 2(g)(1)(B))
What Changes
The bill rewrites the existing law to add strict requirements about which foreign governments the Secretary can work with on port security matters and requires automatic sanctions against certain ports.
Important Definitions
State sponsor of terrorism is defined in section 3316(h) of federal law. The bill does not provide the specific definition itself.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1782
To amend section 70108 of title 46, United States Code, to prohibit the
Secretary of the Department in which the United States Coast Guard
is operating from entering into an agreement relating to assessing the
effectiveness of antiterrorism measures at a foreign port with any foreign
government that is a state sponsor of terrorism, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 24, 2023
Mr. GIMENEZ (for himself and Ms. SALAZAR) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
A BILL
To amend section 70108 of title 46, United States Code,
to prohibit the Secretary of the Department in which
the United States Coast Guard is operating from enter-
ing into an agreement relating to assessing the effective-
ness of antiterrorism measures at a foreign port with
any foreign government that is a state sponsor of ter-
rorism, 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
VerDate Sep 11 2014
05:14 Apr 07, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1782.IH
H1782
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2
•HR 1782 IH
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
1
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘International Port Se-
2
curity Enforcement Act’’.
3
SEC. 2. FOREIGN PORT SECURITY ASSESSMENTS.
4
Section 70108 of title 46, United States Code, is
5
amended—
6
(1) in subsection (f)—
7
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘provided
8
that’’ and all that follows through the end and
9
inserting the following: ‘‘if—
10
‘‘(A) the Secretary certifies that the for-
11
eign government or international organization—
12
‘‘(i) has conducted the assessment in
13
accordance with subsection (b); and
14
‘‘(ii) has provided the Secretary with
15
sufficient information pertaining to its as-
16
sessment (including information regarding
17
the outcome of the assessment); and
18
‘‘(B) the foreign government that con-
19
ducted the assessment is not a state sponsor of
20
terrorism (as defined in section 3316(h)).’’; and
21
(B) by amending paragraph (3) to read as
22
follows:
23
‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.—Nothing in this section
24
may be construed—
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
05:14 Apr 07, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1782.IH
H1782
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3
•HR 1782 IH
‘‘(A) to require the Secretary to treat an
1
assessment conducted by a foreign government
2
or an international organization as an assess-
3
ment that satisfies the requirement under sub-
4
section (a);
5
‘‘(B) to limit the discretion or ability of the
6
Secretary to conduct an assessment under this
7
section;
8
‘‘(C) to limit the authority of the Secretary
9
to repatriate aliens to their respective countries
10
of origin; or
11
‘‘(D) to prevent the Secretary from re-
12
questing security and safety measures that the
13
Secretary considers necessary to safeguard
14
Coast Guard personnel during the repatriation
15
of aliens to their respective countries of ori-
16
gin.’’; and
17
(2) by adding at the end the following:
18
‘‘(g) STATE SPONSORS OF TERRORISM AND INTER-
19
NATIONAL
TERRORIST
ORGANIZATIONS.—The
Sec-
20
retary—
21
‘‘(1) may not enter into an agreement under
22
subsection (f)(2) with—
23
‘‘(A) a foreign government that is a state
24
sponsor of terrorism; or
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
05:14 Apr 07, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1782.IH
H1782
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4
•HR 1782 IH
‘‘(B) a foreign terrorist organization; and
1
‘‘(2) shall—
2
‘‘(A) deem any port that is under the juris-
3
diction of a foreign government that is a state
4
sponsor of terrorism as not having effective
5
antiterrorism measures for purposes of this sec-
6
tion and section 70109; and
7
‘‘(B) immediately apply the sanctions de-
8
scribed in section 70110(a) to such port.’’.
9
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
05:14 Apr 07, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H1782.IH
H1782
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS