Badr Organization Designation Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8844 To require reports and determinations relating to imposition of sanctions against the Badr Organization, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DECEMBER 3, 2020 Mr. WILSON of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Com- mittee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with- in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To require reports and determinations relating to imposition of sanctions against the Badr Organization, 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 ‘‘Badr Organization 4 Designation Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Dec 14, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8844.IH H8844 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8844 IH (1) The Badr Organization, founded in 1983 as 1 the military arm of the Supreme Council for the Is- 2 lamic Revolution in Iraq, is Iran’s oldest and most 3 preeminent proxy in Iraq, a political party which 4 supported Ayatollah Khomeni’s Islamic revolution in 5 Iran and desired to export it to Iraq. 6 (2) The Badr Organization is provided training, 7 funding, and arms by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary 8 Guard Corps (IRGC), IRGC-Quds Force, and works 9 closely with Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH), Lebanese 10 Hezbollah, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), all of 11 which have been designated as Foreign Terrorist Or- 12 ganizations by the Department of State. 13 (3) Reports confirm that on December 31, 14 2019, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, the now deceased 15 deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization 16 Force and terrorist leader of Hezbollah, led a mob 17 of Iranian-backed Iraq militia groups to the United 18 States Embassy in Iraq and set fire to the building. 19 With him was Badr Organization leader, Hadi al- 20 Amiri. 21 (4) The Badr Organization has a history of tar- 22 geting Americans and allies in Iraq, committing 23 human rights violations by killing civilians and sum- 24 marily executing Sunni prisoners. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Dec 14, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8844.IH H8844 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8844 IH (5) The Badr Organization is a cohesive unit 1 modeled after Hezbollah, and continues to politically 2 thrive under the Fatah Alliance made up of other 3 Iranian-backed militias which nearly have a voting 4 majority. 5 (6) Leader Hadi al-Amiri is quoted as saying 6 that Supreme Leader Ali Khameni ‘‘is the leader not 7 only for the Iranians, but for the Islamic Nation’’. 8 Additionally, he described Quds Force leader 9 Qassem Solemani as his ‘‘dearest friend’’. 10 (7) The Badr Organization deploys forces to 11 Syria to fight on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad re- 12 gime, including participating in the 2016 siege of 13 Aleppo where the United Nations High Commis- 14 sioner for Human Rights alleges pro-government 15 Iraq militia groups executed dozens of civilians. 16 SEC. 3. REPORT. 17 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact- 18 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 19 the appropriate congressional committees a report on the 20 Badr Organization to include the following: 21 (1) A description of the Badr Organization and 22 other Iranian-backed militias and their involvement 23 in the December 2019 attack on the United States 24 Embassy in Iraq. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Dec 14, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8844.IH H8844 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8844 IH (2) A assessment of whether United States as- 1 sistance to the Popular Mobilization Forces has di- 2 rectly or indirectly benefitted the Badr Organization. 3 (3) A description of the Badr Organization’s in- 4 volvement in human rights violations. 5 (4) The Badr Organization’s connections to for- 6 eign terrorist groups, including an assessment of the 7 links between the Badr Organization and Iran’s Is- 8 lamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), 9 Hezbollah, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), Kata’ib 10 Hezbollah (KH), or any other organization des- 11 ignated by the Department of State as a foreign ter- 12 rorist organization. 13 SEC. 4. DETERMINATIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE IMPOSI- 14 TION OF SANCTIONS AGAINST THE BADR OR- 15 GANIZATION. 16 (a) DETERMINATIONS BY SECRETARY OF STATE.— 17 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 18 of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the ap- 19 propriate congressional committees a determination, in- 20 cluding a detailed justification, of whether the Badr Orga- 21 nization meets the criteria for— 22 (1) designation as a foreign terrorist organiza- 23 tion under section 219 of the Immigration and Na- 24 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Dec 14, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8844.IH H8844 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 8844 IH (2) imposition of sanctions under section 1263 1 of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Account- 2 ability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 3 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note). 4 (b) DETERMINATION BY SECRETARY OF THE TREAS- 5 URY.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact- 6 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall sub- 7 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a deter- 8 mination, including a detailed justification, or whether the 9 Badr Organization meets the criteria for the imposition 10 of sanctions under Executive Order 13224 (50 U.S.C. 11 1701 note; Relating to blocking property and prohibiting 12 transactions with persons who commit, threaten to com- 13 mit, or support terrorism). 14 (c) FORM.—The determinations required by sub- 15 sections (a) and (b) shall be submitted in unclassified 16 form, but may include a classified annex. 17 SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE BADR 18 ORGANIZATION. 19 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Fed- 20 eral department or agency, including the Department of 21 State and the Department of Defense, may obligate or ex- 22 pend any Federal funds to support the Badr Organization. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Dec 14, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8844.IH H8844 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 8844 IH SEC. 6. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE- 1 FINED. 2 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 3 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 4 House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 5 Relations of the Senate. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Dec 14, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8844.IH H8844 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS