What This Bill Does
This bill directs the President, through the Secretary of State, to create and test a pilot program for economic defense response teams. These teams will provide emergency technical help and support to countries facing economic threats or pressure from other countries. The teams will also work as a connection between the affected country's government and the United States Government.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of State and other U.S. government agencies (State Department, Agency for International Development, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, Energy Department, Homeland Security Department, Agriculture Department, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative).
Foreign countries facing coercive economic measures (economic pressure used to force political or military actions).
Congress, specifically the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Key Provisions
The President must establish the pilot program within 180 days of the bill becoming law, with the Secretary of State overseeing the effort. (Sec. 1(a))
The response teams may help reduce a country's vulnerability to economic pressure, minimize damage from such pressure, implement emergency plans, develop future strategies, address concerning foreign investments in infrastructure, respond to cyber threats, and provide direct economic assistance. (Sec. 1(a))
The program must include staff from multiple U.S. departments and agencies, including personnel with expertise in finance, trade, energy, cybersecurity, and agriculture. (Sec. 1(b)(1))
The President may activate a response team for 180 days after declaring an economic crisis, with notification to Congress. The President may extend the team's deployment for an additional 180 days with detailed justification to Congress. (Sec. 1(d))
The Secretary of State must report to Congress when the program is established and again one year later, describing the program's operations and whether it should become permanent. (Sec. 1(c))
What Changes
If this becomes law, the U.S. Government will create a new pilot program to rapidly assemble and deploy teams of experts to help foreign countries respond to economic threats or pressure from adversaries (hostile countries or groups).
Important Definitions
Coercive economic measures: Economic pressure used as a tool to force action.
Coercive economic emergency: An unusual and extraordinary economic threat from an adversary of the United States.
Effective Date
The pilot program must be developed and implemented within 180 days after the bill becomes law. The program's authority expires on December 31, 2026. (Sec. 1(a) and Sec. 1(e))
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 2546
To provide for the development and implementation of economic defense
response teams.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 10, 2023
Mr. CASE (for himself and Mrs. KIM of California) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To provide for the development and implementation of
economic defense response teams.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. ECONOMIC DEFENSE RESPONSE TEAMS.
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(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after
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the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, act-
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ing through the Secretary of State, shall develop and im-
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plement a pilot program for the creation of deployable eco-
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nomic defense response teams to help provide emergency
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technical assistance and support to a country subjected
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to the threat or use of coercive economic measures and
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to play a liaison role between the legitimate government
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of that country and the United States Government. Such
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assistance and support may include the following activi-
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ties:
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(1) Reducing the partner country’s vulnerability
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to coercive economic measures.
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(2) Minimizing the damage that such measures
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by an adversary could cause to that country.
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(3) Implementing any bilateral or multilateral
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contingency plans that may exist for responding to
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the threat or use of such measures.
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(4) In coordination with the partner country,
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developing or improving plans and strategies by the
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country for reducing vulnerabilities and improving
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responses to such measures in the future.
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(5) Assisting the partner country in dealing
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with foreign sovereign investment in infrastructure
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or related projects that may undermine the partner
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country’s sovereignty.
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(6) Assisting the partner country in responding
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to specific efforts from an adversary attempting to
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employ economic coercion that undermines the part-
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ner country’s sovereignty, including efforts in the
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cyber domain, such as efforts that undermine cyber-
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security or digital security of the partner country or
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initiatives that introduce digital technologies in a
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manner that undermines freedom, security, and sov-
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ereignty of the partner country.
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(7) Otherwise providing direct and relevant
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short-to-medium term economic or other assistance
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from the United States and marshalling other re-
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sources in support of effective responses to such
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measures.
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(b) INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT.—The pilot program
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required by subsection (a) should include the following ele-
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ments:
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(1) Identification and designation of relevant
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personnel within the United States Government with
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expertise relevant to the objectives specified in sub-
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section (a), including personnel in—
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(A) the Department of State, for over-
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seeing the economic defense response team’s ac-
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tivities, engaging with the partner country gov-
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ernment and other stakeholders, and other pur-
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poses relevant to advancing the success of the
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mission of the economic defense response team;
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(B) the United States Agency for Inter-
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national Development, for the purposes of pro-
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viding technical, humanitarian, and other as-
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sistance, generally;
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(C) the Department of the Treasury, for
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the purposes of providing advisory support and
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assistance on all financial matters and fiscal
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implications of the crisis at hand;
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(D) the Department of Commerce, for the
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purposes of providing economic analysis and as-
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sistance in market development relevant to the
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partner country’s response to the crisis at hand,
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technology security as appropriate, and other
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matters that may be relevant;
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(E) the Department of Energy, for the
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purposes of providing advisory services and
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technical assistance with respect to energy
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needs as affected by the crisis at hand;
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(F) the Department of Homeland Security,
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for the purposes of providing assistance with re-
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spect to digital and cybersecurity matters, and
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assisting in the development of any contingency
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plans referred to in paragraphs (3) and (6) of
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subsection (a) as appropriate;
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(G) the Department of Agriculture, for
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providing advisory and other assistance with re-
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spect to responding to coercive measures such
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as arbitrary market closures that affect the
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partner country’s agricultural sector;
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(H) the Office of the United States Trade
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Representative with respect to providing sup-
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port and guidance on trade and investment
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matters; and
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(I) other Federal departments and agen-
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cies as determined by the President.
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(2) Negotiation of memoranda of under-
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standing, where appropriate, with other United
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States Government components for the provision of
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any relevant participating or detailed non-Depart-
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ment of State personnel identified under paragraph
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(1).
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(3) Negotiation of contracts, as appropriate,
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with private sector representatives or other individ-
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uals with relevant expertise to advance the objectives
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specified in subsection (a).
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(4) Development within the United States Gov-
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ernment of—
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(A) appropriate training curricula for rel-
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evant experts identified under paragraph (1)
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and for United States diplomatic personnel in a
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country actually or potentially threatened by co-
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ercive economic measures;
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(B) operational procedures and appropriate
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protocols for the rapid assembly of such experts
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into one or more teams for deployment to a
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country actually or potentially threatened by co-
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ercive economic measures; and
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(C) procedures for ensuring appropriate
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support for such teams when serving in a coun-
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try actually or potentially threatened by coer-
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cive economic measures, including, as applica-
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ble, logistical assistance, office space, informa-
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tion support, and communications.
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(5) Negotiation with relevant potential host
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countries of procedures and methods for ensuring
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the rapid and effective deployment of such teams,
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and the establishment of appropriate liaison relation-
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ships with local public and private sector officials
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and entities.
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(c) REPORTS REQUIRED.—
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(1) REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT.—Upon estab-
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lishment of the pilot program required by subsection
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(a), the Secretary of State shall provide the Com-
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mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the
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Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
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resentatives with a detailed report and briefing de-
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scribing the pilot program, the major elements of the
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program, the personnel and institutions involved,
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•HR 2546 IH
and the degree to which the program incorporates
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the elements described in subsection (a).
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(2) FOLLOW-UP REPORT.—Not later than one
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year after the report required by paragraph (1), the
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Secretary of State shall provide the Committee on
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Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee
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on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives
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with a detailed report and briefing describing the op-
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erations over the previous year of the pilot program
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established pursuant to subsection (a), as well as the
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Secretary’s assessment of its performance and suit-
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ability for becoming a permanent program.
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(3) FORM.—Each report required under this
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subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form,
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but may include a classified annex.
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(d) DECLARATION
OF
AN ECONOMIC CRISIS RE-
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QUIRED.—
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(1) NOTIFICATION.—The President may acti-
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vate an economic defense response team for a period
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of 180 days under the authorities of this section to
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assist a partner country in responding to an unusual
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and extraordinary economic coercive threat by an
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adversary of the United States upon the declaration
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of a coercive economic emergency, together with no-
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tification to the Committee on Foreign Relations of
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•HR 2546 IH
the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
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the House of Representatives.
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(2) EXTENSION
AUTHORITY.—The President
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may activate the response team for an additional
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180 days upon the submission of a detailed analysis
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to the committees described in paragraph (1) justi-
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fying why the continued deployment of the economic
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defense response team in response to the economic
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emergency is in the national security interest of the
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United States.
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(e) SUNSET.—The authorities provided under this
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section shall expire on December 31, 2026.
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Æ
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