To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to limit assistance to countries that engage in certain discriminatory religious, educational, or freedom of movement practices.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit assistance (other than humanitarian assistance) to a country that follows any of the following activities: (1) engages in state-sanctioned religious persecution of minority religious groups as evidenced by anti-blasphemy laws or penalties applied to minority religious groups for sharing their faith; (2) prevents equal access to education on the basis of gender, race, or ethnicity; or (3) does not accept the return of its nationals who have been removed from another country following a removal proceeding.

Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition on a case-by-case basis if in U.S. national security interests to do so.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 652 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 652

  To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to limit assistance to 
countries that engage in certain discriminatory religious, educational, 
                   or freedom of movement practices.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2013

  Mr. Gowdy introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to limit assistance to 
countries that engage in certain discriminatory religious, educational, 
                   or freedom of movement practices.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE TO COUNTRIES THAT ENGAGE IN CERTAIN 
              DISCRIMINATORY RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL, OR FREEDOM OF 
              MOVEMENT PRACTICES.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of part III of the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2351 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section:

``SEC. 620N. LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE TO COUNTRIES THAT ENGAGE IN 
              CERTAIN DISCRIMINATORY RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL, OR FREEDOM 
              OF MOVEMENT PRACTICES.

    ``(a) Limitation.--No assistance may be provided under this Act or 
any other Act to any foreign country the government of which the 
President determines, and notifies Congress, is engaging in any of the 
practices described in subsection (b).
    ``(b) Practices Described.--The practices referred to in subsection 
(a) are the following:
            ``(1) The government engages in state-sanctioned religious 
        persecution of minority religious groups as evidenced by anti-
        blasphemy laws or penalties applied to minority religious 
        groups for sharing their faith.
            ``(2) The government prevents equal access to education on 
        the basis of gender, race, or ethnicity.
            ``(3) The government does not accept the return of 
        nationals of the country who have been removed from another 
        country following a removal proceeding.
    ``(c) Exception.--The limitation on assistance under subsection (a) 
shall not apply with respect to humanitarian assistance.
    ``(d) Waiver.--The President may waive subsection (a) on a case-by-
case basis if the President determines and notifies Congress that it is 
in the national security interests of the United States to do so.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Section 620N of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to amounts made 
available for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or 
any other Act that are unobligated on or after such date of enactment.
                                 <all>