UNRWA Reform Act of 2023

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3493 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3493

   To require certification prior to obligation of funds for United 
        Nations Relief and Works Agency, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 13, 2023

   Mr. Hagerty (for himself, Mr. Cruz, and Mr. Braun) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require certification prior to obligation of funds for United 
        Nations Relief and Works Agency, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``UNRWA Reform Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. CERTIFICATION PRIOR TO OBLIGATION OF FUNDS TO UNITED NATIONS 
              RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY.

    Prior to the initial obligation of funds for the United Nations 
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) appropriated by the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328), the Continuing 
Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act (Public Law 118-15), 
or any other Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee 
on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives certification, in writing, that--
            (1) all employees, contractors, and beneficiaries of UNRWA 
        have been vetted in compliance with USAID WBG Mission Order 21-
        2007 vetting procedures or similar anti-terrorism vetting 
        procedures;
            (2) during the calendar year that funds are obligated, 
        UNRWA passed an independent audit verifying that all 
        educational curricula used in UNRWA schools contain no evidence 
        of antisemitism and that no teachers have been found to be 
        engaged in antisemitism;
            (3) all individuals registered as refugees with UNRWA were 
        personally displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war; and
            (4) during the calendar year that funds are obligated, 
        UNRWA has certified in writing to the Secretary of State that 
        UNRWA recognizes as terrorist organizations Hamas, Palestinian 
        Islamic Jihad, and all other Palestinian organizations 
        designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United 
        States.
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