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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6338 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6338
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons
and foreign vessels that engage in illegal, unreported, and unregulated
fishing, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 1, 2025
Mr. Meeks (for himself and Mrs. Kim) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition
to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons
and foreign vessels that engage in illegal, unreported, and unregulated
fishing, 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 ``Stop Illegal Fishing Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the Sense of Congress that--
(1) illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (referred
to in this section as ``IUU fishing'') is a rising and harmful
global trend;
(2) the People's Republic of China is the primary
perpetrator of IUU fishing and the largest exploiter of global
fisheries;
(3) IUU fishing is a concerning and significant driver of
overfishing, thereby threatening fisheries, damaging marine
ecosystems, and inhibiting conservation;
(4) IUU fishing in another country's exclusive economic
zone violates international law as reflected in the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, undermines the rules-
based order, ignores sovereign rights, reinforces excessive
maritime claims, exploits finite resources, and unfairly seizes
economic access at the expense of coastal states;
(5) IUU fishing is often associated with substandard and
illicit conditions for crew, including lack of safety controls,
illegally low pay, inhumane treatment, and, in some cases,
outright forced labor or human trafficking;
(6) IUU fishing has a particularly nefarious impact on
coastal communities in poor and developing nations that rely on
ocean bounties;
(7) IUU fishing undermines the economic security of the
United States and undermines maritime security around the
globe; and
(8) the United States Government should utilize sanctions
to deter and prevent IUU fishing.
SEC. 3. SANCTIONS.
(a) Sanctions With Respect to Foreign Persons.--The President shall
impose the sanctions described in subsection (e) with respect to any
foreign person that knowingly--
(1) owns any vessel that engages in IUU fishing;
(2) works as a captain or senior crew member on such a
vessel;
(3) operates as an entity primarily engaged in IUU fishing;
or
(4) serves as an officer or senior manager in an entity
primarily engaged in IUU fishing.
(b) Sanctions With Respect to Foreign Vessels.--The President shall
impose the sanctions described in subsection (e) with respect to any
foreign vessel that engages in IUU fishing.
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, and annually thereafter for five years, the President shall
submit to the appropriate committees a report that--
(1) describes all efforts to carry out the requirements of
subsections (a) and (b); and
(2) lists all foreign persons and foreign vessels
sanctioned thereunder.
(d) Sanctions Program Required.--In carrying out subsection (a) and
subsection (b), the President shall direct the creation of an IUU
fishing sanctions program.
(e) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this
subsection are the following:
(1) Asset blocking.--Notwithstanding the requirements of
section 202 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
(50 U.S.C. 1701), the President may exercise of all powers
granted to the President by that Act to the extent necessary to
block and prohibit all transactions in all property and
interests in property of the foreign person or foreign vessel
if such property and interests in property are in the United
States, come within the United States, or are or come within
the possession or control of a United States person.
(2) Visas, admission, or parole.--
(A) In general.--An alien who the Secretary of
State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a
designee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has
reason to believe, is described in subsection (a) is--
(i) inadmissible to the United States;
(ii) ineligible for a visa or other
documentation to enter the United States; and
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted
or paroled into the United States or to receive
any other benefit under the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
(B) Current visas revoked.--
(i) In general.--The issuing consular
officer, the Secretary of State, or the
Secretary of Homeland Security (or a designee
of one of such Secretaries) shall, in
accordance with section 221(i) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry
documentation issued to an alien described in
subparagraph (A) regardless of when the visa or
other entry documentation is issued.
(ii) Effect of revocation.--A revocation
under clause (i)--
(I) shall take effect immediately;
and
(II) shall automatically cancel any
other valid visa or entry documentation
that is in the alien's possession.
(f) Exceptions.--
(1) Exception to comply with international obligations.--
Sanctions under subsection (e)(2) shall not apply with respect
to the admission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien
into the United States is necessary to permit the United States
to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the
United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and
entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United
Nations and the United States, or other applicable
international obligations.
(2) Exception relating to the provision of humanitarian
assistance.--Sanctions under this section may not be imposed
with respect to transactions or the facilitation of
transactions for--
(A) the sale of agricultural commodities, food,
medicine, or medical devices;
(B) the provision of humanitarian assistance;
(C) financial transactions relating to humanitarian
assistance; or
(D) transporting goods or services that are
necessary to carry out operations relating to
humanitarian assistance.
(3) Exception for intelligence, law enforcement, and
national security activities.--Sanctions under this section
shall not apply to any authorized intelligence, law
enforcement, or national security activities of the United
States.
(4) Exception for safety of vessels and crew.--Sanctions
under this section shall not apply with respect to a person
providing provisions to a vessel otherwise subject to sanctions
under this section if such provisions are intended for the
safety and care of the crew aboard the vessel, the protection
of human life aboard the vessel, or the maintenance of the
vessel to avoid any environmental or other significant damage.
(g) Implementation; Penalties.--
(1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all
authorities provided to the President under sections 203 and
205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50
U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this section.
(2) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections
(b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person
that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or
causes a violation of regulations promulgated to carry out this
section to the same extent that such penalties apply to a
person who commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a)
of that Act.
(h) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions
imposed with respect to a foreign person or foreign vessel under this
section if the President certifies to the appropriate congressional
committees, not later than 15 days before such waiver is to take
effect, that the waiver is important to the national security interests
of the United States.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(2) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means an
individual or entity that is not a United States person.
(3) Foreign vessel.--The term ``foreign vessel'' means a
vessel of foreign registry or operated under the authority of a
foreign country.
(4) IUU fishing.--The term ``IUU fishing'' means illegal,
unreported, and unregulated fishing.
(5) United states person.--The term ``United States
person'' means--
(A) a United States citizen;
(B) a permanent resident alien of the United
States;
(C) an entity organized under the laws of the
United States or of any jurisdiction within the United
States, including a foreign branch of such an entity;
or
(D) a person in the United States.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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