PLO and PA Terror Payments Accountability Act of 2025
This bill requires the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons (individuals and entities) that are involved with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) or Palestinian Authority (PA) system of compensation supporting acts of terrorism. The bill defines this system of compensation as payments to an individual who (1) has been imprisoned for terrorist acts against Israeli or U.S. citizens after being fairly tried, (2) died while committing such terrorist acts, or (3) is a family member of such individuals. The definition also includes compensation for individuals imprisoned for terrorism where the level of compensation is based on the length of incarceration.
Specifically, the President must impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that has facilitated this compensation system, including PLO and PA officials as well as entities such as the Institute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and the Wounded. The President must also impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on foreign persons who knowingly provide significant support to, or engage in significant transactions with, any of the aforementioned persons.
The President must sanction foreign financial institutions that facilitate payments or benefits related to this compensation system by (1) prohibiting them from opening correspondent or payable-through accounts in the United States, and (2) prohibiting or imposing strict conditions on the maintenance of such accounts.
The provisions of this bill shall terminate if the Department of State certifies that such compensation system has ceased.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 198 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 198
To impose sanctions with respect to the system of compensation of the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority that
supports acts of terrorism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 22, 2025
Mr. Cotton (for himself, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Budd, Mr. Scott of Florida,
Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Graham, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Cruz, and Mr. Schmitt)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To impose sanctions with respect to the system of compensation of the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority that
supports acts of terrorism.
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 ``PLO and PA Terror Payments
Accountability Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Palestine Liberation Organization and the
Palestinian Authority provide hundreds of millions of dollars
per year in payments, salaries, and benefits to terrorists and
the families of terrorists as part of a system compensation
that incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of
terrorism.
(2) The Palestine Liberation Organization and the
Palestinian Authority policies, laws, and regulations that
direct, authorize, enact, facilitate, and implement a system of
compensation in support of acts of terrorism require payments,
salaries, and benefits to terrorists including those who are
members and part of organizations designated as foreign
terrorist organizations by the Secretary of State under section
219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189),
including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that receive direct support
including financial and military assistance from Iran, the
leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
(3) In 2018, Congress passed the Taylor Force Act (title X
of division S of Public Law 115-141; 132 Stat. 1143) into law
that calls on the Palestine Liberation Organization and the
Palestinian Authority to end their system of compensation that
incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of
terrorism and restricts United States assistance ``that
directly benefits the Palestinian Authority'' unless the
Secretary of State certifies to Congress that the Palestine
Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority have met
specific conditions including terminating that system of
compensation and revoking the policies, laws, and regulations
that authorize and implement the system of compensation.
(4) Despite the enactment of the Taylor Force Act, the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority
have continued their system of compensation that incentivizes,
encourages, rewards, and supports acts of terrorism.
(5) On October 7, 2023, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other
Gaza-based terrorist organizations attacked Israel on Shabbat
and during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, committing the
deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
(6) On October 7, 2023, Hamas fired thousands of rockets
into Israel, deliberately targeting Israeli civilians, and
thousands of terrorists invaded Israeli communities--
massacring, raping, torturing, decapitating, burning alive,
seriously injuring, and kidnapping Israelis and Americans,
including men, women, children, babies, and grandparents, and
including Holocaust survivors, with children being murdered in
front of their parents and parents being murdered in front of
their children.
(7) On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered more than 1,200 who
were mostly civilians, and kidnapped more than 240, including
Israeli and American men, women, children, babies, and
grandparents, and took them to Gaza as hostages.
(b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the United
States to hold the Palestine Liberation Organization and the
Palestinian Authority accountable including through the imposition of
sanctions for providing payments, salaries, and benefits to terrorists
and the families of terrorists as part of a system compensation that
incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of terrorism.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Act of terrorism.--The term ``act of terrorism''--
(A) means an act of international terrorism (as
defined in section 2331 of title 18, United States
Code); and
(B) includes the meanings given the terms
``terrorist activity'' and ``engage in terrorist
activity'' by section 212(a)(3)(B) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)).
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and
the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.
(3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means any
person or entity that is not a United States person.
(4) Knowingly.--The term ``knowingly'', with respect to
conduct, a circumstance, or a result, means that a person had
actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the
circumstance, or the result.
(5) System of compensation.--The term ``system of
compensation'', with respect to the Palestinian Authority and
the Palestinian Liberation Organization, means the payments
described in subparagraph (B) of section 1004(a)(1) of the
Taylor Force Act (22 U.S.C. 2378c-1(a)(1)) and the system of
compensation described in subparagraph (C) of that section.
(6) United states person.--The term ``United States
person'' means--
(A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully
admitted for permanent residence to the United States;
(B) an entity organized under the laws of the
United States or any jurisdiction within the United
States, including a foreign branch of such an entity;
or
(C) a person in the United States.
SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN FOREIGN PERSONS SUPPORTING
TERRORISM.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and an ongoing basis thereafter, the President
shall impose the sanctions described in subsection (b) on--
(1) any foreign person that--
(A) has served in a position as a representative,
minister, official, or employee of the Palestine
Liberation Organization, the Palestinian Authority, or
any other foreign person that has directed, authorized,
been responsible for, materially assisted with,
enacted, implemented, or otherwise facilitated the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian
Authority system of compensation supporting acts of
terrorism; or
(B) has provided payments, salaries, and benefits
to terrorists and the families of terrorists as part of
the Palestine Liberation Organization and the
Palestinian Authority system of compensation supporting
acts of terrorism;
(2) any entity that directly or indirectly has operated,
ordered, controlled, directed, or otherwise facilitated the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority
system of compensation supporting acts of terrorism including
the Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, the
Institute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and the
Wounded, the Palestine National Fund, National Association of
the Families of the Martyrs of Palestine, or any successor,
agency, instrumentality, organization, or affiliated entities
thereof; or
(3) any foreign person that has knowingly provided
significant financial, technological, or material support and
resources support to, or knowingly engaged in a significant
transaction with a foreign person described in subparagraphs
(1) or (2).
(b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions that shall be imposed with
respect to a foreign person described in subsection (a) are the
following:
(1) Blocking of property.--The President shall exercise all
of the powers granted to the President under the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the
extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in
property and interests in property of the foreign person 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) Ineligibility for visas, admission, or parole.--
(A) Visas, admission, or parole.--An alien
described in subsection (a) is--
(i) inadmissible to the United States;
(ii) ineligible to receive 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.--An alien described in
subsection (a) is subject to revocation of any
visa or other entry documentation regardless of
when the visa or other entry documentation is
or was issued.
(ii) Immediate effect.--A revocation under
clause (i) shall--
(I) take effect immediately; and
(II) automatically cancel any other
valid visa or entry documentation that
is in the alien's possession.
(iii) 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 this
section or any regulations promulgated to carry
out this section to the same extent that such
penalties apply to a person that commits an
unlawful act described in section 206(a) of
that Act.
(c) Congressional Requests.--Not later than 30 days after receiving
a request from the chairman or ranking member of one of the appropriate
congressional committees with respect to whether a person meets the
criteria of a person described in subsection (a), the President shall--
(1) determine if the person meets such criteria; and
(2) submit a classified or unclassified report to the
chairman or ranking member, that submitted the request with
respect to that determination that includes a statement of
whether or not the President imposed or intends to impose
sanctions with respect to the person.
(d) Implementation; Regulations.--
(1) In general.--The President may exercise all authorities
provided under sections 203 and 205 of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for
purposes of carrying out this section.
(2) Regulations.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall issue such
regulations or other guidance as may be necessary for the
implementation of this section.
(e) Material Support or Resources Defined.--In this section, the
term ``material support or resources'' has the meaning given that term
in section 2339A(b) of title 18, United States Code.
SEC. 5. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
THAT FACILITATE TRANSACTIONS SUPPORTING TERRORISM.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and on an ongoing basis thereafter, the
President shall impose the sanctions described in subsection (c) with
respect to each foreign financial institution that engages in the
activities described in subsection (b).
(b) Activities Described.--A foreign financial institution engages
in an activity described in this subsection if the institution--
(1) processes, participates in, facilitates, or provides a
transaction that are payments, salaries, or benefits, or any
other conduct described in section 4(a); or
(2) knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant
financial transaction with any foreign person subject to
sanctions under section 4(a).
(c) Sanctions Described.--The President shall prohibit the opening,
and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining, in the
United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account
by a foreign financial institution described in subsection (a).
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Correspondent account; payable-through account.--The
terms ``correspondent account'' and ``payable-through account''
have the meanings given those terms in section 5318A of title
31, United States Code.
(2) Foreign financial institution.--The term ``foreign
financial institution'' has the meaning of that term as
determined by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to section
104(i) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and
Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8513(i)).
SEC. 6. TERMINATION.
The provisions of this Act shall have no force or effect only if
the Secretary of State certifies in writing to the appropriate
congressional committees that the Palestine Liberation Organization and
the Palestinian Authority system of compensation providing payments,
salaries, and benefits to terrorists and the families of terrorists
that incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of terrorism
as described in this Act, has ceased to be in effect and is no longer
taking place.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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