,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bjcc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #af1 #bjac ,mr4 
,mc,dermott 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,moran1  
,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,johnson of       
,georgia1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 
and ,mr4 ,jones7 introduced the         
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and
 in addition to the ,committee on the   
,judiciary1 for a period to be          
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to provide for medical      
neutrality and to establish             
accountability for violations of the    
principle of medical neutrality1 and for
 other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,medical      
,neutrality ,protection ,act of #bjac4  
#b4 ,findings2 ,statement of ,congress  
7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the       
following3  7#a7 ,international         

humanitarian law codifies the principle 
of medical neutrality in the ,geneva    
,conventions1 to which the ,united      
,states is a signatory1 during times of 
national or international armed         
conflict1 which offer special           
protections to medical facilities and   
personnel4 ,these provisions recognize  
ambulances1 hospitals1 hospital ships1  
the personnel serving in ambulances and 
hospitals1 citizens who assist the      
wounded as neutral and protected during 
conflict4  7#b7 ,the ,geneva            
,conventions specify that the wounded   
and sick shall receive adequate care1 be
 protected from ill-treatment1 and be   
protected from discrimination1 and that 
emblems such as the red cross and red   
crescent are recognized as protective   
emblems in conflict4 ,many parts of the 
,geneva ,conventions have been declared 
by the ,international ,committee on the 
,red ,cross 7,,icrc7 to be customary    
international humanitarian law4  7b7    
,statement of ,congress ,congress       

affirms its support of participants of  
peaceful demonstrations around the      
world1 as part of the ,united ,states   
support for freedom of assembly as      
enshrined in the ,united ,states        
,constitution4 ,the ,united ,states     
takes particular umbrage at countries   
that harm or endanger medical           
professionals during times of unrest4   
#c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3  7#a7   
,appropriate congressional committees   
,the term appropriate congressional     
committees means--  7,a7 the ,committee 
on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee 
on ,appropriations of the ,house of     
,representatives2 and  7,b7 the         
,committee on ,foreign ,relations and   
the ,committee on ,appropriations of the
 ,senate4  7#b7 ,medical neutrality     
,until such time as there is a binding1 
internationally recognized definition of
 the term medical neutrality1 such term 
refers to--  7,a7 the protected status  
of health care facilities1 personnel1   
transport1 and supplies in times of     

national and international armed        
conflict and civil unrest2  7,b7 the    
protection of unhindered access of the  
sick and injured to nondiscriminatory   
medical care and treatment2 and  7,c7   
the understanding that all medical      
professionals are required to treat in a
 nondiscriminatory manner any individual
 in need of care1 and the responsibility
 of governments not to interfere with   
such professional duty4  7#c7 ,violation
 of medical neutrality ,the term        
violation of medical neutrality includes
 government-sanctioned actions1 and     
actions which are not authorized by a   
government policy but are not           
independently investigated1 including-- 
7,a7 militarized attacks on health care 
facilities1 health care service         
providers1 or individuals in the course 
of receiving medical treatment2  7,b7   
wanton destruction of medical supplies1 
facilities1 records1 or transportation  
services2  7,c7 willful obstruction of  
medical ethics as specified in the      

,world ,medical ,association's          
,international ,code of ,medical        
,ethics1 including preventing medical   
professionals from administering ethical
 medical care to individuals in need2   
7,d7 coercion of medical personnel to   
commit acts in violation of their       
ethical responsibilities2  7,e7         
deliberate misuse of health care        
facilities1 transportation services1    
uniforms1 or other insignia2  7,f7      
deliberate blocking of access to health 
care facilities and health care         
professionals2 or  7,g7 arbitrary arrest
 or detention of health care service    
providers or individuals seeking medical
 care4  #d4 ,rule of construction       
,nothing in this ,act shall be construed
 to prevent or interfere with legitimate
 law enforcement objectives conducted in
 accordance with recognized             
international human rights norms and    
legal standards4  #e4 ,statements of    
policy ,it shall be the policy of the   
,united ,states to--  7#a7 consider the 

protection of medical neutrality a      
policy priority of the ,united ,states  
as an integral part of the defense of   
recognized international human rights   
law and international humanitarian law2 
7#b7 use its voice1 vote1 and influence 
in international fora to further define 
and codify the principle of medical     
neutrality and to establish             
accountability for violations of the    
principle of medical neutrality2 and    
7#c7 use its voice1 vote1 and influence 
at the ,united ,nations ,human ,rights  
,council to create and appoint a        
,special ,rapporteur on the ,protection 
and ,promotion of ,medical ,neutrality4 
#f4 ,determination and notification of  
foreign country required  7a7           
,determination ,not later than #ahj days
 after the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall   
compile and update at least annually a  
list of those foreign governments that  
the ,secretary determines1 after        
consultation with local and             

international nongovernmental           
organizations and the ,assistant        
,secretary for ,democracy1 ,human       
,rights and ,labor1 have engaged in     
violations of medical neutrality4 ,the  
,secretary shall publish such list on   
the website of the ,department of       
,state4  7b7 ,notification ,the         
,secretary of ,state shall provide a    
formal notification to a foreign        
government that is included on a list   
described in subsection 7a74  #g4       
,prohibitions  7a7 ,prohibition on      
certain assistance ,subject to          
subsection 7c7 of this section and      
section #i1 and except as provided in   
section #h1 the authorities specified in
 section #eaf or #eda of the ,foreign   
,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4
 #bcba;j or #bcdg7 or section #bc of the
 ,arms ,export ,control ,act 7#bb       
,u4,s4,c4 #bgfc7 may not be used to     
provide assistance1 and no licenses for 
direct commercial sales of military     
equipment may be issued1 to the         

government of a country that the        
,secretary of ,state has1 in accordance 
with section #f of this ,act1 determined
 to have engaged in a violation of      
medical neutrality4  7b7 ,prohibition on
 certain visas ,except as provided in   
section #h1 upon receiving credible     
information1 including information      
contained in the ,annual ,country       
,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices1  
that an alien is or was engaged in or   
has organized any act that is a         
violation of medical neutrality1 the    
,secretary of ,state shall deny the     
issuance of a visa to1 and the          
,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
deny the entry into the ,united ,states 
of1 such alien4  7c7 ,minimum duration  
,the prohibitions on assistance         
described in subsection 7a7 shall remain
 in effect for a minimum of one fiscal  
year1 after which the ,president may    
reinstate such assistance pursuant to   
section #i4  #h4 ,waiver  7a7 ,in       
general ,the ,president may temporarily 

waive the prohibitions on assistance    
described in section #g7;a7 if the      
,president transmits to the appropriate 
congressional committees a determination
 that--  7#a7 such waiver is in the     
national security interest of the       
,united ,states1 including the reasons  
therefor2 and  7#b7 establishes a date1 
not later than two years after the      
issuance of such waiver1 on which such  
waiver shall expire4  7b7 ,congressional
 override ,if ,congress enacts a joint  
resolution disapproving such waiver1    
such waiver shall have no force or      
effect4  #i4 ,reinstatement of          
assistance ,the ,president may reinstate
 assistance to a country otherwise      
prohibited under section #g7;a7 upon    
written certification to the appropriate
 congressional committees that the      
government of such country has          
implemented--  7#a7 measures that       
include the successful implementation of
 an action plan and actual steps to come
 into compliance with medical           

neutrality2 and  7#b7 policies and      
mechanisms to prohibit and prevent      
future government or                    
government-sponsored acts that are a    
violation of medical neutrality and has 
the input and agreement of local and    
international nongovernmental           
organizations4  #aj4 ,investigations of 
violations of medical neutrality  7a7   
,investigations of allegations of       
violations of medical neutrality ,the   
heads of ,united ,states diplomatic and 
consular missions shall investigate all 
reports of violations of medical        
neutrality in the countries or regions  
in which such missions are located for  
inclusion in the annual ,country        
,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices   
under sections #aaf7;d7 and #ejb;,b7b7  
of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of     
#aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baean and #bcjd74 
7b7 ,inclusion in ,annual ,country      
,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices   
,the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 
is amended--  7#a7 in section #aaf 7#bb 

,u4,s4,c4 #baean71 by adding at the end 
the following new subsection3  7g7 ,the 
report required under subsection 7d7    
shall include a description of any      
violations of medical neutrality 7as    
such term is defined in the ,medical    
,neutrality ,protection ,act of #bjac7  
and an identification of the individuals
 who have engaged in or organized such  
violations in each foreign country      
covered by such report4  2 and  7#b7 in 
section #ejb;,b 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bcjd71  
by adding at the end the following new  
subsection3  7j7 ,the report required by
 subsection 7b7 shall include a         
description of any violations of medical
 neutrality 7as such term is defined in 
the ,medical ,neutrality ,protection    
,act of #bjac7 and an identification of 
the individuals who have engaged in or  
organized such violations in each       
foreign country covered by such report4 
4