H.R. 5648 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5648 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2014 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To improve defense cooperation between the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2014. 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) From the $2,400,000,000 in total United States multilateral funding for the Syrian humanitarian crisis, the United States Government has provided $268,000,000 to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (2) As of August 2014, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates there are more than 600,000 registered Syrian refugees in Jordan. (3) Jordan estimates that more than 800,000 unregistered refugees are in Jordan living outside of refugee camps, assimilated into local communities, which would bring the total to approximately 1,400,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan. (4) In February 2014, President Obama announced that the United States and Jordan will renew the non-binding memorandum of understanding that was signed in 2008 to provide assistance to Jordan over a 5-year period that reinforces the commitment to broaden cooperation and dialogue between the two countries in a variety of areas. (5) In 2000, the United States and Jordan signed a free-trade agreement that went into force in 2001. (6) In 1996, the United States granted Jordan major non-NATO ally status. (7) Jordan is suffering from the Syrian refugee crisis and the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). (8) The Government of Jordan was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council beginning in January 2014 and terminating in December 2015. (9) Enhanced support for defense cooperation with Jordan is important to the national security of the United States, including through creation of a status in law for Jordan similar to the countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Japan, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Israel, and New Zealand, with respect to consideration by Congress of foreign military sales to Jordan. 3. Statement of policy It should be the policy of the United States to support the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in its response to the Syrian refugee crisis, provide necessary assistance to alleviate the domestic burden to provide basic needs for the assimilated Syrian refugees, cooperate with Jordan to combat the terrorist threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or other terrorist organizations, and help secure the border between Jordan and its neighbors Syria and Iraq. 4. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that expeditious consideration of certifications of letters of offer to sell defense articles, defense services, design and construction services, and major defense equipment to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan under section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(b)) is fully consistent with United States security and foreign policy interests and the objectives of world peace and security. 5. Amendments to Arms Export Control Act The Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) is amended— (1) in section 3 (22 U.S.C. 2753)— (A) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting the Government of Jordan, before or the Government of New Zealand; and (B) in subsection (d)— (i) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; (ii) in paragraph (3)(A)(i), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; and (iii) in paragraph (5), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; (2) in section 21 (22 U.S.C. 2761)— (A) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; and (B) in subsection (h)— (i) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting Jordan, before or Israel; and (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting Jordan, before or Israel both places it appears; (3) in section 36 (22 U.S.C. 2776)— (A) in subsection (b)— (i) in paragraph (1), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; and (iii) in paragraph (6), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; (B) in subsection (c), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand both places it appears; and (C) in subsection (d)(2)(A), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; (4) in section 62(c)(1) (22 U.S.C. 2796a(c)(1)), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand; and (5) in section 63(a)(2) (22 U.S.C. 2796b(a)(2)), by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand. 6. Amendment to Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 Section 656(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2416(a)(2)) by inserting Jordan, before or New Zealand. 7. Memorandum of understanding (a) In general The Secretary of State is authorized, subject to the availability of appropriations, to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan to increase military cooperation, including joint military exercises, personnel exchanges, support for international peacekeeping missions, and enhanced strategic dialogue. (b) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection (a) not less than $1,000,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2015 through 2019. 8. Foreign Military Financing program Amounts made available under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program estimated to be outlayed for Jordan during each of the fiscal years 2015 through 2019 shall be disbursed to an interest-bearing account for Jordan in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York not later than 30 days of the date of the enactment of this Act provided that— (1) withdrawal of funds from such account shall be made only on authenticated instructions from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service of the Department of Defense; (2) in the event such account is closed, the balance of the account shall be transferred promptly to the appropriations account for the Foreign Military Financing Program; and (3) none of the interest accrued by such account should be obligated unless the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate are notified.