,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cedb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bh1 #bjag,mr4 
,wilson of ,south ,carolina 7for        
himself1 ,mr4 ,moulton1 ,ms4            
,ros-,lehtinen1 and ,mr4 ,deutch7       
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     
impose sanctions against ,hamas for     
gross violations of internationally     
recognized human rights by reason of the
 use of civilians as human shields1 and 
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,hamas   
,human ,shields ,prevention ,act4  #b4  
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,human shields are civilians1    
prisoners of war1 and other             

noncombatants whose presence is designed
 to protect combatants and military     
objects from attack1 and the use of     
human shields violates international    
law4  7#b7 ,throughout the #bjjf-bjjg   
takeover of ,gaza by ,hamas1 the        
organization engaged in summary         
executions and torture1 and put the     
lives of civilians at constant risk4    
7#c7 ,since that #bjjf-bjjg takeover of 
,gaza1 ,hamas forces have repeatedly    
fired rockets at the ,israeli ,defense  
,forces and at ,israeli civilian areas1 
from civilian areas predominantly       
occupied by ,palestinians including     
hospitals1 mosques1 and schools1 putting
 ,palestinian lives at constant risk4   
7#d7 ,it is common practice for the     
,israeli ,defense ,forces to drop aerial
 leaflets1 make announcements over      
radio1 place phone calls1 and send text 
messages warning of a coming military   
strike before targeting terrorists      
operating near ,palestinian civilian    
areas4  7#e7 ,hamas leaders routinely   

discourage ,palestinian civilians from  
heeding these warnings1 instructing them
 to remain in their homes1 and1 in some 
cases1 force civilians to gather on the 
roofs of their homes to act as human    
shields4  7#f7 ,in #bjaj1 ,hamas forced 
children to work as laborers in the     
tunnel networks between ,gaza and       
,egypt4  7#g7 ,on ,june #i1 #bjag1 the  
,united ,nations ,relief and ,works     
,agency announced it had discovered     
,hamas tunnels under two of its schools 
in the ,gaza ,strip1 adding it was      
unacceptable that students and staff are
 placed at risk in such a way44  7#h7   
,hamas was designated as a foreign      
terrorist organization by the ,secretary
 of ,state on ,october #h1 #aiig4  7#i7 
,in addition to ,hamas1 other foreign   
terrorist organizations1 such as the    
,islamic ,state1 al-,qa'ida1 and        
al-,shabaab1 typically use civilians as 
human shields4  7#aj7 ,congress has     
repeatedly condemned the use of human   
shields by ,hamas and other foreign     

terrorist organizations4  #c4 ,statement
 of policy ,it shall be the policy of   
the ,united ,states to-- 7#a7 officially
 and publicly condemn the use of human  
shields by ,hamas as an act of terrorism
 and a violation of human rights and    
international humanitarian law2 and     
7#b7 take effective action against those
 engaging in1 supporting1 facilitating1 
or enabling the use of human shields4   
#d4 ,united ,nations ,security ,council 
,the ,president should direct the       
,united ,states ,permanent              
,representative to the ,united ,nations 
to use the voice1 vote1 and influence of
 the ,united ,states at the ,united     
,nations ,security ,council to secure   
support for a resolution that would     
impose multilateral sanctions against   
,hamas for the use of human shields4    
#e4 ,sanctions on foreign persons       
responsible for gross violations of     
internationally recognized human rights 
7a7 ,in general ,the ,president shall   
impose the sanctions described in       

subsection 7b7 with respect to the      
following3 7#a7 ,each foreign person    
that the ,president determines1 based on
 credible evidence--  7,a7 is a member  
of ,hamas or is acting on behalf of     
,hamas2 and  7,b7 is responsible for1   
complicit in1 or responsible for        
ordering1 controlling1 or otherwise     
directing the use of human shields by   
,hamas4  7#b7 ,each foreign person and  
each agency or instrumentality of a     
foreign state that the ,president       
determines has--  7,a7 directly or      
indirectly1 significantly facilitated   
any act described in paragraph 7#a77;,b7
 with respect to the use of human       
shields by ,hamas2  7,b7 provided       
material support to a person listed     
under paragraph 7#a72 or  7,c7 attempted
 to so facilitate or so support such    
acts or persons4  7b7 ,sanctions        
described ,the sanctions described in   
this subsection are the following3  7#a7
 ,blocking of property ,the ,president  
shall exercise all of the powers granted

 to the ,president under the            
,international ,emergency ,economic     
,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et    
seq47 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
 ,states1 come within the ,united       
,states1 or are or come within the      
possession or control of a ,united      
,states person4  7#b7 ,aliens ineligible
 for visas1 admission1 or parole  7,a7  
,visas1 admission1 or parole ,an alien  
who the ,secretary of ,state or the     
,secretary of ,homeland ,security 7or a 
designee of either such ,secretaries7   
knows1 or has reason to believe1 meets  
any of the criteria described in        
subsection 7a7 is--  7i7 inadmissible to
 the ,united ,states2  7ii7 ineligible  
to receive a visa or other documentation
 to enter the ,united ,states2 and      
7iii7 otherwise ineligible to be        
admitted or paroled into the ,united    

,states or to receive any other benefit 
under the ,immigration and ,nationality 
,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq474  7,b7
 ,current visas revoked ,the issuing    
consular officer1 the ,secretary of     
,state1 or the ,secretary of ,homeland  
,security 7or a designee of either such 
,secretaries7 shall revoke any visa or  
other entry documentation issued to an  
alien who meets any of the criteria     
described in subsection 7a7 regardless  
of when issued4 ,a revocation under this
 subparagraph shall take effect         
immediately and shall automatically     
cancel any other valid visa or entry    
documentation that is in the possession 
of such alien4  7c7 ,waiver ,the        
,president may1 on a case-by-case basis1
 waive the application of a sanction    
under this section with respect to a    
person or an agency or instrumentality  
of a foreign state for a #abj-;day      
period if the ,president certifies to   
the appropriate congressional           
committees1 not less than #ae days      

before the start of such #abj-;day      
period1 that such waiver is vital to the
 national security interest of the      
,united ,states4  7d7 ,penalties ,the   
penalties provided for in subsections   
7b7 and 7c7 of section #bjf of the      
,international ,emergency ,economic     
,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agje7 shall
 apply to any person that violates1     
attempts to violate1 conspires to       
violate1 or causes a violation of any   
regulation promulgated to carry out this
 section to the same extent that such   
penalties apply to a person that        
knowingly commits an unlawful act       
described in section #bjf7;a7 of such   
,act4  7e7 ,regulations  7#a7 ,in       
general ,the ,president may exercise all
 authorities provided to the ,president 
under sections #bjc and #bje of the     
,international ,emergency ,economic     
,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agjb and   
#agjd7 for purposes of carrying out this
 section4  7#b7 ,issuance of regulations
 ,not later than #ahj days after the    

date of the enactment of this ,act1 the 
,president shall prescribe such         
regulations as may be necessary to      
implement this section4  7#c7           
,notification to ,congress ,not later   
than #aj days before the promulgation of
 a regulation under paragraph 7#b71 the 
,president shall brief the appropriate  
congressional committees on the proposed
 regulation and the provisions of this  
section implemented by such regulation4 
7f7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in   
this section may be construed-- 7#a7 to 
limit the authorities of the ,president 
pursuant to the ,international          
,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej  
,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq47 or any other   
relevant provision of law2 or  7#b7 to  
apply with respect to any activity      
subject to the reporting requirements   
under title ,v of the ,national         
,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4  
#cjia et seq471 or to any authorized    
intelligence activities of the ,united  
,states4  #f4 ,definitions  ,in this    

,act3 7#a7 ,admitted2 alien ,the terms  
admitted and alien have the meanings    
given such terms in section #aja of the 
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aaja74  7#b7 ,agency or      
instrumentality of a foreign state ,the 
term agency or instrumentality of a     
foreign state has the meaning given such
 term in section #afjc7;b7 of title #bh1
 ,united ,states ,code4  7#c7           
,appropriate congressional committees   
,in this section1 the term appropriate  
congressional committees means--  7,a7  
the ,committee on ,financial ,services  
and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs 
of the ,house of ,representatives2 and  
7,b7 the ,committee on ,banking1        
,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs and the   
,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the
 ,senate4  7#d7 ,foreign person ,the    
term foreign person means-- 7,a7 an     
individual who is not a ,united ,states 
citizen or an alien lawfully admitted   
for permanent residence to the ,united  
,states2 or  7,b7 an entity that is not 

a ,united ,states person4  7#e7 ,hamas  
,the term ,hamas means--  7,a7 the      
entity known as ,hamas and designated by
 the ,secretary of ,state as foreign    
terrorist organization pursuant to      
section #bai of the ,immigration and    
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahi72 
or  7,b7 any person identified as an    
agent1 instrumentality1 or affiliate of 
,hamas on the list of specially         
designated nationals and blocked persons
 maintained by the ,office of ,foreign  
,asset ,control of the ,department of   
,treasury1 the property or interests in 
property of which are blocked pursuant  
to the ,international ,emergency        
,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4   
#agja et seq474  7#f7 ,united ,states   
person ,the term ,united ,states person 
means-- 7,a7 a ,united ,states citizen  
or an alien lawfully admitted for       
permanent residence to the ,united      
,states2 or  7,b7 an entity organized   
under the laws of the ,united ,states or
 of any jurisdiction within the ,united 

,states1 including a foreign branch of  
such an entity4