Accountability for Terrorist Perpetrators of October 7th Act
This bill, titled the Accountability for Terrorist Perpetrators of October 7th Act, would require the United States to impose sanctions on the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and related entities within 90 days of enactment. The sanctions would target the PRC itself, foreign individuals who are officials, agents, or affiliates of the PRC or who own/control PRC-linked entities, and current or future armed groups operating under the PRC umbrella. The sanctions would use the authorities of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to block property and prohibit transactions, and would also include visa and admission restrictions for designated individuals. The bill also calls for ongoing Congress oversight through annual and periodic reporting on related groups, including whether other entities like Lion’s Den meet designations as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) or Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO), or qualify for sanctions under this act. The President would have waivers and termination options, and sanctions could be ended if designated parties stop terrorist activity or disband. In addition, the bill requires a report within 90 days on whether Lion’s Den and PRC meet SDGT or FTO criteria, and mandates ongoing reporting every year (then every two years) detailing new entities under the PRC umbrella and the designation determinations. It also specifies which congressional committees oversee these provisions. The intent is to hold the PRC and related groups financially and administratively accountable, and to provide a formal, ongoing mechanism for designating and reviewing terrorist entities tied to the October 7th attacks.
Key Points
- 1Sanctions designation and scope: Starting 90 days after enactment, the President must apply sanctions to the Popular Resistance Committees, any foreign persons who are officials/agents/affiliates of the PRC, their owned or controlled entities, and any armed groups under the PRC umbrella or described in this subsection.
- 2Sanctions tools: Property blocking and transaction prohibitions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; visa and admission/parole bans for designated individuals; potential revocation of existing visas.
- 3Exceptions: Excludes actions necessary for UN Headquarters obligations and for authorized intelligence, law enforcement, and national security activities.
- 4Penalties and authority: Violations would carry penalties under the IEEPA framework; implementation authorities come from IEEPA, with potential waivers by the President (up to 180-day periods) for national security reasons; sanctions can be terminated if the President certifies that entities no longer engage in terrorism or have disbanded.
- 5Reporting and oversight: Requires a 90-day initial report on Lion’s Den and PRC designation status; ongoing reports every year (and every two years thereafter) identifying new umbrella entities and confirming or denying SDGT/FTO/sanctions status, with justification for negative determinations; defines appropriate congressional committees to receive the reports.