[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1369 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1369
To support the execution of bilateral agreements concerning illicit
transnational maritime activity and to authorize the President to
impose sanctions with respect to illegal, unreported, or unregulated
fishing and the sale, supply, purchase, or transfer of endangered
species, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 9, 2025
Mr. Kaine (for himself, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Heinrich, and Mr. Curtis)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support the execution of bilateral agreements concerning illicit
transnational maritime activity and to authorize the President to
impose sanctions with respect to illegal, unreported, or unregulated
fishing and the sale, supply, purchase, or transfer of endangered
species, and for other purposes.
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 ``Protecting Global Fisheries Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Admission; admitted; alien; lawfully admitted for
permanent residence.--The terms ``admission'', ``admitted'',
``alien'', and ``lawfully admitted for permanent residence''
have the meanings given those terms in section 101 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives.
(3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means an
individual or entity that is not a United States person.
(4) Illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing.--The term
``illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing'' has the meaning
given that term in the implementing regulations or any
subsequent regulations issued pursuant to section 609(e) of the
High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (16 U.S.C.
1826j(e)).
(5) 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) any person located in the United States.
SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION RELATED TO COUNTERING ILLEGAL,
UNREPORTED, OR UNREGULATED FISHING.
(a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to
prioritize collaboration with friendly countries, and through
appropriate international institutions, to combat illegal, unreported,
or unregulated fishing.
(b) Actions by Secretary of State.--The Secretary of State shall
take such actions as may be necessary to use the voice, vote, and
influence of the United States in all appropriate international fora
and with appropriate countries that are allies or partners of the
United States--
(1) to ensure that cutting edge technology is deployed in
accordance to existing or future maritime law enforcement
agreements the United States may enter or has entered into; and
(2) to hold accountable those individuals or entities that
are responsible or complicit in illegal, unreported, or
unregulated fishing, with a particular focus on the harmful
actions of the People's Republic of China.
(c) Advocacy at United Nations.--The President may direct the
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use the
voice, vote, and influence of the United States to urge the United
Nations to take greater action with respect to collaborative global
efforts to counter illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO
ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, OR UNREGULATED FISHING AND TRADE IN
ENDANGERED SPECIES.
(a) In General.--The President may impose the sanctions described
in subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person or foreign vessel
(regardless of ownership) that the President determines--
(1) is responsible for or complicit in--
(A) illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing; or
(B) except as part of a conservation effort, the
sale, supply, purchase, or transfer (including
transportation) of endangered species, as defined in
section 3(6) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1532(6));
(2) is a leader or official of an entity, including a
government entity, that has engaged in, or the members of which
have engaged in, any of the activities described in paragraph
(1) during the tenure of the leader or official;
(3) has ever owned, operated, chartered, or controlled a
vessel during which time the personnel of the vessel engaged in
any of the activities described in paragraph (1); or
(4) has materially assisted, sponsored, or provided
financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or
services in support of--
(A) any of the activities described in paragraph
(1); or
(B) any foreign person engaged in any such
activity.
(b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions that may be imposed under
subsection (a) with respect to a foreign person or foreign vessel are
the following:
(1) Blocking of property.--Notwithstanding section 202 of
the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C.
1701), the exercise of all powers granted to the President by
the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701
et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all
transactions in all property and interests in property of a
foreign person described in subsection (a), 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) Inadmissibility to the united states.--In the case of
an alien described in subsection (a), or any alien that the
President determines is a corporate officer or principal of, or
a shareholder with a controlling interest in, a foreign person
described in subsection (a) that is an entity--
(A) ineligibility for a visa and inadmissibility to
the United States; and
(B) revocation of any valid visa or travel
documentation in accordance with section 221(i) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)).
(3) Prohibition on access to the united states.--In the
case of a foreign vessel described in subsection (a), denial of
access to United States ports.
(4) Loans from united states financial institutions.--The
President may prohibit any United States financial institution
from making loans or providing credits to a foreign person
described in subsection (a).
(5) Foreign exchange.--The President may, pursuant to such
regulations as the President may prescribe, prohibit any
transactions in foreign exchange that are subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States and in which a foreign person
or foreign vessel described in subsection (a) has any interest.
(c) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the President shall
submit a report on the imposition of sanctions under this section to--
(1) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(d) National Interest Waiver.--The President may waive the
imposition of sanctions under subsection (a) with respect to a foreign
person or foreign vessel if the President determines that such a waiver
is in the national interests of the United States.
(e) Exceptions.--
(1) Exceptions for authorized intelligence and law
enforcement activities.--Sanctions under this section shall not
apply with respect to activities subject to the reporting
requirements under title V of the National Security Act of 1947
(50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) or any authorized intelligence, law
enforcement, or national security activities of the United
States.
(2) Exception to comply with international agreements.--
Sanctions under subsection (b)(2) shall not apply with respect
to the admission of an alien to the United States if such
admission is necessary to comply with the obligations of the
United States under the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of
the United Nations, signed at Lake Success on June 26, 1947,
and entered into force on November 21, 1947, between the United
Nations and the United States, or the Convention on Consular
Relations, done at Vienna on April 24, 1963, and entered into
force on March 19, 1967, or other international obligations.
(3) Exception for safety of vessels and crew.--Sanctions
under this section shall not apply with respect to a person
providing provisions to a vessel if such provisions are
intended for the safety and care of the crew aboard the vessel
or the maintenance of the vessel to avoid any environmental or
other significant damage.
(4) Humanitarian exception.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
(B), the President may not impose sanctions under this
section with respect to any person for conducting or
facilitating a transaction for the sale of agricultural
commodities, food, medicine, or medical devices or for
the provision of humanitarian assistance.
(B) Exclusion.--The exception under subparagraph
(A) does not include transactions for the sale of food
or agricultural commodities obtained through illegal,
unreported, or unregulated fishing.
(f) Implementation; Penalties.--
(1) Implementation.--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) to carry out this section.
(2) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to
violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this
section or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry
out this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth in
subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same
extent as a person that commits an unlawful act described in
subsection (a) of that section.
(g) Rulemaking.--
(1) In general.--The head of any Federal agency responsible
for the implementation of this section may promulgate such
rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the
provisions of this section (which may include regulatory
exceptions), including under section 205 of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1704).
(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section may be
construed to limit the authority of the President pursuant to
the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701
et seq.).
SEC. 5. BRIEFING AND REPORT ON GLOBAL ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, OR
UNREGULATED FISHING.
(a) Briefing.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the
Secretary of Defense, shall brief the appropriate congressional
committees on--
(1) efforts to work with United States partners and allies
to counter illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing via
bilateral engagements;
(2) efforts to counter, and challenges faced in countering,
illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing through existing
international agreements, institutions, and mechanisms; and
(3) efforts by the Department of State and the Department
of Defense to engage and collaborate with nongovernmental
organizations and State and local agencies to spread awareness
and coordinate responses to global illegal, unreported, or
unregulated fishing concerns.
(b) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 4 years,
the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense, shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report that includes--
(A) recommendations to bolster maritime law
enforcement agreements with United States allies and
partners;
(B) an assessment of the global illegal,
unreported, or unregulated fishing patterns, strategic
goals, and regional priorities of the People's Republic
of China, and government and non-government resourcing
vectors of the People's Republic of China for illegal,
unreported, or unregulated fishing fleets; and
(C) an assessment of the efficacy of global forums
to respond to illegal, unreported, or unregulated
fishing, and a strategy for United States engagement in
such forums.
(2) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.
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