119-hr5101

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5101 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5101

To provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to Tunisia, and 
 for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 2, 2025

Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself and Mr. Crow) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
 and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
 of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
 concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to Tunisia, 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 ``Tunisia Democracy Restoration Act''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

 It is the policy of the United States to support the restoration of 
democracy in Tunisia and to oppose the authoritarian takeover by the 
illegitimate regime led by Kais Saied.

SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF ASSISTANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF TUNISIA.

 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funding may be 
appropriated or otherwise made available to any security services or 
units in Tunisia which are linked to human rights abuses, domestic 
repression, or the undermining of democracy in Tunisia.

SEC. 4. SANCTIONS.

    (a) List Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the President shall make publicly available on a 
website of the Federal Government, a list of foreign persons that--

    (1) the President determines to be engaged in--
        (A) actions that undermine democratic processes or 
 institutions of Tunisia; or
        (B) significant corruption in Tunisia; and

    (2) the President determines to be knowingly responsible 
 for or complicit in serious human rights abuses committed 
 against the citizens of Tunisia, or their family members, 
 including the forced disappearance, arrest, detention, or 
 charging of political prisoners, activists, journalists, or 
 lawyers for opposing the regime led by Kais Saied.

    (b) Persons To Be Included on List.--In developing the list 
required by subsection

    (a) , the President shall consider for inclusion 
on the list officials of the Government of Tunisia, if they meet 
criteria for inclusion under subparagraph

    (a)

    (1) and

    (a)

    (2) .
            (c) Updates to List.--The President shall update the list required 
by subsection

    (a) every six months for a period of four years.
            (d) Imposition of Sanctions.--

    (1) In general.--The President shall impose the sanctions 
 described in paragraph

    (2) with respect to each foreign person 
 on the list required by subsection

    (a) .

    (2) Sanctions described.--The sanctions described in this 
 paragraph are the following:
        (A) Property blocking.--The President shall 
 exercise all powers granted 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 person on the list required by 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.
        (B) Aliens ineligible for visas, admission, or 
 parole.--
            (i) Visas, admission, or parole.--An alien 
 who the Secretary of State or the Secretary of 
 Homeland Security (or a designee of one of such 
 Secretaries) identifies as on the list required 
 by subsection

    (a) is--
            (I) inadmissible to the United 
 States;
            (II) ineligible to receive a visa 
 or other documentation to enter the 
 United States; and
            (III) otherwise ineligible to be 
 admitted or paroled into the United 
 States or to receive any other benefit 
 under the Immigration and Nationality 
 Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
            (ii) Current visas revoked.--
            (I) In general.--The issuing 
 consular officer, the Secretary of 
 State, or the Secretary of Homeland 
 Security (or a designee of one of such 
 Secretaries) shall, in accordance with 
 

section 221
            (i) of the Immigration and 
 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201
            (i) ), 
 revoke any visa or other entry 
 documentation issued to an alien who 
 the Secretary of State or the Secretary 
 of Homeland Security (or a designee of 
 one of such Secretaries) identifies as 
 on the list required by subsection

    (a) , 
 regardless of when the visa or other 
 documentation is issued.
            (II) Effect of revocation.--A 
 revocation under subclause
            (I) --

    (aa) shall take effect 
 immediately; and

    (bb) shall automatically 
 cancel any other valid visa or 
 entry documentation that is in 
 the alien's possession.

    (3) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to 
 violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of 
 paragraph

    (1)
        (A) or any regulation, license, or order issued to 
 carry out paragraph

    (1)
        (A) 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.

    (4) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters 
 agreement.--Sanctions under paragraph

    (1)
        (B) shall not apply 
 with respect to an alien if admitting the alien into the United 
 States is necessary to permit the United States to comply with 
 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, 
 signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 
 November 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the United 
 States, or other applicable international agreements.

    (e) Suspension.--The President may suspend in whole or in part the 
imposition of sanctions otherwise required under this section if the 
President determines that the following criteria have been met in 
Tunisia:

    (1) Tunisia has restored the democratic constitution of 
 2014.

    (2) Free and fair elections have been held in Tunisia, 
 pursuant to the 2014 constitution, under international 
 monitoring and supervision.

    (3) All Tunisian political prisoners have been released 
 including activists, journalists, former members of Parliament, 
 and others who have been unjustly detained by the regime of 
 Kais Saied.

    (f) Exemptions and Waiver.--

    (1) Exemptions.--Activities and transactions shall be 
 exempt from sanctions authorized under this section that are 
 necessary to comply with United States obligations under--
        (A) the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 
 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, 
 and entered into force November 21, 1947, between the 
 United Nations and the United States;
        (B) the Convention on Consular Relations, done at 
 Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered into force March 19, 
 1967; or
            (C) any other international agreement to which the 
 United States is a party.

    (2) Waiver.--The President may, for periods not to exceed 
 180 days, waive the application of any provision of this 
 section with respect to a foreign person if the President 
 certifies to Congress that such a waiver is in the national 
 security interests of the United States.

SEC. 5. STRATEGY TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY IN TUNISIA.

 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
Treasury, shall submit to Congress a strategy regarding steps that can 
be taken to restore democracy to Tunisia, including restoring Tunisian 
democratic institutions such as the Parliament and the independent 
judiciary, as well as restoring the democratic constitution of 2014.

SEC. 6. SUNSET.

 This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on the date that is 
4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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