H.R. 8301 — RSF Terrorist Designation Act

This section directs the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury to jointly review, within 90 days of enactment, whether Sudan's Rapid Support Forces meet the criteria for designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 (i.e., blocking property and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism) and to submit the results and determination to the appropriate congressional committees within the same timeframe. Upon an affirmative determination, the section requires the President, acting through those Secretaries, to impose sanctions on the Rapid Support Forces, including (1) blocking their property and interests in property under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and (2) rendering associated aliens inadmissible to the United States, ineligible for visas or parole, and subject to visa revocation. The section specifies exceptions to such sanctions for U.S. compliance with international obligations (including the UN Headquarters Agreement), humanitarian assistance transactions, and authorized U.S. intelligence, law enforcement, or national security activities; and authorizes the Secretary of State to waive sanctions if vital to U.S. national security interests, following notification to congressional committees.

This section requires the Secretary of State, concurrently with the report required by section 2(b), to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the Rapid Support Forces of Sudan that includes the following: (1) whether the Secretary will support designation of the Rapid Support Forces as a specially designated global terrorist; (2) detailed information on countries and entities providing material support to the Rapid Support Forces, including the manner of support and its approximate monetary value to the extent practicable; (3) an assessment of the Rapid Support Forces' ability to maintain operations if external support ceased; and (4) an explanation of implications for U.S. security and foreign assistance if designated as such. The report must be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.

This section defines key terms used in the bill, including (1) “admitted” and “alien,” which have the meanings given in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101); (2) “appropriate congressional committees,” meaning the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; (3) “foreign person,” meaning an individual or entity that is not a United States person; and (4) “United States person,” meaning a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under U.S. laws or any U.S. jurisdiction (including a foreign branch of such entity), or person in the United States.