S. 856: Syria Stabilization Act of 2013
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S. 856: Syria Stabilization Act of 2013
113th Congress · introduced 2013-05-06 · International Affairs · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2013-05-06 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Syria Stabilization Act of 2013
Plain summary
Syria Stabilization Act of 2013 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance to the people of Syria in carrying out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress regarding a U.S. government strategy to ensure that the people of Syria are made aware of the U.S. assistance provided to Syrians, both inside Syria and those seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Authorizes the President to establish a Syria Transition Fund to provide support in the early period of a potentially chaotic Syrian transition to: (1) enable an effective political transition; and (2) provide for initiatives to improve the security of the United States, U.S. partners and allies, and the people of Syria. Includes among Fund-supported activities: (1) basic services, (2) security sector support, (3) transitional justice and conflict resolution, (4) democracy promotion, (5) economic restructuring, (6) historical preservation, and (7) collection of evidence of human rights abuses. Authorizes FY2013-FY2015 appropriations for the Fund and the use of certain of such funds for nonproliferation purposes. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress annually (for the duration of the Fund) regarding U.S. efforts to assist Syria's political transition, with a specific focus on Fund-supported efforts. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should begin a phased removal of sanctions on a post-Assad Syria if the new government supports human rights, rejects terrorism, and cooperates with international nonproliferation efforts. Authorizes the President to impose specified sanctions on any person that knowingly participated in or facilitated a significant transaction related to the sale or transfer of defense articles or defense services to the Assad regime, including any successor entity comprised principally of loyalists to Bashar al-Assad. Directs the President to impose at least five such sanctions on each person that knowingly participated in or facilitated a significant transaction related to the sale or transfer of petroleum or petroleum products to the Assad regime, including any successor entity comprised principally of loyalists to Bashar al-Assad, that directly contribute to the capability of the Assad regime, or any such successor entity, to continue its aggression against the people of Syria. Specifies such sanctions as prohibitions on: (1) Export-Import Bank assistance, (2) procurement of goods or services, (3) arms exports, (4) dual-use exports, (5) property transactions, (6) imports, and (7) U.S. admissions. Prohibits the imposition of sanctions on any person for conducting or facilitating a transaction to meet humanitarian and basic human needs of the people of Syria. Authorizes the President to waive sanction provisions if vital to U.S. national security interests. Authorizes the President to provide assistance, including defense articles, defense services, and training to members of the Syrian Supreme Military Council, units of the Free Syrian Army, and other Syrian entities opposed to the Assad government. Terminates such authority on October 1, 2018. Directs the President to notify Congress not later than 15 days before obligating funds or making commitments for such assistance.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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Official text
Syria Stabilization Act of 2013
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
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Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · 0 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (4)
- Appropriation
- Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
- Ballot initiative
- A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
- Resolution
- A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.
- Securities
- Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113s856.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/s>
Record fed-us-cong113-s856 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113