H.R. 6338

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6338 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6338

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 9, 2026

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons 
and foreign vessels that engage in illegal, unreported, and unregulated 
fishing, 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 ``Stop Illegal Fishing Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the Sense of Congress that--
(1) illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (referred 
to in this section as ``IUU fishing'') is a rising and harmful 
global trend;
(2) the People's Republic of China is the primary 
perpetrator of IUU fishing and the largest exploiter of global 
fisheries;
(3) IUU fishing is a concerning and significant driver of 
overfishing, thereby threatening fisheries, damaging marine 
ecosystems, and inhibiting conservation;
(4) IUU fishing in another country's exclusive economic 
zone violates international law as reflected in the United 
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, undermines the rules-
based order, ignores sovereign rights, reinforces excessive 
maritime claims, exploits finite resources, and unfairly seizes 
economic access at the expense of coastal states;
(5) IUU fishing is often associated with substandard and 
illicit conditions for crew, including lack of safety controls, 
illegally low pay, inhumane treatment, and, in some cases, 
outright forced labor or human trafficking;
(6) IUU fishing has a particularly nefarious impact on 
coastal communities in poor and developing nations that rely on 
ocean bounties;
(7) IUU fishing undermines the economic security of the 
United States and undermines maritime security around the 
globe; and
(8) the United States Government should utilize sanctions 
to deter and prevent IUU fishing.

SEC. 3. SANCTIONS.

(a) Sanctions With Respect to Foreign Persons.--The President shall 
impose the sanctions described in subsection (e) with respect to any 
foreign person that knowingly--
(1) owns any vessel that engages in IUU fishing;
(2) works as a captain or senior crew member on such a 
vessel;
(3) operates as an entity primarily engaged in IUU fishing; 
or
(4) serves as an officer or senior manager in an entity 
primarily engaged in IUU fishing.
(b) Sanctions With Respect to Foreign Vessels.--The President shall 
impose the sanctions described in subsection (e) with respect to any 
foreign vessel that engages in IUU fishing.
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, and annually thereafter for five years, the President shall 
submit to the appropriate committees a report that--
(1) describes all efforts to carry out the requirements of 
subsections (a) and (b); and
(2) lists all foreign persons and foreign vessels 
sanctioned thereunder.
(d) Sanctions Program Required.--In carrying out subsection (a) and 
subsection (b), the President shall direct the creation of an IUU 
fishing sanctions program.
(e) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this 
subsection are the following:
(1) Asset blocking.--Notwithstanding the requirements of 
section 202 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
(50 U.S.C. 1701), the President may exercise of all powers 
granted to the President by that Act to the extent necessary to 
block and prohibit all transactions in all property and 
interests in property of the foreign person or foreign vessel 
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) Visas, admission, or parole.--
(A) In general.--An alien who the Secretary of 
State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a 
designee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has 
reason to believe, is described in subsection (a) is--
(i) inadmissible to the United States;
(ii) ineligible for 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.).
(B) 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 described in 
subparagraph (A) regardless of when the visa or 
other entry documentation is issued.
(ii) Effect of revocation.--A revocation 
under clause (i)--
(I) shall take effect immediately; 
and
(II) shall automatically cancel any 
other valid visa or entry documentation 
that is in the alien's possession.
(f) Exceptions.--
(1) Exception to comply with international obligations.--
Sanctions under subsection (e)(2) shall not apply with respect 
to the admission of an alien if admitting or paroling 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 obligations.
(2) Exception relating to the provision of humanitarian 
assistance.--Sanctions under this section may not be imposed 
with respect to transactions or the facilitation of 
transactions for--
(A) the sale of agricultural commodities, food, 
medicine, or medical devices;
(B) the provision of humanitarian assistance;
(C) financial transactions relating to humanitarian 
assistance; or
(D) transporting goods or services that are 
necessary to carry out operations relating to 
humanitarian assistance.
(3) Exception for intelligence, law enforcement, and 
national security activities.--Sanctions under this section 
shall not apply to any authorized intelligence, law 
enforcement, or national security activities of the United 
States.
(4) Exception for safety of vessels and crew.--Sanctions 
under this section shall not apply with respect to a person 
providing provisions to a vessel otherwise subject to sanctions 
under this section if such provisions are intended for the 
safety and care of the crew aboard the vessel, the protection 
of human life aboard the vessel, or the maintenance of the 
vessel to avoid any environmental or other significant damage.
(g) Implementation; Penalties.--
(1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all 
authorities provided to the President 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.--The penalties provided for in subsections 
(b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person 
that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
causes a violation of regulations promulgated to carry out this 
section to the same extent that such penalties apply to a 
person who commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a) 
of that Act.
(h) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions 
imposed with respect to a foreign person or foreign vessel under this 
section if the President certifies to the appropriate congressional 
committees, not later than 15 days before such waiver is to take 
effect, that the waiver is important to the national security interests 
of the United States.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(2) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means an 
individual or entity that is not a United States person.
(3) Foreign vessel.--The term ``foreign vessel'' means a 
vessel of foreign registry or operated under the authority of a 
foreign country.
(4) IUU fishing.--The term ``IUU fishing'' has the meaning 
given the term in section 3532 of the Maritime SAFE Act (16 
U.S.C. 8001).
(5) United states person.--The term ``United States 
person'' means--
(A) a United States citizen;
(B) a permanent resident alien of the United 
States;
(C) an entity organized under the laws of the 
United States or of any jurisdiction within the United 
States, including a foreign branch of such an entity; 
or
(D) a person in the United States.

Passed the House of Representatives June 8, 2026.

Attest:

KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

Clerk.