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116TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 6444
To amend the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to establish an exception
to jurisdictional immunity for a foreign state that discharges a biological
weapon, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 3, 2020
Mr. GOODEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to establish
an exception to jurisdictional immunity for a foreign
state that discharges a biological weapon, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop China-Originated
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Viral Infectious Diseases Act of 2020’’ or the ‘‘Stop
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COVID Act of 2020’’.
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SEC. 2. EXCEPTION TO JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITY OF A
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FOREIGN STATE.
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(a) EXCEPTION TO JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITY.—
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Section 1605 of title 28, United States Code, is amend-
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ed—
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(1) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as
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subsections (h) and (i), respectively; and
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(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol-
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lowing new subsection:
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‘‘(g) A foreign state shall not be immune from the
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jurisdiction of the courts of the United States in any case
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where such foreign state is found, whether intentionally
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or unintentionally, to have discharged a biological weapon,
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as defined in section 2280(d)(3) of title 18, United States
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Code, in the United States or such discharge results in
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the bodily injury of an United States citizen.’’.
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(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
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subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act.
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