Weakened Taylor Force Act advances in Senate; gives Palestinians up to a year to continue inciting terror before losing U.S. funding

A bill to withhold U.S. funding from the Palestinian Authority (PA) until it stops paying terrorists or their families has advanced in the Senate - but with terms more favorable to the PA than were included in the original legislation. The Taylor Force Act, named after a U.S. citizen who was stabbed to death in a Palestinian terror attack in March 2016, would withhold U.S. funding to the PA unless the Secretary of State certifies that the PA has stopped issuing salaries to terrorists and the families of terrorists. However, according to an amended version of the bill placed on the Senate's legislative calendar on September 6, 2017, the PA would have another year to comply, and be able to collect any withheld money - plus interest - if the Secretary of State certified that they had stopped paying terrorists within a year of the bill's enactment. The amendment was originally introduced by Senator Tim Kaine and adopted by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on August 3, 2017.

The amendment provides:

"SEC. 6. PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY ACCOUNTABILITY FUND.
(a) Establishment of Fund.--There is established in the Treasury a fund to be known as the ``Palestinian Authority Accountability Fund' (PAAF). The PAAF shall consist of funds withheld under sections 4 and 5.
(b) Investments.--The Secretary of State shall invest funds in the PAAF in an interest-bearing obligation of the United States Government, or an obligation that has its principal and interest guaranteed by the Government, that the Secretary determines has a maturity suitable for the Fund.
(c) Use of Funds.--Funds from the PAAF may be made available upon a certification by the Secretary of State that the Palestinian Authority has met the conditions set forth in section 4(a).
(d) Disposition of Unused Funds.--On the date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, all funds that are in the PAAF shall be withdrawn and made available to the Department of State for the purpose of assistance other than that deemed benefitting the Palestinian Authority."

The Taylor Force Act, introduced in the Senate by Senator Lindsey Graham on August 1, 2017, was incorporated into the Senate's Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2018, on September 7, 2017. The appropriations bill is scheduled to be voted upon by the Senate in December 2017. Accordingly, the Taylor Force Act now has two paths to adoption: the Senate may vote on it as a stand-alone measure, or the Senate may adopt it in December 2017 as part of the larger foreign appropriations bill. The stand-alone Taylor Force Act has 21 cosponsors as of September 12, 2017.