Congress: 106 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for HR 2584.
Sponsor: Saxton, Jim (R-NJ)
Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1999 - Amends the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 to postpone the deadline for commencement of construction of the U.S. Embassy in the capital city of Jerusalem, Israel, from May 31, 1999, to December 31, 1999. Declares that not more than 50 percent of the funds appropriated to the State Department for FY 2000 (currently, FY 1999) for acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad may be obligated until the Secretary of State reports to Congress that the construction of the U.S. Embassy in Israel has commenced. Repeals the President's authority to waive such limitation. Earmarks specified minimum amounts for FY 2000 and 2001 for construction and other costs associated with the establishment of the embassy.
This amendment extends the deadline for breaking ground on a U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to December 31, 1999, and withholds half of the State Department's building budget for overseas posts until construction begins. It earmarks at least $25 million annually for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 for embassy construction and removes the President's ability to waive these requirements.
The bill treats Jerusalem as Israel's capital and uses federal spending leverage to force embassy relocation there, a position contested by the Palestinian Authority and many nations. By eliminating presidential waiver authority, it removes executive flexibility on this diplomatically sensitive issue.