US Federal Senate Bill SB817

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/3/25
• Refer: 3/3/25

Caption

Falun Gong Protection Act

Summary

SB 817, the Falun Gong Protection Act, would direct the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons the President determines have knowingly and directly engaged in or facilitated forced organ harvesting in the People’s Republic of China. The bill requires the executive branch to identify such persons on a list, update that list as new information becomes available, and apply blocking sanctions and visa-related restrictions to those listed. It also makes clear that sanctions would not apply to certain humanitarian transactions, intelligence or law enforcement activities, or actions needed to comply with U.N. headquarters obligations, and it includes a five-year sunset on the sanctions authority. In addition to sanctions, the bill requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with HHS and NIH, to submit a report on China’s organ transplant policies and practices. That report must address transplant volumes, donor availability, organ sourcing, transplant timing, U.S. grants supporting transplant research involving China, and whether persecution of Falun Gong practitioners constitutes an atrocity under U.S. law. The bill also states U.S. policy against cooperating with China in the organ transplantation field while the Chinese Communist Party remains in power, and it directs coordination with allies and international institutions on sanctions and visa restrictions.

Impact

The bill would add a new sanctions and reporting framework focused on alleged forced organ harvesting in China. It would authorize the use of International Emergency Economic Powers Act tools to freeze property interests of designated foreign persons in the United States and would bar those persons from visas, admission, parole, and other immigration benefits, subject to limited exceptions. It would also require a State Department report and would prohibit the sanctions authority from being used to target imports of goods, limiting the measure to persons and transactions rather than trade restrictions on Chinese products.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a human rights and anti-persecution response with a strongly condemnatory posture toward the Chinese Communist Party and alleged organ harvesting practices. The bill’s sponsors and findings indicate support for targeted sanctions, international coordination, and heightened scrutiny of China’s transplant system. No contrary views are reflected in the available record, but the structure of the bill suggests broad support among sponsors for a punitive, rights-based approach rather than engagement or cooperation in the transplant field.

Contention

The main points of contention are likely to be the factual basis for identifying individuals involved in forced organ harvesting, the scope of U.S. sanctions authority, and the bill’s explicit linkage of China’s transplant system to persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Another potential issue is the report’s requirement to assess whether that persecution constitutes an atrocity, which could raise diplomatic and evidentiary disputes. The bill also draws a line between targeted sanctions and import restrictions, which may be seen as either a prudent limitation or an insufficient response depending on the perspective.