Title 22Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60

§2679c Prohibition on Discriminatory Contracts

Title 22 › Chapter 38— DEPARTMENT OF STATE › § 2679c

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Department of State must not sign any contract that spends more than the small purchase threshold (as defined in section 134 of title 41), except for real estate leases and the country waiver below, if the contractor is a foreign person that follows the Arab League boycott of Israel or if the contractor (foreign or U.S.) discriminates in awarding subcontracts based on religion. A "foreign person" means anyone who is not a United States person as defined in section 4618(2) of title 50. A foreign person is treated as complying with the Arab League boycott when it does actions that section 4607(a) of title 50 forbids U.S. persons from doing. A person is also treated as not complying if that person, or the Secretary of State (after giving Congress 30 days’ notice that the procedure will be used at a particular overseas mission), certifies the boycott violation. The Secretary may waive the ban for a country for up to one year by certifying to Congress that the waiver is in the national interest and needed for U.S. diplomatic work, and each waiver must include detailed justification. The Secretary must also make sure solicitations for these contracts include a required clause (except as paragraph (2) provides).

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2679c

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Except for real estate leases and as provided in subsection (b), the Department of State may not enter into any contract that expends funds appropriated to the Department of State for an amount in excess of the small purchase threshold (as defined in section 134 of title 41— 11 So in original. Probably should be “41)—”.
(A)with a foreign person that complies with the Arab League boycott of Israel, or
(B)with any foreign or United States person that discriminates in the award of subcontracts on the basis of religion.
(2)For purposes of this section—
(A)a foreign person complies with the boycott of Israel by Arab League countries when that foreign person takes or knowingly agrees to take any action, with respect to the boycott of Israel by Arab League countries, which section 4607(a) 22 See References in Text note below. of title 50 prohibits a United States person from taking, except that for purposes of this paragraph, the term “United States person” as used in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 4607(a)(1) 2 of title 50 shall be deemed to mean “person”; and
(B)the term “foreign person” means any person other than a United States person as defined in section 4618(2) 2 of title 50.
(3)For purposes of paragraph (1), a foreign person shall be deemed not to comply with the boycott of Israel by Arab League countries if that person, or the Secretary of State or his designee on the basis of available information, certifies that the person violates or otherwise does not comply with the boycott of Israel by Arab League countries by taking any actions prohibited by section 4607(a) 2 of title 50. Certification by the Secretary of State or his designee may occur only 30 days after notice has been given to the Congress that this certification procedure will be utilized at a specific overseas mission.
(b)The Secretary of State may waive the requirements of this section on a country-by-country basis for a period not to exceed one year upon certification to the Congress by the Secretary that such waiver is in the national interest and is necessary to carry on diplomatic functions of the United States. Each such certification shall include a detailed justification for the waiver with respect to each such country.
(c)(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Secretary of State shall ensure that any response to a solicitation for a bid or a request for a proposal, with respect to a contract covered by subsection (a), includes the following clause, in substantially the following form:

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 4607(a) of title 50, referred to in subsecs. (a)(2)(A), (3) and (c)(3), was repealed by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1766(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2232. section 4618(2) of title 50, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(B), was repealed by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1766(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2232. section 8(a) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2407(a)), referred to in subsec. (c)(1) in the quoted clause, is section 8(a) of Pub. L. 96–72, Sept. 29, 1979, 93 Stat. 521, which was editorially transferred to section 4607(a) of Title 50, War and National Defense, and was subsequently repealed by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1766(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2232. Codification In subsec. (a)(1), “section 134 of title 41” substituted for “section 4(11) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403(11))” on authority of Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts.

Amendments

1998—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 105–277 struck out heading and text of subsec. (e). Text read as follows: “The provisions of this section shall apply to the United States Information Agency in the same manner and extent to which such provisions apply to the Department of State. In the application of this section to the United States Information Agency, the Director of the United States Information Agency or a designee shall have the authorities and responsibilities of the Secretary of State.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1998 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–277 effective Oct. 1, 1999, see section 1301 of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 6531 of this title.

Short Title

Pub. L. 103–236, title V, § 561, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 483, provided that: “This part [part C (§§ 561–565) of title V of Pub. L. 103–236, enacting this section and provisions set out as a note under section 2751 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Anti-Economic Discrimination Act of 1994’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2679c

Title 22Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60