Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) introduced a bill (HR 3526) in Congress that would allow humanitarian groups to offer assistance to civilians living in conflict zones without fear of violating laws that prohibit any diversion of resources to sanctioned entities.

The bill, titled, the Humanitarian Assistance Facilitation Act of 2013, says that “humanitarian organizations, acting in good faith and with the appropriate restrictions and controls in place, should not be prevented, directly or indirectly by Executive orders or counterterrorism laws, from accessing and providing aid to civilian populations before or early on in humanitarian crises.”