Before leaving Friday for a seven-week recess, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation which provides up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of the ISIS members responsible for the alleged murder of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported.
The measure will now head to the House of Representatives before going to President Obama, but because Congress just left for recess, it's unlikely to see much consideration until after the November mid-term election.
If passed, it will authorize the secretary of state to provide the bounty money under the State Department's Rewards for Justice program that was established in 1984, said AFP.
Senator Marco Rubio was quoted by AFP as saying this measure will help honor the beheaded journalists, and that the U.S. will "work tirelessly to ensure that the deaths of these beloved journalist do not go unpunished."
The bill comes shortly after the parents of the two freelance journalists said that U.S. officials warned them that they could face charges should they attempt to negotiate with or pay ISIS for the release of their sons.
Foley's mother, Diane, said in an interview to ABC News that they "were told that several times and took it as a threat and it was appalling."
The U.S. government cited reason to believe that terrorist organizations rely on hostage-taking and ransoms to fund their operations. "Paying ransoms only puts other Americans in a position where they're at even greater risk," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a press release. "So it is the policy of this administration, and it's consistent with the policy that was in place in other administrations as well."
However, ISIS is reportedly the richest terrorist organization in existence, with a majority of their worth coming from outside the realms of hostage-taking and ransom. In addition to being largely self-financed through oil exportation, Gulf states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been accused of providing millions to the militants.
