I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7701 

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to any foreign person 

that knowingly participates in the construction, maintenance, or repair 

of a tunnel or bridge that connects the Russian mainland with the 

Crimean peninsula. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 15, 2024 

Mr. MEEKS (for himself and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to any 

foreign person that knowingly participates in the construction, maintenance, or repair of a tunnel or bridge 

that connects the Russian mainland with the Crimean 

peninsula. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Russian Tunnel 

5 to Crimea Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) In February and March 2014, the Russian 

4 Federation invaded the Crimean peninsula and an5 nexed Crimea, international recognized as Ukrainian 

6 territory. 

7 (2) Following its annexation of Crimea, the 

8 Russian Federation constructed the Kerch Strait 

9 Bridge to connect the Russian mainland with the 

10 Crimean peninsula. 

11 (3) On February 24, 2022, the Government of 

12 the Russian Federation, led by Vladimir Putin, 

13 launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of 

14 Ukraine. 

15 (4) The Russian Federation has used Crimea as 

16 an integral part of its full scale invasion of Ukraine, 

17 including to house Russian troops, store ammunition 

18 and weapons, and host the Black Sea Fleet. 

19 (5) In October 2023, it was publicly reported 

20 that Russian and Chinese business officials met and 

21 exchanged emails to discuss building a tunnel from 

22 the Russian mainland to illegally occupied Crimea. 

23 SEC. 3. SANCTIONS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc25 tions described in subsection (b) with respect to any for26 eign person that knowingly participates in the construcVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:03 Apr 02, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7701.IH H7701

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1 tion, maintenance, or repair of a tunnel or bridge that con2 nects the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula. 

3 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de4 scribed in this subsection are the following: 

5 (1) ASSET BLOCKING.—Notwithstanding the re6 quirements of section 202 of the International 

7 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701), 

8 the President may exercise of all powers granted to 

9 the President by that Act to the extent necessary to 

10 block and prohibit all transactions in all property 

11 and interests in property of the foreign person if 

12 such property and interests in property are in the 

13 United States, come within the United States, or are 

14 or come within the possession or control of a United 

15 States person. 

16 (2) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—An alien who the Sec18 retary of State or the Secretary of Homeland 

19 Security (or a designee of one of such Secre20 taries) knows, or has reason to believe, is de21 scribed in subsection (a) is— 

22 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

23 (ii) ineligible for a visa or other docu24 mentation to enter the United States; and 


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1 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

2 or paroled into the United States or to re3 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra4 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

5 seq.). 

6 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

7 (i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con8 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

9 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des10 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall, in 

11 accordance with section 221(i) of the Im12 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

13 1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry 

14 documentation issued to an alien described 

15 in subparagraph (A) regardless of when 

16 the visa or other entry documentation is 

17 issued. 

18 (ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev19 ocation under clause (i)— 

20 (I) shall take effect immediately; 

21 and 

22 (II) shall automatically cancel 

23 any other valid visa or entry docu24 mentation that is in the alien’s pos25 session. 


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1 (c) EXCEPTIONS.— 

2 (1) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER3 NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub4 section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to the ad5 mission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien 

6 into the United States is necessary to permit the 

7 United States to comply with the Agreement regard8 ing the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 

9 at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into 

10 force November 21, 1947, between the United Na11 tions and the United States, or other applicable 

12 international obligations. 

13 (2) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE PROVISION

14 OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.—Sanctions under 

15 this section may not be imposed with respect to 

16 transactions or the facilitation of transactions for— 

17 (A) the sale of agricultural commodities, 

18 food, medicine, or medical devices; 

19 (B) the provision of humanitarian assist20 ance; 

21 (C) financial transactions relating to hu22 manitarian assistance; or 

23 (D) transporting goods or services that are 

24 necessary to carry out operations relating to 

25 humanitarian assistance. 


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1 (3) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE, LAW EN2 FORCEMENT, AND NATIONAL SECURITY ACTIVI3 TIES.—Sanctions under this section shall not apply 

4 to any authorized intelligence, law enforcement, or 

5 national security activities of the United States. 

6 (d) CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.—In any judicial re7 view of a determination made under this section, if the 

8 determination was based on classified information (as de9 fined in section 1(a) of the Classified Information Proce10 dures Act) such information may be submitted to the re11 viewing court ex parte and in camera. This subsection does 

12 not confer or imply any right to judicial review. 

13 (e) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

14 (1) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may ex15 ercise all authorities provided to the President under 

16 sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer17 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 

18 1704) to carry out this section. 

19 (2) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 

20 subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter21 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

22 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, 

23 attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

24 violation of regulations promulgated to carry out 

25 this section to the same extent that such penalties 


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1 apply to a person that commits an unlawful act de2 scribed in section 206(a) of that Act. 

3 (f) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica4 tion of sanctions imposed with respect to a foreign person 

5 under this section if the President certifies to the appro6 priate congressional committees not later than 15 days be7 fore such waiver is to take effect that the waiver is impor8 tant to the national security interests of the United States. 

9 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

10 (1) the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com11 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

12 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

13 Foreign Relations of the Senate; 

14 (2) the term ‘‘foreign person’’ means an indi15 vidual or entity that is not a United States person; 

16 and 

17 (3) the term ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

18 (A) a United States citizen; 

19 (B) a permanent resident alien of the 

20 United States; 

21 (C) an entity organized under the laws of 

22 the United States or of any jurisdiction within 

23 the United States, including a foreign branch of 

24 such an entity; or 


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1 (D) a person in the United States. 

Æ 


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