IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7701 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 to Crimea Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

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

7 Federation invaded the Crimean peninsula and an8 nexed Crimea, international recognized as Ukrainian 

9 territory. 

10 (2) Following its annexation of Crimea, the 

11 Russian Federation constructed the Kerch Strait 

12 Bridge to connect the Russian mainland with the 

13 Crimean peninsula. 

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

15 the Russian Federation, led by Vladimir Putin, 

16 launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of 

17 Ukraine. 

18 (4) The Russian Federation has used Crimea as 

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

20 including to house Russian troops, store ammunition 

21 and weapons, and host the Black Sea Fleet. 

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

23 that Russian and Chinese business officials met and 

24 exchanged emails to discuss building a tunnel from 

25 the Russian mainland to illegally occupied Crimea. 


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1 SEC. 3. SANCTIONS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc3 tions described in subsection (b) with respect to any for4 eign person that knowingly participates in the construc5 tion, maintenance, or repair of a tunnel or bridge that con6 nects the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula. 

7 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de8 scribed in this subsection are the following: 

9 (1) ASSET BLOCKING.—Notwithstanding the re10 quirements of section 202 of the International 

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

12 the President may exercise of all powers granted to 

13 the President by that Act to the extent necessary to 

14 block and prohibit all transactions in all property 

15 and interests in property of the foreign person if 

16 such property and interests in property are in the 

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

18 or come within the possession or control of a United 

19 States person. 

20 (2) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—An alien who the Sec22 retary of State or the Secretary of Homeland 

23 Security (or a designee of one of such Secre24 taries) knows, or has reason to believe, is de25 scribed in subsection (a) is— 

26 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 


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1 (ii) ineligible for a visa or other docu2 mentation to enter the United States; and 

3 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

4 or paroled into the United States or to re5 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra6 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

7 seq.). 

8 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

9 (i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con10 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

11 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des12 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall, in 

13 accordance with section 221(i) of the Im14 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

15 1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry 

16 documentation issued to an alien described 

17 in subparagraph (A) regardless of when 

18 the visa or other entry documentation is 

19 issued. 

20 (ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev21 ocation under clause (i)— 

22 (I) shall take effect immediately; 

23 and 

24 (II) shall automatically cancel 

25 any other valid visa or entry docuVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:45 Sep 11, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7701.RFS H7701

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1 mentation that is in the alien’s pos2 session. 

3 (c) EXCEPTIONS.— 

4 (1) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER5 NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub6 section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to the ad7 mission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien 

8 into the United States is necessary to permit the 

9 United States to comply with the Agreement regard10 ing the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 

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

12 force November 21, 1947, between the United Na13 tions and the United States, or other applicable 

14 international obligations. 

15 (2) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE PROVISION

16 OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.—Sanctions under 

17 this section may not be imposed with respect to 

18 transactions or the facilitation of transactions for— 

19 (A) the sale of agricultural commodities, 

20 food, medicine, or medical devices; 

21 (B) the provision of humanitarian assist22 ance; 

23 (C) financial transactions relating to hu24 manitarian assistance; or 


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1 (D) transporting goods or services that are 

2 necessary to carry out operations relating to 

3 humanitarian assistance. 

4 (3) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE, LAW EN5 FORCEMENT, AND NATIONAL SECURITY ACTIVI6 TIES.—Sanctions under this section shall not apply 

7 to any authorized intelligence, law enforcement, or 

8 national security activities of the United States. 

9 (d) CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.—In any judicial re10 view of a determination made under this section, if the 

11 determination was based on classified information (as de12 fined in section 1(a) of the Classified Information Proce13 dures Act) such information may be submitted to the re14 viewing court ex parte and in camera. This subsection does 

15 not confer or imply any right to judicial review. 

16 (e) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

17 (1) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may ex18 ercise all authorities provided to the President under 

19 sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer20 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 

21 1704) to carry out this section. 

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

23 subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter24 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

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


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

2 violation of regulations promulgated to carry out 

3 this section to the same extent that such penalties 

4 apply to a person that commits an unlawful act de5 scribed in section 206(a) of that Act. 

6 (f) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica7 tion of sanctions imposed with respect to a foreign person 

8 under this section if the President certifies to the appro9 priate congressional committees not later than 15 days be10 fore such waiver is to take effect that the waiver is impor11 tant to the national security interests of the United States. 

12 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

13 (1) the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com14 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

15 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

16 Foreign Relations of the Senate; 

17 (2) the term ‘‘foreign person’’ means an indi18 vidual or entity that is not a United States person; 

19 and 

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

21 (A) a United States citizen; 

22 (B) a permanent resident alien of the 

23 United States; 

24 (C) an entity organized under the laws of 

25 the United States or of any jurisdiction within 


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1 the United States, including a foreign branch of 

2 such an entity; or 

3 (D) a person in the United States. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 9, 

2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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