II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 995 

To promote democracy in Venezuela, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 28, 2023 

Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. HAGERTY, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, 

and Mr. BARRASSO) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 

and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To promote democracy in Venezuela, and for other purposes. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Venezuelan Democracy Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 3. Appropriate congressional committees defined. 

TITLE I—DETERMINATIONS OF A TRANSITION GOVERNMENT OR 

DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT IN VENEZUELA 

Sec. 101. Determinations of a transition government or democratically elected 

government in Venezuela. 


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TITLE II—PROMOTING DEMOCRATIC CHANGE IN VENEZUELA 

Sec. 201. United States policy regarding membership of Venezuela in international financial institutions. 

Sec. 202. United States policy regarding membership of Venezuela in the Organization of American States. 

Sec. 203. Authorization of support for democratic and human rights groups 

and international observers. 

Sec. 204. Support for the people of Venezuela. 

TITLE III—SANCTIONS 

Sec. 301. Definitions. 

Sec. 302. Blocking international support for a nondemocratic government in 

Venezuela. 

Sec. 303. Financial sanctions with respect to debt instruments of Maduro regime. 

Sec. 304. Sanctions with respect to cryptocurrency of Venezuela and provision 

of related technologies. 

Sec. 305. Blocking property of the Government of Venezuela. 

Sec. 306. Determination with respect to designation of Maduro regime as a terrorist organization. 

Sec. 307. Suspension and termination of sanctions. 

Sec. 308. Implementation; penalties. 

Sec. 309. Report on specific licenses that authorize transactions with sanctioned persons. 

Sec. 310. Report on foreign persons doing business with the Maduro regime. 

TITLE IV—ASSISTANCE TO A FREE AND INDEPENDENT 

VENEZUELA 

Sec. 401. Policy toward a transition government and a democratically elected 

government in Venezuela. 

Sec. 402. Assistance for the people of Venezuela. 

Sec. 403. Report on trade and investment relations between the United States 

and Venezuela. 

TITLE V—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Sec. 501. Effect of Act on lawful United States Government activities. 

Sec. 502. Exception relating to importation of goods. 

1 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 It is the policy of the United States— 

3 (1) to seek a peaceful transition to democracy 

4 and a resumption of economic growth in Venezuela 

5 through support for the people of Venezuela and the 

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1 gime of Nicola`s Maduro and any nondemocratic suc2 cessor; 

3 (2) to seek the cooperation of other democratic 

4 countries in supporting a transition described in 

5 paragraph (1); 

6 (3) to make clear to other countries that, in de7 termining the relations of the United States with 

8 those countries, the United States will take into ac9 count the willingness of those countries to cooperate 

10 in supporting a transition described in paragraph 

11 (1); 

12 (4) to seek the speedy termination of any re13 maining military or technical assistance, subsidies, 

14 or other forms of assistance to the Maduro regime 

15 and any nondemocratic successor from the govern16 ment of any other country, including the govern17 ments of Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the 

18 Russian Federation, and the People’s Republic of 

19 China; 

20 (5) to continue to vigorously oppose violations 

21 of internationally recognized human rights in Ven22 ezuela; 

23 (6) to maintain sanctions on the Maduro regime 

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1 mocratization and greater respect for internationally 

2 recognized human rights; and 

3 (7) to be prepared to reduce the sanctions im4 posed with respect to Venezuela in carefully cali5 brated ways in response to demonstrable progress 

6 toward democratization in Venezuela, including the 

7 establishment of a transition government that leads 

8 to a democratically elected government in Venezuela. 

9 SEC. 3. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE10 FINED. 

11 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com12 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

13 the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

14 House of Representatives. 

15 TITLE I—DETERMINATIONS OF A 

16 TRANSITION GOVERNMENT 

17 OR DEMOCRATICALLY ELECT18 ED GOVERNMENT IN VEN19 EZUELA 

20 SEC. 101. DETERMINATIONS OF A TRANSITION GOVERN21 MENT OR DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOV22 ERNMENT IN VENEZUELA. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Upon making a determination 

24 that a transition government or a democratically elected 

25 government is in power in Venezuela, the President shall 


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1 submit that determination to the appropriate congres2 sional committees. 

3 (b) REQUIREMENTS FOR DETERMINING A TRANSI4 TION GOVERNMENT IS IN POWER IN VENEZUELA.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of making 

6 a determination under subsection (a), a transition 

7 government in Venezuela is a government that— 

8 (A) is showing respect for the basic civil 

9 liberties and internationally recognized human 

10 rights of the citizens of Venezuela; 

11 (B) has fully reinstated all members of the 

12 National Assembly convened on January 6, 

13 2016, following democratic elections that were 

14 held on December 6, 2015; 

15 (C) has lifted the order of contempt issued 

16 by the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice 

17 (TSJ) on January 11, 2016, against the Na18 tional Assembly convened on January 6, 2016, 

19 including by restoring all powers of said Na20 tional Assembly and the immunities for depu21 ties; 

22 (D) has ceased to interfere with the func23 tioning of political parties, including by lifting 

24 all judicial interventions of political parties has 

25 legalized all political activity; 


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1 (E) has released all political prisoners and 

2 allowed for investigations of Venezuelan prisons 

3 by appropriate international human rights orga4 nizations; 

5 (F) has dissolved the General Directorate 

6 of Military Counterintelligence, the Special Ac7 tion Forces (FAES), and the Colectivos; 

8 (G) has made public commitments to orga9 nizing free and fair elections for a new govern10 ment— 

11 (i) to be held in a timely manner with12 in a period not to exceed 12 months after 

13 the transition government assumes power; 

14 (ii) with the participation of multiple 

15 independent political parties that have full 

16 access to the media on an equal basis, in17 cluding (in the case of radio, television, or 

18 other telecommunications media) in terms 

19 of allotments of time for such access and 

20 the times of day such allotments are given; 

21 and 

22 (iii) to be conducted under the super23 vision of observers from the Organization 

24 of American States, the United Nations, 


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1 and other internationally recognized elec2 tion observers; 

3 (H) makes public commitments to and is 

4 making demonstrable progress in— 

5 (i) establishing an independent judici6 ary; 

7 (ii) respecting internationally recog8 nized human rights and fundamental free9 doms as set forth in the Universal Declara10 tion of Human Rights, to which Venezuela 

11 is a signatory; and 

12 (iii) allowing the establishment of 

13 independent social, economic, and political 

14 associations; and 

15 (I) does not include Nicola`s Maduro or any 

16 persons— 

17 (i) with respect to which sanctions 

18 have been imposed by the Office of Foreign 

19 Assets Control; or 

20 (ii) sought by the United States De21 partment of Justice. 

22 (2) ADDITIONAL FACTORS.—In addition to the 

23 requirements set forth in paragraph (1), in deter24 mining under subsection (a) whether a transition 

25 government is in power in Venezuela, the President 


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1 shall take into account the extent to which that gov2 ernment— 

3 (A) has made public commitments to, and 

4 is making demonstrable progress in— 

5 (i) effectively guaranteeing the rights 

6 of free speech and freedom of the press, in7 cluding granting permits to privately 

8 owned media and telecommunications com9 panies to operate in Venezuela; 

10 (ii) implementing the recommenda11 tions included in the Final Report of the 

12 European Union Election Observation Mis13 sion to observe the regional and municipal 

14 elections on November 21, 2021, in Ven15 ezuela; and 

16 (iii) assuring the right to private 

17 property; 

18 (B) is taking genuine efforts to extradite 

19 or otherwise render to the United States all 

20 persons sought by the United States Depart21 ment of Justice for crimes committed in the 

22 United States; 

23 (C) is not providing any support to any 

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1 lent overthrow of the government of that coun2 try; and 

3 (D) has permitted the deployment through4 out Venezuela of independent and unfettered 

5 international human rights monitors. 

6 (c) REQUIREMENTS FOR DETERMINING A DEMO7 CRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT IS IN POWER IN

8 VENEZUELA.—For the purposes of making a determina9 tion under subsection (a), a democratically elected govern10 ment in Venezuela is a government that, in addition to 

11 meeting the requirements of subsection (b)— 

12 (1) results from free and fair elections— 

13 (A) conducted under the supervision of 

14 internationally recognized election observers; 

15 and 

16 (B) in which— 

17 (i) opposition parties were permitted 

18 ample time to organize and campaign for 

19 such elections; and 

20 (ii) all candidates were permitted full 

21 access to the media; 

22 (2) is showing respect for the basic civil lib23 erties and internationally recognized human rights of 

24 the citizens of Venezuela; 


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1 (3) is committed to making constitutional 

2 changes that would ensure regular free and fair elec3 tions and the full enjoyment of basic civil liberties 

4 and internationally recognized human rights by the 

5 citizens of Venezuela; 

6 (4) has made demonstrable progress in estab7 lishing an independent judiciary; and 

8 (5) has freed all wrongfully detained United 

9 States nationals. 

10 TITLE II—PROMOTING DEMO11 CRATIC CHANGE IN VEN12 EZUELA 

13 SEC. 201. UNITED STATES POLICY REGARDING MEMBER14 SHIP OF VENEZUELA IN INTERNATIONAL FI15 NANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

17 (b)(1), the Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the 

18 United States executive director of each covered inter19 national financial institution to use the voice and vote of 

20 the United States to oppose the admission of Venezuela 

21 as a member of that institution until the President sub22 mits to the appropriate congressional committees a deter23 mination under section 101(a) that a democratically elect24 ed government is in power in Venezuela. 


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1 (b) STEPS AFTER TRANSITION GOVERNMENT IN

2 POWER.—On and after the date on which the President 

3 submits to the appropriate congressional committees a de4 termination under section 101(a) that a transition govern5 ment is in power in Venezuela— 

6 (1) the President is encouraged to take steps to 

7 support the processing of the application of Ven8 ezuela for membership in any covered international 

9 financial institution, subject to the membership tak10 ing effect after a democratically elected government 

11 is in power in Venezuela; and 

12 (2) the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized 

13 to instruct the United States executive director of 

14 each covered international financial institution to 

15 support loans or other assistance to Venezuela only 

16 to the extent that such loans or assistance con17 tribute to a stable foundation for a democratically 

18 elected government in Venezuela. 

19 (c) REDUCTION IN UNITED STATES PAYMENTS TO

20 INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—If a covered international fi22 nancial institution approves a loan or other assist23 ance to the regime of Nicola`s Maduro or any non24 democratic successor government over the opposition 

25 of the United States, the Secretary of the Treasury 


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1 shall withhold from payment to that institution an 

2 amount equal to the amount of the loan or other as3 sistance, from either of the following types of pay4 ment: 

5 (A) The paid-in portion of the increase in 

6 capital stock of the institution. 

7 (B) The callable portion of the increase in 

8 capital stock of the institution. 

9 (2) WAIVER.—The President may waive the re10 quirement under paragraph (1) if the President, not 

11 later than 10 days before the waiver is to take ef12 fect, determines and certifies to the appropriate con13 gressional committees that such a waiver is in the 

14 national interest of the United States. The President 

15 shall submit with the certification a detailed jus16 tification explaining the reasons for the waiver. 

17 (d) COVERED INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITU18 TION DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered inter19 national financial institution’’ means each of the following: 

20 (1) The International Monetary Fund. 

21 (2) The International Bank for Reconstruction 

22 and Development. 

23 (3) The International Development Association. 

24 (4) The International Finance Corporation. 


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1 (5) The Multilateral Investment Guarantee 

2 Agency. 

3 (6) The Inter-American Development Bank. 

4 SEC. 202. UNITED STATES POLICY REGARDING MEMBER5 SHIP OF VENEZUELA IN THE ORGANIZATION 

6 OF AMERICAN STATES. 

7 The President shall instruct the United States Per8 manent Representative to the Organization of American 

9 States to use the voice and vote of the United States to 

10 oppose any measure that would allow a nondemocratic 

11 Government of Venezuela to participate in the Organiza12 tion until the President submits to the appropriate con13 gressional committees a determination under section 

14 101(a) that a democratically elected government is in 

15 power in Venezuela. 

16 SEC. 203. AUTHORIZATION OF SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATIC 

17 AND HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS AND INTER18 NATIONAL OBSERVERS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi20 sion of law (other than section 634A of the Foreign Assist21 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394–1) or any comparable 

22 notification requirement contained in any Act making ap23 propriations for the Department of State, foreign oper24 ations, and related programs), the President may provide 

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1 pendent nongovernmental organizations to support democ2 racy-building efforts in Venezuela, including as described 

3 in subsections (b) and (c). 

4 (b) ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES EMER5 GENCY FUND.— 

6 (1) FOR SUPPORT OF INTERNATIONALLY REC7 OGNIZED HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREE AND FAIR

8 ELECTIONS.—The President shall take the necessary 

9 steps to encourage the Organization of American 

10 States to create a special emergency fund for the ex11 plicit purpose of deploying human rights observers 

12 and individuals and organizations engaged in elec13 tion support and election observation in Venezuela. 

14 (2) VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS FOR FUND.— 

15 The President should provide not less than 

16 $5,000,000 of the voluntary contributions of the 

17 United States to the Organization of American 

18 States solely for the purposes of the special fund re19 ferred to in paragraph (1). 

20 (c) ACTION OF OTHER MEMBER STATES.—The 

21 President should instruct the United States Permanent 

22 Representative to the Organization of American States to 

23 encourage other member states of the Organization to join 

24 in calling for the Government of Venezuela to allow the 

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1 itors of the Organization throughout Venezuela and on2 site visits to Venezuela by the Inter-American Commission 

3 on Human Rights. 

4 (d) DENIAL OF FUNDS TO GOVERNMENT OF VEN5 EZUELA.—In implementing this section, the President 

6 shall take all necessary steps to ensure that no funds or 

7 other assistance is provided to a nondemocratic Govern8 ment of Venezuela. 

9 SEC. 204. SUPPORT FOR THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA. 

10 (a) PROVISIONS OF LAW AFFECTED.—The provisions 

11 of this section apply notwithstanding— 

12 (1) any other provision of law, including section 

13 620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

14 U.S.C. 2370(a)); or 

15 (2) the exercise of authorities, before the date 

16 of the enactment of this Act, under— 

17 (A) section 5(b) of the Trading With the 

18 Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. 4305(b)); 

19 (B) the International Emergency Economic 

20 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or 

21 (C) the Export Control Reform Act of 

22 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4801 et seq.). 

23 (b) DONATIONS OF FOOD.—Nothing in this or any 

24 other Act shall prohibit donations of food to independent 


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1 nongovernmental organizations or individuals in Ven2 ezuela. 

3 (c) EXPORTS OF MEDICINES AND MEDICAL SUP4 PLIES.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 

6 and (3), the export of medicines or medical supplies, 

7 instruments, or equipment to Venezuela shall not be 

8 restricted, except— 

9 (A) to the extent such a restriction would 

10 be permitted under section 203(b)(2) of the 

11 International Emergency Economic Powers Act 

12 (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)); or 

13 (B) in a case in which the President deter14 mines— 

15 (i) there is a reasonable likelihood 

16 that the item to be exported will be used 

17 for purposes of torture or other abuses of 

18 internationally recognized human rights; 

19 (ii) the item to be exported could be 

20 used in the production or distribution of il21 licit narcotics or in activities related to ille22 gal mining; or 

23 (iii) there is a reasonable likelihood 

24 that the item to be exported will be reex25 ported. 


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1 (2) ON-SITE VERIFICATIONS REQUIRED.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by 

3 subparagraph (B), medicines or medical sup4 plies, instruments, or equipment may be ex5 ported to Venezuela under paragraph (1) only 

6 if the President determines that the United 

7 States Government is able to verify, by on-site 

8 inspections and other appropriate means, that 

9 the item to be exported is to be used for the 

10 purposes for which it was intended and only for 

11 the use and benefit of the people of Venezuela. 

12 (B) EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph (A) does 

13 not apply to donations to independent non14 governmental organizations in Venezuela of 

15 medicines for humanitarian purposes. 

16 (3) LICENSES REQUIRED.—The export of medi17 cines or medical supplies, instruments, or equipment 

18 to Venezuela under paragraph (1) shall be made 

19 pursuant to specific licenses issued by the United 

20 States Government. 

21 (d) ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN VEN22 EZUELA.—The United States Government may provide as23 sistance, through appropriate independent nongovern24 mental organizations, for the support of individuals and 

25 organizations to promote democratic change in Venezuela. 


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1 TITLE III—SANCTIONS 

2 SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

3 In this title: 

4 (1) ENTITY.—The term ‘‘entity’’ means a part5 nership, association, trust, joint venture, corpora6 tion, group, subgroup, or organization. 

7 (2) GOVERNMENT OF VENEZUELA.—The term 

8 ‘‘Government of Venezuela’’ includes— 

9 (A) the state and Government of Ven10 ezuela; 

11 (B) any political subdivision, agency, or in12 strumentality thereof, including the Central 

13 Bank of Venezuela and Petro ́leos de Venezuela, 

14 S.A.; 

15 (C) any person owned or controlled, di16 rectly or indirectly, by an entity described in 

17 subparagraph (A) or (B); and 

18 (D) any person that has acted or pur19 ported to act directly or indirectly for or on be20 half of, an entity described in subparagraph 

21 (A), (B), or (C), including as a member of the 

22 regime of Nicola`s Maduro or any nondemocratic 

23 successor government in Venezuela. 

24 (3) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in25 dividual or entity. 


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1 (4) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

2 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

3 (A) a United States citizen or alien law4 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

5 United States; 

6 (B) any entity organized under the laws of 

7 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

8 United States (including a foreign branch of 

9 any such entity); and 

10 (C) any person physically located in the 

11 United States. 

12 SEC. 302. BLOCKING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR A 

13 NONDEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN VEN14 EZUELA. 

15 (a) VENEZUELAN TRADING PARTNERS.—The Presi16 dent should encourage the governments of countries that 

17 conduct trade with Venezuela to restrict their trade and 

18 credit relations with Venezuela in a manner consistent 

19 with the purposes of this Act. 

20 (b) SANCTIONS AGAINST COUNTRIES ASSISTING A

21 NONDEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN VENEZUELA.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may impose 

23 the following sanctions with respect to any country 

24 that provides assistance to the regime of Nicola`s 


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1 Maduro or any nondemocratic successor government 

2 in Venezuela: 

3 (A) The President may determine that the 

4 government of such country is not eligible for 

5 nonhumanitarian assistance under the Foreign 

6 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et 

7 seq.) or assistance or sales under the Arms Ex8 port Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 

9 (B) The President may determine that the 

10 country is not eligible, under any program, for 

11 forgiveness or reduction of debt owed to the 

12 United States Government. 

13 (2) TERMINATION.—This section, and any 

14 sanctions imposed pursuant to this section, shall 

15 cease to apply at such time as the President submits 

16 to the appropriate congressional committees a deter17 mination under section 101(a) that a democratically 

18 elected government is in power in Venezuela. 

19 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) ASSISTANCE TO VENEZUELA.—The term 

21 ‘‘assistance to Venezuela’’— 

22 (A) means assistance to or for the benefit 

23 of the Government of Venezuela that is pro24 vided by grant, concessional sale, guaranty, or 

25 insurance, or by any other means on terms 


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1 more favorable than that generally available in 

2 the applicable market, whether in the form of 

3 a loan, lease, credit, or otherwise; 

4 (B) includes— 

5 (i) subsidies for exports to Venezuela; 

6 (ii) favorable tariff treatment of arti7 cles that are the growth, product, or manu8 facture of Venezuela; and 

9 (iii) an exchange, reduction, or for10 giveness of debt owed by the Government 

11 of Venezuela to a foreign country in return 

12 for a grant of an equity interest in a prop13 erty, investment, or operation of the Gov14 ernment of Venezuela (including any agen15 cy or instrumentality of the Government of 

16 Venezuela) or a national of Venezuela; and 

17 (C) does not include— 

18 (i) humanitarian assistance, including 

19 donations of food, made available to non20 governmental organizations or individuals 

21 in Venezuela; or 

22 (ii) exports of medicines or medical 

23 supplies, instruments, or equipment per24 mitted under section 204(c). 


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1 (2) AGENCY OR INSTRUMENTALITY OF THE

2 GOVERNMENT OF VENEZUELA.—The term ‘‘agency 

3 or instrumentality of the Government of Venezuela’’ 

4 has the meaning given the term ‘‘agency or instru5 mentality of a foreign state’’ in section 1603(b) of 

6 title 28, United States Code, except that each ref7 erence in such section to ‘‘a foreign state’’ shall be 

8 deemed to be a reference to ‘‘the Government of 

9 Venezuela’’. 

10 SEC. 303. FINANCIAL SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO DEBT 

11 INSTRUMENTS OF MADURO REGIME. 

12 (a) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date of the 

14 enactment of this Act, all transactions by a United 

15 States person or within the United States that relate 

16 to, provide financing for, or otherwise deal in debt 

17 instruments issued by, for, or on behalf of Petro ́leos 

18 de Venezuela, S.A., or the regime of Nicola`s Maduro 

19 or any nondemocratic successor government in Ven20 ezuela, are prohibited. 

21 (2) INCLUSIONS.—The prohibition under para22 graph (1) includes a prohibition on— 

23 (A) entering into any transaction in— 

24 (i) debt instruments with a maturity 

25 of more than 90 days issued by Petro ́leos 


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1 de Venezuela, S.A., on or after the date of 

2 the enactment of this Act; 

3 (ii) debt instruments with a maturity 

4 of more than 30 days or equity issued by 

5 the Maduro regime on or after such date 

6 of enactment, other than debt instruments 

7 issued by Petro ́leos de Venezuela, S.A., 

8 covered by subparagraph (A); 

9 (iii) bonds issued by the Maduro re10 gime before such date of enactment; or 

11 (iv) dividend payments or other dis12 tributions of profits to the Maduro regime 

13 from any entity owned or controlled, di14 rectly or indirectly, by the Maduro regime; 

15 (B) the direct or indirect purchase of secu16 rities from the Maduro regime, other than— 

17 (i) securities qualifying as debt instru18 ments issued by Petro ́leos de Venezuela, 

19 S.A., covered by paragraph (1)(A); and 

20 (ii) securities qualifying as debt in21 struments issued by the Maduro regime 

22 covered by paragraph (1)(B); 

23 (C) purchasing any debt owed to the 

24 Maduro regime, including accounts receivable; 


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1 (D) entering into any transaction related 

2 to any debt owed to the Maduro regime that is 

3 pledged as collateral after May 21, 2018, in4 cluding accounts receivable; 

5 (E) entering into any transaction involving 

6 the selling, transferring, assigning, or pledging 

7 as collateral by the Maduro regime of any eq8 uity interest in any entity in which the Maduro 

9 regime has a 50 percent or greater ownership 

10 interest; 

11 (F) entering into any transaction that 

12 evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or 

13 avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to 

14 violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this 

15 subsection; and 

16 (G) any conspiracy formed to violate any 

17 of the prohibitions set forth in this subsection. 

18 (b) RULEMAKING.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas20 ury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may 

21 take such actions, including prescribing rules and 

22 regulations, as are necessary to implement this sec23 tion. 

24 (2) DELEGATION.—The Secretary of the Treas25 ury may redelegate the authority described in paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Apr 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S995.IS S995

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1 graph (1) to other officers and agencies of the 

2 United States Government. 

3 (c) RESPONSIBILITY OF OTHER AGENCIES.—All 

4 agencies of the United States Government shall take all 

5 appropriate measures within their authority to carry out 

6 the provisions of this section. 

7 SEC. 304. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

8 CRYPTOCURRENCY OF VENEZUELA AND PRO9 VISION OF RELATED TECHNOLOGIES. 

10 (a) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date of the 

12 enactment of this Act, the following transactions are 

13 prohibited: 

14 (A) Any transaction by a United States 

15 person or within the United States that relate 

16 to, provide financing for, or otherwise deal in 

17 any digital currency, digital coin, or digital 

18 token, that was issued by, for, or on behalf of 

19 the regime of Nicola`s Maduro or any nondemo20 cratic successor government. 

21 (B) Any transaction that evades or avoids, 

22 has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes 

23 a violation of, or attempts to violate the prohi24 bition under subparagraph (A). 


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1 (C) Any conspiracy formed to violate a 

2 prohibition under subparagraph (A) or (B). 

3 (2) APPLICABILITY.—The prohibitions under 

4 paragraph (1) shall apply— 

5 (A) to the extent provided by statutes, or 

6 in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses 

7 that may be issued pursuant to this section; 

8 and 

9 (B) notwithstanding any contract entered 

10 into or any license or permit granted before the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act. 

12 (b) RULEMAKING.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas14 ury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may 

15 take such actions, including prescribing rules and 

16 regulations, as are necessary to implement this sec17 tion. 

18 (2) DELEGATION.—The Secretary of the Treas19 ury may redelegate the authority described in para20 graph (1) to other officers and agencies of the 

21 United States Government. 

22 (c) RESPONSIBILITY OF OTHER AGENCIES.—All 

23 agencies of the United States Government shall take all 

24 appropriate measures within their authority to carry out 

25 the provisions of this section. 


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1 SEC. 305. BLOCKING PROPERTY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF 

2 VENEZUELA. 

3 (a) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—The President shall 

4 exercise all powers granted to the President by the Inter5 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

6 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and prohibit 

7 all transactions in all property and interests in property 

8 of the Government of Venezuela and any person described 

9 in subsection (b) if such property and interests in property 

10 are in the United States, come within the United States, 

11 or are or come within the possession or control of a United 

12 States person. 

13 (b) PERSONS DESCRIBED.—A person described in 

14 this subsection is any person determined by the Secretary 

15 of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of 

16 State— 

17 (1) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or 

18 provided financial, material, or technological support 

19 for, or goods or services to or in support of, any per20 son— 

21 (A) included on the list of specially des22 ignated nationals and blocked persons main23 tained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control; 

24 and 


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1 (B) the property and interests in property 

2 of which are blocked pursuant to subsection (a); 

3 or 

4 (2) to be owned or controlled by, or to have 

5 acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly 

6 or indirectly, any person the property and interests 

7 in property of which are blocked pursuant to sub8 section (a). 

9 (c) PROHIBITIONS ON EVASION AND CONSPIR10 ACIES.— 

11 (1) EVASION.—Any transaction that evades or 

12 avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, 

13 causes a violation of, or attempts to violate, the pro14 hibition under subsection (a) is prohibited. 

15 (2) CONSPIRACY.—Any conspiracy formed to 

16 violate the prohibition under subsection (a) is pro17 hibited. 

18 (d) APPLICABILITY.—Subsection (a) and the prohibi19 tions under subsection (c) shall apply— 

20 (1) to the extent provided by statutes, or in reg21 ulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be 

22 issued pursuant to this section; and 

23 (2) notwithstanding any contract entered into 

24 or any license or permit granted before the date of 

25 the enactment of this Act. 


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1 (e) RULEMAKING.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas3 ury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may 

4 take such actions, including prescribing rules and 

5 regulations, as are necessary to implement this sec6 tion. 

7 (2) DELEGATION.—The Secretary of the Treas8 ury may redelegate the authority described in para9 graph (1) to other officers and agencies of the 

10 United States Government. 

11 (f) RESPONSIBILITY OF OTHER AGENCIES.—All 

12 agencies of the United States Government shall take all 

13 appropriate measures within their authority to carry out 

14 the provisions of this section. 

15 SEC. 306. DETERMINATION WITH RESPECT TO DESIGNA16 TION OF MADURO REGIME AS A TERRORIST 

17 ORGANIZATION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

19 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 

20 in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, 

21 shall submit to the appropriate congressional commit22 tees— 

23 (1) a determination with respect to whether the 

24 regime of Nicola`s Maduro meets the criteria for des25 ignation as— 


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1 (A) a foreign terrorist organization under 

2 section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality 

3 Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); or 

4 (B) a specially designated global terrorist 

5 organization under Executive Order 13224 (50 

6 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property 

7 and prohibiting transactions with persons who 

8 commit, threaten to commit, or support ter9 rorism), as amended before, on, or after the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act; and 

11 (2) if the Secretary determines that the Maduro 

12 regime does not meet such criteria, a detailed jus13 tification with respect to which of such criteria have 

14 not been met. 

15 (b) FORM.—The determination required by sub16 section (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 

17 may include classified annex. 

18 SEC. 307. SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS. 

19 (a) AUTHORITY TO SUSPEND SANCTIONS IF TRANSI20 TION GOVERNMENT IN POWER.—Upon submitting to the 

21 appropriate congressional committees a determination 

22 under section 101(a) that a transition government is in 

23 power in Venezuela, the President, after consultation with 

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1 tribute to a stable foundation for a democratically elected 

2 government in Venezuela. 

3 (b) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS IF DEMOCRAT4 ICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT IN POWER.—Upon sub5 mitting to the appropriate congressional committees a de6 termination under section 101(a) that a democratically 

7 elected government is in power in Venezuela, the President 

8 shall take steps to terminate the sanctions imposed under 

9 this title. 

10 (c) REVIEW OF SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS.— 

11 (1) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—If the Presi12 dent takes action under subsection (a) to suspend 

13 the sanctions imposed under this title, the President 

14 shall— 

15 (A) immediately notify Congress of that 

16 action; and 

17 (B) submit to Congress, not less frequently 

18 than every 180 days thereafter until the Presi19 dent submits to the appropriate congressional 

20 committees a determination under section 

21 101(a) that a democratically elected govern22 ment is in power in Venezuela, a report on the 

23 progress being made by Venezuela toward the 

24 establishment of a democratically elected gov25 ernment. 


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1 (2) CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW.— 

2 (A) JOINT RESOLUTION OF DISAPPROVAL

3 DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘‘joint 

4 resolution of disapproval’’ means a joint resolu5 tion, the sole matter after the resolving clause 

6 of which is as follows: ‘‘That Congress dis7 approves the action of the President under sec8 tion 307(a) of the Venezuelan Democracy Act 

9 to suspend the sanctions imposed under title II 

10 of that Act, notice of which was submitted to 

11 the Congress on llll.’’, with the blank 

12 space being filled with the date on which the 

13 President notified Congress with respect to the 

14 action under paragraph (1)(A). 

15 (B) EFFECT OF ENACTMENT.—An action 

16 taken by the President under subsection (a) 

17 shall cease to be effective upon the enactment 

18 of a joint resolution of disapproval with respect 

19 to that action. 

20 (C) REFERRAL TO COMMITTEES.— 

21 (i) SENATE.—A joint resolution of 

22 disapproval introduced in the Senate shall 

23 be referred to the Committee on Foreign 

24 Relations. 


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1 (ii) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—A 

2 joint resolution of disapproval introduced 

3 in the House of Representatives shall be 

4 referred to the Committee on Foreign Af5 fairs. 

6 (D) PROCEDURES.— 

7 (i) SENATE.—A joint resolution of 

8 disapproval shall be considered in the Sen9 ate in accordance with the provisions of 

10 section 601(b) of the International Secu11 rity Assistance and Arms Export Control 

12 Act of 1976 (Public Law 94–329; 90 Stat. 

13 765). 

14 (ii) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

15 For the purpose of expediting the consider16 ation and enactment of a joint resolution 

17 of disapproval, a motion to proceed to the 

18 consideration of such a resolution after it 

19 has been reported by the appropriate com20 mittee under subparagraph (C) shall be 

21 treated as highly privileged in the House of 

22 Representatives. 

23 (iii) LIMITATION.—Not more than one 

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1 sidered in the Senate and the House of 

2 Representatives in— 

3 (I) the 180-day period beginning 

4 on the date on which the President 

5 notifies Congress under paragraph 

6 (1)(A) with respect to action taken 

7 under subsection (a); and 

8 (II) each 180-day period there9 after. 

10 (E) RULES OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTA11 TIVES AND SENATE.—This paragraph is en12 acted by Congress— 

13 (i) as an exercise of the rulemaking 

14 power of the Senate and the House of Rep15 resentatives, respectively, and as such is 

16 deemed a part of the rules of each House, 

17 respectively, and supersedes other rules 

18 only to the extent that it is inconsistent 

19 with such rules; and 

20 (ii) with full recognition of the con21 stitutional right of either House to change 

22 the rules (so far as relating to the proce23 dure of that House) at any time, in the 

24 same manner, and to the same extent as in 

25 the case of any other rule of that House. 


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1 SEC. 308. IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES. 

2 (a) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

3 (1) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may ex4 ercise all authorities provided to the President under 

5 sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer6 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 

7 1704) to carry out this title. 

8 (2) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at9 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

10 violation of this title or any regulation, license, or 

11 order issued to carry out this title shall be subject 

12 to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) 

13 of section 206 of the International Emergency Eco14 nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex15 tent as a person that commits an unlawful act de16 scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 

17 (3) WAIVER.—The President may waive the ap18 plication of sanctions under this title with respect to 

19 a foreign person if the President, not later than 10 

20 days before the waiver is to take effect, determines 

21 and certifies to the appropriate congressional com22 mittees that such a waiver is in the vital national se23 curity interest of the United States. The President 

24 shall submit with the certification a detailed jus25 tification explaining the reasons for the waiver. 


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1 SEC. 309. REPORT ON SPECIFIC LICENSES THAT AUTHOR2 IZE TRANSACTIONS WITH SANCTIONED PER3 SONS. 

4 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

7 every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary of the Treas8 ury, in coordination with the Secretary of State, 

9 shall submit to the committees specified in sub10 section (c) a report that includes a list of specific li11 censes issued by the Secretary of the Treasury dur12 ing the period specified in paragraph (2) that au13 thorize any transaction with a person with respect to 

14 which sanctions have been imposed under section 

15 303, 304, or 305. 

16 (2) PERIOD SPECIFIED.—The period specified 

17 in this paragraph is— 

18 (A) in the case of the first report required 

19 by paragraph (1), the 180-day period preceding 

20 submission of the report; and 

21 (B) in the case of any subsequent report 

22 required by that paragraph, the 90-day period 

23 preceding submission of the report. 

24 (b) SUBMISSION OF COPIES OF LICENSES ON RE25 QUEST.—The Secretary of the Treasury shall expedi26 tiously provide to the committees specified in subsection 


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1 (c) a copy of any license identified in a report submitted 

2 under subsection (a) if an appropriate Member of Con3 gress requests a copy of that license not later than 60 

4 days after the report is submitted. 

5 (c) COMMITTEES SPECIFIED.—The committees speci6 fied in this subsection are— 

7 (1) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

8 Urban Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Rela9 tions of the Senate; and 

10 (2) the Committee on Financial Services and 

11 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

12 Representatives. 

13 SEC. 310. REPORT ON FOREIGN PERSONS DOING BUSINESS 

14 WITH THE MADURO REGIME. 

15 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation 

17 with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall 

18 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a re19 port that identifies any foreign person that— 

20 (1) engages in or has engaged in a significant 

21 transaction or transactions, or any other dealings 

22 with, or has provided material support to or for— 

23 (A) the Government of Venezuela; 

24 (B) any person the President determines 

25 to be knowingly responsible for or complicit in, 


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1 or responsible for ordering, controlling, or oth2 erwise directing, or to have participated in, di3 rectly or indirectly— 

4 (i) actions or policies that significantly 

5 undermine democratic processes or institu6 tions; 

7 (ii) significant acts of violence or con8 duct that constitute serious human rights 

9 abuse, including against persons involved 

10 in antigovernment protests in Venezuela on 

11 or after February 1, 2014; 

12 (iii) actions that prohibit, limit, or pe13 nalize the exercise of freedom of expression 

14 or peaceful assembly; or 

15 (iv) significant public corruption by 

16 senior officials within the Government of 

17 Venezuela; or 

18 (C) any entity that has, or whose members 

19 have, engaged in any activity described in sub20 paragraph (B); 

21 (2) operates in the gold, financial, energy, ship22 ping, or shipbuilding sector of the economy of Ven23 ezuela; 

24 (3) operates in the ports, free trade zones, or 

25 special economic zones of Venezuela; 


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1 (4) is owned or controlled by a foreign person 

2 described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3); or 

3 (5) has knowingly materially assisted, spon4 sored, or provided significant financial, material, or 

5 technological support for, or goods or services in 

6 support of, a foreign person described in paragraph 

7 (1), (2), or (3). 

8 TITLE IV—ASSISTANCE TO A 

9 FREE AND INDEPENDENT 

10 VENEZUELA 

11 SEC. 401. POLICY TOWARD A TRANSITION GOVERNMENT 

12 AND A DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERN13 MENT IN VENEZUELA. 

14 It is the policy of the United States— 

15 (1) to support the self-determination of the peo16 ple of Venezuela; 

17 (2) to recognize that the self-determination of 

18 the people of Venezuela is a sovereign and national 

19 right of the citizens of Venezuela, which must be ex20 ercised free of interference by the government of any 

21 other country; 

22 (3) to encourage the people of Venezuela to em23 power themselves with a government that reflects 

24 the self-determination of the people of Venezuela; 


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1 (4) to recognize the potential for a difficult 

2 transition from the current regime in Venezuela, 

3 which may result from the initiatives taken by the 

4 people of Venezuela for self-determination in re5 sponse to the intransigence of the regime of Nicola`s 

6 Maduro in not allowing any substantive political or 

7 economic reforms; 

8 (5) to be prepared to provide the people of Ven9 ezuela with humanitarian, developmental, and other 

10 economic assistance; 

11 (6) in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, 

12 to provide appropriate forms of assistance— 

13 (A) to a transition government in Ven14 ezuela; 

15 (B) to facilitate the rapid movement from 

16 such a transition government to a democrat17 ically elected government in Venezuela, which 

18 results from an expression of the self-deter19 mination of the people of Venezuela; and 

20 (C) to support such a democratically elect21 ed government; 

22 (7) through such assistance, to facilitate a 

23 peaceful transition to representative democracy and 

24 a market economy in Venezuela and to consolidate 

25 democracy in Venezuela; 


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1 (8) to deliver such assistance to the people of 

2 Venezuela only through— 

3 (A) a transition government in Venezuela; 

4 (B) a democratically elected government in 

5 Venezuela; 

6 (C) United States Federal departments 

7 and agencies; or 

8 (D) United States, international, or appro9 priate local nongovernmental organizations; 

10 (9) to encourage other countries and multilat11 eral organizations to provide similar assistance, and 

12 to work cooperatively with such countries and orga13 nizations to coordinate such assistance; 

14 (10) to ensure that appropriate assistance is 

15 rapidly provided and distributed to the people of 

16 Venezuela upon the institution of a transition gov17 ernment in Venezuela; 

18 (11) not to provide favorable treatment or influ19 ence on behalf of any individual or entity in the se20 lection by the people of Venezuela of their future 

21 government; 

22 (12) to assist a transition government in Ven23 ezuela and a democratically elected government in 

24 Venezuela to prepare the Venezuelan military forces 

25 for an appropriate role in a democracy; 


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1 (13) to take steps to remove economic and dip2 lomatic sanctions imposed with respect to Ven3 ezuelan persons, as appropriate, when the President 

4 determines that a transition to a democratically 

5 elected government in Venezuela has begun; 

6 (14) to assist a democratically elected govern7 ment in Venezuela to strengthen and stabilize the 

8 national currency of Venezuela; and 

9 (15) to pursue mutually beneficial trade rela10 tions with a free, democratic, and independent Ven11 ezuela. 

12 SEC. 402. ASSISTANCE FOR THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA. 

13 (a) PLANS FOR PROVIDING ASSISTANCE.— 

14 (1) DEVELOPMENT OF PLANS.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—The President shall de16 velop— 

17 (i) a plan for providing assistance to 

18 Venezuela under a transition government; 

19 and 

20 (ii) a plan for providing assistance to 

21 Venezuela under a democratically elected 

22 government. 

23 (B) STRATEGY FOR DISTRIBUTION.—Each 

24 plan developed under subparagraph (A) shall 


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1 include a strategy for distributing assistance 

2 under the plan. 

3 (2) TYPES OF ASSISTANCE.— 

4 (A) TRANSITION GOVERNMENT.— 

5 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

6 in clause (ii), assistance to Venezuela 

7 under a transition government under the 

8 plan developed under paragraph (1)(A)(i) 

9 shall be limited to— 

10 (I) such food, medicine, medical 

11 supplies and equipment, and assist12 ance to meet emergency energy needs, 

13 as is necessary to meet the basic 

14 human needs of the people of Ven15 ezuela; and 

16 (II) assistance described in sub17 paragraph (C). 

18 (ii) ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.—As19 sistance in addition to assistance under 

20 clause (i) may be provided to Venezuela 

21 under a transition government if the Presi22 dent certifies to the appropriate congres23 sional committees, in accordance with pro24 cedures applicable to reprogramming noti25 fications under section 634A of the ForVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Apr 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S995.IS S995

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1 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

2 2394–1), that such assistance is essential 

3 to the successful and timely completion of 

4 the transition to democracy. 

5 (B) DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERN6 MENT.—Assistance to Venezuela under a demo7 cratically elected government under the plan de8 veloped under paragraph (1)(A)(ii) may include, 

9 in addition to assistance available under sub10 paragraphs (A) and (C)— 

11 (i) assistance under— 

12 (I) chapter 1 of part I of the 

13 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

14 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) (relating to de15 velopment assistance); and 

16 (II) chapter 4 of part II of that 

17 Act (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.) (relating 

18 to the economic support fund); 

19 (ii) assistance under the Food for 

20 Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.); 

21 (iii) financing, guarantees, and other 

22 forms of assistance provided by the Ex23 port-Import Bank of the United States; 

24 (iv) support provided by the United 

25 States International Development Finance 


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1 Corporation for investment projects in 

2 Venezuela; 

3 (v) assistance provided by the Trade 

4 and Development Agency; 

5 (vi) Peace Corps programs; and 

6 (vii) other appropriate assistance to 

7 carry out the policy set forth in section 

8 401. 

9 (C) MILITARY ADJUSTMENT ASSIST10 ANCE.—Assistance to a transition government 

11 in Venezuela and to a democratically elected 

12 government in Venezuela shall also include as13 sistance in preparing the Venezuelan military 

14 forces to adjust to an appropriate role in a de15 mocracy. 

16 (3) DISTRIBUTION.—Assistance under a plan 

17 developed under paragraph (1) shall be provided 

18 through United States Federal departments and 

19 agencies and nongovernmental organizations and 

20 private and voluntary organizations, whether within 

21 or outside the United States, including humani22 tarian, educational, labor, and private sector organi23 zations. 

24 (4) COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE OF VEN25 EZUELA.—The President shall take the necessary 


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1 steps to communicate to the people of Venezuela the 

2 plans for assistance developed under paragraph (1). 

3 (5) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 

4 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

5 President shall submit to the appropriate congres6 sional committees a report describing in detail the 

7 plans developed under paragraph (1). 

8 (b) IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANS; REPORTS TO CON9 GRESS.— 

10 (1) IMPLEMENTATION WITH RESPECT TO TRAN11 SITION GOVERNMENT.—Upon submitting to the ap12 propriate congressional committees a determination 

13 under section 101(a) that a transition government is 

14 in power in Venezuela, the President shall commence 

15 the delivery and distribution of assistance to the 

16 transition government under the plan developed 

17 under subsection (a)(1)(A)(i). 

18 (2) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

19 (A) PLAN FOR ASSISTANCE UNDER TRAN20 SITION GOVERNMENT.—The President shall 

21 submit to the appropriate congressional com22 mittees a report— 

23 (i) setting forth the plan developed 

24 under subsection (a)(1)(A)(i) for providing 


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1 assistance to Venezuela under a transition 

2 government; and 

3 (ii) describing the types of assistance, 

4 and the extent to which such assistance 

5 has been distributed, in accordance with 

6 the plan. 

7 (B) DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSION.—The 

8 President shall submit to the appropriate con9 gressional committees— 

10 (i) a preliminary report described in 

11 subparagraph (A) not later than 15 days 

12 after making the determination described 

13 in paragraph (1); and 

14 (ii) the final report described in sub15 paragraph (A) not later than 90 days after 

16 making that determination. 

17 (3) IMPLEMENTATION WITH RESPECT TO

18 DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT.—Upon 

19 submitting to the appropriate congressional commit20 tees a determination under section 101(a) that a 

21 democratically elected government is in power in 

22 Venezuela, the President shall commence the deliv23 ery and distribution of assistance to the democrat24 ically elected government under the plan developed 

25 under subsection (a)(1)(A)(ii). 


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1 (4) ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not 

2 later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal year, 

3 the President shall submit to the appropriate con4 gressional committees a report on the assistance 

5 provided under the plans developed under subsection 

6 (a), including— 

7 (A) a description of each type of assistance 

8 and the amounts expended for such assistance 

9 during the preceding fiscal year; and 

10 (B) a description of the assistance to be 

11 provided under the plans in the fiscal year in 

12 which the report is submitted. 

13 (c) COORDINATING OFFICIAL.—The President shall 

14 designate a coordinating official who shall be responsible 

15 for— 

16 (1) implementing the strategies for distributing 

17 assistance described in subsection (a)(1)(B); 

18 (2) ensuring the speedy and efficient distribu19 tion of such assistance; and 

20 (3) ensuring coordination among, and appro21 priate oversight by, the agencies of the United 

22 States that provide assistance described in section 

23 402(a), including resolving any disputes among such 

24 agencies. 


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1 (d) REPROGRAMMING.—Any changes in the assist2 ance to be provided under a plan developed under sub3 section (a) may not be made unless the President notifies 

4 the appropriate congressional committees at least 15 days 

5 in advance in accordance with the procedures applicable 

6 to reprogramming notifications under section 634A of the 

7 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394–1). 

8 (e) FUNDING LIMITATION.—Assistance may be pro9 vided under this section only if amounts are authorized 

10 to be appropriated, and are appropriated, to provide such 

11 assistance. 

12 (f) INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS.—The President shall 

13 take the necessary steps— 

14 (1) to seek to obtain the agreement of other 

15 countries and of international financial institutions 

16 and multilateral organizations to provide to a transi17 tion government in Venezuela, and to a democrat18 ically elected government in Venezuela, assistance 

19 comparable to that provided by the United States 

20 under this section; and 

21 (2) to work with such countries, institutions, 

22 and organizations to coordinate all such assistance 

23 programs. 


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1 SEC. 403. REPORT ON TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS 

2 BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND VEN3 EZUELA. 

4 (a) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Upon submitting to the 

5 appropriate congressional committees a determination 

6 under section 101(a) that a democratically elected govern7 ment is in power in Venezuela, the President shall submit 

8 to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 

9 Representatives, the Committee on Finance of the Senate, 

10 and the appropriate congressional committees a report 

11 that describes— 

12 (1) acts, policies, and practices that constitute 

13 significant barriers to, or distortions of, United 

14 States trade in goods or services or foreign direct in15 vestment with respect to Venezuela; and 

16 (2) policy objectives of the United States re17 garding trade relations with a democratically elected 

18 government in Venezuela, and the reasons for such 

19 objectives, including possible reciprocal extension of 

20 nondiscriminatory trade treatment (most-favored-na21 tion treatment). 

22 (b) CONSULTATION.—With respect to the policy ob23 jectives described in subsection (a), the President shall— 

24 (1) consult with the Committee on Ways and 

25 Means of the House of Representatives, the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Apr 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S995.IS S995

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1 mittee on Finance of the Senate, and the appro2 priate congressional committees; and 

3 (2) seek advice from the appropriate advisory 

4 committees established under section 135 of the 

5 Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155). 

6 TITLE V—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

7 SEC. 501. EFFECT OF ACT ON LAWFUL UNITED STATES 

8 GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES. 

9 Nothing in this Act prohibits any lawfully authorized 

10 investigative, protective, or intelligence activity of a law 

11 enforcement agency, or of an intelligence agency, of the 

12 United States. 

13 SEC. 502. EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF 

14 GOODS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi16 sion of this Act, the authorities and requirements to im17 pose sanctions under this Act shall not include the author18 ity or a requirement to impose sanctions on the importa19 tion of goods. 

20 (b) GOOD DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

21 ‘‘good’’ means any article, natural or manmade substance, 

22 material, supply or manufactured product, including in23 spection and test equipment, and excluding technical data. 

Æ 


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