II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4425 

To support democracy and the rule of law in Georgia, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 23, 2024 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. RISCH, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. RICKETTS, Mr. 

GRAHAM, and Mr. COONS) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To support democracy and the rule of law in Georgia, 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 TITLES; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Georgian People’s Act’’ or the ‘‘GPA Act’’. 

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

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short titles; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 4. Definitions. 

TITLE I—CONDITIONS ON ENGAGEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT OF 

GEORGIA 


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Subtitle A—Sanctions 

Sec. 101. Definitions. 

Sec. 102. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 103. Inadmissibility of officials of Government of Georgia and certain 

other individuals involved in blocking Euro-Atlantic integration. 

Sec. 104. Imposition of sanctions with respect to undermining peace, security, 

stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Georgia. 

Sec. 105. Sanctions with respect to broader corruption in Georgia. 

Sec. 106. Exceptions. 

Subtitle B—Improving Bilateral Relations With Georgia 

Sec. 111. United States strategy toward Georgia. 

Sec. 112. Report on review of foreign assistance to Georgia. 

Sec. 113. Sense of Congress regarding suspension of United States-Georgia 

strategic dialogue. 

Sec. 114. Defense cooperation with Georgia. 

TITLE II—ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO SUPPORT THE GEORGIAN 

PEOPLE 

Sec. 201. Statement of policy in support of the Georgian people. 

Sec. 202. Democracy and rule-of-law programming. 

Sec. 203. Report on disinformation and corruption in Georgia. 

Sec. 204. Report on political prisoners in Georgia. 

Sec. 205. Sunset. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) On April 9, 1991, the Republic of Georgia 

4 declared independence from the Soviet Union, and 

5 on March 24, 1992, the United States and Georgia 

6 established formal diplomatic relations. 

7 (2) Since 1993, the territorial integrity of Geor8 gia has been reaffirmed by the international commu9 nity and numerous United Nations Security Council 

10 resolutions. 

11 (3) At the 2008 Summit in Bucharest, NATO 

12 recognized the aspirations of Georgia to join NATO 


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1 and committed that Georgia would become a mem2 ber of the Alliance. 

3 (4) On August 7, 2008, the Russian Federation 

4 invaded Georgia and thereafter occupied 20 percent 

5 of its territory, all of which it continues to occupy. 

6 (5) On January 9, 2009, the United States and 

7 Georgia signed the United States-Georgia Charter 

8 on Strategic Partnership, affirming the close rela9 tionship between the United States and Georgia 

10 based on the shared principles of democracy, free 

11 markets, defense and security cooperation, and cul12 tural exchanges. 

13 (6) Georgia made significant contributions to 

14 the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the larg15 est troop contributor among NATO partners to the 

16 NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. 

17 (7) The United States and Georgia have main18 tained a strong security partnership, including the 

19 U.S.-Georgia Security Cooperation Framework, 

20 signed in November 2019, and the Georgia Defense 

21 and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative, launched in 

22 October 2021. 

23 (8) The United States supports the sovereignty 

24 and territorial integrity of Georgia within its inter25 nationally recognized borders and condemns the conVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:44 Jul 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4425.IS S4425

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1 tinued occupation by Russia of the Georgian regions 

2 of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 

3 (9) The United States has continuously sup4 ported the democratic wishes of the Georgian people, 

5 who have long maintained their aspirations to join 

6 the European Union and NATO. 

7 (10) During and following her tenure as United 

8 States Ambassador and Plenipotentiary to Georgia 

9 between 2020 and 2023, Kelly Degnan has been the 

10 subject of slander and verbal abuse from members of 

11 the Government of Georgia. 

12 (11) As recently as October 2023, reputable 

13 polling indicates that 86 percent of the Georgian 

14 public support Georgia becoming a member of the 

15 European Union. 

16 (12) Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of 

17 Ukraine in February 2022, Georgia— 

18 (A) has not imposed its own sanctions on 

19 Russia; and 

20 (B) has increased economic ties, including 

21 initiating many direct flights to and from Rus22 sia; 

23 (C) has eased visa requirements for Rus24 sians visiting Georgia; and 


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1 (D) is perceived as a conduit of Russia’s 

2 sanctions evasion endeavors. 

3 (13) Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of 

4 Ukraine in February 2022, and the subsequent 

5 rounds of international sanctions placed on Russia 

6 as a result of such invasion, Georgia saw its trade 

7 with Russia grow by 34 percent between January 

8 and June 2023. 

9 (14) Georgia’s geographic position as both a 

10 Black Sea littoral nation and its proximity to the 

11 Caspian Sea could further strengthen Georgia’s 

12 economy by transporting natural gas through the 

13 Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline Project. 

14 (15) In June 2022, when the Governments of 

15 Ukraine and Moldova received candidate status for 

16 membership in the European Union, the European 

17 Council stated it would only be ready to grant Geor18 gia candidate status once the country has addressed 

19 the 12 priorities outlined by the European Commis20 sion. 

21 (16) In December 2023, the European Union 

22 granted Georgia the status of candidate country, 

23 with the understanding that Georgia would act con24 sistent with the recommendations of the European 

25 Commission by continuing to advance the outlined 


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1 reform priorities and increasing its alignment with 

2 the European Union’s foreign and security policy po3 sitions. 

4 (17) On February 24, 2023, a foreign agents 

5 bill was introduced in the Parliament of Georgia— 

6 (A) to impose restrictions on civil society 

7 organizations, nongovernmental organizations, 

8 and independent media organizations; and 

9 (B) to stigmatize such organizations as 

10 ‘‘foreign agents’’. 

11 (18) On March 7, 2023, the Parliament of 

12 Georgia accelerated the passage of that bill, which 

13 led to— 

14 (A) large-scale protests that Georgian au15 thorities confronted by deploying tear gas and 

16 water cannons; and 

17 (B) the withdrawal of the bill by the Par18 liament. 

19 (19) On April 15, 2024, the foreign agents bill, 

20 which was renamed ‘‘the Law on Transparency of 

21 Foreign Influence’’, was reintroduced in the Par22 liament of Georgia with minor changes that did not 

23 reflect the express wishes of the Georgian people, 

24 which provoked— 


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1 (A) large-scale protests in Tbilisi and 

2 around the country; and 

3 (B) the ejection of opposition parliamen4 tarians from parliamentary hearings. 

5 (20) On April 29, 2024, former Georgian Prime 

6 Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is currently the 

7 Honorary Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream 

8 Party, gave a speech in which he— 

9 (A) harshly attacked American and Euro10 pean partners; 

11 (B) alleged that the goal of foreign funding 

12 of civil society and nongovernmental organiza13 tions in Georgia is to deprive Georgia of its 

14 state sovereignty; and 

15 (C) promised to punish opposition political 

16 groups. 

17 (21) In the face of massive, nation-wide pro18 tests against the foreign agents bill, Georgian au19 thorities have, in some cases, deployed dispropor20 tionate force against largely peaceful protestors, in21 cluding— 

22 (A) reportedly attacking journalists cov23 ering the protests and members of the political 

24 opposition; and 


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1 (B) threatening civil society leaders and 

2 family members of protestors at their homes. 

3 (22) On May 14, 2024, the Parliament of Geor4 gia passed the foreign agents bill against the wishes 

5 of the Georgian people. 

6 (23) On May 21, 2024, the Venice Commission 

7 issued an opinion regarding Georgia’s foreign influ8 ence law in which it ‘‘strongly recommend[ed] re9 pealing the Law in its current form, as its funda10 mental flaws will involve significant negative con11 sequences for the freedoms of association and ex12 pression, the right to privacy, the right to partici13 pate in public affairs as well as the prohibition of 

14 discrimination.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

16 It is the policy of the United States— 

17 (1) to call on all political parties and elected 

18 Members of the Parliament of Georgia to continue 

19 working on addressing the reform plan outlined by 

20 the European Commission to advance Georgia’s re21 cently granted candidate status, which the people of 

22 Georgia have freely elected to pursue; 

23 (2) to call on the Government of Georgia to in24 stitute the required reforms, which are to be devel25 oped through an inclusive and transparent consultaVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:44 Jul 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4425.IS S4425

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1 tion process with opposition parties and civil society 

2 organizations; 

3 (3) to express serious concern that impediments 

4 to strengthening the democratic institutions and 

5 processes of Georgia, including the foreign agents 

6 bill, will slow or halt Georgia’s progress toward 

7 achieving its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, be perceived 

8 as stagnating the democratic trajectory of Georgia, 

9 and result in negative domestic and international 

10 consequences for the Government of Georgia; 

11 (4) to impose swift consequences on individuals 

12 who are directly responsible for leading or have di13 rectly and knowingly engaged in leading, actions or 

14 policies that significantly undermine the peace, secu15 rity, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of 

16 Georgia; 

17 (5) to emphasize the importance of contributing 

18 to international efforts— 

19 (A) to combat Russian aggression, includ20 ing through sanctions on trade with Russia and 

21 the implementation and enforcement of world22 wide sanctions on Russia; and 

23 (B) to reduce, rather than increase, trade 

24 ties between Georgia and Russia; 


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1 (6) to call on all political parties, elected Mem2 bers of the Parliament of Georgia, and officers of 

3 the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia to respect 

4 the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and 

5 expression, including for the press, and the rule of 

6 law, and encourage a vibrant and inclusive civil soci7 ety; 

8 (7) to call on the Government of Georgia to re9 lease all persons detained or imprisoned on politi10 cally motivated grounds and drop any pending 

11 charges against them; 

12 (8) to call on the Government of Georgia to en13 sure that the national elections scheduled for Octo14 ber 2024 are free, fair, and reflective of the will of 

15 the Georgian people; and 

16 (9) to continue impressing upon the Govern17 ment of Georgia that the United States is committed 

18 to sustaining and deepening bilateral relations and 

19 supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. 

20 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

21 In this Act: 

22 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT23 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com24 mittees’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

2 the Senate; 

3 (B) the Committee on Appropriations of 

4 the Senate; 

5 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

6 the House of Representatives; and 

7 (D) the Committee on Appropriations of 

8 the House of Representatives. 

9 (2) FOREIGN AGENTS BILL.—The term ‘‘for10 eign agents bill’’ means the ‘‘On Transparency of 

11 Foreign Influence’’ bill, which was reintroduced in 

12 the Parliament of Georgia in April 2024. 

13 (3) GEORGIA.—The term ‘‘Georgia’’ means the 

14 Republic of Georgia. 

15 (4) NATO.—The term ‘‘NATO’’ means the 

16 North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 

17 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

18 the Secretary of State. 

19 TITLE I—CONDITIONS ON EN20 GAGEMENT WITH GOVERN21 MENT OF GEORGIA 

22 Subtitle A—Sanctions 

23 SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this subtitle: 


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1 (1) ADMISSION; ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms 

2 ‘‘admission’’, ‘‘admitted’’, and ‘‘alien’’ have the 

3 meanings given such terms in section 101 of the Im4 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

5 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON6 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con7 gress’’ means— 

8 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

9 the Senate; 

10 (B) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 

11 and Urban Affairs of the Senate; 

12 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

13 the House of Representatives; and 

14 (D) the Committee on Financial Services 

15 of the House of Representatives. 

16 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per17 son’’ means any individual or entity that is not a 

18 United States person. 

19 (4) IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS.—The term 

20 ‘‘immediate family members’’ has the meaning given 

21 the term ‘‘immediate relatives’’ in section 

22 201(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality 

23 Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(b)(2)(A)(i)). 

24 (5) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 

25 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 


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1 means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 

2 have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 

3 result. 

4 (6) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

5 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

6 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law7 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

8 United States; 

9 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

10 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

11 United States, including a foreign branch of 

12 such an entity; or 

13 (C) any person within the United States. 

14 SEC. 102. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—It shall be the policy of the United 

16 States to support the constitutionally stated aspirations 

17 of Georgia to become a member of the European Union 

18 and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which— 

19 (1) is made clear under Article 78 of the Con20 stitution of Georgia; and 

21 (2) is supported by 86 percent of the citizens 

22 of Georgia. 

23 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con24 gress that— 


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1 (1) acts of blocking Euro-Atlantic integration in 

2 Georgia, due to undue influence from corrupt or oli3 garchic forces, constitute a form of corruption; 

4 (2) the United States should consider travel re5 strictions or sanctions on individuals responsible for 

6 any actions preventing Georgia from moving toward 

7 Euro-Atlantic integration, which include acts of vio8 lence or intimidation against Georgian citizens, 

9 members of civil society, and members of an opposi10 tion political party; 

11 (3) the United States, in response to recent 

12 events in Georgia, should reassess whether recent 

13 actions undertaken by individuals in Georgia should 

14 result in the imposition of sanctions by the United 

15 States for acts of significant corruption and human 

16 rights abuses; and 

17 (4) the United States should consider revoking 

18 the visas of nationals of Georgia and their family 

19 members who— 

20 (A) live in the United States; and 

21 (B) are determined to meet the criteria de22 scribed in section 103(a). 


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1 SEC. 103. INADMISSIBILITY OF OFFICIALS OF GOVERN2 MENT OF GEORGIA AND CERTAIN OTHER IN3 DIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN BLOCKING EURO4 ATLANTIC INTEGRATION. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall iden7 tify and make a determination as to whether any of the 

8 following foreign persons has knowingly engaged in signifi9 cant acts of corruption, or acts of violence or intimidation 

10 in relation to the blocking of Euro-Atlantic integration in 

11 Georgia: 

12 (1) Any individual who, on or after January 1, 

13 2012, has served as a member of the Parliament of 

14 the Government of Georgia, as a senior staff mem15 ber of the Parliament of the Government of Georgia, 

16 or as a current or former senior official of a Geor17 gian political party. 

18 (2) Any individual who is serving as an official 

19 in a leadership position working on behalf of the 

20 Government of Georgia, including law enforcement, 

21 intelligence, judicial, or local or municipal govern22 ment. 

23 (3) An immediate family member of an official 

24 described in paragraph (1) or a person described in 

25 paragraph (2). 

26 (b) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The visa or other entry doc2 umentation of any alien described in subsection (a) 

3 is subject to immediate revocation regardless of the 

4 issue date of such visa or documentation. 

5 (2) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revocation of a 

6 visa or other entry documentation of any alien pur7 suant to paragraph (1) shall, in accordance with sec8 tion 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

9 (8 U.S.C. 1201(i))— 

10 (A) take effect immediately; and 

11 (B) cancel any other valid visa or entry 

12 documentation that is in the possession of such 

13 alien. 

14 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

16 a written report to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

17 of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

18 the House of Representatives that— 

19 (1) lists any foreign person for whom the Sec20 retary has determined has knowingly engaged in an 

21 activity described in subsection (a); and 

22 (2) a detailed justification for each such posi23 tive determination. 

24 (d) FORM.—The report required under subsection (c) 

25 shall be submitted in accordance with the reporting reVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:44 Jul 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4425.IS S4425

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1 quirements outlined in 7031(c) of the Department of 

2 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Appropriations 

3 Act, 2024 (division F of Public Law 118-47; 8 U.S.C. 

4 1182 note). 

5 (e) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the applica6 tion of subsection (a) if the Secretary determines that— 

7 (1) such waiver would serve a compelling na8 tional interest; or 

9 (2) the circumstances which caused the indi10 vidual to be ineligible have sufficiently changed. 

11 SEC. 104. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

12 UNDERMINING PEACE, SECURITY, STABILITY, 

13 SOVEREIGNTY, OR TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY 

14 OF GEORGIA. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions described in sub16 section (b) shall be applied to any foreign person the 

17 President determines, on or after the date of the enact18 ment of this Act— 

19 (1) is responsible for, complicit in, or has di20 rectly or indirectly engaged in or attempted to en21 gage in, actions or policies, including ordering, con22 trolling, or otherwise directing acts that are intended 

23 to undermine the peace, security, stability, sov24 ereignty, or territorial integrity of Georgia; 


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1 (2) is or has been a leader or official of an enti2 ty that has, or whose members have, engaged in any 

3 activity described in paragraph (1); or 

4 (3) is an immediate family member of a person 

5 subject to sanctions for conduct described in para6 graph (1) or (2) who benefitted from such conduct. 

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

9 (1) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—Notwith10 standing the requirements under section 202 of the 

11 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

12 U.S.C. 1701), the President shall exercise all au13 thorities granted under the International Emergency 

14 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to 

15 the extent necessary to block and prohibit all trans16 actions in property and interests in property of a 

17 foreign person subject to subsection (a) if such prop18 erty and interests in property are in the United 

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

20 come within the possession or control of a United 

21 States person. 

22 (2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR

23 PAROLE.— 

24 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

25 alien described in subsection (a) shall be— 


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1 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

2 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

3 documentation to enter the United States; 

4 and 

5 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

6 or paroled into the United States or to re7 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra8 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

9 seq.). 

10 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

11 (i) IN GENERAL.—The visa or other 

12 entry documentation of any alien described 

13 in subsection (a) is subject to revocation 

14 regardless of the issue date of the visa or 

15 other entry documentation. 

16 (ii) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revoca17 tion under clause (i) shall, in accordance 

18 with section 221(i) of the Immigration and 

19 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i))— 

20 (I) take effect immediately; and 

21 (II) cancel any other valid visa or 

22 entry documentation that is in the 

23 possession of the alien. 

24 (c) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica25 tion of sanctions under this section with respect to a forVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:44 Jul 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4425.IS S4425

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1 eign person for renewable periods not to exceed 180 days 

2 if, not later than 15 days before the date on which such 

3 waiver is to take effect, the President submits to the ap4 propriate committees of Congress a written determination 

5 and justification that the waiver is in the national security 

6 interests of the United States. 

7 (d) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

8 (1) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may ex9 ercise all authorities provided under sections 203 

10 and 205 of the International Emergency Economic 

11 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out 

12 this section. 

13 (2) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at14 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 

15 violation of subsection (b)(1) or any regulation, li16 cense, or order issued under that subsection shall be 

17 subject to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) 

18 and (c) of section 206 of the International Economic 

19 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as 

20 a person that commits an unlawful act described in 

21 subsection (a) of that section. 

22 (3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 

23 Act, or in any amendment made by this Act, may be 

24 construed to limit the authority of the President to 

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1 cable Executive order or otherwise pursuant to the 

2 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

3 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). 

4 (e) RULEMAKING.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

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

7 President shall prescribe such regulations as are 

8 necessary for the implementation of this section. 

9 (2) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

10 than 10 days before prescribing regulations pursu11 ant to paragraph (1), the President shall notify the 

12 appropriate committees of Congress of the proposed 

13 regulations and the provisions of this section that 

14 the regulations are implementing. 

15 (f) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.—Any sanctions 

16 imposed on a foreign person pursuant to this section shall 

17 terminate on the earlier of— 

18 (1) the date on which the President certifies to 

19 the appropriate committees of Congress that the 

20 conditions requiring such sanctions no longer apply; 

21 or 

22 (2) December 31, 2029. 

23 (g) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to be effective 

24 on December 31, 2029. 


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1 SEC. 105. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO BROADER COR2 RUPTION IN GEORGIA. 

3 (a) DETERMINATION AND REPORT REQUIRED.— 

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

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

6 President shall submit to the appropriate commit7 tees of Congress a report that includes— 

8 (A) a list of all foreign persons about 

9 whom the Secretary has made a positive deter10 mination pursuant to section 103(a); and 

11 (B) a determination as to whether any for12 eign person on the list described in subpara13 graph (A) qualifies under existing sanctions au14 thorities described in subsection (b). 

15 (2) FORM OF REPORT.—The report required 

16 under paragraph (1) shall be provided in unclassified 

17 form, but a classified annex may be provided sepa18 rately containing additional contextual information 

19 pertaining to the justification for the issuance of any 

20 waiver, as described in paragraph (1)(B)(iii). 

21 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de22 scribed in this subsection are sanctions applicable with re23 spect to a person for acts of significant corruption, in24 volvement in human rights abuses, or harmful foreign ac25 tivities in Georgia under— 


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1 (1) Executive Order 14024 (50 U.S.C. 1701 

2 note; relating to blocking property of certain persons 

3 with respect to specified harmful foreign activities of 

4 the Government of the Russian Federation); or 

5 (2) Executive Order 13818 (50 U.S.C. 1701 

6 note; relating to blocking the property of persons in7 volved in serious human rights abuse or corruption). 

8 (c) CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT.—Not later than 

9 120 days after receiving a request from the chairman and 

10 ranking member of the Committee on Foreign Relations 

11 of the Senate or of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

12 the House of Representatives with respect to whether a 

13 foreign person meets meet the criteria for the imposition 

14 of sanctions described in subsection (b), the President 

15 shall— 

16 (1) determine if the person meets such criteria; 

17 and 

18 (2) submit a written justification to such chair19 man and ranking member detailing whether the 

20 President imposed or intends to impose sanctions 

21 described in this section with respect to such person. 

22 SEC. 106. EXCEPTIONS. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY.—The term 

25 ‘‘agricultural commodity’’ has the meaning given 


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1 such term in section 102 of the Agricultural Trade 

2 Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602). 

3 (2) GOOD.—The term ‘‘good’’ means any arti4 cle, natural or man-made substance, material, sup5 ply, or manufactured product, including inspection 

6 and test equipment and excluding technical data. 

7 (3) MEDICAL DEVICE.—The term ‘‘medical de8 vice’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘device’’ in 

9 section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos10 metic Act (21 U.S.C. 321). 

11 (4) MEDICINE.—The term ‘‘medicine’’ has the 

12 meaning given the term ‘‘drug’’ in section 201 of the 

13 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 

14 321). 

15 (b) EXCEPTIONS.— 

16 (1) EXCEPTION RELATING TO INTELLIGENCE

17 ACTIVITIES.—Sanctions under this Act shall not 

18 apply to— 

19 (A) any activity subject to the reporting 

20 requirements under title V of the National Se21 curity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.); or 

22 (B) any authorized intelligence activities of 

23 the United States. 

24 (2) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER25 NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT


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1 ACTIVITIES.—Sanctions under this Act shall not 

2 apply with respect to an alien if admitting or parol3 ing such alien into the United States is necessary— 

4 (A) to permit the United States to comply 

5 with the Agreement regarding the Head6 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 

7 Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 

8 November 21, 1947, between the United Na9 tions and the United States, or other applicable 

10 international obligations of the United States; 

11 or 

12 (B) to carry out or assist authorized law 

13 enforcement activity in the United States. 

14 (3) EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF

15 GOODS.—The requirement to block and prohibit all 

16 transactions in all property and interests in property 

17 under this Act shall not include the authority or a 

18 requirement to impose sanctions on the importation 

19 of goods. 

20 (4) HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.—Sanctions 

21 under this Act shall not apply to— 

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1 itarian assistance, or for humanitarian pur2 poses; or 

3 (B) transactions that are necessary for, or 

4 related to, the activities described in subpara5 graph (A). 

6 Subtitle B—Improving Bilateral 

7 Relations With Georgia 

8 SEC. 111. UNITED STATES STRATEGY TOWARD GEORGIA. 

9 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY ON GEORGIA.—It is the 

10 policy of the United States— 

11 (1) to express that if the Government of Geor12 gia proceeds to pass the foreign agents law and 

13 other legislation further inhibiting its ability to ad14 vance its accession into the European Union— 

15 (A) the United States Government’s policy 

16 toward Georgia should take into consideration 

17 these updated circumstances; and 

18 (B) the United States should review all 

19 forms of foreign and security assistance made 

20 available to the Government of Georgia; and 

21 (2) to reevaluate its policy toward the Govern22 ment of Georgia if the Government of Georgia takes 

23 the required steps— 

24 (A) to reorient itself toward its European 

25 Union accession agenda; and 


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1 (B) to advance policy or legislation reflect2 ing the express wishes of the Georgian people. 

3 (b) 5-YEAR UNITED STATES STRATEGY FOR BILAT4 ERAL RELATIONS WITH GEORGIA.—Not later than 90 

5 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec6 retary of State and the Administrator of the United States 

7 Agency for International Development, in coordination 

8 with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 

9 agencies, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

10 committees a detailed strategy which shall— 

11 (1) outline specific objectives for enhancing bi12 lateral ties which reflect the current domestic polit13 ical environment in Georgia; 

14 (2) determine what tools, resources, and fund15 ing should be available and assess whether Georgia 

16 should remain the second-highest recipient of United 

17 States funding in the Europe and Eurasia region; 

18 (3) determine the extent to which the United 

19 States should continue to invest in its defense part20 nership with Georgia; 

21 (4) explore how the United States can continue 

22 to support civil society and independent media orga23 nizations in Georgia; and 

24 (5) determine whether the Government of Geor25 gia remains committed to expanding trade ties with 


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1 the United States and Europe and whether the 

2 United States Government should continue to invest 

3 in Georgian projects. 

4 SEC. 112. REPORT ON REVIEW OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE TO 

5 GEORGIA. 

6 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 60 days 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, 

8 in coordination with the USAID Administrator and other 

9 relevant Federal agencies, shall submit a report to the ap10 propriate congressional committees that outlines all assist11 ance provided by any United States Government agency 

12 to the Government of Georgia that are not explicitly fo13 cused on democracy or rule of law and shall include— 

14 (1) a detailed overview of each project; and 

15 (2) associated funding allocations, including 

16 projected funding for each project. 

17 (b) SUSPENSION OF PROJECTS.—Not later than 60 

18 days after the date on which the report required under 

19 subsection (a) is submitted, the Secretary shall— 

20 (1) suspend all projects in Georgia carried out 

21 by the Department of State or other United States 

22 Government agencies that primarily provide material 

23 aid, reputational advantage, or sustenance to state 

24 actors, officials, or their proxies who undermine the 


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1 democracy of Georgia and enable Russian aggression 

2 within and outside of Georgia; and 

3 (2) consult with the appropriate congressional 

4 committees before any programming actions are 

5 taken in response to such review. 

6 (c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

7 (1) REPROGRAMMING.—The Secretary may re8 program any amounts that cannot be absorbed to 

9 support democracy and rule-of-law initiatives in 

10 Georgia to other initiatives taking place in other 

11 countries in the Europe and Eurasia region after no12 tifying the appropriate congressional committees. 

13 (2) LIMITATION.—No amounts appropriated or 

14 otherwise made available by the Act entitled ‘‘An 

15 Act Making emergency supplemental appropriations 

16 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and 

17 for other purposes’’, approved April 24, 2024 (Pub18 lic Law 118–50) may be obligated or expended for 

19 any assistance to Georgia unless the Secretary cer20 tifies to the appropriate congressional committees 

21 that— 

22 (A) such obligation or expenditure is in the 

23 vital national security interest of the United 

24 States; or 


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1 (B) the Government of Georgia is taking 

2 measures— 

3 (i) to represent the democratic wishes 

4 of the citizens of Georgia; and 

5 (ii) to uphold its constitutional obliga6 tion to advance membership in the Euro7 pean Union and NATO. 

8 SEC. 113. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING SUSPENSION 

9 OF UNITED STATES-GEORGIA STRATEGIC 

10 DIALOGUE. 

11 It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary should 

12 suspend the United States-Georgia Strategic Partnership 

13 Commission, established through the United States-Geor14 gia Charter on Strategic Partnership on January 9, 2009, 

15 until after the Government of Georgia takes measures— 

16 (1) to represent the democratic wishes of the 

17 citizens of Georgia; and 

18 (2) to uphold its constitutional obligation to ad19 vance the country towards membership in the Euro20 pean Union and NATO. 

21 SEC. 114. DEFENSE COOPERATION WITH GEORGIA. 

22 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that the United States— 


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1 (1) is proud of the strong defense relationship 

2 between the United States and Georgia, which 

3 was— 

4 (A) cemented in 2002 through a Defense 

5 Cooperation Agreement; and 

6 (B) further enhanced in October 2021 by 

7 the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhance8 ment Initiative. 

9 (2) is grateful to the Georgian Defense forces 

10 for their contributions to international peacekeeping 

11 missions, including— 

12 (A) the NATO-led Kosovo Force mission; 

13 (B) the European Union Military Oper14 ation in the Central African Republic; and 

15 (C) its deployment of forces in support of 

16 United States forces in Iraq from 2006 to 

17 2008; 

18 (3) is grateful to the Georgian Ministry of De19 fense’s contributions toward the NATO-led Inter20 national Security Assistance Force (referred to in 

21 this section as the ‘‘ISAF’’) in Afghanistan, where22 by— 

23 (A) Georgia was one of the largest contrib24 utors of troops per capita for a non-NATO 

25 country; and 


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1 (B) 32 Georgian soldiers died and 280 

2 Georgian soldiers were wounded in support of 

3 the ISAF mission; and 

4 (4) should, to the extent possible, sustain 

5 strong ties between the United States military and 

6 the Georgian Ministry of Defense. 

7 (b) DEFENSE REVIEW.—Not later than 120 days 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

9 of Defense shall conduct a defense review to determine 

10 whether the United States, in response to recent political 

11 developments in Georgia, should continue to support the 

12 military needs of Georgia. 

13 TITLE II—ADDITIONAL MEAS14 URES TO SUPPORT THE 

15 GEORGIAN PEOPLE 

16 SEC. 201. STATEMENT OF POLICY IN SUPPORT OF THE 

17 GEORGIAN PEOPLE. 

18 It is the policy of the United States— 

19 (1) to continue supporting the ongoing develop20 ment of democratic values in Georgia, including free 

21 and fair elections, freedom of association, an inde22 pendent and accountable judiciary, an independent 

23 media, public-sector transparency and accountability, 

24 the rule of law, countering malign influence, and 

25 anticorruption efforts; 


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1 (2) to support the sovereignty, independence, 

2 and territorial integrity of Georgia within its inter3 nationally recognized borders; 

4 (3) to continue to support the Georgian people 

5 and civil society organizations that reflect the aspi6 rations of the Georgian people for democracy and a 

7 future with the people of Europe; 

8 (4) to continue supporting the capacity of the 

9 Government of Georgia to protect its sovereignty 

10 and territorial integrity from further Russian ag11 gression or encroachment; 

12 (5) to support domestic and international ef13 forts, including polling, pre-election and election-day 

14 observation efforts, to support the execution of free 

15 and fair elections in Georgia in October 2024; 

16 (6) to continue supporting the right of the 

17 Georgian people to freely engage in peaceful protest, 

18 determine their future, and make independent and 

19 sovereign choices on foreign and security policy, in20 cluding regarding Georgia’s relationship with other 

21 countries and international organizations, without 

22 interference, intimidation, or coercion by other coun23 tries or those acting on their behalf; and 


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1 (7) to underscore the unwavering bipartisan 

2 support from Congress in supporting the democratic 

3 aspirations of the Georgian people. 

4 SEC. 202. DEMOCRACY AND RULE-OF-LAW PROGRAMMING. 

5 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING EFFECT OF

6 NATIONAL ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA.—It is the policy of 

7 the United States to undertake efforts, in partnership with 

8 the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights 

9 of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Eu10 rope, to ensure that the national elections in Georgia that 

11 are scheduled to be held in October 2024 are conducted 

12 in a manner that is free, fair, and reflective of the will 

13 of the Georgian people and show evidence of a broader 

14 and sustainable democratic trajectory. 

15 (b) FUNDING.—From the amounts appropriated to 

16 the Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia ac17 count under the Department of State, Foreign Operations, 

18 and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, or under 

19 the comparable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2025, 

20 not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available— 

21 (1) to strengthen democracy and civil society in 

22 Georgia, including for transparency, independent 

23 media, rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, coun24 tering malign influence, and good governance initia25 tives; and 


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1 (2) to support the Georgian people’s efforts to 

2 advance their aspirations for membership in the Eu3 ropean Union and Euro-Atlantic integration. 

4 (c) REVIEW OF SUPPORT.—In response to the pas5 sage of the foreign agents law, the Secretary and the Ad6 ministrator of the United States Agency for International 

7 Development shall undertake a review of efforts to deter8 mine— 

9 (1) how best to continue providing support to 

10 civil society and independent media organizations in 

11 Georgia; and 

12 (2) whether additional funds should be allocated 

13 to the National Endowment for Democracy for ini14 tiatives in Georgia. 

15 SEC. 203. REPORT ON DISINFORMATION AND CORRUPTION 

16 IN GEORGIA. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

18 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordi19 nation with such agencies as the Secretary considers rel20 evant, shall submit to the appropriate congressional com21 mittees a report that includes— 

22 (1) an assessment of efforts within and outside 

23 of Georgia to spread disinformation within Georgia 

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1 tionships between the United States and Georgia 

2 and the European Union and Georgia; 

3 (2) a list of— 

4 (A) sources that have played an active role 

5 in advancing disinformation campaigns to erode 

6 public support for the United States, the Euro7 pean Union, and NATO within Georgia; and 

8 (B) efforts undertaken by the Government 

9 of Georgia to sanction actors involved in the 

10 spread of disinformation that limits its Euro11 Atlantic aspirations; 

12 (3) an assessment of the extent to which cor13 rupt actors are undermining the ability of political 

14 parties and democratic institutions in Georgia to up15 hold and adhere to the principles of transparency 

16 and good governance; 

17 (4) a list of policy options to assist the Govern18 ment of Georgia in helping protect democracy and 

19 the rule of law by punishing bad actors; 

20 (5) an overview of efforts in Georgia designed— 

21 (A) to suppress a free and independent 

22 media; or 

23 (B) to harass and intimidate civil society; 

24 (6) a list of actors responsible for— 


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1 (A) the suppression of a free and inde2 pendent media in Georgia; or 

3 (B) harassment and intimidation of civil 

4 society in Georgia; 

5 (7) an assessment of— 

6 (A) the Russian Federation’s influence and 

7 information operations in Georgia; and 

8 (B) connections between the influence and 

9 operations described in subparagraph (A) and 

10 the broader agenda of the Russian Federation 

11 in the region; and 

12 (8) an assessment of— 

13 (A) the People’s Republic of China’s influ14 ence and information operations in Georgia; 

15 and 

16 (B) connections between the influence and 

17 operations described in subparagraph (A) and 

18 the broader agenda of the People’s Republic of 

19 China in the region. 

20 (b) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

21 shall be submitted in unclassified form, with a classified 

22 annex. 

23 SEC. 204. REPORT ON POLITICAL PRISONERS IN GEORGIA. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

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1 nation with relevant Federal agencies, as determined by 

2 the Secretary, shall submit a report to the Committee on 

3 Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 

4 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representativesa that in5 cludes— 

6 (1) a list of prisoners within the Georgian pris7 on system that the Department of State considers to 

8 be imprisoned for political reasons or otherwise 

9 wrongfully detained, especially those who have been 

10 detained since March 2024; and 

11 (2) a description of efforts to work with Geor12 gian authorities to advocate for the release of such 

13 prisoners. 

14 (b) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

15 shall be submitted in unclassified form. 

16 SEC. 205. SUNSET. 

17 This Act, except for section 104, shall cease to have 

18 any force or effect beginning on the date that is 5 years 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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