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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8566 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8566

To require reports and certain actions with respect to the Republic of 
                                Georgia.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2024

 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Hudson, and 
 Mr. Veasey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on 
Intelligence (Permanent Select), Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To require reports and certain actions with respect to the Republic of 
                                Georgia.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia's 
Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act'' 
or ``MEGOBARI Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Georgia's primary contribution to regional peace and 
        stability, United States interests, and its own global 
        reputation has been its democratic spirit and trajectory. 
        Georgia has been an important partner to the United States and 
        other democracies, maintaining strong engagement with western 
        nations and working to uphold democratic rights and values to 
        bolster regional peace and stability.
            (2) The Georgian people's consistent and overwhelming 
        foreign policy choice favors strong and warm relations with the 
        United States and other western countries and integration with 
        the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.
            (3) The official position of successive Georgian 
        Governments, since the restoration of its independence in 1991, 
        has been one of pursuing membership in Euro-Atlantic 
        institutions.
            (4) Georgian democratic development since regaining its 
        independence has been uneven but has in recent years seen 
        steady and evident decline, which appears to be a deliberate 
        policy decision made under its current government.
            (5) The Russian Federation's longstanding and consistently 
        predatory posture towards Georgian sovereignty began 
        immediately upon the restoration of its independence and 
        culminated in the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia and its 
        subsequent formal occupation of approximately 20 percent of 
        Georgian territory, and has also been underscored though the 
        ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Georgian citizens.
            (6) The current Georgian Government has increasingly and 
        regrettably embraced a policy of accommodation with the Russian 
        Federation as an aspect of its increasingly illiberal turn, and 
        has openly attacked United States and other western democracy 
        promotion organizations as well as local and international 
        civil society while embracing increased ties with Russia in 
        particular, as well as China and other authoritarian 
        governments, in defiance of its own preexisting foreign and 
        security policies as reflected in its constitution and 
        longstanding public sentiments.
            (7) The United States should continue to support the 
        Georgian people and their democratic and Euro-Atlantic 
        aspirations.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the progress made by the Georgian people and civil 
        society in forging an innovative and productive society, imbued 
        with democratic spirit, should be acknowledged;
            (2) the consolidation of democracy in Georgia is critical 
        for regional stability and United States national interests;
            (3) Georgia, as evidenced by numerous independent 
        assessments and measures, has seen significant democratic 
        backsliding in recent years;
            (4) the current Georgian Government is increasingly hostile 
        towards democracy promotion organizations, independent civil 
        society, and its chief Euro-Atlantic partners while 
        increasingly embracing enhanced ties with the Russian 
        Federation, the People's Republic of China, and other anti-
        Western authoritarian regimes; and
            (5) the United States interest in protecting and securing 
        democracy is borne by a close friendship and support for the 
        Georgian people's continued democratic and Euro-Atlantic 
        choice.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to support and defend 
democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Georgia, which is the 
foundation of Georgia's privileged relationship with the Euro-Atlantic 
west.

SEC. 5. REPORTS.

    (a) Report on Improper Influence and Sanctions Evasion in 
Georgia.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of 
the Treasury, shall submit to Congress a report and brief the relevant 
committees on--
            (1) nodes of improper political influence, kleptocracy, and 
        elite corruption in Georgia, particularly insofar that they 
        serve or may support Russian malign interests, knowingly or 
        unknowingly; and
            (2) the manner and extent to which Georgia, with the 
        complicity of key individuals within Georgia, has been used as 
        a means to bypass or evade, in letter or spirit, United States 
        or international sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation in 
        response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
    (b) Report on Russian Intelligence Assets in Georgia.--Not later 
than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director 
of National Intelligence, in coordination with the Secretary of State, 
the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of Central Intelligence, 
shall submit to Congress a report examining the penetration of Russian 
intelligence elements and their assets in Georgia, to include an annex 
examining Chinese influence and the potential intersection of Russian-
Chinese cooperation in Georgia.
    (c) Report on Imposition of Sanctions With Respect to Georgian 
Individuals.--
            (1) Imposition of sanctions.--Not later than 60 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 
        in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of 
        Commerce, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland 
        Security, and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall--
                    (A) identify key individuals who--
                            (i) are in the Government of Georgia, 
                        working as its agents or on its behalf, or 
                        otherwise in a position to strongly influence 
                        the actions of such Government; and
                            (ii) have material responsibility for 
                        undermining or injuring democracy, human 
                        rights, or security in Georgia; and
                    (B) to the extent practicable, impose with respect 
                to each such individual such sanctions as may be 
                justifiable and authorized by law, such as sanctions 
                pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
                Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.), anti-
                kleptocracy and human rights sanctions authorized by 
                section 7031(c) of division K of the Consolidated 
                Appropriations Act, 2023, and other similar authorities 
                relating to sanctions with respect to human rights 
                violations, with special urgent consideration of visa 
                bans under section 7031(c) of division K of the 
                Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to key 
                individuals and their families who--
                            (i) are materially or directly responsible 
                        in Parliament for the advocacy, passage, and 
                        potential enactment of the recent Russian-style 
                        foreign agent legislation; and
                            (ii) substantially responsible within 
                        political or governmental leadership, business 
                        circles, or law enforcement and security 
                        services for advancing the same Russian-style 
                        foreign agent legislation or undermining or 
                        suppressing lawful popular or civil society 
                        opposition.
            (2) Report on sanctions determinations.--Not later than 90 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
        of State shall submit to Congress a report that includes each 
        determination pursuant to this subsection with respect to the 
        imposition of sanctions and accompanying justifications.
    (d) Form.--Each report required by this section shall be submitted 
in a form that includes an unclassified executive summary. Each such 
summary shall be made publicly available.

SEC. 6. DEMOCRACY MONITORING TASK FORCE IN GEORGIA.

    The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, the heads of 
other Federal agencies and departments, and international partners, 
shall establish a democracy monitoring task force with, as practicable, 
a significant presence within Georgia, to publicly assess, monitor, and 
promote the pre-election democratic environment in Georgia.

SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE WITH RESPECT TO GEORGIA.

    (a) In General.--Upon submission to Congress of the certification 
described in subsection (b)--
            (1) the United States Trade Representative, in consultation 
        with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce, 
        shall seek to enter into negotiations with the Government of 
        Georgia to establish a robust preferential trade regime between 
        the United States and Georgia;
            (2) the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Homeland Security and other heads of other 
        relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall develop a 
        policy package to further enhance people-to-people contacts, 
        academic exchanges, and improved visa liberalizations between 
        the United States and Georgia.
            (3) the President, acting through the United States 
        International Development Finance Corporation, the Millennium 
        Challenge Corporation, the United States Agency for 
        International Development, the Department of Commerce, the 
        Department of State, other relevant Federal departments and 
        agencies, and international partners, shall develop an economic 
        development and modernization package for Georgia; and
            (4) the President, in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Defense, shall prepare a package for Georgia that includes the 
        provision of security and defense equipment ideally suited for 
        territorial defense against Russian aggression and concomitant 
        training, maintenance, and operations support elements.
    (b) Certification Described.--The certification described in this 
subsection is a certification submitted to Congress by the President or 
the Secretary of State that Georgia has shown significant and sustained 
progress towards reinvigorating its democracy, evidenced at minimum by 
substantially fair and free elections and a balanced pre-election 
environment.
                                 <all>
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