I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1461 

To impose sanctions with respect to the Government of Georgia if the President determines that the Government of Georgia is taking actions to 

undermine commitments or contractual agreements with United States 

persons engaging in business operations in the country of Georgia, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2019 

Mr. MULLIN (for himself and Mr. FLORES) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 

to the Committees on Financial Services, 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 impose sanctions with respect to the Government of Georgia if the President determines that the Government 

of Georgia is taking actions to undermine commitments 

or contractual agreements with United States persons 

engaging in business operations in the country of 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, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•HR 1461 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Georgian Fair Busi3 ness Practices Sanctions Act of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REPORT ON ACTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF 

5 GEORGIA TO UNDERMINE COMMITMENTS OR 

6 CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS MADE WITH 

7 UNITED STATES PERSONS ENGAGING IN 

8 BUSINESS OPERATIONS IN THE COUNTRY OF 

9 GEORGIA. 

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

11 date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently 

12 than once every 180 days thereafter, the President shall 

13 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a re14 port that— 

15 (1) includes a determination of the President of 

16 whether or not the Government of Georgia is taking 

17 actions to undermine the commitments or contrac18 tual agreements made with United States persons 

19 engaging in business operations in the country of 

20 Georgia; and 

21 (2) identifies foreign persons who are current or 

22 former officials of the Government of Georgia who 

23 are responsible for any actions described in para24 graph (1). 

25 (b) INFORMATION.—The report required under sub26 section (a) shall include— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•HR 1461 IH

1 (1) a summary of United States Government 

2 and nongovernment investment in Georgia; and 

3 (2) an assessment of the impact of actions de4 scribed in subsection (a)(1) on the future of United 

5 States investment in Georgia. 

6 (c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

7 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 

8 a classified annex. 

9 SEC. 3. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 

10 GOVERNMENT OF GEORGIA AND RESPON11 SIBLE OFFICIALS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF 

12 GEORGIA. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—If the President submits to the 

14 appropriate congressional committees a report under sec15 tion 2 that contains an affirmative determination of the 

16 President as described in subsection (a)(1) of such sec17 tion— 

18 (1) the President shall impose the sanctions de19 scribed in subsection (b) with respect to the Govern20 ment of Georgia; and 

21 (2) the President shall impose the sanctions de22 scribed in subsection (c) with respect to current or 

23 former officials of the Government of Georgia who 

24 are identified in subsection (a)(2) of such section. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•HR 1461 IH

1 (b) SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO GOVERNMENT OF

2 GEORGIA DESCRIBED.—The sanctions described in this 

3 subsection are the following: 

4 (1) No loan, credit guarantee, insurance, fi5 nancing, or other similar financial assistance be ex6 tended by any agency of the Government of the 

7 United States (including the Export-Import Bank of 

8 the United States or the Overseas Private Invest9 ment Corporation) to the Government of Georgia, 

10 except with respect to the provision of humanitarian 

11 goods and agricultural or medical products. 

12 (2) No funds available to the Trade and Devel13 opment Agency should be available for activities of 

14 the Agency in or for Georgia. 

15 (c) SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO RESPONSIBLE

16 OFFICIALS DESCRIBED.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions described in 

18 this subsection are the following: 

19 (A) ASSET BLOCKING.—The exercise of all 

20 powers granted to the President by the Inter21 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

22 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (except that the require23 ments of section 202 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 

24 1701) shall not apply) to the extent necessary 

25 to block and prohibit all transactions in all 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
5 

•HR 1461 IH

1 property and interests in property of an indi2 vidual who is subject to subsection (a)(2) if 

3 such property and interests in property are in 

4 the United States, come within the United 

5 States, or are or come within the possession or 

6 control of a United States person. 

7 (B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD8 MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

9 (i) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 

10 An alien who is subject to subsection 

11 (a)(2) is— 

12 (I) inadmissible to the United 

13 States; 

14 (II) ineligible to receive a visa or 

15 other documentation to enter the 

16 United States; and 

17 (III) otherwise ineligible to be 

18 admitted or paroled into the United 

19 States or to receive any other benefit 

20 under the Immigration and Nation21 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 

22 (ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

23 (I) IN GENERAL.—The issuing 

24 consular officer, the Secretary of 

25 State, or the Secretary of Homeland 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
6 

•HR 1461 IH

1 Security shall revoke any visa or other 

2 entry documentation issued to an 

3 alien who is subject to subsection 

4 (a)(2), regardless of when issued. 

5 (II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 

6 A revocation under subclause (I) shall 

7 take effect immediately and shall 

8 automatically cancel any other valid 

9 visa or entry documentation that is in 

10 the possession of the alien. 

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

12 subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter13 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

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

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

16 violation of regulations prescribed under paragraph 

17 (1)(A) to the same extent that such penalties apply 

18 to a person that commits an unlawful act described 

19 in subsection (a) of such section 206. 

20 SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS. 

21 The sanctions described in section 3 shall cease to 

22 have effect beginning on the day after the date on which 

23 the President submits to the appropriate congressional 

24 committees a report under section 2 that contains a negaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:47 Mar 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1461.IH H1461

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
7 

•HR 1461 IH

1 tive determination of the President as described in sub2 section (a)(1) of such section. 

3 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 

6 and ‘‘alien’’ have meanings given those terms in sec7 tion 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

8 U.S.C. 1101). 

9 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT10 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com11 mittees’’ means— 

12 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

13 Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 

14 on Homeland Security, the Committee on Fi15 nancial Services, and the Committee on Ways 

16 and Means of the House of Representatives; 

17 and 

18 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

19 the Committee on Armed Services, the Com20 mittee on Homeland Security and Govern21 mental Affairs, and the Committee on Banking, 

22 Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate. 

23 (3) ENTITY.—The term ‘‘entity’’— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
8 

•HR 1461 IH

1 (A) means a partnership, association, cor2 poration, or other organization, group, or sub3 group; and 

4 (B) includes a governmental entity. 

5 (4) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in6 dividual or entity. 

7 (5) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

8 ‘‘United States person’’ means a United States cit9 izen, permanent resident alien, entity organized 

10 under the laws of the United States (including for11 eign branches), or a person in the United States. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS