I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1223 

To impose sanctions with respect to individuals associated with the Government of the Russian Federation who are complicit in the poisoning 

and repression of citizens of the Russian Federation for political motives, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 23, 2021 

Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. 

FITZPATRICK, and Mr. CICILLINE) introduced the following bill; which 

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

Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Ways and Means, 

Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Reform, 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 individuals associated 

with the Government of the Russian Federation who 

are complicit in the poisoning and repression of citizens 

of the Russian Federation for political motives, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Holding Russia Ac3 countable for Malign Activities Act of 2021’’. 

4 SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 

5 POISONING OF OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI 

6 NAVALNY. 

7 (a) IDENTIFICATION.—Not later than 90 days after 

8 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 

9 submit to Congress a report identifying any current or 

10 former official of, or other individual acting for or on be11 half of, the Government of the Russian Federation that 

12 the President determines was involved in the poisoning on 

13 August 20, 2020, of Russian opposition leader Alexei 

14 Navalny or the subsequent cover-up of the poisoning. 

15 (b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—With respect to 

16 each official or other individual identified in the report re17 quired by subsection (a), the President shall impose sanc18 tions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Account19 ability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114– 

20 328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) or the following sanctions: 

21 (1) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President shall ex22 ercise all of the powers granted to the President 

23 under the International Emergency Economic Pow24 ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent nec25 essary to block and prohibit all transactions in prop26 erty and interests in property of the official or other 


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1 individual identified in the report required by sub2 section (a) if such property and interests in property 

3 are in the United States, come within the United 

4 States, or are or come within the possession or con5 trol of a United States person. 

6 (2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR

7 PAROLE.— 

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

9 alien identified in the report required by sub10 section (a) is— 

11 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

12 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

13 documentation to enter the United States; 

14 and 

15 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

16 or paroled into the United States or to re17 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra18 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

19 seq.). 

20 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

21 (i) IN GENERAL.—An alien identified 

22 in the report required by subsection (a) is 

23 subject to revocation of any visa or other 

24 entry documentation regardless of when 


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1 the visa or other entry documentation is or 

2 was issued. 

3 (ii) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revoca4 tion under clause (i) shall— 

5 (I) take effect immediately; and 

6 (II) cancel any other valid visa or 

7 entry documentation that is in the 

8 alien’s possession. 

9 (c) WAIVER; EXCEPTIONS; IMPLEMENTATION OF

10 SANCTIONS.— 

11 (1) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

12 (A) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President 

13 may exercise all authorities provided under sec14 tions 203 and 205 of the International Emer15 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 

16 and 1704) to the extent necessary to carry out 

17 this section. 

18 (B) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, 

19 attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 

20 causes a violation of subsection (b)(1), or any 

21 regulation, license, or order issued to carry out 

22 that subsection, shall be subject to the penalties 

23 set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 

24 206 of the International Emergency Economic 

25 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same exVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:12 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1223.IH H1223

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1 tent as a person that commits an unlawful act 

2 described in subsection (a) of that section. 

3 (2) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The Presi4 dent may waive the application of sanctions under 

5 this section with respect to a person if the President 

6 determines and certifies to Congress that such a 

7 waiver is in the national security interests of the 

8 United States. 

9 (3) EXCEPTIONS.— 

10 (A) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE AC11 TIVITIES.—Sanctions under this section shall 

12 not apply to any activity subject to the report13 ing requirements under title V of the National 

14 Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) 

15 or any authorized intelligence activities of the 

16 United States. 

17 (B) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER18 NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub19 section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to an 

20 alien if admitting or paroling the alien into the 

21 United States is necessary to permit the United 

22 States to comply with the Agreement regarding 

23 the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 

24 at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 

25 into force November 21, 1947, between the 


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1 United Nations and the United States, or other 

2 applicable international obligations. 

3 (C) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE IMPOR4 TATION OF GOODS.— 

5 (i) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and 

6 requirements to impose sanctions author7 ized under this section shall not include 

8 the authority or a requirement to impose 

9 sanctions on the importation of goods. 

10 (ii) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subpara11 graph, the term ‘‘good’’ means any article, 

12 natural or manmade substance, material, 

13 supply, or manufactured product, including 

14 inspection and test equipment, and exclud15 ing technical data. 

16 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

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

19 meanings given those terms in section 101 of the 

20 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

21 (2) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

22 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

23 (A) an individual who is a United States 

24 citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for perma25 nent residence to the United States; 


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1 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

2 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

3 United States, including a foreign branch of 

4 such an entity; or 

5 (C) any person in the United States. 

6 SEC. 3. REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF BORIS 

7 NEMTSOV. 

8 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact9 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination 

10 with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to 

11 Congress a report detailing the circumstances of the assas12 sination on February 27, 2015, of Russian opposition 

13 leader Boris Nemtsov, including— 

14 (1) a list of the individuals the Secretary deter15 mines to have been involved in the assassination as 

16 perpetrators or as having organized or directed the 

17 assassination; 

18 (2) a description of what measures, if any, have 

19 been taken by the Government of the Russian Fed20 eration to investigate the assassination and bring the 

21 individuals described in paragraph (1) to justice; 

22 and 

23 (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of those 

24 measures. 


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1 SEC. 4. REPORT ON PERSONAL WEALTH OF VLADIMIR 

2 PUTIN AND HIS FAMILY MEMBERS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub5 mit to Congress a report on the sources and extent of the 

6 personal wealth of the President of the Russian Federa7 tion, Vladimir Putin, and his family members. 

8 (b) PERSONAL WEALTH.—The report required by 

9 subsection (a) shall include an assessment of the assets, 

10 investments, bank accounts, other business interests, and 

11 relevant beneficial ownership information of Vladimir 

12 Putin and his family members. 

13 (c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 

14 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 

15 a classified annex. 

16 SEC. 5. DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT WITH GERMANY WITH 

17 RESPECT TO SUPPORT FOR NORD STREAM 2 

18 PIPELINE. 

19 It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State 

20 should urge the Government of Germany to withdraw its 

21 support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from the Rus22 sian Federation, emphasizing the impropriety of involve23 ment in a project that will support a government that 

24 murders its citizens for highlighting corruption and other 

25 abuses, while at the same making Europe more reliant on 


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1 the destabilizing and untrustworthy leadership of the Rus2 sian Federation. 

3 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPOSITION OF ADDI4 TIONAL SANCTIONS RELATING TO RECENT 

5 USE OF NOVICHOK IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERA6 TION. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that the President 

8 should— 

9 (1) make a determination under section 306(a) 

10 of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and 

11 Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (22 U.S.C. 

12 5604(a)) with respect to whether the recent use of 

13 Novichok on August 20, 2020, against Russian op14 position leader Alexei Navalny by the Government of 

15 the Russian Federation constituted the use of chem16 ical or biological weapons in violation of inter17 national law or the use of lethal chemical or biologi18 cal weapons against its own nationals as described 

19 in that section; and 

20 (2) if the President makes an affirmative deter21 mination under paragraph (1), impose the sanctions 

22 required by section 307 of that Act (22 U.S.C. 

23 5605). 


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1 SEC. 7. CALLING FOR RELEASE OF ALEXEI NAVALNY AND 

2 OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS FROM POLITI3 CALLY MOTIVATED DETENTION. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that authorities of the Government of the Russian 

6 Federation detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny on 

7 false charges when he returned to Moscow on January 17, 

8 2021, after receiving treatment for Novichok poisoning in 

9 Germany. 

10 (b) CALLING FOR RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRIS11 ONERS.—Congress calls on the Government of the Russian 

12 Federation to immediately release Navalny and all other 

13 political prisoners in the Russian Federation currently im14 prisoned for exercising their fundamental rights. 

Æ 


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