I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8507 

To impose sanctions with respect to officials of the Government of the Russian 

Federation complicit in the poisoning of its citizens for political motives, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 2, 2020 

Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. MEEKS, and Mr. 

FITZPATRICK) 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 officials of the Government of the Russian Federation complicit in the poisoning of its citizens 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Holding Russia Ac5 countable for Malign Activities Act of 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO RUS2 SIAN OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN POISONING 

3 RUSSIAN CITIZENS FOR POLITICAL MOTIVES. 

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

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

6 submit to Congress a report identifying any current or 

7 former official of the Government of the Russian Federa8 tion that the President determines was involved in the poi9 soning on August 20, 2020, of a Russian opposition leader 

10 or the subsequent cover-up of the poisoning. 

11 (b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—The President shall 

12 impose the following sanctions with respect to each official 

13 identified in the report required by subsection (a): 

14 (1) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President shall ex15 ercise all of the powers granted to the President 

16 under the International Emergency Economic Pow17 ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent nec18 essary to block and prohibit all transactions in prop19 erty and interests in property of the official identi20 fied in the report required by subsection (a) if such 

21 property and interests in property are in the United 

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

23 come within the possession or control of a United 

24 States person. 

25 (2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR

26 PAROLE.— 


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

2 alien identified in the report required by sub3 section (a) is— 

4 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

5 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

6 documentation to enter the United States; 

7 and 

8 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

9 or paroled into the United States or to re10 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra11 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

12 seq.). 

13 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

14 (i) IN GENERAL.—An alien identified 

15 in the report required by subsection (a) is 

16 subject to revocation of any visa or other 

17 entry documentation regardless of when 

18 the visa or other entry documentation is or 

19 was issued. 

20 (ii) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revoca21 tion under clause (i) shall— 

22 (I) take effect immediately; and 

23 (II) cancel any other valid visa or 

24 entry documentation that is in the 

25 alien’s possession. 


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1 (c) WAIVER; EXCEPTIONS; IMPLEMENTATION OF

2 SANCTIONS.— 

3 (1) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

4 (A) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President 

5 may exercise all authorities provided under sec6 tions 203 and 205 of the International Emer7 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 

8 and 1704) to the extent necessary to carry out 

9 this section. 

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

11 attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 

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

13 regulation, license, or order issued to carry out 

14 that subsection, shall be subject to the penalties 

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

16 206 of the International Emergency Economic 

17 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex18 tent as a person that commits an unlawful act 

19 described in subsection (a) of that section. 

20 (2) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The Presi21 dent may waive the application of sanctions under 

22 this section with respect to a person if the President 

23 determines and certifies to Congress that such a 

24 waiver is in the national security interests of the 

25 United States. 


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1 (3) EXCEPTIONS.— 

2 (A) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE AC3 TIVITIES.—Sanctions under this section shall 

4 not apply to any activity subject to the report5 ing requirements under title V of the National 

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

7 or any authorized intelligence activities of the 

8 United States. 

9 (B) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER10 NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub11 section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to an 

12 alien if admitting or paroling the alien into the 

13 United States is necessary to permit the United 

14 States to comply with the Agreement regarding 

15 the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 

16 at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 

17 into force November 21, 1947, between the 

18 United Nations and the United States, or other 

19 applicable international obligations. 

20 (C) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE IMPOR21 TATION OF GOODS.— 

22 (i) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and 

23 requirements to impose sanctions author24 ized under this section shall not include 


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1 the authority or a requirement to impose 

2 sanctions on the importation of goods. 

3 (ii) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subpara4 graph, the term ‘‘good’’ means any article, 

5 natural or manmade substance, material, 

6 supply, or manufactured product, including 

7 inspection and test equipment, and exclud8 ing technical data. 

9 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

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

12 meanings given those terms in section 101 of the 

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

14 (2) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

15 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

16 (A) an individual who is a United States 

17 citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for perma18 nent residence to the United States; 

19 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

20 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

21 United States, including a foreign branch of 

22 such an entity; or 

23 (C) any person in the United States. 


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1 SEC. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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 a Russian op14 position leader by the Government of the Russian 

15 Federation constituted the use of chemical or bio16 logical weapons in violation of international law or 

17 the use of lethal chemical or biological weapons 

18 against its own nationals as described in that sec19 tion; 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). 

Æ 


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