I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 526 
To promote free and fair elections, political freedoms, and human rights 
in Cambodia, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 11, 2019 
Mr. YOHO (for himself, Mr. MCCAUL, and Mr. ENGEL) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 
in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To promote free and fair elections, political freedoms, and 
human rights in Cambodia, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cambodia Democracy 
Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power 
in Cambodia since 1985 and is the longest-serving 
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leader in Southeast Asia. Despite decades of inter-
national attention and assistance to promote a plu-
ralistic, multi-party democratic system in Cambodia, 
the Government of Cambodia continues to be 
undemocratically dominated by the ruling Cambodia 
People’s Party (CPP), which controls every agency 
and security apparatus of the state. 
(2) In 2015, the CPP-controlled parliament 
passed the ‘‘Law on Associations and Non-Govern-
mental Organizations’’, which gave the government 
sweeping powers to revoke the registration of NGOs 
that the government believed to be operating with a 
political bias in a blatant attempt to restrict the le-
gitimate work of civil society. On August 23, 2017, 
Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered the 
closure of the National Democratic Institute and the 
expulsion of its foreign staff. On September 15, 
2017, Prime Minister Hun Sen called for the with-
drawal of all volunteers from the United States 
Peace Corps, which has operated in Cambodia since 
2006 with 500 United States volunteers providing 
English language and healthcare training. 
(3) The Government of Cambodia has taken 
several measures to restrict its media environment, 
especially through politicized tax investigations 
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against independent media outlets that resulted in 
the closure of The Cambodian Daily and Radio Free 
Asia in early September 2017. Additionally, the Gov-
ernment of Cambodia has ordered several radio sta-
tions to stop the broadcasting of Radio Free Asia 
and Voice of America programming. 
(4) On September 3, 2017, Kem Sokha, the 
President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party 
(CNRP), was arrested on politically motivated 
charges, including treason and conspiring to over-
throw the Government of Cambodia, and faces up to 
30 years in prison. The CNRP’s previous leader, 
Sam Rainsy, remains in exile. On November 16, 
2017, Cambodia’s Supreme Court dissolved the 
CNRP, eliminating the primary opposition party. 
(5) Each of the six elections that have taken 
place in Cambodia since 1991 were conducted in cir-
cumstances that were not free and fair, and were 
marked by fraud, intimidation, violence, and the gov-
ernment’s misuse of legal mechanisms to weaken op-
position candidates and parties. 
(6) In the most recent general election in July 
2018, following the dissolution of the CNRP, the 
CPP secured every parliamentary seat, an electoral 
victory that a statement from the White House 
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Press Secretary stated was ‘‘neither free nor fair 
and failed to represent the will of the Cambodian 
people’’. 
(7) The United States is committed to pro-
moting democracy, human rights, and the rule of 
law in Cambodia. The United States continues to 
urge the Government of Cambodia to immediately 
release Mr. Kem Sokha, reinstate the political status 
of the CNRP and restore its elected seats in the Na-
tional Assembly, and support electoral reform efforts 
in Cambodia with free and fair elections monitored 
by international observers. 
SEC. 3. SANCTIONS RELATING TO UNDERMINING DEMOC-
RACY IN CAMBODIA. 
(a) DESIGNATION OF PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR 
UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY
IN CAMBODIA.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the President shall apply the sanctions described in sub-
section (b) on— 
(1) each senior official of the government, mili-
tary, or security forces of Cambodia that the Presi-
dent determines has directly and substantially un-
dermined democracy in Cambodia; 
(2) each senior official of the government, mili-
tary, or security forces of Cambodia that the Presi-
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dent determines has committed or directed serious 
human rights violations associated with undermining 
democracy in Cambodia; and 
(3) entities owned or controlled by senior offi-
cials of the government, military, or security forces 
of Cambodia described in paragraphs (1) and (2). 
(b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 
(1) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President shall ex-
ercise all of the powers granted to the President 
under the International Emergency Economic Pow-
ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent nec-
essary to block and prohibit all transactions in prop-
erty and interests in property of a person designated 
under subsection (a) if such property and interests 
in property are in the United States, come within 
the United States, or are or come within the posses-
sion or control of a United States person. 
(2) VISA RESTRICTIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, shall continue to implement the policy 
announced by the Department of State on De-
cember 6, 2017, to restrict entry into the 
United States of persons involved in under-
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mining democracy in Cambodia, including any 
person designated under subsection (a). 
(B) EXCEPTION FOR MULTILATERAL AC-
TIVITIES.—Persons otherwise restricted from 
entry into the United States under this section 
may be admitted if such admission is necessary 
to comply with United States obligations under 
the Agreement between the United Nations and 
the United States of America regarding the 
Headquarters of the United Nations, signed at 
Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into 
force November 21, 1947, or under the Conven-
tion on Consular Relations, done at Vienna 
April 24, 1963, and entered into force March 
19, 1967, or other applicable international obli-
gations of the United States. 
(3) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 
subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, 
attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 
violation of paragraph (1) to the same extent that 
such penalties apply to a person that commits an 
unlawful act described in subsection (a) of such sec-
tion 206. 
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(c) LIST OF DESIGNATED PERSONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
President shall transmit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a list of persons designated under 
subsection (a). 
(2) UPDATES.—The President shall transmit to 
the appropriate congressional committees updated 
lists under paragraph (1) as new information be-
comes available. 
(d) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may exercise 
all authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the 
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this section. 
(e) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica-
tion of sanctions described in subsection (b) with respect 
to a person designated under subsection (a) if the Presi-
dent determines and certifies to the appropriate congres-
sional committees that such waiver is in the national inter-
est of the United States. 
SEC. 4. SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS. 
(a) SUSPENSION.—The sanctions described in section 
3 may be suspended for up to 1-year upon certification 
by the President to the appropriate congressional commit-
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tees that Cambodia is making meaningful progress toward 
the following: 
(1) Ending government efforts to undermine 
democracy. 
(2) Ending human rights violations associated 
with undermining democracy. 
(3) Conducting free and fair elections which 
allow for the active participation of credible opposi-
tion candidates. 
(b) RENEWAL OF SUSPENSION.—The suspension de-
scribed in subsection (a) may be renewed for additional, 
consecutive-day periods if the President certifies to the ap-
propriate congressional committees that Cambodia is con-
tinuing to make meaningful progress towards satisfying 
the conditions described in such subsection during the pre-
vious year. 
SEC. 5. SUNSET. 
This Act shall terminate on the date that is 5 years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
and the Committee on Financial Services of the 
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House of Representatives, and the Committee on 
Foreign Relations and the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate. 
(2) PERSON.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘person’’ 
means— 
(i) a natural person; or 
(ii) a corporation, business associa-
tion, partnership, society, trust, financial 
institution, insurer, underwriter, guar-
antor, and any other business organization, 
any other nongovernmental entity, organi-
zation, or group, and any governmental en-
tity operating as a business enterprise or 
any successor to any entity described in 
this clause. 
(B) APPLICATION TO GOVERNMENTAL EN-
TITIES.—The term ‘‘person’’ does not include a 
government or governmental entity that is not 
operating as a business enterprise. 
(3) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) a United States citizen or an alien law-
fully admitted for permanent residence to the 
United States; or 
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(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or of any jurisdiction of the 
United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity. 
Æ 
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