I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6426 
To provide for measures to strengthen dialogue with the Russian people 
and support Russian civil society, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 18, 2018 
Mr. ESPAILLAT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Ju-
diciary, and Armed Services, 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 provide for measures to strengthen dialogue with the 
Russian people and support Russian civil society, 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 title may be cited as the ‘‘CPR for Russian Civil 
Society Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. STRENGTHENING DIALOGUE WITH THE RUSSIAN 
PEOPLE. 
(a) IMPROVED VISA SCREENING PROCEDURES FOR 
RUSSIAN VISITORS.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 
in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
shall conduct a study on how to streamline and simplify 
visa procedures for Russian students and persons involved 
in professional and cultural exchanges in order to reduce 
the overall visa processing period and facilitate people-to- 
people exchanges. Such study shall examine average visa 
wait times for successful visa applicants from Russia and 
overall rejection rates of Russian nationals applying for 
visas. 
(b) ENHANCED SCREENING FOR PUTIN ALLIES.—In 
conjunction with the study undertaken pursuant to sub-
section (a), the Secretary of State, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of 
the Treasury, shall develop enhanced visa screening proce-
dures for the following individuals: 
(1) Persons identified as ‘‘the most significant 
senior foreign political figures and oligarchs in the 
Russian Federation’’, as listed in a classified annex 
to a report issued on January 29, 2018, pursuant to 
section 241(a)(1) of the Countering America’s Ad-
versaries Through Sanctions Act, but who are not 
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already included in the list of specially designated 
nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Of-
fice of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of 
the Treasury. 
(2) Persons who are not otherwise included in 
the specially designated nationals list but who pro-
mote Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies of 
repression, as determined by the Secretary of State. 
(3) Persons who benefit from or act as agents 
of Russian persons on the specially designated na-
tionals list. 
(c) IMPROVED
TRACKING
OF
EXCHANGE
PRO-
GRAMS.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the en-
actment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate a report on current cultural exchange and edu-
cational programs with Russia. Such report shall include 
the following: 
(1) A list of existing programs funded by the 
United States Government dedicated to United 
States-Russia cultural and educational exchange and 
research, including funding levels for each program. 
(2) Information relating to funding of the pro-
grams specified in paragraph (1), including overall 
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history of such funding since 1991, relative to fund-
ing for other regions with such exchange and re-
search programs. 
(d) STRATEGIC STABILITY.— 
(1) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense, in concurrence with the Secretary of State, 
shall submit to Congress a report on efforts to 
strengthen strategic stability with Russia. 
(2) ANNUAL MEETINGS.—The Secretary of De-
fense, in concurrence with the Secretary of State, 
shall host an annual bilateral meeting, through 
2023, with Russian counterparts in order to discuss 
relevant issues of common interest, including main-
taining strategic stability and open lines for crisis 
communications. 
SEC. 3. SUPPORT RUSSIAN CIVIL SOCIETY. 
(a) FIGHT PUTIN’S CENSORSHIP.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of State shall convene a meeting of senior leaders 
of United States technology companies that sell, license, 
or otherwise facilitate the installation of tools that allow 
the Government of Russia to censor, harass, or suppress 
the activities of civil society activists. Such meeting shall 
focus on developing a common code of conduct to restrain 
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United States companies aiding and abetting the Govern-
ment of Russia’s efforts to suppress Russian civil society, 
fundamental freedoms in Russia, and efforts to expose 
corruption on the part of the Government of Russia. 
(b) INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING OPERATIONS 
FUND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts oth-
erwise authorized to be appropriated for the Broad-
casting Board of Governors’ International Broad-
casting Operations Fund, there is authorized to be 
appropriated $10,000,000 to expand Russian lan-
guage programming and to provide for the dissemi-
nation of accurate and independent information to 
the Russian people through online media, radio, tele-
vision, cellular telephone, short message service, and 
other communications. The Broadcasting Board of 
Governors shall identify those countries that serve as 
Russian vacation destinations and further target 
United States international broadcasting and pro-
gramming activities towards such countries. 
(2) USE OF AMOUNTS.—To achieve the objec-
tives described in paragraph (1), amounts in the 
International Broadcasting Operations Fund re-
ferred to in such subparagraph may be used to de-
velop— 
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(A) additional transmission capability for 
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, including 
through additional shortwave and medium wave 
transmissions, satellite, and Internet mecha-
nisms; 
(B) additional proxy server capability and 
anti-censorship technologies to counter efforts 
by the Government of Russia to censor political 
and civil society activities, such as blocking of 
the Telegram app, and investigations into cor-
ruption on the part of the Government of Rus-
sia; 
(C) technologies to counter efforts to block 
SMS text message exchange over cellular phone 
networks; and 
(D) additional digital programs and oper-
ations for Voice of America in Russia. 
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO EXPANDED 
BROADCASTING IN COUNTRIES OF THE FORMER SO-
VIET UNION.—Paragraph (1) of section 8(e) of the 
Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 
8927(e); Public Law 118–272) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2020’’. 
SEC. 4. PUBLICIZE RUSSIAN MISDEEDS. 
(a) DONBASS RECRUITMENT.— 
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(1) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
State shall compile and publicly release a list of Rus-
sian-based persons, including organizations and their 
executives, who recruited or otherwise facilitated the 
transfer of Russian personnel for— 
(A) the war in the Donbass; or 
(B) targeting of civilians in Syria. 
(2) VISA BAN.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law any persons identified in the list re-
quired under paragraph (1) shall be prohibited from 
entry to the United States. 
(b) REPORT ON ACTIONS BY RUSSIAN PROXIES.— 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Con-
gress a list of the following: 
(1) Persons, including corporations with United 
States subsidiaries, acting in Europe and the United 
States as front companies or intermediaries of the 
Government of Russia, and the executives of such 
persons. 
(2) Politicians serving or acting as proxies of 
the Government of Russia. 
(3) Russian media entities, including producers 
and reporters, who— 
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(A) traffic in forgeries, fabrications, and 
altered media products with intent to obfuscate 
factual reporting; or 
(B) instigate conflict and violence in Eu-
rope or the United States. 
(4) Non-Russian persons that have knowingly 
or negligently provided hardware or other forms of 
assistance to the Government of Russia that has 
furthered Russia’s efforts to— 
(A) filter online political content; 
(B) disrupt cell phone and Internet com-
munications; 
(C) monitor the online activities of Russian 
citizens; or 
(D) discriminate against or suppress the 
activities of independent civil society institu-
tions. 
(5) Each person that— 
(A) receives subsidies from the Govern-
ment of Russia, thereby eroding market oppor-
tunities for private businesses; 
(B) provides financial or material support 
to Russia-backed forces actively involved in ag-
gression against Russia’s neighbors; 
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(C) provides financial or material support 
to propaganda outlets of the Government of 
Russia that legitimize Russian aggression; or 
(D) provides financing or material support 
to political and nongovernmental persons or en-
tities, including the United Russia political 
party, determined by the Secretary of State to 
be engaged in the suppression of fundamental 
freedoms in Russia. 
(c) PREVIOUSLY LISTED ENTITIES.—The lists re-
quired under this section may also include entities already 
identified in the list of specially designated nationals and 
blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign As-
sets Control of the Department of the Treasury. 
(d) FORM.—The lists required under this section 
shall be unclassified but may be submitted in classified 
form. 
(e) PROVISION.—The Secretary of State shall trans-
mit the unclassified lists required under this section to the 
heads of state of— 
(1) NATO member states; 
(2) Sweden; 
(3) Finland; and 
(4) Ireland. 
Æ 
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