I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 56 
To impose sanctions against persons who knowingly provide material support 
or resources to the Donbass People’s Militia or its affiliates, associated 
groups, or agents, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 6, 2015 
Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on For-
eign Affairs and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined 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 against persons who knowingly provide 
material support or resources to the Donbass People’s 
Militia or its affiliates, associated groups, or agents, 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 ‘‘Donbass People’s Mili-
tia Terrorist Designation Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DESIGNATION OF THE 
DONBASS PEOPLE’S MILITIA AS A FOREIGN 
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Donbass People’s Militia (DPM) is an 
armed militia with allegiance to the Donestsk Peo-
ple’s Republic, a self-proclaimed State in Eastern 
Europe. 
(2) The organization consists of pro-Russian 
separatists that have taken up arms against the 
Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Government of 
Ukraine. 
(3) The Government of Ukraine has concluded 
that the DPM is responsible for shooting down Ma-
laysian Airlines Flight 17 on July 17, 2014. 
(4) The actions of the DPM resulted in the 
deaths of 283 passengers, 80 of them children, and 
15 crew members. 
(5) A United Nations report released May 15, 
2014, concluded that ‘‘in eastern Ukraine, freedom 
of expression is under particular attack through the 
harassment of, and threats to, journalists and media 
outlets and the increasing prevalence of hate speech 
is further fuelling tensions (Section I, Article 5, Sec-
tion vi).’’. 
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(6) According to the United Nations report, 
‘‘Armed groups continue to illegally seize and occupy 
public and administrative buildings in cities and 
towns of the eastern regions and proclaim ‘self-de-
clared regions’ ’’. 
(7) Leaders and members of these armed 
groups commit an increasing number of human 
rights abuses, such as abductions, harassment, un-
lawful detentions, in particular of journalists. This is 
leading to a breakdown in law and order and a cli-
mate of intimidation and harassment (Section I, Ar-
ticle 5, Section ii). 
(8) A report by the highly respected human 
rights advocacy organization, Human Rights Watch, 
found that ‘‘Anti-Kiev forces in eastern Ukraine are 
abducting, attacking, and harassing people they sus-
pect of supporting the Ukrainian government or con-
sider undesirable.’’. 
(9) Militants in the self-proclaimed Donestsk 
People’s Republic have taken hostages and have yet 
to release them. 
(10) According to a report by the United Na-
tions High Commissioner for Refugees, the actions 
of DPM and other militant groups have caused over 
100,000 Ukrainians to flee their country as refugees 
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and have also displaced approximately 54,000 citi-
zens internally. 
(b) CRITERIA.—Section 219(a)(1) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a)(1)) provides the 
3 criteria for the designation of an organization as a for-
eign terrorist organization: 
(1) The organization must be a foreign organi-
zation. 
(2) The organization must engage in terrorist 
activity, as defined in section 212(a)(3)(B) of the 
Immigration 
and 
Nationality 
Act 
(8 
U.S.C. 
1182(a)(3)(B)), or terrorism, as defined in section 
140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization 
Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. 
2656f(d)(2)), or retain the capability and intent to 
engage in terrorist activity or terrorism. 
(3) The organization’s terrorist activity or ter-
rorism must threaten the security of United States 
nationals or the national security (national defense, 
foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the 
United States. 
(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the Donbass People’s Militia has met the 
criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organi-
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zation under section 219 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (as described in subsection (b)); and 
(2) the Secretary of State, in consultation with 
the Attorney General and the Secretary of the 
Treasury, should exercise the Secretary of State’s 
statutory authority and designate the Donbass Peo-
ple’s Militia as a foreign terrorist organization. 
(d) REPORT.—If the Secretary of State does not des-
ignate the Donbass People’s Militia as a foreign terrorist 
organization under section 219 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act within 60 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
Congress a report that contains the reasons therefor. 
SEC. 3. SANCTIONS AGAINST PERSONS WHO KNOWINGLY 
PROVIDE 
MATERIAL 
SUPPORT 
OR 
RE-
SOURCES TO THE DONBASS PEOPLE’S MILI-
TIA 
OR 
ITS 
AFFILIATES, 
ASSOCIATED 
GROUPS, OR AGENTS. 
(a) SANCTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall subject 
to all available sanctions any person in the United 
States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United 
States who knowingly provides material support or 
resources to the Donbass People’s Militia or its af-
filiates, associated groups, or agents. 
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