SEC. 5. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN PERSONS 
WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT 
IN 
HUMAN 
RIGHTS 
ABUSES 
COMMITTED 
AGAINST CITIZENS OF VENEZUELA OR THEIR 
FAMILY MEMBERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc-
tions described in subsection (c) with respect to each per-
son on the list required by subsection (b). 
(b) LIST OF PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR 
OR COMPLICIT IN CERTAIN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
shall transmit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a list of persons who are officials of the Gov-
ernment of Venezuela or persons acting on behalf of 
the Government of Venezuela, who the President de-
termines, based on credible evidence, are responsible 
for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, con-
trolling, or otherwise directing, the commission of 
serious human rights abuses against citizens of Ven-
ezuela or their family members. 
(2) UPDATES
OF
LIST.—The President shall 
transmit to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees an updated list under paragraph (1)— 
(A) not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act; and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(B) as new information becomes available. 
(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The list required 
under paragraph (1) shall be made available to the 
public and posted on the Web sites of the Depart-
ment of the Treasury and the Department of State. 
(4) CONSIDERATION
OF
DATA
FROM
OTHER 
COUNTRIES
AND
NONGOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZA-
TIONS.—In preparing the list required under para-
graph (1), the President may consider credible data 
already obtained by other countries and nongovern-
mental organizations, including organizations in 
Venezuela, that monitor the human rights abuses of 
the Government of Venezuela. 
(c) SANCTIONS
DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de-
scribed in this subsection are ineligibility for a visa to 
enter the United States and sanctions pursuant to the 
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), including blocking of property and 
restrictions or prohibitions on financial transactions and 
the exportation and importation of property, subject to 
such regulations as the President may prescribe, including 
regulatory exceptions to permit the United States to com-
ply with the Agreement between the United Nations and 
the United States of America regarding the Headquarters 
of the United Nations, signed June 26, 1947, and entered 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
into force November 21, 1947, and other applicable inter-
national obligations. 
(d) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.—The provisions of 
this section shall terminate on the date on which the Presi-
dent determines and certifies to the appropriate congres-
sional committees that Venezuela has— 
(1) unconditionally released all political pris-
oners and opposition leaders; 
(2) ceased violence, unlawful detention, torture, 
and abuse of its citizens; 
(3) cooperated fully with an independent inves-
tigation into the killings, arrests, and abuse of 
peaceful political activists and prosecuted the indi-
viduals responsible for such killings, arrests, and 
abuse; and 
(4) ceased infringing on freedom of expression 
and attacking independent media. 
SEC. 6. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 
TRANSFER OF GOODS OR TECHNOLOGIES TO 
VENEZUELA THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE USED 
TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc-
tions described in section 5(c) with respect to each person 
on the list required under subsection (b) of this section. 
(b) LIST.— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
shall transmit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a list of persons who the President deter-
mines have knowingly engaged in an activity de-
scribed in paragraph (2) on or after such date of en-
actment. 
(2) ACTIVITY DESCRIBED.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A person engages in an 
activity described in this paragraph if the per-
son— 
(i) transfers, or facilitates the transfer 
of, goods or technologies described in sub-
paragraph (C) to Venezuela, any entity or-
ganized under the laws of Venezuela, or 
any national of Venezuela, for use in or 
with respect to Venezuela; or 
(ii) provides services (including serv-
ices relating to hardware, software, and 
specialized information, and professional 
consulting, engineering, and support serv-
ices) with respect to goods or technologies 
described in subparagraph (C) after such 
goods or technologies are transferred to 
Venezuela. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(B) APPLICABILITY
TO
CONTRACTS
AND 
OTHER AGREEMENTS.—A person engages in an 
activity described in subparagraph (A) without 
regard to whether the activity is carried out 
pursuant to a contract or other agreement en-
tered into before, on, or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
(C) 
GOODS
OR
TECHNOLOGIES
DE-
SCRIBED.—Goods or technologies described in 
this subparagraph are goods or technologies 
that the President determines are likely to be 
used by the Government of Venezuela or any of 
the agencies or instrumentalities of the Govern-
ment of Venezuela (or by any other person on 
behalf of the Government of Venezuela or any 
of such agencies or instrumentalities) to commit 
serious human rights abuses against the people 
of Venezuela, including— 
(i) firearms or ammunition (as such 
terms are defined in section 921 of title 
18, United States Code), rubber bullets, 
police batons, pepper or chemical sprays, 
stun grenades, electroshock weapons, tear 
gas, water cannons, or surveillance tech-
nology; or 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(ii) sensitive technology (as defined in 
section 2(3)). 
(3) SPECIAL
RULE
TO
ALLOW
FOR
TERMI-
NATION
OF
SANCTIONABLE
ACTIVITY.—The Presi-
dent shall not be required to include a person on the 
list required under paragraph (1) if the President 
certifies in writing to the appropriate congressional 
committees that— 
(A) the person is no longer engaging in, or 
has taken significant verifiable steps toward 
stopping, the activity described in paragraph 
(2) for which the President would otherwise 
have included the person on the list; and 
(B) the President has received reliable as-
surances that such person will not knowingly 
engage in any activity described in such para-
graph (2) in the future. 
(4) UPDATES
OF
LIST.—The President shall 
transmit to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees an updated list under paragraph (1)— 
(A) not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act; and 
(B) as new information becomes available. 
(5) FORM OF LIST; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(A) FORM.—The list required under para-
graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 
form but may contain a classified annex. 
(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassi-
fied portion of the list required under para-
graph (1) shall be made available to the public 
and posted on the Web sites of the Department 
of the Treasury and the Department of State. 
SEC. 7. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO PER-
SONS WHO ENGAGE IN CENSORSHIP OR 
OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES AGAINST CITI-
ZENS OF VENEZUELA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc-
tions described in section 5(c) with respect to each person 
on the list required under subsection (b) of this section. 
(b) LIST OF PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN CENSOR-
SHIP.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
shall transmit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a list of persons who the President deter-
mines have engaged in censorship or other activities 
with respect to Venezuela that— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(A) prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise 
of freedom of expression or assembly by citizens 
of Venezuela; or 
(B) limit access to print or broadcast 
media, including the facilitation or support of 
intentional frequency manipulation by the Gov-
ernment of Venezuela or an entity owned or 
controlled by the Government of Venezuela that 
would jam or restrict an international signal. 
(2) UPDATES
OF
LIST.—The President shall 
transmit to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees an updated list under paragraph (1)— 
(A) not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act; and 
(B) as new information becomes available. 
(3) FORM OF LIST; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 
(A) FORM.—The list required under para-
graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 
form but may contain a classified annex. 
(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassi-
fied portion of the list required under para-
graph (1) shall be made available to the public 
and posted on the Web sites of the Department 
of the Treasury and the Department of State. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SEC. 8. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON REDUCTION IN IMPOR-
TATION OF PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM 
PRODUCTS OF VENEZUELAN ORIGIN. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) On May 24, 2011, the United States Gov-
ernment decided to impose sanctions on the state- 
owned oil company of Venezuela called Petroleos de 
Venezuela (PDVSA) under the Iran Sanctions Act 
of 1996 (Public Law 104–172; 50 U.S.C. 1701 
note), for delivering at least two cargoes of refor-
mate to Iran between December 2010 and March 
2011, worth approximately $50,000,000. 
(2) In 2012, Venezuela was the fourth largest 
foreign supplier of crude oil to the United States. 
(3) In 2012, the United States imported less 
barrels of total crude oil than in 2005. 
(4) According to the U.S. Energy Information 
Administration, the United States imported approxi-
mately 24,000 barrels per day from Venezuela in 
2013, compared to 29,000 barrels per day in 2012, 
a 17 percent decrease, and imports from Venezuela 
have fallen by nearly half since 2004. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It should be the policy 
of the United States to reduce petroleum imports from 
Venezuela in order to prevent its leader Nicola´s Maduro 
from using the profits from the sale of petroleum to fund 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
his regime’s oppression and human rights violations 
against the people of Venezuela, and to continue the exist-
ing downward trend of petroleum imports from Venezuela. 
SEC. 9. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO PROMOTE INTER-
NET FREEDOM AND ACCESS TO INFORMA-
TION. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation 
with heads of other Federal departments and agencies, as 
appropriate, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a comprehensive strategy to— 
(1) assist the people Venezuela to produce, ac-
cess, and share information freely and safely via the 
Internet; 
(2) increase the capabilities and availability of 
secure mobile and other communications through 
connective technology among human rights and de-
mocracy activists in Venezuela; 
(3) provide resources for digital safety training 
for media and academic and civil society organiza-
tions in Venezuela; 
(4) increase emergency resources for the most 
vulnerable human rights advocates seeking to orga-
nize, share information, and support human rights 
in Venezuela; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(5) expand surrogate radio, television, live 
stream, and social network communications inside 
Venezuela; 
(6) expand activities to safely assist and train 
human rights, civil society, and democracy activists 
in Venezuela to operate effectively and securely; 
(7) expand access to proxy servers for democ-
racy activists in Venezuela; and 
(8) discourage telecommunications and software 
companies from facilitating Internet censorship by 
the Government of Venezuela. 
SEC. 10. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO ENSURE THAT 
VENEZUELA 
WILL 
UPHOLD 
DEMOCRATIC 
PRINCIPLES. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive 
strategy to ensure that the Government of Venezuela will 
uphold— 
(1) free, fair, and transparent elections— 
(A) conducted under the supervision of 
internationally recognized observers; and 
(B) in which— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(i) opposition parties were permitted 
ample time to organize and campaign for 
such elections; and 
(ii) all candidates were permitted full 
access to the media; 
(2) are showing respect for the basic civil lib-
erties and human rights of the citizens of Venezuela; 
(3) are substantially moving toward a market- 
oriented economic systems based on the right to own 
and enjoy property; 
(4) are committed to making constitutional 
changes that would ensure regular free and fair elec-
tions and the full enjoyment of basic civil liberties 
and human rights by the citizens of Venezuela; and 
(5) have made demonstrable progress in estab-
lishing independent judiciaries and electoral councils. 
SEC. 11. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON POLITICAL PRIS-
ONERS. 
It shall be the policy of the United States— 
(1) to support efforts to research and identify 
prisoners of conscience and cases of human rights 
abuses in Venezuela; 
(2) to offer refugee status or political asylum in 
the United States to political dissidents in Venezuela 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
if requested and consistent with the laws and na-
tional security interests of the United States; 
(3) to offer to assist, through the United Na-
tions High Commissioner for Refugees, with the re-
location of such political prisoners to other countries 
if requested, as appropriate and with appropriate 
consideration for the national security interests of 
the United States; and 
(4) to publicly call for the release of Venezuelan 
country dissidents by name and raise awareness with 
respect to individual cases of Venezuelan country 
dissidents and prisoners of conscience, as appro-
priate and if requested by the dissidents or prisoners 
themselves or their families. 
SEC. 12. SUPPORT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY IN VENEZUELA. 
Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for en-
vironmental programs in Ecuador by the United States 
Agency for International Development, $3,000,000 shall 
be made available for assistance to civil society in Ven-
ezuela. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
00:41 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4229.IH
H4229
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS