I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 920 
To restrict the transfer of defense articles, defense services, and crime control 
articles to any element of the security forces of Venezuela that is under 
the authority of a government of Venezuela that is not recognized as 
the legitimate government of Venezuela by the Government of the United 
States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 30, 2019 
Ms. SHALALA (for herself, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, 
Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto Rico, Mr. SOTO, Mrs. MURPHY, Ms. 
MUCARSEL-POWELL, and Mr. SIRES) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To restrict the transfer of defense articles, defense services, 
and crime control articles to any element of the security 
forces of Venezuela that is under the authority of a 
government of Venezuela that is not recognized as the 
legitimate government of Venezuela by the Government 
of the United States, 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 ‘‘Venezuela Arms Re-
striction Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. RESTRICTION ON EXPORT OF COVERED ARTICLES 
AND 
SERVICES 
TO 
CERTAIN 
SECURITY 
FORCES OF VENEZUELA. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, covered 
articles or services may not be exported from the United 
States to any element of the security forces of Venezuela 
that is under the authority of a government of Venezuela 
that is not recognized as the legitimate government of 
Venezuela by the Government of the United States. 
SEC. 3. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce as appro-
priate, shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report on the transfer by foreign persons of cov-
ered articles or services to elements of the security forces 
of Venezuela that are under the authority of a government 
of Venezuela that is not recognized as the legitimate gov-
ernment of Venezuela by the Government of the United 
States. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) A list of all significant transfers by foreign 
persons of covered articles or services to such ele-
ments of the security forces of Venezuela since July 
2017. 
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(2) A list of all foreign persons who maintain 
an existing defense relationship with such elements 
of the security forces of Venezuela. 
(3) Any known use of covered articles or serv-
ices by such elements of the security forces of Ven-
ezuela or associated forces, including paramilitary 
groups, that have coordinated with such security 
forces to assault, intimidate, or murder political ac-
tivists, protesters, dissidents, and other civil society 
leaders. 
SEC. 4. TERMINATION. 
This Act shall expire on the earlier of— 
(1) the date that is 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act; or 
(2) the date on which the President certifies to 
the appropriate congressional committees that the 
Government of Venezuela has returned to a demo-
cratic form of government with respect for the es-
sential elements of representative democracy as set 
forth in Article 3 of the Inter-American Democratic 
Charter. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Committee on Financial Services of the 
House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs of the Senate. 
(2) COVERED ARTICLE OR SERVICE.—The term 
‘‘covered article or service’’— 
(A) for purposes of section 2, means— 
(i) a defense article or defense service, 
as such terms are defined in section 47 of 
the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
2794); and 
(ii) any article included on the Com-
merce Control List set forth in Supplement 
No. 1 to part 774 of the Export Adminis-
tration Regulations under subchapter C of 
chapter VII of title 15, Code of Federal 
Regulations, and controlled for crime con-
trol purposes, if it is determined that the 
end-user is likely to use the article to vio-
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late the human rights of the citizens of 
Venezuela; and 
(B) for purposes of section 3, means— 
(i) any defense article or defense serv-
ice of the type described in section 47 of 
the Arms Export Control Act; and 
(ii) any article of the type included on 
the Commerce Control List set forth in 
Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the Ex-
port Administration Regulations and con-
trolled for crime control purposes. 
(3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per-
son’’ means a person that is not a United States 
person. 
(4) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in-
dividual or entity. 
(5) SECURITY
FORCES
OF
VENEZUELA.—The 
term ‘‘security forces of Venezuela’’ includes— 
(A) the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, 
including the Bolivarian National Guard; 
(B) the Bolivarian National Intelligence 
Service; 
(C) the Bolivarian National Police; and 
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(D) the Bureau for Scientific, Criminal 
and Forensic Investigations of the Ministry of 
Interior, Justice, and Peace. 
(6) 
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 
(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or of any jurisdiction within 
the United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity. 
Æ 
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