I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8507 
To impose sanctions with respect to officials of the Government of the Russian 
Federation complicit in the poisoning of its citizens for political motives, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 2, 2020 
Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. MEEKS, and Mr. 
FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the 
Judiciary, Financial Services, Ways and Means, Transportation and In-
frastructure, and Oversight and Reform, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To impose sanctions with respect to officials of the Govern-
ment of the Russian Federation complicit in the poi-
soning of its citizens for political motives, 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 ‘‘Holding Russia Ac-
countable for Malign Activities Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO RUS-
SIAN OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN POISONING 
RUSSIAN CITIZENS FOR POLITICAL MOTIVES. 
(a) IDENTIFICATION.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
submit to Congress a report identifying any current or 
former official of the Government of the Russian Federa-
tion that the President determines was involved in the poi-
soning on August 20, 2020, of a Russian opposition leader 
or the subsequent cover-up of the poisoning. 
(b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—The President shall 
impose the following sanctions with respect to each official 
identified in the report required by subsection (a): 
(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 the official identi-
fied in the report required by 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 possession or control of a United 
States person. 
(2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR 
PAROLE.— 
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(A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 
alien identified in the report required by sub-
section (a) is— 
(i) inadmissible to the United States; 
(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 
documentation to enter the United States; 
and 
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 
or paroled into the United States or to re-
ceive any other benefit under the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.). 
(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—An alien identified 
in the report required by subsection (a) is 
subject to revocation of any visa or other 
entry documentation regardless of when 
the visa or other entry documentation is or 
was issued. 
(ii) IMMEDIATE
EFFECT.—A revoca-
tion under clause (i) shall— 
(I) take effect immediately; and 
(II) cancel any other valid visa or 
entry documentation that is in the 
alien’s possession. 
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(c) WAIVER; EXCEPTIONS; IMPLEMENTATION
OF 
SANCTIONS.— 
(1) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 
(A) 
IMPLEMENTATION.—The 
President 
may exercise all authorities provided under sec-
tions 203 and 205 of the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 
and 1704) to the extent necessary to carry out 
this section. 
(B) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, 
attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
causes a violation of subsection (b)(1), or any 
regulation, license, or order issued to carry out 
that subsection, shall be subject to the penalties 
set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 
206 of the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex-
tent as a person that commits an unlawful act 
described in subsection (a) of that section. 
(2) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The Presi-
dent may waive the application of sanctions under 
this section with respect to a person if the President 
determines and certifies to Congress that such a 
waiver is in the national security interests of the 
United States. 
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(3) EXCEPTIONS.— 
(A) EXCEPTION
FOR
INTELLIGENCE
AC-
TIVITIES.—Sanctions under this section shall 
not apply to any activity subject to the report-
ing requirements under title V of the National 
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) 
or any authorized intelligence activities of the 
United States. 
(B) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER-
NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub-
section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to an 
alien if admitting or paroling the alien into the 
United States is necessary to permit the United 
States to comply with the Agreement regarding 
the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 
at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 
into force November 21, 1947, between the 
United Nations and the United States, or other 
applicable international obligations. 
(C) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE IMPOR-
TATION OF GOODS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and 
requirements to impose sanctions author-
ized under this section shall not include 
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the authority or a requirement to impose 
sanctions on the importation of goods. 
(ii) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subpara-
graph, the term ‘‘good’’ means any article, 
natural or manmade substance, material, 
supply, or manufactured product, including 
inspection and test equipment, and exclud-
ing technical data. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMISSION; ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms 
‘‘admission’’, ‘‘admitted’’, and ‘‘alien’’ have the 
meanings given those terms in section 101 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 
(2) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is a United States 
citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for perma-
nent residence to the United States; 
(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or any jurisdiction within the 
United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity; or 
(C) any person in the United States. 
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SEC. 3. REPORT ON PERSONAL WEALTH OF VLADIMIR 
PUTIN AND HIS FAMILY MEMBERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub-
mit to Congress a report on the sources and extent of the 
personal wealth of the President of the Russian Federa-
tion, Vladimir Putin, and his family members. 
(b) PERSONAL WEALTH.—The report required by 
subsection (a) shall include an assessment of the assets, 
investments, bank accounts, other business interests, and 
relevant beneficial ownership information of Vladimir 
Putin and his family members. 
(c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 4. DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT WITH GERMANY WITH 
RESPECT TO SUPPORT FOR NORD STREAM 2 
PIPELINE. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State 
should urge the Government of Germany to withdraw its 
support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from the Rus-
sian Federation, emphasizing the impropriety of involve-
ment in a project that will support a government that 
murders its citizens for highlighting corruption and other 
abuses, while at the same making Europe more reliant on 
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the destabilizing and untrustworthy leadership of the Rus-
sian Federation. 
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPOSITION OF ADDI-
TIONAL SANCTIONS RELATING TO RECENT 
USE OF NOVICHOK IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERA-
TION. 
It is the sense of Congress that the President 
should— 
(1) make a determination under section 306(a) 
of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and 
Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (22 U.S.C. 
5604(a)) with respect to whether the recent use of 
Novichok on August 20, 2020, against a Russian op-
position leader by the Government of the Russian 
Federation constituted the use of chemical or bio-
logical weapons in violation of international law or 
the use of lethal chemical or biological weapons 
against its own nationals as described in that sec-
tion; and 
(2) if the President makes an affirmative deter-
mination under paragraph (1), impose the sanctions 
required by section 307 of that Act (22 U.S.C. 
5605). 
Æ 
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