I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4422 
To impose sanctions on foreign persons responsible for violations of inter-
nationally recognized human rights against lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 30, 2023 
Ms. JACOBS
(for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. 
BONAMICI, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CASE, Mr. CASTRO of 
Texas, Mr. COSTA, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of 
Florida, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of California, Mr. 
GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. HOULAHAN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JOHN-
SON of Georgia, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mr. KEATING, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. 
KILMER, Mr. LIEU, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
MEEKS, Ms. MENG, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PETERS, Mr. POCAN, 
Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. 
STANTON, Mr. SWALWELL, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. 
TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. 
WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. WILD, and Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To impose sanctions on foreign persons responsible for viola-
tions of internationally recognized human rights against 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex 
(LGBTQI) individuals, and for other purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Global Respect Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The dignity, freedom, and equality of all 
human beings are fundamental to a thriving global 
community. 
(2) The rights to life, liberty, and security of 
the person, the right to privacy, and the right to 
freedom of expression and association are funda-
mental human rights. 
(3) An alarming trend of violence directed at 
LGBTQI individuals around the world continues. 
(4) Approximately one-third of all countries 
have laws criminalizing consensual same-sex rela-
tions, and many have enacted policies or laws that 
would further target LGBTQI individuals. 
(5) Every year thousands of individuals around 
the world are targeted for harassment, attack, ar-
rest, and murder on the basis of their sexual ori-
entation or gender identity. 
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(6) Those who commit crimes against LGBTQI 
individuals often do so with impunity, and are not 
held accountable for their crimes. 
(7) In many instances police, prison, military, 
and civilian government authorities have been di-
rectly complicit in abuses aimed at LGBTQI citi-
zens, including arbitrary arrest, torture, and sexual 
abuse. 
(8) Celebrations of LGBTQI individuals and 
communities, such as film festivals, Pride events, 
and demonstrations are often forced underground 
due to inaction on the part of, or harassment by, 
local law enforcement and government officials, in 
violation of freedoms of assembly and expression. 
(9) Laws criminalizing consensual same-sex re-
lations severely hinder access to HIV/AIDS treat-
ment, information, and preventive measures for 
LGBTQI individuals and families. 
(10) Many countries are making positive devel-
opments in the protection of the basic human rights 
of LGBTQI individuals. 
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SEC. 3. SANCTIONS ON INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBLE FOR 
VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AGAINST 
LGBTQI PEOPLE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act and biannually there-
after, the President shall transmit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a list of each foreign person the 
President determines, based on credible information, in-
cluding information obtained by other countries or by non-
governmental organizations that monitor violations of 
human rights— 
(1) is responsible for or complicit in, with re-
spect to persons based on actual or perceived sexual 
orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics— 
(A) torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrad-
ing treatment or punishment; 
(B) prolonged detention without charges 
and trial; 
(C) causing the disappearance of such per-
sons by the abduction and clandestine detention 
of such persons; or 
(D) other flagrant denial of the right to 
life, liberty, or the security of such persons; or 
(2) acted as an agent of or on behalf of a for-
eign person in a matter relating to an activity de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
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(b) FORM; UPDATES; REMOVAL.— 
(1) FORM.—The list required by subsection (a) 
shall be transmitted in unclassified form and pub-
lished in the Federal Register, except that the Presi-
dent may include a foreign person in a classified, 
unpublished annex to such list if the President— 
(A) determines that— 
(i) it is vital for the national security 
interests of the United States to do so; and 
(ii) the use of such annex, and the in-
clusion of such person in such annex, 
would not undermine the overall purpose of 
this section to publicly identify foreign per-
sons engaging in the conduct described in 
subsection (a) in order to increase account-
ability for such conduct; and 
(B) not later than 15 days before including 
such person in a classified annex, provides to 
the appropriate congressional committees notice 
of, and a justification for, including or con-
tinuing to include each foreign person in such 
annex despite the existence of any publicly 
available credible information indicating that 
each such foreign person engaged in an activity 
described in subsection (a). 
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(2) UPDATES.—The President shall transmit to 
the appropriate congressional committees an update 
of the list required by subsection (a) as new infor-
mation becomes available. 
(3) REMOVAL.—A foreign person may be re-
moved from the list required by subsection (a) if the 
President determines and reports to the appropriate 
congressional committees not later than 15 days be-
fore the removal of such person from such list 
that— 
(A) new, credible information is discovered 
confirming that such person did not in fact en-
gage in the activity for which the person was 
included in such list; 
(B) such person has been prosecuted ap-
propriately for the activity in which such person 
engaged; 
(C) such person has credibly demonstrated 
a significant change in behavior, has paid an 
appropriate consequence for the activities in 
which such person engaged, and has credibly 
committed to not engage in an activity de-
scribed in subsection (a); or 
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(D) removal of such sanctions is in the 
vital national security interests of the United 
States. 
(c) PUBLIC SUBMISSION
OF INFORMATION.—The 
President shall issue public guidance, including through 
United States diplomatic and consular posts, setting forth 
the manner by which the names of foreign persons that 
may meet the criteria to be included on the list required 
by subsection (a) may be submitted to the Department 
of State for evaluation. 
(d) REQUESTS FROM CHAIR AND RANKING MEMBER 
OF APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 
(1) CONSIDERATION OF INFORMATION.—In ad-
dition to the guidance issued pursuant to subsection 
(c), the President shall also consider information 
provided by the Chair or Ranking Member of each 
of the appropriate congressional committees in de-
termining whether to include a foreign person in the 
list required by subsection (a). 
(2) REQUESTS.—Not later than 120 days after 
receiving a written request from the Chair or Rank-
ing Member of one of the appropriate congressional 
committees with respect to whether a foreign person 
meets the criteria for being included in the list re-
quired by subsection (a), the President shall trans-
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mit a response to such Chair or Ranking Member, 
as the case may be, with respect to the President’s 
determination relating to such foreign person. 
(3) REMOVAL.—If the President removes from 
the list required by subsection (a) a foreign person 
that had been included in such list pursuant to a re-
quest under paragraph (2), the President shall pro-
vide to the relevant Chair or Ranking Member of the 
appropriate congressional committees any informa-
tion that contributed to such decision. 
(4) FORM.—The President may transmit a re-
sponse required by paragraph (2) or paragraph (3) 
in classified form if the President determines that it 
is necessary for the national security interests of the 
United States to do so. 
(e) INADMISSIBILITY OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.— 
(1) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS AND ADMISSION 
TO THE UNITED STATES.—A foreign person on the 
list required by subsection (a), and each immediate 
family member of such person, is— 
(A) inadmissible to the United States; 
(B) ineligible to receive a visa or other doc-
umentation to enter the United States; and 
(C) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or 
paroled into the United States or to receive any 
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