Supporting Mexico Against Corruption Act
Bill: H.R.1122 | Sponsor: Rep. Gallagher, Mike (R-WI)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Supporting Mexico Against Corruption Act
This bill directs the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons who are current or former officials of the Mexican government and who are responsible for acts of significant corruption. These sanctions shall also apply to foreign persons acting on behalf of such a government official.
The sanctions shall not apply to acts related to U.S. intelligence activities. The President may waive application of the sanctions for U.S. national security interests or to prevent undue economic harm to the people of Mexico.

To require the imposition of sanctions pursuant to the Global Magnitsky 
 Human Rights Accountability Act to combat corruption and human rights 
violations perpetrated by officials in the Mexican Government, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Mexico Against Corruption 
Act''.

SEC. 2. GLOBAL MAGNITSKY SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN GOVERNMENT 
              OFFICIALS THAT ENGAGE IN CORRUPTION OR HUMAN RIGHTS 
              ABUSES IN MEXICO.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and as appropriate thereafter, the President 
shall impose the sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to 
each foreign person described in subsection (b) if the President has 
credible evidence that the foreign person has knowingly engaged in any 
of the activities described in section 1263(a)(3) of the Global 
Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of 
Public Law 114-328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note).
    (b) Foreign Persons Described.--A foreign person described in this 
subsection is a foreign person who is--
            (1) a current or former official of the Government of 
        Mexico; or
            (2) acting on behalf of, or in cooperation with, an 
        official of such Government.
    (c) Sanctions Described.--
            (1) In general.--The sanctions described in this subsection 
        are the sanctions described in section 1263(b) of the Global 
        Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title 
        XII of Public Law 114-328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note).
            (2) Exception for intelligence activities.--The requirement 
        to impose sanctions under this section shall not apply with 
        respect to activities subject to the reporting 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.
    (d) Waiver.--The President may waive the imposition of the 
sanctions under this section with respect to a foreign person if the 
President determines and reports to the appropriate congressional 
committees that such waiver is--
            (1) in the national security interests of the United 
        States; or
            (2) necessary to prevent undue economic harm to the people 
        of Mexico.
    (e) Implementation.--
            (1) In general.--The President may exercise all authorities 
        provided to the President under sections 203 and 205 of the 
        International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 
        1704) to carry out this section.
            (2) Exception relating to the importation of goods.--The 
        authorities and requirements to impose sanctions authorized 
        under this Act shall not include the authority or requirement 
        to impose sanctions on the importation of goods.
            (3) Good defined.--In this subsection, the term ``good'' 
        means any article, natural or manmade substance, material, 
        supply or manufactured product, including inspection and test 
        equipment and excluding technical data.
    (f) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to violate, 
conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this section or any 
regulation, license, or order issued to carry out this section 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 extent as a person that commits an unlawful 
act described in subsection (a) of that section.
    (g) Report on Implementation.--Not later than 15 days after 
imposing sanctions under subsection (a), the President shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report regarding measures 
taken to implement this section.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee 
                on Armed Services, the Permanent Select Committee on 
                Intelligence, the Committee on Financial Services, the 
                Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
                Committee on Armed Services, the Select Committee on 
                Intelligence, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
                Urban Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
            (2) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means an 
        individual or entity that is not a United States person.
            (3) United states person.--The term ``United States 
        person'' means--
                    (A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully 
                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.
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