Belarus Aggression Accountability Act of 2022
Bill: S.3640 | Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James (R-OK)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Belarus Aggression Accountability Act of 2022
This bill imposes sanctions on individuals and entities in Belarus that provide support to acts of military aggression by Russia's government that violate Ukraine's sovereignty or territorial integrity.
The Department of State must periodically report to Congress an assessment of activities of the armed forces of Belarus that aid or assist such military aggression by Russia's government, as well as the identities of individuals and entities in Belarus that provide such aid. The President must impose property-blocking sanctions on at least five of the identified individuals and entities (and visa-blocking sanctions in the case of an individual).
The State Department report must also identify individuals and entities in Belarus that knowingly engage in a significant transaction with an individual or entity that is a part of the defense or intelligence sectors of Russia's government. The President may impose sanctions on such identified individuals and entities.

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to persons that aid 
or assist the Russian Federation in acts of military aggression toward 
                                Ukraine.

    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 ``Belarus Aggression Accountability 
Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the buildup of Russian forces in Belarus along its 
        southern border with Ukraine is of great concern to the United 
        States and not consistent with regularly scheduled joint 
        military exercises between the militaries of Belarus and the 
        Russian Federation;
            (2) the United States should make no distinction between 
        the Russian Federation and any other government that aids or 
        assists Russian forces in any acts of military aggression that 
        violate the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine;
            (3) the Government of Belarus should incur significant 
        penalties for any actions that aid or assist the Government of 
        the Russian Federation in acts of military aggression towards 
        Ukraine; and
            (4) the penalties imposed by the United States on the 
        Government of Belarus for such actions should be comparable to 
        the penalties incurred by the Government of the Russian 
        Federation for any acts of military aggression that violate the 
        sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine.

SEC. 3. REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON SUPPORT FOR RUSSIAN AGGRESSION TOWARD 
              UKRAINE BY BELARUS.

    (a) Interim Reports.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and every 30 days thereafter until 
        the date that is 180 days after such date of enactment, the 
        Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
        Treasury, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
        committees a report on support for Russian aggression toward 
        Ukraine by the Government of Belarus.
            (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) an assessment of the activities of the armed 
                forces of Belarus that aid or assist the Government of 
                the Russian Federation in any act of military 
                aggression that violates the sovereignty or territorial 
                integrity of Ukraine, including the extent to which the 
                armed forces of Belarus--
                            (i) provide material, tactical, or other 
                        support to any such act of military aggression;
                            (ii) serve as a host to any Russian forces 
                        that participate in any such act of military 
                        aggression;
                            (iii) operate for or on behalf of the 
                        defense or intelligence sectors of the 
                        Government of the Russian Federation in any 
                        such act of military aggression; or
                            (iv) participate jointly with the 
                        Government of Russian Federation in any such 
                        act of military aggression;
                    (B) an identification of persons in Belarus that 
                engage in any activity described in paragraph (1); and
                    (C) an identification of persons in Belarus that 
                engage in a significant transaction with the Russian 
                Federation described in section 231(a) of the 
                Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act 
                (22 U.S.C. 9525(a)), including persons that procure 
                lethal capabilities that are used in an act of military 
                aggression that violates the sovereignty and 
                territorial integrity of Ukraine.
    (b) Annual Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
        Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on 
        military cooperation between Belarus and the Russian 
        Federation.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) a description of developments in military 
                cooperation between Belarus and the Russian Federation;
                    (B) an assessment of threats to the security of the 
                North Atlantic Treaty Organization resulting from the 
                developments described in subparagraph (A); and
                    (C) a plan to adjust the force posture of the North 
                Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United States to 
                adequately respond to the threats described in 
                subparagraph (B).
    (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Armed Services of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Armed Services of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.

    (a) Sanctions With Respect to Persons That Engage in Certain 
Activities.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the submission of 
a report required by section 3(a), the President shall impose the 
sanctions described in section 8(b) of the Support for the Sovereignty, 
Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014 (22 
U.S.C. 8907(b)) with respect to not fewer than 5 persons identified 
pursuant to section 3(a)(2)(B).
    (b) Sanctions With Respect to Persons That Engage in Certain 
Transactions.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the submission 
of a report required by section 3(a), the President may impose the 
sanctions described in section 235 of the Countering America's 
Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9529) with respect to the 
persons identified pursuant to section 3(a)(2)(C).
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