Holding Russia Accountable for Malign Activities Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.1223 | Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve (D-TN)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Holding Russia Accountable for Malign Activities Act of 2021
This bill directs the President to impose visa- and asset-blocking sanctions on any current or former official of Russia's government involved in the August 20, 2020, poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny or the subsequent cover-up of the poisoning. An individual or entity that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of such sanctions shall be subject to civil and criminal penalties.
In addition, the President shall report to Congress on the personal wealth of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his family members. The Department of State shall report to Congress on the circumstances of the February 27, 2015, assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.


To impose sanctions with respect to individuals associated with the 
Government of the Russian Federation who are complicit in the poisoning 
  and repression of citizens of the Russian Federation for political 
                    motives, 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 ``Holding Russia Accountable for 
Malign Activities Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE POISONING OF 
              OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI NAVALNY.

    (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, or other individual 
acting for or on behalf of, the Government of the Russian Federation 
that the President determines was involved in the poisoning on August 
20, 2020, of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny or the subsequent 
cover-up of the poisoning.
    (b) Imposition of Sanctions.--With respect to each official or 
other individual identified in the report required by subsection (a), 
the President shall impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human 
Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-
328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) or the following sanctions:
            (1) Asset blocking.--The President shall exercise all of 
        the powers granted to the President under the International 
        Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the 
        extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in 
        property and interests in property of the official or other 
        individual identified 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.--
                    (A) Visas, admission, or parole.--An alien 
                identified in the report required by subsection (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 receive 
                        any other benefit under the Immigration 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 revocation 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.
    (c) Waiver; Exceptions; Implementation of Sanctions.--
            (1) Implementation; penalties.--
                    (A) Implementation.--The President may exercise all 
                authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the 
                International Emergency 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 extent as a 
                person that commits an unlawful act described in 
                subsection (a) of that section.
            (2) National security waiver.--The President 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.
            (3) Exceptions.--
                    (A) Exception for intelligence activities.--
                Sanctions under this section shall not apply to any 
                activity 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.
                    (B) Exception to comply with international 
                obligations.--Sanctions under subsection (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 importation of 
                goods.--
                            (i) In general.--The authorities and 
                        requirements to impose sanctions authorized 
                        under this section shall not include the 
                        authority or a requirement to impose sanctions 
                        on the importation of goods.
                            (ii) Good defined.--In this subparagraph, 
                        the term ``good'' means any article, natural or 
                        manmade substance, material, supply, or 
                        manufactured product, including inspection and 
                        test equipment, and excluding 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 permanent 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.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF BORIS NEMTSOV.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Director of 
National Intelligence, shall submit to Congress a report detailing the 
circumstances of the assassination on February 27, 2015, of Russian 
opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, including--
            (1) a list of the individuals the Secretary determines to 
        have been involved in the assassination as perpetrators or as 
        having organized or directed the assassination;
            (2) a description of what measures, if any, have been taken 
        by the Government of the Russian Federation to investigate the 
        assassination and bring the individuals described in paragraph 
        (1) to justice; and
            (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of those measures.

SEC. 4. 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 submit to Congress a report 
on the sources and extent of the personal wealth of the President of 
the Russian Federation, 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. 5. 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 Russian Federation, emphasizing the impropriety 
of involvement 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 the destabilizing and untrustworthy 
leadership of the Russian Federation.

SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPOSITION OF ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS 
              RELATING TO RECENT USE OF NOVICHOK IN THE RUSSIAN 
              FEDERATION.

    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 Russian 
        opposition leader Alexei Navalny by the Government of the 
        Russian Federation constituted the use of chemical or 
        biological weapons in violation of international law or the use 
        of lethal chemical or biological weapons against its own 
        nationals as described in that section; and
            (2) if the President makes an affirmative determination 
        under paragraph (1), impose the sanctions required by section 
        307 of that Act (22 U.S.C. 5605).

SEC. 7. CALLING FOR RELEASE OF ALEXEI NAVALNY AND OTHER POLITICAL 
              PRISONERS FROM POLITICALLY MOTIVATED DETENTION.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
authorities of the Government of the Russian Federation detained 
opposition leader Alexei Navalny on false charges when he returned to 
Moscow on January 17, 2021, after receiving treatment for Novichok 
poisoning in Germany.
    (b) Calling for Release of Political Prisoners.--Congress calls on 
the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately release Navalny 
and all other political prisoners in the Russian Federation currently 
imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights.
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