Title: To provide for measures to strengthen dialogue with the Russian people and support Russian civil society, and for other purposes.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
CPR for Russian Civil Society Act
This bill directs the Department of State to: (1) conduct a study on streamlining visa procedures for Russian students and persons involved in professional and cultural exchanges, and (2) enhance screening of certain senior Russian political figures and oligarchs and others associated with President Vladimir Putin.
The bill requires reports to Congress regarding: (1) efforts to strengthen strategic stability with Russia, (2) cultural exchange and educational programs with Russia, and (3) Russian proxies.
The Department of State shall convene a meeting of U.S. technology companies that sell or license tools that allow the Russian government to suppress civil society activists. The meeting shall focus on developing a code of conduct to restrain U.S. companies from aiding such efforts.
Additional funds are provided to increase the International Broadcasting Operations Fund's Russian language programming.
The State Department shall compile and make public a list of Russian-based persons who recruited or facilitated the transfer of Russian personnel for the Donbass war in Ukraine or the targeting of civilians in Syria. Such persons shall be prohibited from entering the United States.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6426 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6426

To provide for measures to strengthen dialogue with the Russian people 
       and support Russian civil society, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 18, 2018

Mr. Espaillat introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the 
    Judiciary, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for measures to strengthen dialogue with the Russian people 
       and support Russian civil society, 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 title may be cited as the ``CPR for Russian Civil Society 
Act''.

SEC. 2. STRENGTHENING DIALOGUE WITH THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE.

    (a) Improved Visa Screening Procedures for Russian Visitors.--Not 
later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, shall conduct a study on how to streamline and simplify visa 
procedures for Russian students and persons involved in professional 
and cultural exchanges in order to reduce the overall visa processing 
period and facilitate people-to-people exchanges. Such study shall 
examine average visa wait times for successful visa applicants from 
Russia and overall rejection rates of Russian nationals applying for 
visas.
    (b) Enhanced Screening for Putin Allies.--In conjunction with the 
study undertaken pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in 
coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary 
of the Treasury, shall develop enhanced visa screening procedures for 
the following individuals:
            (1) Persons identified as ``the most significant senior 
        foreign political figures and oligarchs in the Russian 
        Federation'', as listed in a classified annex to a report 
        issued on January 29, 2018, pursuant to section 241(a)(1) of 
        the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, but 
        who are not already included in the list of specially 
        designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the 
        Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the 
        Treasury.
            (2) Persons who are not otherwise included in the specially 
        designated nationals list but who promote Russian President 
        Vladimir Putin's policies of repression, as determined by the 
        Secretary of State.
            (3) Persons who benefit from or act as agents of Russian 
        persons on the specially designated nationals list.
    (c) Improved Tracking of Exchange Programs.--Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
report on current cultural exchange and educational programs with 
Russia. Such report shall include the following:
            (1) A list of existing programs funded by the United States 
        Government dedicated to United States-Russia cultural and 
        educational exchange and research, including funding levels for 
        each program.
            (2) Information relating to funding of the programs 
        specified in paragraph (1), including overall history of such 
        funding since 1991, relative to funding for other regions with 
        such exchange and research programs.
    (d) Strategic Stability.--
            (1) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in concurrence 
        with the Secretary of State, shall submit to Congress a report 
        on efforts to strengthen strategic stability with Russia.
            (2) Annual meetings.--The Secretary of Defense, in 
        concurrence with the Secretary of State, shall host an annual 
        bilateral meeting, through 2023, with Russian counterparts in 
        order to discuss relevant issues of common interest, including 
        maintaining strategic stability and open lines for crisis 
        communications.

SEC. 3. SUPPORT RUSSIAN CIVIL SOCIETY.

    (a) Fight Putin's Censorship.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall convene 
a meeting of senior leaders of United States technology companies that 
sell, license, or otherwise facilitate the installation of tools that 
allow the Government of Russia to censor, harass, or suppress the 
activities of civil society activists. Such meeting shall focus on 
developing a common code of conduct to restrain United States companies 
aiding and abetting the Government of Russia's efforts to suppress 
Russian civil society, fundamental freedoms in Russia, and efforts to 
expose corruption on the part of the Government of Russia.
    (b) International Broadcasting Operations Fund.--
            (1) In general.--In addition to amounts otherwise 
        authorized to be appropriated for the Broadcasting Board of 
        Governors' International Broadcasting Operations Fund, there is 
        authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to expand Russian 
        language programming and to provide for the dissemination of 
        accurate and independent information to the Russian people 
        through online media, radio, television, cellular telephone, 
        short message service, and other communications. The 
        Broadcasting Board of Governors shall identify those countries 
        that serve as Russian vacation destinations and further target 
        United States international broadcasting and programming 
        activities towards such countries.
            (2) Use of amounts.--To achieve the objectives described in 
        paragraph (1), amounts in the International Broadcasting 
        Operations Fund referred to in such subparagraph may be used to 
        develop--
                    (A) additional transmission capability for Radio 
                Free Europe/Radio Liberty, including through additional 
                shortwave and medium wave transmissions, satellite, and 
                Internet mechanisms;
                    (B) additional proxy server capability and anti-
                censorship technologies to counter efforts by the 
                Government of Russia to censor political and civil 
                society activities, such as blocking of the Telegram 
                app, and investigations into corruption on the part of 
                the Government of Russia;
                    (C) technologies to counter efforts to block SMS 
                text message exchange over cellular phone networks; and
                    (D) additional digital programs and operations for 
                Voice of America in Russia.
            (3) Conforming amendment to expanded broadcasting in 
        countries of the former soviet union.--Paragraph (1) of section 
        8(e) of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 
        8927(e); Public Law 118-272) is amended by striking ``2018'' 
        and inserting ``2020''.

SEC. 4. PUBLICIZE RUSSIAN MISDEEDS.

    (a) Donbass Recruitment.--
            (1) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall compile and 
        publicly release a list of Russian-based persons, including 
        organizations and their executives, who recruited or otherwise 
        facilitated the transfer of Russian personnel for--
                    (A) the war in the Donbass; or
                    (B) targeting of civilians in Syria.
            (2) Visa ban.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law 
        any persons identified in the list required under paragraph (1) 
        shall be prohibited from entry to the United States.
    (b) Report on Actions by Russian Proxies.--Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 
shall submit to Congress a list of the following:
            (1) Persons, including corporations with United States 
        subsidiaries, acting in Europe and the United States as front 
        companies or intermediaries of the Government of Russia, and 
        the executives of such persons.
            (2) Politicians serving or acting as proxies of the 
        Government of Russia.
            (3) Russian media entities, including producers and 
        reporters, who--
                    (A) traffic in forgeries, fabrications, and altered 
                media products with intent to obfuscate factual 
                reporting; or
                    (B) instigate conflict and violence in Europe or 
                the United States.
            (4) Non-Russian persons that have knowingly or negligently 
        provided hardware or other forms of assistance to the 
        Government of Russia that has furthered Russia's efforts to--
                    (A) filter online political content;
                    (B) disrupt cell phone and Internet communications;
                    (C) monitor the online activities of Russian 
                citizens; or
                    (D) discriminate against or suppress the activities 
                of independent civil society institutions.
            (5) Each person that--
                    (A) receives subsidies from the Government of 
                Russia, thereby eroding market opportunities for 
                private businesses;
                    (B) provides financial or material support to 
                Russia-backed forces actively involved in aggression 
                against Russia's neighbors;
                    (C) provides financial or material support to 
                propaganda outlets of the Government of Russia that 
                legitimize Russian aggression; or
                    (D) provides financing or material support to 
                political and nongovernmental persons or entities, 
                including the United Russia political party, determined 
                by the Secretary of State to be engaged in the 
                suppression of fundamental freedoms in Russia.
    (c) Previously Listed Entities.--The lists required under this 
section may also include entities already identified in the list of 
specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the 
Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury.
    (d) Form.--The lists required under this section shall be 
unclassified but may be submitted in classified form.
    (e) Provision.--The Secretary of State shall transmit the 
unclassified lists required under this section to the heads of state 
of--
            (1) NATO member states;
            (2) Sweden;
            (3) Finland; and
            (4) Ireland.
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