Title: Ending Medical Censorship and Cover Ups in China Act of 2020
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Ending Medical Censorship and Cover Ups in China Act of 2020
This bill directs the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on persons responsible for various acts of censorship in China. Specifically, such sanctions shall apply to persons that engage in acts to (1) prohibit or limit the exercise of free expression and assembly in China, (2) penalize Chinese citizens for the public dissemination of accurate epidemiological information, or (3) limit access to media in China.
The President shall periodically update the list of sanctioned persons, which shall be publicly available.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3802 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3802

 To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to censorship and 
 related activities against citizens of the People's Republic of China.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2020

   Mr. Cruz introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to censorship and 
 related activities against citizens of the People's Republic of China.

    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 ``Ending Medical Censorship and Cover 
Ups in China Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CENSORSHIP AND RELATED 
              ACTIVITIES AGAINST CITIZENS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
              CHINA.

    (a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions described 
in subsection (c) with respect to each person on the list required by 
subsection (b).
    (b) List Required.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a list of persons that the 
        President determines have, on or after such date of enactment, 
        engaged in censorship or other activities with respect to the 
        People's Republic of China that--
                    (A) prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of 
                freedom of expression or assembly by citizens of the 
                People's Republic of China, including prohibitions, 
                limitations, or penalties related to the use of social 
                media;
                    (B) penalize citizens of the People's Republic of 
                China for the public dissemination of accurate 
                epidemiological information, including information 
                related to emerging diseases or pathogens; or
                    (C) limit access to print, broadcast, digital, or 
                social media.
            (2) Updates of list.--The President shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees an updated list under 
        paragraph (1) not less frequently than annually and as new 
        information becomes available.
            (3) Form of report; public availability.--
                    (A) Form.--Each list required by this subsection 
                shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 
                a classified annex.
                    (B) Public availability.--The unclassified portion 
                of a list required by this subsection shall be posted 
                on publicly available websites of the Department of the 
                Treasury and the Department of State.
    (c) Sanctions Described.--
            (1) In general.--The sanctions described in this subsection 
        are the following:
                    (A) Property blocking.--The President shall, 
                pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers 
                Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), block and prohibit all 
                transactions in property and interests in property of a 
                person on the list required by subsection (b) 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.
                    (B) Aliens ineligible for visas, admission, or 
                parole.--
                            (i) Exclusion from the united states.--The 
                        Secretary of State shall deny a visa to, and 
                        the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
                        exclude from the United States, any alien on 
                        the list required by subsection (b).
                            (ii) Current visas revoked.--
                                    (I) In general.--The issuing 
                                consular officer, the Secretary of 
                                State, or the Secretary of Homeland 
                                Security (or a designee of any such 
                                officer or Secretary) shall revoke any 
                                visa or other entry documentation 
                                issued to an alien on the list required 
                                by subsection (b), regardless of when 
                                the visa or other documentation was 
                                issued.
                                    (II) Effect of revocation.--A 
                                revocation under subclause (I) shall 
                                take effect immediately and shall 
                                automatically cancel any other valid 
                                visa or entry documentation that is in 
                                the alien's possession.
            (2) Inapplicability of national emergency requirement.--The 
        requirements under section 202 of the International Emergency 
        Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply for 
        purposes of paragraph (1)(A).
    (d) Exceptions.--
            (1) Intelligence activities.--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.
            (2) Compliance with united nations headquarters 
        agreement.--Subsection (c)(1)(B) shall not apply with respect 
        to the admission of an alien to the United States if such 
        admission is necessary to comply with United States obligations 
        under the Agreement between the United Nations and the United 
        States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United 
        Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into 
        force November 21, 1947, under the Convention on Consular 
        Relations, done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and entered into 
        force March 19, 1967, or under other international obligations.
    (e) Implementation; Penalties.--
            (1) 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 carry out this section.
            (2) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to 
        violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of 
        subsection (c)(1)(A) 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.
    (f) 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) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
                Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the 
                Committee on Finance, and the Committee on Commerce, 
                Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee 
                on Financial Services, the Committee on Ways and Means, 
                and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
                the House of Representatives.
            (3) United states person.--The term ``United States 
        person'' means--
                    (A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully 
                admitted to the United States for permanent residence; 
                or
                    (B) an entity organized under the laws of the 
                United States or any jurisdiction within the United 
                States.
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