Title: SECURE Our Democracy Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Safeguard our Elections and Combat Unlawful Interference in Our Democracy Act or the SECURE Our Democracy Act
This bill directs the Department of State to identify each foreign person who engaged in U.S. election interference since January 1, 2015. The bill imposes financial and immigration sanctions on these individuals. Specifically, such individuals shall be ineligible to receive a U.S. entry visa and any current visa shall be revoked. The Department of the Treasury must (1) freeze and prohibit a listed foreign person's transactions in property and property interests that are in the United States, and (2) require financial institutions to certify that they have frozen all such assets.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3501 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3501

  To expose and deter unlawful and subversive foreign interference in 
         elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2019

Mr. Engel (for himself, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Kelly 
 of Illinois, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Ms. Speier, Mr. 
 Cohen, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. 
Lowenthal, Mr. Rush, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. Pallone, Mr. Welch, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr. Himes, Mr. Langevin, 
Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Ms. Titus, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. 
  Espaillat, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Meeks, and Mr. Schneider) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
   and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Financial 
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 expose and deter unlawful and subversive foreign interference in 
         elections for Federal office, 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 ``Safeguard our Elections and Combat 
Unlawful Interference in Our Democracy Act'' or the ``SECURE Our 
Democracy Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Admitted; alien.--The terms ``admitted'' and ``alien'' 
        have the meanings given such 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) in the House of Representatives--
                            (i) the Committee on Foreign Affairs;
                            (ii) the Committee on Homeland Security;
                            (iii) the Committee on Financial Services;
                            (iv) the Committee on the Judiciary; and
                            (v) the Permanent Select Committee on 
                        Intelligence; and
                    (B) in the Senate--
                            (i) the Committee on Foreign Relations;
                            (ii) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
                        Governmental Affairs;
                            (iii) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
                        and Urban Affairs;
                            (iv) the Committee on the Judiciary; and
                            (v) the Select Committee on Intelligence.
            (3) Financial institution.--The term ``financial 
        institution'' has the meaning given such term in section 5312 
        of title 31, United States Code.
            (4) Foreign interference.--The term ``foreign 
        interference'', with respect to a United States election, 
        includes any covert, fraudulent, deceptive, or unlawful actions 
        or attempted actions of a foreign government, or of any person 
        acting as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign government, 
        undertaken with the purpose or effect of influencing, 
        undermining confidence in, or altering the result or reported 
        result of, such election, or undermining public confidence in 
        election processes or institutions.
            (5) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means--
                    (A) a natural person who is not a United States 
                person under paragraph (5)(A); or
                    (B) a foreign entity or foreign government.
            (6) United states election.--The term ``United States 
        election'' means any election for Federal office.
            (7) 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.

SEC. 3. IDENTIFICATION OF FOREIGN PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR FOREIGN 
              INTERFERENCE IN UNITED STATES ELECTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a list of each foreign person that 
the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 
agencies, determines--
            (1) was, at any time since January 1, 2015, directly or 
        indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed, or otherwise been 
        complicit in foreign interference in a United States election;
            (2) materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, 
        material, or technological support for, or goods or services to 
        or in support of, any activity described in paragraph (1) or 
        any person whose property or interests in property are blocked 
        pursuant to this section; or
            (3) is owned or controlled by, or to have acted or 
        purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, 
        any person whose property or interests in property are blocked 
        pursuant to this section.
    (b) Updates.--The Secretary of State shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees an update of the list required 
under subsection (a) as new information becomes available.
    (c) Sanctions.--A foreign person on the list required under 
subsection (a) is subject to the sanctions described in sections 4 and 
5.
    (d) Form.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
        list required under subsection (a) shall be submitted in 
        unclassified form.
            (2) Exception.--The name of a foreign person to be included 
        in the list required under subsection (a) may be submitted in a 
        classified annex only if the Secretary of State--
                    (A) determines that it is in the national security 
                interests of the United States to do so; and
                    (B) 15 days prior to submitting any such name in 
                such a classified annex, provides to the appropriate 
                congressional committees notice of, and a justification 
                for, including or continuing to include any such 
                foreign person in any such classified annex despite any 
                publicly available information indicating that such 
                foreign person is described in paragraph (1) or (2) of 
                such subsection.
            (3) Public availability; nonapplicability of 
        confidentiality requirement with respect to visa records.--The 
        unclassified portion of the list required under subsection (a) 
        shall be made available to the public and published in the 
        Federal Register, without regard to the requirements of section 
        222(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
        1202(f)) with respect to confidentiality of records pertaining 
        to the issuance or refusal of visas or permits to enter the 
        United States.

SEC. 4. INADMISSIBILITY OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Ineligibility for Visas and Admission to the United States.--A 
foreign person on the list required under section 3(a) is--
            (1) inadmissible to the United States;
            (2) ineligible to receive a visa or other documentation to 
        enter the United States; and
            (3) 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.--
            (1) In general.--The issuing consular officer or the 
        Secretary of State, (or a designee of the Secretary of State) 
        shall, in accordance with section 221(i) of the Immigration and 
        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), revoke any visa or other 
        entry documentation issued to a foreign person on the list 
        required under section 3(a) regardless of when the visa or 
        other entry documentation is issued.
            (2) Effect of revocation.--A revocation under subparagraph 
        (A) shall--
                    (A) take effect immediately; and
                    (B) automatically cancel any other valid visa or 
                entry documentation that is in the foreign person's 
                possession.
            (3) Regulations required.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 
        shall prescribe such regulations as are necessary to carry out 
        this subsection.
    (c) Applicability to Foreign Entities and Foreign Governments.--
Subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall apply to aliens who are 
officials of, agents or instrumentalities of, working or acting on 
behalf of, or otherwise associated with a foreign entity or foreign 
government that is a foreign person included on the list required under 
section 3(a) if such aliens are determined by the Secretary of State to 
have knowingly authorized, conspired to commit, been responsible for, 
engaged in, or otherwise assisted or facilitated the actions described 
in such section.
    (d) Exception To Comply With International Obligations.--Sanctions 
under this section shall not apply with respect to a foreign person if 
admitting or paroling such person 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.
    (e) Waiver for National Security Interests.--The Secretary of State 
may waive the application of subsection (a) or (b) in the case of an 
alien if--
            (1) the Secretary determines that such a waiver is in the 
        national security interests of the United States; and--
            (2) not later than 15 days prior to granting such a waiver, 
        the Secretary provides to the appropriate congressional 
        committees notice of, and a justification for, such waiver.
    (f) Regulatory Authority.--The Secretary of State shall prescribe 
such regulations as are necessary to carry out this section.

SEC. 5. FINANCIAL MEASURES.

    (a) Freezing of Assets.--
            (1) In general.--The President, acting through the 
        Secretary of the Treasury, shall exercise all powers granted by 
        the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 
        et seq.) (except that the requirements of section 202 of such 
        Act (50 U.S.C. 1701) shall not apply) to the extent necessary 
        to freeze and prohibit all transactions in all property and 
        interests in property of a foreign person that is on the list 
        required under section 3(a) of this Act if such property or 
        interests in property are in the United States, are or come 
        within the United States, or are or come within the possession 
        or control of a United States person.
            (2) Applicability to foreign entities and foreign 
        governments.--Paragraph (1) shall apply to aliens who are 
        officials of, agents or instrumentalities of, working or acting 
        on behalf of, or otherwise associated with a foreign entity or 
        foreign government that is a foreign person included on the 
        list required under section 3(a) if such aliens are determined 
        by the President, acting through the Secretary of the Treasury, 
        to have knowingly authorized, conspired to commit, been 
        responsible for, engaged in, or otherwise assisted or 
        facilitated the actions described in such section 3(a).
    (b) Waiver for National Security Interests.--The Secretary of the 
Treasury may waive the application of subsection (a) if the Secretary 
determines that such a waiver is in the national security interests of 
the United States. Not less than 15 days prior to granting such a 
waiver, the Secretary shall provide to the appropriate congressional 
committees notice of, and a justification for, such waiver.
    (c) Enforcement.--
            (1) Penalties.--A foreign 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 specified 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 such section.
            (2) Applicability to foreign entities and foreign 
        governments.--Paragraph (1) shall apply to aliens who are 
        officials of, agents or instrumentalities of, working or acting 
        on behalf of, or otherwise associated with a foreign entity or 
        foreign government that is a foreign person included on the 
        list required under section 3(a) if such aliens are determined 
        by the President, acting through the Secretary of the Treasury, 
        to have knowingly authorized, conspired to commit, been 
        responsible for, engaged in, or otherwise assisted or 
        facilitated the actions described in such section 3(a).
            (3) Requirements for financial institutions.--Not later 
        than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
        President, acting through the Secretary of the Treasury, shall 
        prescribe or amend regulations as needed to require each 
        financial institution that is a United States person and has 
        within its possession or control assets that are property or 
        interests in property of a foreign person that is on the list 
        required under section 3(a) if such property or interests in 
        property are in the United States, are or come within the 
        United States, or are or come within the possession or control 
        of a United States person to certify to the Secretary that, to 
        the best of the knowledge of such financial institution, such 
        financial institution has frozen all assets within the 
        possession or control of such financial institution that are 
        required to be frozen pursuant to subsection (a).
    (d) Regulatory Authority.--The President, acting through the 
Secretary of the Treasury, shall issue such regulations, licenses, and 
orders as are necessary to carry out this section.
    (e) Exception Relating to Importation of Goods.--
            (1) In general.--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.
            (2) Good defined.--In this subsection, the term ``good'' 
        means any article, natural or man-made substance, material, 
        supply or manufactured product, including inspection and test 
        equipment, and excluding technical data.

SEC. 6. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report on the actions taken to 
carry out this Act, including--
            (1) a description of each foreign person on the list 
        required under section 3(a);
            (2) the dates on which such foreign persons were added to 
        such list; and
            (3) a description of the actions described in such section 
        that were undertaken by each such foreign person.
    (b) Timing.--The Secretary of State shall submit the first report 
required under this section not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. The Secretary shall submit subsequent 
reports under this section not later than 60 days after the date of 
each regularly scheduled general election for Federal office, beginning 
with the election held in 2020.
    (c) Form.--Each report required under subsection (a) shall be 
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex if 
such is in the national security interests of the United States. If a 
classified annex is included in any such report, the Secretary of State 
shall include in such report a specific national security justification 
for such classified annex.
                                 <all>