Title: Holding Russia Accountable for Malign Activities Act of 2020
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Holding Russia Accountable for Malign Activities Act of 2020
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 a Russian opposition leader 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.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8507 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8507

To impose sanctions with respect to officials of the Government of the 
   Russian Federation complicit in the poisoning of its citizens for 
               political motives, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 2, 2020

 Mr. Cohen (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Meeks, and 
 Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on 
 the Judiciary, Financial Services, Ways and Means, Transportation and 
     Infrastructure, and Oversight and Reform, 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 impose sanctions with respect to officials of the Government of the 
   Russian Federation complicit in the poisoning of its citizens 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 2020''.

SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO RUSSIAN OFFICIALS 
              INVOLVED IN POISONING RUSSIAN CITIZENS FOR POLITICAL 
              MOTIVES.

    (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 the Government of the 
Russian Federation that the President determines was involved in the 
poisoning on August 20, 2020, of a Russian opposition leader or the 
subsequent cover-up of the poisoning.
    (b) Imposition of Sanctions.--The President shall impose the 
following sanctions with respect to each official identified in the 
report required by subsection (a):
            (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 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 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. 4. 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. 5. 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 a Russian 
        opposition leader 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).
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