RETURN Act

Bill: 117-hr-6754
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6]
Introduced: 2022-02-18
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Aviation and airports

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Conflicts and wars

Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Emergency planning and evacuation

Europe

Government lending and loan guarantees

Health information and medical records

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Medical tests and diagnostic methods

Military operations and strategy

Transportation costs

Ukraine
Latest action: action_date: 2022-02-18
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-02-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Russians Engaged in Threating Ukraine Refuge Now Act or the RETURN Act </strong></p> <p>This bill prohibits the U.S. government from charging U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents for their evacuation related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. </p> <p>Specifically, the Department of State must waive repayment for travel expenses incurred on behalf of such an individual as part of the evacuation from Ukraine. Similarly, no federal employee may solicit or accept funds from such an individual as a condition of using government-provided transportation to repatriate the individual to the United States.</p> <p>No traveler may be denied State Department-sponsored air travel related to such an evacuation due to a failure to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test or recovery from COVID-19. </p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6754 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 18, 2022 Mr. Barr introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To prohibit the solicitation of reimbursement of any travel expenses incurred by the Department of State on behalf of any United States citizen or lawful permanent resident evacuated from Ukraine and repatriated to the United States, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Russians Engaged in Threating Ukraine Refuge Now Act or the RETURN Act . 2. Prohibition on solicitation of reimbursement (a) In general Notwithstanding subsection (b)(2)(A)(ii) of section 4 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 ( 22 U.S.C. 2671 ), during the period of evacuation related to a Russian invasion of Ukraine and withdrawal of United States Department of State personnel from Ukraine— (1) the Secretary of State shall waive any repayment of any travel expenses incurred by the Department of State on behalf of any United States citizen or lawful permanent resident evacuated from Ukraine and repatriated to the United States; (2) any promissory note or other obligation to repay an emergency repatriation loan signed by a United States citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the United States to reimburse the Department of State for travel expenses described in paragraph (1) shall be null and void; and (3) no Federal official or employee may solicit or accept any amount from any individual who is a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident of the United States, whether in the form of a reimbursement or as any other condition of using transportation provided by the United States, to repatriate such individual to the United States. (b) Prohibition of denial of travel No traveler on any Department of State-sponsored air travel pursuant to subsection (a) shall be denied a flight if such traveler is unable to abide by the requirements the Amended Order: Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID–19 Test Result or Recovery from COVID–19 for All Airline Passengers Arriving into the United States, published on December 2, 2021. (c) Termination This Act shall terminate on the date that is six months after the date of the enactment of this Act.