Belarus Aggression Accountability Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-3640
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2022-02-10
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Alliances

Belarus

Collective security

Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits

Congressional oversight

Corporate finance and management

Europe

Foreign aid and international relief

Foreign loans and debt

Foreign property

Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information

International monetary system and foreign exchange

Military assistance, sales, and agreements

Military operations and strategy

Multilateral development programs

Public contracts and procurement

Russia

Sanctions

Securities

Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status

Trade restrictions

U.S. and foreign investments

Ukraine

Visas and passports
Latest action: action_date: 2022-02-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-02-10
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Belarus Aggression Accountability Act of 2022</strong></p> <p>This bill imposes sanctions on individuals and entities in Belarus that provide support to acts of military aggression by Russia's government that violate Ukraine's sovereignty or territorial integrity.</p> <p>The Department of State must periodically report to Congress an assessment of activities of the armed forces of Belarus that aid or assist such military aggression by Russia's government, as well as the identities of individuals and entities in Belarus that provide such aid. The President must impose property-blocking sanctions on at least five of the identified individuals and entities (and visa-blocking sanctions in the case of an individual).</p> <p>The State Department report must also identify individuals and entities in Belarus that knowingly engage in a significant transaction with an individual or entity that is a part of the defense or intelligence sectors of Russia's government. The President may impose sanctions on such identified individuals and entities. </p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3640 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 10, 2022 Mr. Lankford 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 persons that aid or assist the Russian Federation in acts of military aggression toward Ukraine.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Belarus Aggression Accountability Act of 2022 . 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the buildup of Russian forces in Belarus along its southern border with Ukraine is of great concern to the United States and not consistent with regularly scheduled joint military exercises between the militaries of Belarus and the Russian Federation; (2) the United States should make no distinction between the Russian Federation and any other government that aids or assists Russian forces in any acts of military aggression that violate the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine; (3) the Government of Belarus should incur significant penalties for any actions that aid or assist the Government of the Russian Federation in acts of military aggression towards Ukraine; and (4) the penalties imposed by the United States on the Government of Belarus for such actions should be comparable to the penalties incurred by the Government of the Russian Federation for any acts of military aggression that violate the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine. 3. Reports to Congress on support for Russian aggression toward Ukraine by Belarus (a) Interim reports (1) In general Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 30 days thereafter until the date that is 180 days after such date of enactment, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on support for Russian aggression toward Ukraine by the Government of Belarus. (2) Contents The report required by paragraph (1) shall include— (A) an assessment of the activities of the armed forces of Belarus that aid or assist the Government of the Russian Federation in any act of military aggression that violates the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine, including the extent to which the armed forces of Belarus— (i) provide material, tactical, or other support to any such act of military aggression; (ii) serve as a host to any Russian forces that participate in any such act of military aggression; (iii) operate for or on behalf of the defense or intelligence sectors of the Government of the Russian Federation in any such act of military aggression; or (iv) participate jointly with the Government of Russian Federation in any such act of military aggression; (B) an identification of persons in Belarus that engage in any activity described in paragraph (1); and (C) an identification of persons in Belarus that engage in a significant transaction with the Russian Federation described in section 231(a) of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act ( 22 U.S.C. 9525(a) ), including persons that procure lethal capabilities that are used in an act of military aggression that violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. (b) Annual report (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on military cooperation between Belarus and the Russian Federation. (2) Elements The report required by paragraph (1) shall include— (A) a description of developments in military cooperation between Belarus and the Russian Federation; (B) an assessment of threats to the security of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization resulting from the developments described in subparagraph (A); and (C) a plan to adjust the force posture of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United States to adequately respond to the threats described in subparagraph (B). (c) Appropriate congressional committees defined In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means— (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives. 4. Imposition of sanctions (a) Sanctions with respect to persons that engage in certain activities Not later than 30 days after the date of the submission of a report required by section 3(a), the President shall impose the sanctions described in section 8(b) of the Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014 ( 22 U.S.C. 8907(b) ) with respect to not fewer than 5 persons identified pursuant to section 3(a)(2)(B). (b) Sanctions with respect to persons that engage in certain transactions Not later than 30 days after the date of the submission of a report required by section 3(a), the President may impose the sanctions described in section 235 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act ( 22 U.S.C. 9529 ) with respect to the persons identified pursuant to section 3(a)(2)(C).