[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6421 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6421
To authorize the imposition of sanctions with respect to the deliberate
concealment or distortion of information about public health
emergencies of international concern, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 31, 2020
Mr. Curtis (for himself, Ms. Cheney, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Banks, Mr.
Yoho, Mr. Bishop of Utah, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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 authorize the imposition of sanctions with respect to the deliberate
concealment or distortion of information about public health
emergencies of international concern, 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 ``Li Wenliang Global Public Health
Accountability Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.
(a) In General.--The President may impose the sanctions described
in subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person the President
determines, based on credible evidence--
(1) is a government official, or a senior associate of such
an official, that is responsible for, or complicit in,
ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, or financially
benefits from, acts intended to deliberately conceal or distort
information about a public health emergency of international
concern, including coronavirus disease 2019 (commonly known as
``COVID-19''); or
(2) has materially assisted, sponsored, or provided
financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or
services in support of, an act described in paragraph (1).
(b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this
subsection are the following:
(1) Inadmissibility to united states.--In the case of a
foreign person who is an individual--
(A) ineligibility to receive a visa to enter the
United States or to be admitted to the United States;
or
(B) if the individual has been issued a visa or
other documentation, revocation, in accordance with
section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), of the visa or other documentation.
(2) Blocking of property.--
(A) In general.--The blocking, in accordance with
the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), of all transactions in all
property and interests in property of a foreign person
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) Exception relating to importation of goods.--
(i) In general.--The authority to block and
prohibit all transactions in all property and
interests in property under subparagraph (A)
shall not include the authority 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.
(c) Consideration of Certain Information in Imposing Sanctions.--In
determining whether to impose sanctions under subsection (a), the
President shall consider--
(1) information provided jointly by the chairperson and
ranking member of each of the appropriate congressional
committees; and
(2) credible information obtained by other countries and
nongovernmental organizations that monitor violations of human
rights and global health issues, including issues related to
infectious disease.
(d) Requests by Appropriate Congressional Committees.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after receiving a
request that meets the requirements of paragraph (2) with
respect to whether a foreign person is described in subsection
(a), the President shall--
(A) determine if that person is so described; and
(B) submit a classified or unclassified report to
the chairperson and ranking member of the committee or
committees that submitted the request with respect to
that determination that includes--
(i) a statement of whether or not the
President imposed or intends to impose
sanctions with respect to the person; and
(ii) if the President imposed or intends to
impose sanctions, a description of those
sanctions.
(2) Requirements.--A request under paragraph (1) with
respect to whether a foreign person is described in subsection
(a) shall be submitted to the President in writing jointly by
the chairperson and ranking member of one of the appropriate
congressional committees.
(e) Exception To Comply With United Nations Headquarters Agreement
and Law Enforcement Objectives.--Sanctions under subsection (b)(1)
shall not apply to an individual if admitting the individual into the
United States--
(1) would further important law enforcement objectives; or
(2) 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 of the
United States.
(f) Enforcement of Blocking of Property.--A person that violates,
attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of
subsection (b)(2) 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.
(g) Reports Required.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the President shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that
includes--
(1) a list of each foreign person with respect to which the
President imposed sanctions under subsection (b) during the
year preceding the submission of the report;
(2) a description of the type of sanctions imposed with
respect to each such person;
(3) the number of foreign persons with respect to which the
President--
(A) imposed sanctions under subsection (b) during
that year; or
(B) terminated sanctions under subsection (h)
during that year;
(4) the dates on which such sanctions were imposed or
terminated, as the case may be;
(5) the reasons for imposing or terminating such sanctions;
and
(6) a description of the efforts of the President to
encourage the governments of other countries to impose
sanctions that are similar to the sanctions authorized by this
section.
(h) Termination of Sanctions.--The President may terminate the
application of sanctions under this section with respect to a person if
the President determines and reports to the appropriate congressional
committees not later than 15 days before the termination of the
sanctions that--
(1) credible information exists that the person did not
engage in the activity for which sanctions were imposed;
(2) the person has been prosecuted appropriately for the
activity for which sanctions were imposed; or
(3) the termination of the sanctions is in the national
security interests of the United States.
(i) Regulatory Authority.--The President shall issue such
regulations, licenses, and orders as are necessary to carry out this
section.
(j) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Financial Services and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means a
person that is not a United States person.
(3) Person.--The term ``person'' means an individual or
entity.
(4) Public health emergency of international concern.--The
term ``public health emergency of international concern'' means
a public health emergency determined to be a public health
emergency of international concern by the World Health
Organization.
(5) 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.
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