[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7205 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7205
To amend title 28, United States Code, to ensure those who incur losses
as a result of hostile invasion in Europe have access to the United
States courts to recover damages, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 24, 2022
Mrs. Dingell (for herself and Mr. Upton) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
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A BILL
To amend title 28, United States Code, to ensure those who incur losses
as a result of hostile invasion in Europe have access to the United
States courts to recover damages, 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 ``Ukrainian Sovereignty Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZING CERTAIN ACTIONS IN UNITED STATES COURTS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 97 of title 28, United States Code, is
amended by adding after section 1605B the following:
``Sec. 1605C. Authorizing certain actions in United States courts
``(a) Civil Action.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a
foreign state shall not be immune from the jurisdiction of the courts
of the United States in any case in which money damages are sought
against the foreign state for physical injury, including death,
property damage, or loss of property caused by the foreign state's
invasion of another sovereign nation located in Europe if such
invasion--
``(1) was by or at the direction of the foreign state
irrespective of where such injury, death, damage, or loss
occurred; and
``(2) has been, at any time, condemned by the General
Assembly of the United Nations and by a concurrent resolution
or separate resolutions of the United States House of
Representatives and the United States Senate.
``(b) Attachment.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
including the limitations in section 1610, the property in the United
States of the aggressor foreign state shall not be immune from
attachment in aid of execution, or from execution, upon a judgment
entered by a court of the United States or of a State after the
effective date of this Act.
``(c) Jurisdiction.--The district courts of the United States shall
have original jurisdiction, without regard to the amount in
controversy, of any civil action made under this section. Personal
jurisdiction over a foreign state shall exist as to each claim for
relief where service has been made pursuant to section 1608.
``(d) Definitions.--In this section, the term:
``(1) Foreign state.--The term `foreign state' includes--
``(A) a foreign state as defined by section
1603(a);
``(B) an agency or instrumentality of a foreign
state as defined by section 1603(b); and
``(C) any official of a foreign state and any
citizen of such state subject to any sanction by the
United States through the Department of Commerce, the
Department of Justice, or the Department of State.
``(2) Europe.--The term `Europe' includes the following
sovereign nations:
``(A) Each sovereign nation that is a member of the
European Union.
``(B) United Kingdom.
``(C) Norway.
``(D) Switzerland.
``(E) Danish autonomous territory of Greenland.
``(F) Bulgaria.
``(G) Romania.
``(H) Ukraine, including Crimea, Luhansk, and
Donetsk.
``(I) Croatia.
``(J) Republic of North Macedonia.
``(K) Albania.
``(L) Bosnia and Herzogovina.
``(M) Montenegro.
``(N) Moldova.
``(O) Andorra.
``(P) Iceland.
``(Q) Liechtenstein.
``(R) San Marino.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 97 of
title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting before the item
relating to section 1605B the following new item:
``1605C. Authorizing certain actions in United States courts.''.
(c) Effective Date; Applicability.--The amendments made by this Act
shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall
apply with respect to any invasion of a sovereign nation occurring one
year prior to, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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