[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8459 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8459
To impose sanctions with respect to foreign persons that engage in
certain transactions with Ukrainian property.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 21, 2022
Mr. Barr (for himself and Ms. Dean) 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 impose sanctions with respect to foreign persons that engage in
certain transactions with Ukrainian property.
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 ``Russian Property Theft and
Occupation Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN PERSONS THAT ENGAGE IN
CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS WITH UKRAINIAN PROPERTY.
(a) Imposition of Sanctions.--
(1) In general.--On and after the date that is 30 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President
shall impose the sanctions described in subsection (b) with
respect to a foreign person if the President determines that
the foreign person, on or after such date of enactment,
knowingly engages in an activity described in paragraph (2).
(2) Activities described.--A foreign person--
(A) under the direct or indirect control of, or
acting for or on behalf of, the Government of the
Russian Federation that is responsible for or complicit
in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, or
attempted to engage in, the seizure, confiscation,
theft, expropriation, or appropriation of property for
personal gain or political purposes in Ukraine;
(B) that knowingly provides significant financial,
material, or technological support to, or knowingly
engages in a transaction with, a foreign person
described in subparagraph (A); or
(C) that is a leader, official, senior executive
officer, or member of the board of directors of an
entity the President determines operates in illegally
occupied areas in Ukraine.
(b) Sanctions Described.--
(1) In general.--The sanctions to be imposed with respect
to a foreign person described in subsection (a) are the
following:
(A) Blocking of property.--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 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) Ineligibility for visas, admission, or
parole.--
(i) Visas, admission, or parole.--An alien
described in 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.).
(ii) Current visas revoked.--
(I) In general.--An alien described
in 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 subclause (I) shall--
(aa) take effect
immediately; and
(bb) automatically cancel
any other valid visa or entry
documentation that is in the
alien's possession.
(2) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections
(b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person
that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or
causes a violation of regulations promulgated to carry out
paragraph (1)(A) to the same extent that such penalties apply
to a person that commits an unlawful act described in section
206(a) of that Act.
(3) Exceptions.--Sanctions under paragraph (1)(B) shall not
apply with respect to an alien if admitting or paroling the
alien into the United States is necessary--
(A) 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; or
(B) to carry out or assist law enforcement activity
in the United States.
(c) Report Required.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary of
State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
that identifies, for the period beginning on the date of the enactment
of this Act and ending on the date of the report, foreign persons that
have engaged in the activity described in paragraphs (2)(A), (2)(B),
and (2)(C) of subsection (a).
(d) Congressional Requests.--Not later than 30 days after receiving
a request from the chairman or ranking member of the appropriate
congressional committees with respect to whether a person meets the
criteria of a person described in subsection (a) the President shall--
(1) determine if the person meets such criteria; and
(2) submit a classified or unclassified report to such
chairman or ranking member, as the case may be, that submitted
the request with respect to that determination that includes a
statement of whether or not the President imposed or intends to
impose sanctions with respect to such person.
(e) National Security Waiver.--The President may waive the
application of sanctions under this section with respect to a foreign
person if the President--
(1) determines that the waiver is in the national security
interests of the United States; and
(2) submits to the appropriate congressional committees a
report on the waiver and the reasons for the waiver.
(f) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on
Financial Services of the House of Representatives.
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