[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4202 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4202
To direct the Secretary of State to establish a strategy for monitoring
the general elections in the Republic of Honduras to take place on
November 30, 2025, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 26, 2025
Ms. Salazar (for herself, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Smith of New Jersey,
Mrs. Torres of California, Mr. Lawler, and Mr. Green of Tennessee)
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 direct the Secretary of State to establish a strategy for monitoring
the general elections in the Republic of Honduras to take place on
November 30, 2025, 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 ``Protect Honduran Democracy Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the 2025 election process in the Republic of Honduras
raises serious concerns about the fairness of the electoral
process, including irregularities with the March 2025 primary
election, violence against candidates and the actions
undertaken by security and defense forces under the ongoing
state of emergency, including serious human rights violations
which undermine the conditions of the election;
(2) there is a need for the United States to support
efforts to ensure elections in the Republic of Honduras to take
place on November 30, 2025, are free and fair; and
(3) the Armed Forces of Honduras and other relevant
institutions with a role in the electoral process should
respect their role within the confines of the constitution of
Honduras and protect the democratic process.
SEC. 3. STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall establish a strategy
to promote free and fair elections in Honduras to take place on
November 30, 2025.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The strategy required by subsection
(a) shall include support for monitoring the elections by credible and
internationally recognized elections monitoring bodies, such as the
Organization of American States, the European Union, the United
Nations, and experienced civil society observers and others to achieve
the following:
(1) Ensure that candidates to public office are not subject
to harassment, undue legal persecution or other efforts to
misuse State resources to dissuade them or undermine their
candidacies.
(2) Avoid the misuse of State resources aimed at
influencing voter preferences.
(3) Avoid the use of violence and intimidation, including
by transnational criminal organizations, local gangs, or
political parties and their proxies.
(4) Guarantee freedom of speech and assembly.
(5) Ensure transparent and credible transmission of
elections results.
SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE.
The President, acting through the Secretary of State, is authorized
to provide assistance on a grant basis to nongovernmental organizations
for activities--
(1) to monitor the national elections in Honduras to take
place on November 30, 2025; and
(2) to assess the extent to which these elections are held
on a free and fair basis.
SEC. 5. SANCTIONS.
(a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions described
in subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person, including any
current or former official of the Government of Honduras or any person
acting on behalf of that Government, that the President determines--
(1) has unduly prevented, or is responsible for ordering or
otherwise directing the undue prevention of, any candidate, or
prospective candidate, in the general elections in Honduras to
take place on November 30, 2025;
(2) has knowingly materially assisted, sponsored, or
provided significant financial, material, or technological
support for, or goods or services in support of, the commission
of the acts described in paragraph (1); or
(3) has carried out acts of intimidation or harassment
toward candidates, election officials, or election observers,
including through the use of spurious legal action.
(b) Sanctions Described.--
(1) In general.--The sanctions described in this subsection
are, in the case of an alien determined by the President to be
subject to subsection (a), denial of a visa to, and exclusion
from the United States of, the alien, and revocation in
accordance with section 221(i) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), of any visa or other
documentation of the alien.
(2) Exceptions.--The sanctions described in paragraph (1)
shall not apply with respect to a foreign person that--
(A) the President determines is the subject of
other sanctions equivalent to those described in
paragraph (1); or
(B) is an alien, if admitting the alien into the
United States 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.
(c) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions
under subsection (b) with respect to a foreign person if the
President--
(1) determines that such a waiver is in the national
interest of the United States; and
(2) on or before the date on which the waiver takes effect,
submits to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee
on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives a notice of and justification for the waiver.
(d) Regulatory Authority.--The President shall issue such
regulations, licenses, and orders as are necessary to carry out this
section.
SEC. 6. PROMOTION OF MIGRANT PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS.
Congress encourages the Secretary of State to promote the ability
of citizens of Honduras residing in the United States to vote in the
general elections in Honduras to take place on November 30, 2025.
SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the President should continue to
seek to coordinate with other countries, particularly Central American
countries, a comprehensive, multilateral strategy to further the
purposes of this Act, including, as appropriate, encouraging other
countries to take measures with respect to Honduras that are similar to
measures described in this Act.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this Act $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
(b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) are authorized to
remain available until expended.
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