#aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4   
,r4 #edjh  ,,an ,,act  ,to oppose       
violations of religious freedom in      
,ukraine by ,russia and armed groups    
commanded by ,russia4  #a4 ,short title 
,this ,act may be cited as the ,ukraine 
,religious ,freedom ,support ,act4  #b4 
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3  7#a7 ,russia invaded the     
,crimea region of ,ukraine in ,february 
#bjad1 continues to occupy and control  
that region1 and has exercised control  
over part of the ,donbas region of      
eastern ,ukraine since ,april #bjad     
through non-state armed groups and      
illegal entities it has established1    
instigated1 commanded1 and supported1   
including with military and intelligence
 personnel on the ground from ,russia4  
7#b7 ,international humanitarian law1   
including the ,geneva ,conventions1 to  
which ,russia is a signatory1 requires  
,russia to respect and protect the      
religious freedom of the inhabitants of 
the territory it occupies or controls1  

including through organized non-state   
armed groups and illegal entities it    
commands and supports1 and holds ,russia
 responsible for violations of religious
 freedom in this territory4  7#c7       
,according to the ,department of        
,state's ,international ,religious      
,freedom ,reports1 and other reporting1 
violations of religious freedom in the  
,crimea region of ,ukraine since ,russia
 invaded and occupied the territory have
 included abduction1 detention and      
imprisonment1 torture1 forced           
psychiatric hospitalizations1 fines1    
restrictions on missionary activities1  
confiscations of property1 including    
churches and meeting halls1 expulsions  
and obstructions to reentry1 denying    
registration of religious groups1       
vandalism1 fines1 and banning peaceful  
religious groups1 and targeted groups   
have included ,muslim ,crimean ,tatars1 
the ,orthodox ,church of ,ukraine1      
formerly the ,ukrainian ,orthodox       
,church of the ,kyivan ,patriarchate1   

the ,ukrainian ,greek ,catholic ,church1
 ,protestant ,christians1 and ,jehovah's
 ,witnesses4  7#d7 ,according to the    
,department of ,state's ,international  
,religious ,freedom ,reports1 violations
 of religious freedom in the part of the
 ,donbas region of ,ukraine controlled  
by armed groups commanded by ,russia    
have included detention and             
imprisonment1 torture1 confiscation of  
property1 including churches and meeting
 halls1 physical assaults and threats of
 violence1 vandalism1 fines1            
restrictions on missionary activities1  
religious services1 ceremonies1         
gatherings1 and literature1 and banning 
of peaceful religious groups1 and       
targeted groups have included the       
,orthodox ,church of ,ukraine1 formerly 
the ,ukrainian ,orthodox ,church-,kyiv  
,patriarchate1 the ,ukrainian ,greek    
,catholic ,church1 ,protestant          
,christians1 and ,jehovah's ,witnesses4 
7#e7 ,the ,international ,religious     
,freedom ,act of #aiih1 as amended by   

the ,frank ,r4 ,wolf ,international     
,religious ,freedom ,act1 requires the  
,president to-- 7,a7 designate a foreign
 country as a country of particular     
concern for religious freedom when its  
government has engaged in or tolerated  
particularly severe violations of       
religious freedom in that country over  
the previous #ab months2  7,b7 take one 
or more of the actions described in     
paragraphs 7#i7 through 7#ae7 of section
 #dje7;a7 of the ,international         
,religious ,freedom ,act of #aiih 7#bb  
,u4,s4,c4 #fdde7;a771 or commensurate   
actions in substitution1 not later than 
#ij days1 or #ahj days in case of a     
delay under paragraph 7#c71 after the   
date of the designation of a country as 
a country of particular concern for     
religious freedom2 and  7,c7 designate a
 foreign country on a ,special ,watch   
,list when its government has engaged in
 or tolerated severe violations of      
religious freedom in that country over  
the previous #ab months4  7#f7 ,on      

,december #ah1 #bjai1 the ,secretary of 
,state re-designated ,russia for the    
,special ,watch ,list4  7#g7 ,the       
,national ,security ,strategy of the    
,united ,states issued in #bjag1 #bjae1 
#bjjf1 #bjjb1 #bjjj1 #aiii1 #aiih1 and  
#aiig1 committed the ,united ,states to 
promoting international religious       
freedom to advance the security1        
economic1 and other national interests  
of the ,united ,states4  #c4 ,statement 
of policy ,it is the policy of the      
,united ,states to consider any alien   
who1 while serving as an official of the
 ,government of ,russia1 was responsible
 for or directly carried out            
particularly severe violations of       
religious freedom in the sovereign      
territory of ,ukraine that ,russia      
illegally occupies or controls1         
including through non-state armed groups
 and illegal entities it commands and   
supports1 to have committed particularly
 severe violations of religious freedom 
for purposes of applying section        

#bab7;a77#b77;,g7 of the ,immigration   
and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4     
#aahb7;a77#b77;,g77 with respect to any 
such alien4  #d4 ,designation of ,russia
 as a country of particular concern for 
religious freedom ,for purposes of      
making a determination of whether to    
designate ,russia as a country of       
particular concern for religious freedom
 under section #djb of the              
,international ,religious ,freedom ,act 
of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #fddb71 the     
,president shall consider any           
particularly severe violation of        
religious freedom in the territory of   
,ukraine that ,russia occupies or       
controls1 including controls through    
non-state armed groups and illegal      
entities it commands and supports1      
during the period of time that is the   
basis for the determination and         
designation1 to be a particularly severe
 violation of religious freedom that the
 ,government of ,russia has engaged in  
or tolerated4  #e4 ,determination of    

budgetary effects ,the budgetary effects
 of this ,act1 for the purpose of       
complying with the ,statutory           
,pay-,as-,you-,go ,act of #bjaj1 shall  
be determined by reference to the latest
 statement titled ,budgetary ,effects of
 ,,paygo ,legislation for this ,act1    
submitted for printing in the           
,congressional ,record by the ,chairman 
of the ,house ,budget ,committee1       
provided that such statement has been   
submitted prior to the vote on passage4 
,passed the ,house of ,representatives  
,november #ah1 #bjbj4;,clerk4