,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hecb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bg1 #bjbb,mr4 
,keating 7for himself1 ,mr4             
,fitzpatrick1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,ms4       
,kaptur1 ,mr4 ,ryan1 ,ms4 ,jacobs of    
,california1 ,ms4 ,wild1 ,mr4 ,wilson of
 ,south ,carolina1 ,ms4 ,spanberger1    
,mr4 ,vargas1 ,ms4 ,titus1 ,mrs4        
,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1    
,ms4 ,speier1 ,mr4 ,trone1 ,mr4         
,morelle1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4         
,swalwell1 ,mr4 ,costa1 ,mr4 ,higgins of
 ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,himes1 ,mr4 ,cohen1  
and ,mr4 ,carson7 introduced the        
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs  ,a 
,,bill  ,to provide assistance for      
suspected victims and witnesses of war  
crimes in ,ukraine1 and for other       
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,atrocity ,crimes1  
,relief and ,accountability ,act or the 
,,acra ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress   
finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,russian 

,government's war on ,ukraine has       
exposed the systemic lack of compliance 
with international humanitarian law1 jus
 in bello1 on the part of the ,russian  
military4  7#b7 ,ukrainian civilians    
have been actively targeted by ,russian 
troops1 compounding their needless      
suffering and forcing non-combatants    
into a state of terror4  7#c7 ,these    
barbaric ways of war are inconsistent   
with five key principles of the law of  
armed conflict3 distinction1            
proportionality1 military necessity1    
hors de combat and unnecessary          
suffering4  7#d7 ,it is vital that      
,russian war criminals are brought to   
justice4  7#e7 ,a key component of any  
atrocity crimes investigation includes  
the accurate and reliable testimony of  
witnesses4 ,as war crimes judicial      
proceedings could take years1 and cross 
many national jurisdictions1            
investigators must protect and have     
ready access to potential witnesses for 
a long period of time4 ,within the first

 #ajj days of the war1 over #aa million 
people - one quarter of ,ukraine's #dd  
million population - had been displaced 
from their homes1 including five million
 people who fled the country4  7#f7     
,there is reasonable concern that       
suspected atrocity crimes victims and   
survivors are less likely to testify as 
witnesses in potential legal            
proceedings1 as they may be in danger of
 intimidation or not stay actively      
engaged due to lack of a support        
structure to sustain a lengthy          
investigation and trial1 or as a result 
of having fled the country in which the 
atrocities were committed4  7#g7 ,legal 
experts and civil society groups have   
identified an immediate need for        
supporting and protecting victims1      
survivors and witnesses of atrocity     
crimes1 no matter where they are        
located1 including ensuring such efforts
 are coordinated to minimize the risk of
 retraumatizing survivors4  7#h7        
,without requisite support1 victims and 

survivors are less likely to accept the 
onerous burden of testifying against    
criminals1 undermining their ability to 
attain some justice for their suffering1
 and reducing the ability to hold war   
criminals accountable for their actions4
  7#i7 ,therefore1 it is necessary that 
the ,united ,states assist relevant     
authorities and civil society groups in 
protecting and supporting this          
vulnerable population within ,ukraine   
and across borders4  #c4 ,authorization 
of assistance for suspected victims and 
witnesses of war crimes ,section        
#g7;d77#a7 of the ,ukraine ,freedom     
,support ,act of #bjad 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4   
#hibf7;d77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in     
subparagraph 7,c71 by striking 2 and and
 inserting a semicolon2  7#b7 in        
subparagraph 7,d71 by striking the      
period at the end and inserting 2 and2  
and  7#c7 by adding at the end the      
following new subparagraphs3  7,e7      
provide support for suspected victims1  
survivors1 and witnesses of atrocity    

crimes1 wherever located1 through direct
 or in-kind assistance2 and  7,f7       
provide assistance to the ,ukrainian    
,prosecutor ,general1 the war crimes    
units of the ,office of the ,prosecutor 
,general and other appropriate          
,ukrainian judicial and law enforcement 
authorities to support accountability   
through the documentation1              
investigation1 and prosecution of       
atrocity crimes4  4  #d4 ,authorization 
of assistance with respect to the       
prosecution of war crimes ,section #g of
 the ,ukraine ,freedom ,support ,act of 
#bjad 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #hibf7 is amended  
by adding at the end the following new  
subsections3  7e7 ,assistance for       
prosecution of war crimes ,the          
,secretary of ,state1 in coordination   
with the ,attorney ,general1 the        
,secretary of ,defense1 or the head of  
any other appropriate ,federal          
department or agency1 may assign or     
detail1 on a rotational basis1 employees
 of such departments or agencies to     

advise1 assist1 and provide training to 
build the capacity of ,ukrainian        
prosecutorial1 law enforcement1 forensic
 and judicial authorities1 with respect 
to the prosecution of atrocity crimes4  
7f7 ,victims ,trust ,fund  7#a7         
,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,state
 shall establish a ,ukraine ,victims    
,trust ,fund1 to assist victims1        
survivors and witnesses during          
investigations and while awaiting       
judicial proceedings4  7#b7 ,rewards    
authorized  7,a7 ,in general ,in the    
sole discretion of the ,secretary1 the  
,secretary may pay assistance to any    
individual who-- 7i7 provides credible  
information that they were a victim or  
witness of an atrocity crime2  7ii7     
demonstrates the need for compensation  
while furnishing information on         
suspected criminals2 and  7iii7 is      
awaiting trial in order to testify      
against their attacker4  7,b7 ,eligible 
proceedings ,for purposes of the        
authority provided by this subsection1  

the term judicial proceedings includes  
cases brought forth by the ,ukrainian   
,prosecutor ,general1 the ,international
 ,criminal ,court1 or any ,united       
,nations-sanctioned tribunal with       
jurisdiction over the prosecution of    
atrocity crimes committed in ,ukraine4  
7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations   
,there is authorized to be appropriated 
#ej1jjj1jjj for the ,ukraine ,victims   
,trust ,fund established under paragraph
 7#a71 which shall be authorized to     
remain available for #aj years after the
 date of the enactment of this          
subsection4  7g7 ,atrocity crimes       
rewards program  7#a7 ,establishment    
,the ,secretary of ,state shall         
establish a ,ukraine ,atrocity ,crimes  
,rewards ,fund1 under the ,war ,crimes  
,rewards ,program to assist in the      
prosecution of atrocity crimes committed
 in ,ukraine4  7#b7 ,rewards authorized 
,in the sole discretion of the          
,secretary1 the ,secretary may pay a    
reward to any individual who furnishes  

information leading to the arrest or    
conviction in any country of any foreign
 person indicted with respect to the    
commission of atrocity crimes by the    
,ukrainian ,prosecutor ,general1 the    
,international ,criminal ,court1 or any 
,united ,nations-sanctioned tribunal    
with jurisdiction over the prosecution  
of atrocity crimes committed in         
,ukraine4  7#c7 ,authorization of       
appropriations ,there is authorized to  
be appropriated #ej1jjj1jjj for the     
,ukraine ,victims ,trust ,fund          
established under paragraph 7#a71 which 
shall be authorized to remain available 
for #aj years after the date of the     
enactment of this subsection4  4  #e4   
,authorization of international criminal
 court and investigations with respect  
to the prosecution of atrocity crimes   
,section #bjjd7;h7 of the ,american     
,servicemembers ,protection ,act of     
#bjjb 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #gdbc7 is amended--
 7#a7 by striking ,agents4--,no agent   
and inserting the following3 ,agents4-- 

7#a7 ,in general ,no agent  2 and  7#b7 
by adding at the end the following3 ,the
 prohibition in the preceding sentence  
shall not apply in the case of          
investigative activities that  7#b7     
,exceptions ,the prohibition under      
paragraph 7#a7 shall not apply with     
respect to investigative activities     
that-- 7,a7 specifically target foreign 
nationals suspected of atrocity crimes  
on foreign soil2  7,b7 are undertaken in
 coordination with the ,attorney        
,general2 and  7,c7 relate solely to    
investigations of crimes occurring in   
,ukraine4  7#c7 ,notification ,not later
 than #ae days before initiating        
investigative activities pursuant to the
 exception authorized by paragraph 7#b71
 the ,secretary of ,state shall submit  
to the appropriate congressional        
committees written and electronic notice
 of-- 7,a7 the names of the             
investigators on behalf of the          
,international ,criminal ,court who are 
entering the ,united ,states2  7,b7 the 

witnesses those investigators will meet2
 and  7,c7 the year in which the        
suspected crimes occurred4  4