,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #daf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #ad1 #bjbc,mr4 ,wicker 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,graham1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 and ,mr4 ,rubio7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to designate the ,russian-based mercenary ,wagner ,group as a foreign terrorist organization1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short titles ,this ,act may be cited as the ,holding ,accountable ,russian ,mercenaries ,act or the ,,harm ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the ,secretary of ,state's designation of an entity as a foreign terrorist organization results from a determination that-- 7,a7 the entity is foreign and engages in terrorism or terrorist activity2 and 7,b7 the terrorist activity threatens the security of the ,united ,states or its nationals4 7#b7 ,the activities of the ,wagner ,group and affiliated entities of ,russian national ,yevgeniy ,prigozhin pose a threat to the national interests and national security of the ,united ,states and allies and partners of the ,united ,states1 including with respect to ,russia's war on ,ukraine1 which ,president ,biden declared1 on ,march #b1 #bjbb1 poses an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,on ,june #bj1 #bjag1 the ,department of the ,treasury's ,office of ,foreign ,assets ,control designated the ,wagner ,group and its military leader1 ,dmitry ,utkin1 pursuant to ,executive ,order #acffj 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 relating to blocking property of certain persons contributing to the situation in ,ukraine7 for being responsible for or complicit in1 or having engaged in1 directly or indirectly1 actions or policies that threaten the peace1 security1 stability1 sovereignty or territorial integrity of ,ukraine4 7#d7 ,on ,september #bj1 #bjah1 the ,department of ,state added ,yevgeniy ,prigozhin and his affiliated entities1 including the ,wagner ,group1 to the list of persons identified as part of1 or operating for or on behalf of1 the defense or intelligence sectors of the ,government of the ,russian ,federation under section #bca of the ,countering ,america's ,adversaries ,through ,sanctions ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #iebe74 7#e7 ,on ,january #bj1 #bjbc1 a ,white ,house spokesperson announced that the ,department of the ,treasury will designate the ,wagner ,group as a significant transnational criminal organization pursuant to ,executive ,order #aceha 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 relating to blocking property of transnational criminal organizations71 consistent with the authority granted to the ,president under section #bjc7;a7 of the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agjb74 7#f7 ,the ,wagner ,group1 a self-described private actor that undertakes military action and subversive operations at the behest of the ,government of the ,russian ,federation1 is a terrorist group that engages in terrorism 7as defined in section #adj7;d7 of the ,foreign ,relations ,authorization ,act1 ,fiscal ,year #aihh and #aihi 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bfef;f7d7771 which is premeditated1 politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents4 7#g7 ,the ,wagner ,group and its affiliated entities have committed1 or are credibly accused of committing1 terrorist activity 7as defined in section #bab7;a77#c77;,b7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahb7;a77#c77;,b7771 through their involvement in-- 7,a7 the massacres1 rape1 and torture of civilians in ,bucha1 ,ukraine1 in ,march #bjbb2 7,b7 the massacres in ,moura1 ,mali1 in ,march #bjbb2 7,c7 the massacres of migrant workers and civilians in mining regions along the ,sudan- ,central ,african ,republic border in #bjbb2 7,d7 the murder of ,russian journalists in the ,central ,african ,republic in ,june #bjah as well as threats against ,united ,states journalists investigating such incident2 7,e7 the kidnapping of children in the ,central ,african ,republic in #bjbb to work in mines2 7,f7 the rape and sex trafficking of women and children in the ,central ,african ,republic between #bjah and #bjbb2 7,g7 the sabotage and lethal suppression of civilian protestors in ,sudan in #bjai2 7,h7 the use of nerve agents against ,libya's ,government of ,national ,accord and deployment of illegal land mines and booby-traps in civilian areas of ,tripoli between #bjai and #bjbj2 7,i7 the torture and execution of a ,syrian national in ,june #bjag2 7,j7 efforts to assassinate ,ukrainian ,president ,volodymyr ,zelensky in ,march #bjbb2 and 7,k7 the receipt of weapons shipments initially reported in ,december #bjbb from the ,democratic ,people's ,republic of ,korea1 which the ,secretary of ,state had designated a state sponsor of terrorism on ,november #bj1 #bjag4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,russian-based mercenary ,wagner ,group meets the criteria for designation by the ,secretary of ,state as a foreign terrorist organization under section #bai7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahi7;a772 and 7#b7 the ,secretary of ,state should designate the ,wagner ,group as a foreign terrorist organization under such section #bai7;a74 #d4 ,designation of the mercenary ,wagner ,group as a foreign terrorist organization 7a7 ,in general ,upon the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall designate the ,wagner ,group as a foreign terrorist organization in accordance with section #bai7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahi7;a774 7b7 ,application ,the designation required under subsection 7a7 shall equally apply to any affiliated and successor entities to the ,wagner ,group undertaking malign activities against the ,united ,states and its allies and partners1 including activities taking place in ,ukraine1 ,africa1 and the ,middle ,east4 7c7 ,waiver ,the ,president may waive the application of sanctions under this section if the ,president determines and reports to the appropriate congressional committees that such a waiver is in the national security interest of the ,united ,states4 7d7 ,annual report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,state shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees describing the international activities of the ,russian-based mercenary ,wagner ,group4 7e7 ,defined term ,in this section1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 7#b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7#c7 the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs of the ,senate2 7#d7 the ,committee on ,financial ,services of the ,house of ,representatives2 7#e7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 7#f7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#g7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives4