,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #eaaf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ai1 #bjbd,mr4 ,cardin introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to support ,russia's democratic forces in exile and to codify sanctions imposed under certain ,executive orders relating to the ,russian ,federation4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,belarus and ,russia ,investments in ,democratic ,governance during ,exile ,act or the ,,bridge ,act4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents4,sec4 #b4 ,definitions4,sec4 #c4 ,findings4,sec4 #d4 ,sense of congress4,sec4 #e4 ,russians in ,exile ,affairs ,unit4,sec4 #f4 ,supporting operations of independent media and civil society4,sec4 #g4 ,supporting ,,usagm ,ukraine initiatives4,sec4 #h4 ,preventing wrongful detentions4,sec4 #i4 ,status of exiled ,russian individuals in ,europe4,sec4 #aj4 ,diplomatic missions for consular services4,sec4 #aa4 ,recognition of expired ,russian ,federation passports4,sec4 #ab4 ,findings regarding ,belarus4,sec4 #ac4 ,status of exiled ,belarusian individuals in ,europe4,sec4 #ad4 ,helping ,belarusian individuals fleeing authoritarianism4,sec4 #ae4 ,codification of certain sanctions with respect to the ,russian ,federation4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,belarusian individual in exile ,the term ,belarusian individual in exile means a ,belarusian individual who has been unable to return to ,belarus because of a credible threat of persecution4 7#c7 ,credible threat of persecution ,the term credible threat of persecution means a threat that causes an individual to have a reasonable fear of persecution as a result of the pro-democracy activity of that individual4 7#d7 ,pro-democracy activist ,the term pro-democracy activist means an individual who advocates for democratic reform4 7#e7 ,pro-democracy activity ,the term pro-democracy activity means activity taken to promote democracy4 7#f7 ,russian individual in exile ,the term ,russian individual in exile means a ,russian individual who has been unable to return to the ,russian ,federation since ,february #bd1 #bjbb1 because of a credible threat of persecution4 7#g7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,state4 7#h7 ,,usaid ,the term ,,usaid means the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 #c4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states has sought to support democracy in the ,russian ,federation and with ,russian individuals since #aiia1 including through programming by ,,usaid valued at #c1jjj1jjj1jjj between #aiib and #bjab to support democracy1 economic growth1 health1 women1 and youth1 including programming in the ,russian regions4 7#b7 ,in ,may #aiig1 the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7referred to in this section as ,,nato7 and the ,russian ,federation signed the ,,nato-,russia ,founding ,act1 which established a ,,nato-,russia ,permanent ,joint ,council to build trust and communication between the two parties4 7#c7 ,numerous nongovernmental organizations in the ,united ,states1 including the ,national ,endowment for ,democracy1 ,american ,councils1 and the ,institute of ,international ,education have worked to support ,russian individuals and build ties between the people of the ,united ,states and the ,russian ,federation4 7#d7 ,in #bjab1 the ,russian ,federation expelled the ,,usaid1 rejecting assistance meant to support ,russian individuals and harming the ,united ,states-,russian ,federation bilateral relationship4 7#e7 ,in ,may #bjae1 the ,russian ,federation enacted a law that permits ,russian authorities to extrajudicially shut down foreign and international organizations operating in ,russia by declaring them to be undesirable4 ,russian authorities have since labeled as undesirable numerous nongovernmental organizations that have worked to strengthen the relationship between the ,united ,states and the ,russian ,federation1 including the ,national ,endowment for ,democracy1 ,american ,councils1 and the ,institute of ,international ,education4 7#f7 ,the ,russian ,federation launched an illegal and unprovoked invasion of ,ukraine in #bjad and a brutal1 full-scale invasion of ,ukraine in #bjbb1 which caused ,,nato to suspend cooperation with the ,russian ,federation4 7#g7 ,russian opposition leader1 pro-democracy activist1 and anti-corruption campaigner ,alexei ,navalny died in a ,russian prison on ,february #af1 #bjbd1 the day after he appeared in court in a healthy condition4 7#h7 ,recently released ,russian opposition figure ,vladimir ,kara-,murza was unjustly imprisoned for almost #b #a_/b years for speaking out against the ,russian war in ,ukraine4 7#i7 ,according to the ,memorial ,human ,rights ,center1 hundreds of political prisoners remain in ,russian jails1 including-- 7,a7 ,moscow municipal deputy ,aleksei ,gorinov2 7,b7 pensioner ,igor ,baryshnikov2 7,c7 the mother of a human rights lawyer1 ,zarema ,musaeva2 and 7,d7 journalist ,maria ,ponomarenko4 #d4 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the efforts of the ,russian ,federation to isolate its people from the world1 commit horrific war crimes in ,ukraine1 and violently crack down on dissent at home should be universally condemned2 and 7#b7 the ,united ,states should continue its efforts to engage with and support ,russian individuals and organizations1 many of which are opposed to the unjust war by the ,russian ,federation against ,ukraine and believe in a democratic future for their country4 #e4 ,russians in ,exile ,affairs ,unit 7a7 ,report required ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary and the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 in coordination with the heads of other relevant agencies and departments1 shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees on a plan to establish a ,russians in ,exile ,affairs ,unit 7referred to in this subsection as the ,unit74 7b7 ,required elements ,the report required under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 a plan for establishing and staffing the ,unit2 7#b7 a description of how the ,department of ,state and ,,usaid will carry out the responsibilities described in subsection 7c72 7#c7 the estimated annual appropriations required to carry out such responsibilities2 7#d7 #c potential locations in ,europe at which the headquarters of the ,unit could be located2 7#e7 the advantages and disadvantages of establishing the ,unit2 7#f7 an estimate of the number of ,russian individuals in exile2 and 7#g7 an assessment of ,russian individuals in exile1 including-- 7,a7 the reasons such individuals left the ,russian ,federation1 particularly in relation to-- 7i7 the invasion of ,ukraine in #bjbb2 and 7ii7 increased political repression in the ,russian ,federation2 7,b7 how such individuals have been engaged since leaving the ,russian ,federation2 and 7,c7 how ,united ,states officials and intermediaries have communicated with such individuals since the invasion of ,ukraine in #bjbb4 7c7 ,duties ,the primary duties of the ,unit shall be-- 7#a7 to facilitate communication and engagement with pro-democracy activists who are ,russian individuals in exile2 7#b7 to report on human rights issues that impact ,russian individuals in exile2 7#c7 to coordinate interagency and international efforts to combat ,russian ,federation-sponsored transnational repression2 7#d7 to support ,russian individuals in exile who remain outside the ,russian ,federation because of fear for their safety2 7#e7 to lead engagement with ,european and ,eurasian governments and private sector companies to resolve issues impacting ,russian individuals in exile2 7#f7 to assess challenges and develop solutions to problems faced by ,russian individuals in exile1 including-- 7,a7 access to bank accounts1 credit cards1 and online payment platforms2 7,b7 issuance of travel documents1 visas1 and work permits2 and 7,c7 the ability to use technology platforms owned by companies in the ,united ,states and ,europe to communicate with ,russian individuals2 7#g7 to evaluate the feasibility of developing a whitelist-- 7,a7 to which a ,russian pro-democracy activist can apply to be recognized by the ,department of ,state as a credible ,russian non-state actor2 and 7,b7 that the ,secretary shall provide to social media companies1 technology companies1 financial institutions1 academic institutions1 and other stakeholders in the ,united ,states to encourage institutional engagement with the ,russian pro-democracy activist community1 including by-- 7i7 facilitating financial transactions2 7ii7 monetizing media content produced by pro-democratic activists in the ,russian ,federation2 and 7iii7 purchasing political advertisements for distribution inside the ,russian ,federation2 and 7#h7 to collect and facilitate the consideration and assessment of evidence1 presented by members of the ,russian pro-democracy activist community1 regarding significant human rights violations and corruption perpetrated by individuals connected to ,vladimir ,putin1 including individuals who are responsible for implementing and supporting war by the ,russian ,federation against ,ukraine and undermining democracy in the ,russian ,federation4 #f4 ,supporting operations of independent media and civil society 7a7 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 state-sponsored ,russian-language propaganda and disinformation in ,eastern ,europe and ,central ,asia sows discord and instrumentalizes ,russian-speaking individuals to further disseminate propaganda and disinformation2 7#b7 professional independent journalism informed by local voices can provide ,russian-speaking individuals with reliable1 accurate information that will mitigate the harmful influence of ,kremlin-aligned propaganda and disinformation2 and 7#c7 because there is no clear dividing line between ,russian individuals residing inside the ,russian ,federation and ,russian individuals in exile because they are part of the same community of pro-democracy activists1 assistance in the interest of benefitting future democracy in the ,russian ,federation may be channeled through ,russian pro-democracy activists in exile1 including support for the development and expansion of pro-democracy grassroots initiatives and a civic infrastructure that is no longer legally possible within the ,russian ,federation4 7b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #dj1jjj1jjj1 for each of the fiscal years #bjbe through #bjbh to ,,usaid and the ,bureau for ,democracy1 ,human ,rights1 and ,labor of the ,department of ,state to support independent media and civil society in ,russia1 ,eastern ,europe1 and ,central ,asia that are providing reliable and fact-based news to ,russian-speaking populations and furthering the development of civic activity within the country4 #g4 ,supporting ,,usagm ,ukraine initiatives ,there is authorized to be appropriated #dj1jjj1jjj for each of the fiscal years #bjbe through #bjbh to the ,united ,states ,agency for ,global ,media 7,,usagm7 to continue and expand ,,usagm ,ukraine related initiatives1 including those run through ,radio ,free ,europe_/,radio ,liberty1 ,technology ,services and ,innovation1 ,voice of ,america1 ,office of ,policy and ,research1 the ,middle ,east ,broadcasting ,network1 ,radio ,free ,asia1 and the ,office of ,cuba ,broadcasting4 #h4 ,preventing wrongful detentions 7a7 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,office of the ,special ,presidential ,envoy for ,hostage ,affairs1 which was established by section #cjc of the ,robert ,levinson ,hostage ,recovery and ,hostage-,taking ,accountability ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #agda;a71 conducts crucially important work to bring home ,united ,states citizens who are wrongfully detained1 including successfully securing the release from the ,russian ,federation of ,united ,states citizens ,trevor ,reed1 ,brittney ,griner1 ,paul ,whelan1 ,evan ,gershkovich1 and ,alsu ,kurmasheva2 7#b7 due to the coordinated efforts of the ,united ,states1 ,germany1 ,slovenia1 ,norway1 ,poland1 and ,trkiye1 allied governments successfully secured the release of ,american citizens1 ,american nationals1 ,german citizens1 and ,russian dissidents1 including ,vladimir ,kara-,murza1 ,ilya ,yashin1 ,andrei ,pivovarov1 ,oleg ,orlov1 ,lilia ,chanysheva1 ,ksenia ,fadeyeva1 and ,vadim ,ostanin2 7#c7 the ,united ,states should continue to advocate for the release of ,russian political prisoners1 ,belarusian political prisoners1 and ,ukrainian hostages held in ,russian and ,belarusian jails1 including by working creatively with allies and partners to expedite their release2 7#d7 ,united ,states citizens should not travel to the ,russian ,federation or other countries with a history of wrongfully detaining ,united ,states citizens in an attempt to gain leverage over the ,united ,states2 and 7#e7 the ,russian ,federation should meet the basic needs and respect the human rights of all ,united ,states citizens in its custody4 7b7 ,disclosure and acknowledgment of risk by air transportation passengers 7#a7 ,in general ,section #ddijg of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7g7 ,disclosure and acknowledgment of risk of wrongful detention in the ,russian ,federation ,notwithstanding any other provision of law and without regard to whether the ,secretary of ,transportation conducts an assessment pursuant to subsection 7a71 takes another action pursuant to this section1 or provides other notice pursuant to this section1 each air carrier and foreign air carrier that provides passenger air transportation between the ,united ,states and the ,russian ,federation1 and any online marketplace selling such passenger air transportation1 shall1 when issuing a ticket to a passenger for any travel itinerary that begins in the ,united ,states and concludes in1 has a connecting flight within1 or passes through the ,russian ,federation-- 7#a7 provide a warning about the history of the ,russian ,federation wrongfully detaining ,united ,states citizens and citizens of other countries2 and 7#b7 obtain an acknowledgment from each such passenger that the passenger understands the risk of possible wrongful detention for any travel itinerary that concludes in1 has a connecting flight within1 or passes through the ,russian ,federation4 4 7#b7 ,report ,section #ddich7;a7 of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#i71 by striking and at the end2 7,b7 by redesignating paragraph 7#aj7 as paragraph 7#aa72 and 7,c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#i7 the following3 7#aj7 an assessment of the activities carried out under section #ddijg7;g7 of this title2 and 4 7#c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 shall take effect on the date that is #fj days after the date of enactment of this ,act4 #i4 ,status of exiled ,russian individuals in ,europe ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,secretary should urge the ,european ,commission of the ,european ,union and other relevant ,european government agencies to provide legal documentation to enable international travel to appropriately vetted ,russian individuals in exile who face a credible threat of persecution in the ,russian ,federation4 #aj4 ,diplomatic missions for consular services ,not later than #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall designate at least #c additional diplomatic missions to provide consular services for citizens of the ,russian ,federation in countries-- 7#a7 that have direct flights from the ,russian ,federation or in which land borders with the ,russian ,federation remain passable2 or 7#b7 in which large numbers of citizens of the ,russian ,federation who left the ,russian ,federation on or after ,february #bd1 #bjbb reside4 #aa4 ,recognition of expired ,russian ,federation passports ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 shall develop a process for recognizing expired ,russian ,federation passports as valid for travel to and from the ,united ,states until the ,secretary certifies to the appropriate congressional committees and to the ,commissioner for ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection that it is safe for a ,russian individual in exile to return to the ,russian ,federation for document renewal4 #ab4 ,findings regarding ,belarus ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,sviatlana ,tsikhanouskaya was the apparent winner of the #bjbj ,belarusian presidential election1 in which the people of ,belarus voted in record numbers1 in an impressive display of their commitment to democracy4 7#b7 ,alyaksandr ,lukashenka brutally cracked down upon the thousands of peaceful protestors that turned out in protest of election fraud by the ,lukashenka regime1 arbitrarily detaining more than #ce1jjj individuals and subjecting many of these individuals to torture4 7#c7 ,the ,lukashenka regime continues to unjustly imprison more than #a1ejj people1 including opposition leaders ,viktar ,babaryka1 ,siarhei ,tsikhanouski1 ,maria ,kalesnikava1 ,radio ,free ,europe_/,radio ,liberty journalists ,andrey ,kuznechyk and ,ihar ,losik1 and ,ihar ,losik's wife ,darya ,losik4 7#d7 ,the ,lukashenka regime has supported and facilitated the ,russian ,federation's illegal war against ,ukraine1 including by allowing the ,russian ,federation to fire ballistic missiles and launch offensive strikes against ,ukraine from the territory of ,belarus for the purpose of invading ,ukraine and murdering ,ukrainian citizens4 7#e7 ,the ,lukashenka regime has a policy of forcing ,belarusian pro-democracy activists to return to ,minsk for renewal of documents vital to maintaining their residency status in a safe third country1 placing these ,belarusians at risk of detention and torture4 #ac4 ,status of exiled ,belarusian individuals in ,europe ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,secretary should urge the ,european ,commission of the ,european ,union and other relevant ,european government agencies to provide legal documentation to enable international travel to appropriately vetted ,belarusian individuals in exile who face a credible threat of persecution in ,belarus4 #ad4 ,helping ,belarusian individuals fleeing authoritarianism 7a7 ,homeless nationality designation ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 shall designate citizens of ,belarus as a homeless nationality1 in accordance with section #ejd4d-h7;,e77#a7 of volume #i of the ,foreign ,affairs ,manual 7#i ,,fam #ejd4d-h7;,e77#a771 for the purpose of processing visas for ,belarusian citizens until the ,secretary certifies to appropriate congressional committees that the ,united ,states has consular representation in ,minsk4 7b7 ,extended documentation ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall develop a process for recognizing expired ,belarusian passports as valid for travel to and from the ,united ,states until the ,secretary certifies to the appropriate congressional committees and to the ,commissioner for ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection that it is safe for a ,belarusian individual in exile to return to ,belarus for document renewal4 7c7 ,report ,not later than #fj days after enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in coordination with the ,secretary1 shall submit a report outlining-- 7#a7 whether ,belarus meets the criteria for a designation of temporary protected status under section #bdd of the ,immigration ,act of #aiij 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a72 and 7#b7 if ,belarus does meet such criteria1 whether the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security intends to make such a designation4 #ae4 ,codification of certain sanctions with respect to the ,russian ,federation 7a7 ,in general ,each person listed or designated for the imposition of sanctions under an executive order described in subsection 7b7 as of the date of the enactment of this ,act shall remain so designated1 except as provided in subsections 7c7 and 7d74 7b7 ,executive orders specified ,executive orders specified in this section are-- 7#a7 ,executive ,order #achdi 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ieba note2 relating to authorizing the implementation of certain sanctions set forth in the ,countering ,america's ,adversaries ,through ,sanctions ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #idja et seq4772 7#b7 ,executive ,order #achhc 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #efje note2 relating to administration of proliferation sanctions and amendment of ,executive ,order #abhea 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bgig note2 relating to the administration of proliferation sanctions1 ,middle ,east arms control1 and related congressional reporting responsibilities772 7#c7 ,executive ,order #adjbd 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 relating to blocking property with respect to specified harmful foreign activities of the ,government of the ,russian ,federation72 7#d7 ,executive ,order #adjci 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #iebf note2 relating to blocking property with respect to certain ,russian energy export pipelines72 7#e7 ,executive ,order #adjfe 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 relating to blocking property of certain persons and prohibiting certain transactions with respect to continued ,russian efforts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ,ukraine72 7#f7 ,executive ,order #adjff 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 relating to prohibiting certain imports and new investments with respect to continued ,russian ,federation efforts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ,ukraine72 7#g7 ,executive ,order #adjfh 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 relating to prohibiting certain imports1 exports1 and new investment with respect to continued ,russian ,federation aggression72 7#h7 ,executive ,order #adjga 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 relating to prohibiting new investment in and certain services to the ,russian ,federation in response to continued ,russian ,federation aggression72 and 7#i7 ,executive ,order #adaad 7#hh ,fed4 ,reg4 #hibga2 relating to taking additional steps with respect to the ,russian ,federation's harmful activities74 7c7 ,termination of sanctions ,the ,president may terminate the application of sanctions under subsection 7a7 with respect to a person if the ,president certifies to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,committee on ,financial ,services of the ,house of ,representatives that-- 7#a7 such person-- 7,a7 is not engaging in the activity that was the basis for such sanctions2 or 7,b7 has taken significant1 verifiable steps toward stopping the activity that was the basis for such sanctions2 and 7#b7 the ,president has received reliable assurances that such person will not knowingly engage in any activity subject to sanctions in the future4 7d7 ,exceptions 7#a7 ,definitions ,in this subsection3 7,a7 ,agricultural commodity ,the term agricultural commodity has the meaning given such term in section #ajb of the ,agricultural ,trade ,act of #aigh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #efjb74 7,b7 ,good ,the term good means any article1 natural or manmade substance1 material1 supply1 or manufactured product1 including inspection and test equipment1 and excluding technical data4 7,c7 ,medical device ,the term medical device has the meaning given the term device in section #bja of the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #cba74 7,d7 ,medicine ,the term medicine has the meaning given the term drug in section #bja of the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #cba74 7#b7 ,exception relating to importation of goods ,a requirement to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property referred to in subsection 7b7 shall not include the authority or a requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods4 7#c7 ,exception to comply with the united nations headquarters agreement and law enforcement activities ,sanctions specified in subsection 7b7 shall not apply with respect to the admission of an alien to the ,united ,states if admitting or paroling the alien into the ,united ,states is necessary-- 7,a7 to permit the ,united ,states to comply with the ,agreement regarding the ,headquarters of the ,united ,nations1 signed at ,lake ,success ,june #bf1 #aidg1 and entered into force ,november #ba1 #aidg1 between the ,united ,nations and the ,united ,states1 or other applicable international obligations of the ,united ,states2 or 7,b7 to carry out or assist authorized law enforcement activity in the ,united ,states4 7#d7 ,exception to comply with intelligence activities ,sanctions specified in subsection 7b7 shall not apply to any activity subject to the reporting requirements under title ,v of the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjia et seq47 or any authorized intelligence activities of the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,humanitarian assistance ,sanctions specified in subsection 7b7 shall not apply to-- 7,a7 the conduct or facilitation of a transaction for the provision of agricultural commodities1 food1 medicine1 medical devices1 humanitarian assistance1 or for humanitarian purposes2 or 7,b7 transactions that are necessary for1 or related to1 the activities described in subparagraph 7,a74