,,ii ,calendar ,no4 #gj #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #f1 #bjbe,received2 read twice and placed on the calendar ,,an ,,act ,to counter the influence of the ,chinese ,communist ,party1 the ,iranian ,regime1 and the ,russian ,federation in the nation of ,georgia4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,mobilizing and ,enhancing ,georgia's ,options for ,building ,accountability1 ,resilience1 and ,independence ,act or the ,,megobari ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,d7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,,nato ,the term ,,nato means the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization4 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,state4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the progress made by the people of ,georgia in forging an innovative and productive society since the country's independence from the ,soviet ,union should be applauded2 7#b7 the consolidation of democracy in ,georgia is critical for regional stability and ,united ,states national interests2 7#c7 ,georgia has seen significant democratic backsliding in recent years1 as evidenced by numerous independent assessments and measures2 7#d7 the current ,georgian government is increasingly hostile towards independent domestic civil society and its chief ,euro-,atlantic partners while increasingly embracing enhanced ties with the ,russian ,federation1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 and other anti-,western authoritarian regimes2 7#e7 the ,united ,states has an interest in protecting and securing democracy in ,georgia2 and 7#f7 the ,secretary should suspend the ,united ,states-,georgia ,strategic ,partnership ,commission1 established through the ,united ,states-,georgia ,charter on ,strategic ,partnership on ,january #i1 #bjji1 until after the ,government of ,georgia takes measures-- 7,a7 to represent the democratic wishes of the citizens of ,georgia2 and 7,b7 to uphold its constitutional obligation to advance the country towards membership in the ,european ,union and ,,nato4 #d4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to support the constitutionally stated aspirations of ,georgia to become a member of the ,european ,union and ,,nato1 which is made clear under ,article #gh of the ,constitution of ,georgia and is supported by the overwhelming majority of the citizens of ,georgia2 7#b7 to continue supporting the capacity of the ,government of ,georgia to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity from further ,russian aggression or encroachment within its internationally recognized borders2 7#c7 to call on all political parties and elected ,members of the ,parliament of ,georgia to continue working on addressing the reform plan outlined by the ,european ,commission to resume ,georgia's recently granted candidate status through an inclusive and transparent consultation process that involves opposition parties and civil society organizations1 which the people of ,georgia have freely elected to pursue2 7#d7 to reevaluate its relationship with the ,government of ,georgia and review all forms of foreign and security assistance made available to the ,government if it takes the required steps-- 7,a7 to reorient itself toward its ,european ,union accession agenda2 and 7,b7 to advance policy or legislation reflecting the express wishes of the ,georgian people2 7#e7 to emphasize the importance of contributing to international efforts-- 7,a7 to combat ,russian aggression1 including through sanctions on trade with ,russia and the implementation and enforcement of worldwide sanctions on ,russia2 and 7,b7 to reduce1 rather than increase1 trade ties between ,georgia and ,russia2 7#f7 to continue supporting the ongoing development of democratic values in ,georgia1 including free and fair elections1 freedom of association1 an independent and accountable judiciary1 an independent media1 public-sector transparency and accountability1 the rule of law1 countering malign influence1 and anti-corruption efforts and to impose swift consequences on individuals who are directly responsible for leading or have directly and knowingly engaged in leading actions of policies that significantly undermine those standards2 7#g7 to continue to support the ,georgian people and civil society organizations that reflect the aspirations of the ,georgian people for democracy and a future with the people of ,europe2 7#h7 to continue supporting the right of the ,georgian people to freely engage in peaceful protest1 determine their future1 and make independent and sovereign choices on foreign and security policy1 including regarding ,georgia's relationship with other countries and international organizations1 without interference1 intimidation1 or coercion by other countries or those acting on their behalf2 7#i7 to call on all political parties1 elected ,members of the ,parliament of ,georgia1 and officers of the ,ministry of ,internal ,affairs of ,georgia to respect the freedoms of peaceful assembly1 association1 and expression1 including for the press1 and the rule of law1 and encourage a vibrant and inclusive civil society2 7#aj7 to call on the ,government of ,georgia to release all persons detained or imprisoned on politically motivated grounds and drop any pending charges against them2 7#aa7 to call on the ,government of ,georgia to thoroughly investigate all allegations emerging from the recent national elections1 which took place on ,october #bjbd1 make a determination whether the elections should be judged as illegitimate and hold those responsible for interference in the elections2 and 7#ab7 to continue impressing upon the ,government of ,georgia that the ,united ,states is committed to sustaining and deepening bilateral relations and supporting ,georgia's ,euro-,atlantic aspirations4 #e4 ,reports and briefings 7a7 ,report on ,russian intelligence assets in ,georgia 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,director of ,national ,intelligence and the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a classified report1 prepared consistent with the protection of sources and methods1 examining the penetration of ,russian intelligence elements and their assets in ,georgia1 that includes an annex examining ,chinese influence and the potential intersection of ,russian-,chinese cooperation in ,georgia4 7#b7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress ,in this section1 the term appropriate committees of ,congress means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate1 and the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 and 7,b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives4 7b7 #e-,year ,united ,states strategy for bilateral relations with ,georgia 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a detailed strategy that-- 7,a7 outlines specific objectives for enhancing bilateral ties which reflect the current domestic political environment in ,georgia2 7,b7 includes a determination of the tools1 resources1 and funding that should be available to achieve the objectives outlined pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 and an assessment whether ,georgia should remain the second-highest recipient of ,united ,states funding in the ,europe and ,eurasia region2 7,c7 includes a determination of the extent to which the ,united ,states should continue to invest in its partnership with ,georgia2 7,d7 includes a plan for how the ,united ,states can continue to support civil society and independent media organizations in ,georgia2 and 7,e7 includes a determination whether the ,government of ,georgia remains committed to expanding trade ties with the ,united ,states and ,europe and whether the ,united ,states ,government should continue to invest in ,georgian projects4 7#b7 ,form ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall be submitted in unclassified form1 with a classified annex4 #f4 ,sanctions 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,admission2 ,admitted2 ,alien ,the terms admission1 admitted1 and alien have the meanings given such terms in section #aja of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja74 7#b7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress ,the term appropriate committees of ,congress means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate2 7,d7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,e7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,f7 the ,committee on ,financial ,services of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#c7 ,foreign person ,the term foreign person means any individual or entity that is not a ,united ,states person4 7#d7 ,immediate family members ,the term immediate family members has the meaning given the term immediate relatives in section #bja7;b77#b77;,a77i7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abja7;b77#b77;,a77i774 7#e7 ,knowingly ,the term knowingly1 with respect to conduct1 a circumstance1 or a result1 means that a person has actual knowledge1 or should have known1 of the conduct1 the circumstance1 or the result4 7#f7 ,unites ,states person ,the term ,united ,states person means-- 7,a7 a ,united ,states citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the ,united ,states2 7,b7 an entity organized under the laws of the ,united ,states or any jurisdiction within the ,united ,states1 including a foreign branch of such an entity2 or 7,c7 any person within the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,inadmissibility of officials of ,government of ,georgia and certain other individuals involved in blocking ,euro-,atlantic integration 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall determine whether each of the following foreign persons has knowingly engaged in significant acts of corruption1 or acts of violence or intimidation in relation to the blocking of ,euro-,atlantic integration in ,georgia3 7,a7 ,any individual who1 on or after ,january #a1 #bjad1 has served as a member of the ,parliament of the ,government of ,georgia or as a current or former senior official of a ,georgian political party4 7,b7 ,any individual who is serving as an official in a leadership position working on behalf of the ,government of ,georgia1 including law enforcement1 intelligence1 judicial1 or local or municipal government4 7,c7 ,an immediate family member of an official described in subparagraph 7,a7 or a person described in subparagraph 7,b7 who benefitted from the conduct of such official or person4 7#b7 ,sanctions ,the ,president shall impose the sanctions described in subsection 7d77#b7 with respect to each foreign person with respect to which the ,president has made an affirmative decision under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,briefing ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall brief the appropriate committees of ,congress with respect to-- 7,a7 any foreign person with respect to which the ,president has made an affirmative determination under paragraph 7#a72 and 7,b7 the specific facts that justify each such affirmative determination4 7#d7 ,waiver ,the ,president may waive imposition of sanctions under this subsection on a case-by-case basis if the ,president determines and reports to the appropriate committees of ,congress that-- 7,a7 such waiver would serve national security interests2 or 7,b7 the circumstances which caused the individual to be ineligible have sufficiently changed4 7c7 ,imposition of sanctions with respect to undermining peace1 security1 stability1 sovereignty or territorial integrity of ,georgia 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,president may impose the sanctions described in subsection 7d77#a7 and shall impose the sanctions described in subsection 7d77#b7 with respect to each foreign person the ,president determines1 on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act-- 7,a7 is responsible for1 complicit in1 or has directly or indirectly engaged in or attempted to engage in1 actions or policies1 including ordering1 controlling1 or otherwise directing acts that are intended to undermine the peace1 security1 stability1 sovereignty1 or territorial integrity of ,georgia2 7,b7 is or has been a leader or official of an entity that has1 or whose members have1 engaged in any activity described in subparagraph 7,a72 or 7,c7 is an immediate family member of a person subject to sanctions for conduct described in subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7 and benefitted from the conduct of such person4 7#b7 ,brief and written notification ,not later than #aj days after imposing sanctions on a foreign person or persons pursuant to this subsection1 the ,president shall brief and provide written notification to the appropriate committees of ,congress regarding the imposition of such sanctions1 which shall describe-- 7,a7 the foreign person or persons subject to the imposition of such sanctions2 7,b7 the activity justifying the imposition of such sanctions2 and 7,c7 the specific sanctions imposed on such foreign person or persons4 7#c7 ,waiver ,the ,president may waive the application of sanctions under this subsection with respect to a foreign person for renewable periods not to exceed #ahj days if1 not later than #ae days before the date on which such waiver is to take effect1 the ,president submits to the appropriate committees of ,congress a written determination and justification that the waiver is in the national security interests of the ,united ,states4 7d7 ,sanctions described ,the sanctions described in this subsection are the following with respect to a foreign person described in subsection 7b7 or 7c71 as applicable3 7#a7 ,blocking of property ,notwithstanding the requirements under section #bjb of the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja71 the ,president shall exercise all authorities granted under the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq47 to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property of the foreign person if such property and interests in property are in the ,united ,states1 come within the ,united ,states1 or are or come within the possession or control of a ,united ,states person4 7#b7 ,ineligibility for visas1 admission1 or parole 7,a7 ,visas1 admission1 or parole ,a foreign person that is an alien shall be-- 7i7 inadmissible to the ,united ,states2 7ii7 ineligible to receive a visa or other documentation to enter the ,united ,states2 and 7iii7 otherwise ineligible to be admitted or paroled into the ,united ,states or to receive any other benefit under the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq474 7,b7 ,current visas revoked ,the foreign person shall be subject to the following3 7i7 ,revocation of any visa or other entry documentation regardless of when the visa or other entry documentation is or was issued4 7ii7 ,a revocation under clause 7i7 shall take effect immediately and automatically cancel any other valid visa or entry documentation that is in the foreign person's possession4 7e7 ,implementation2 penalties 7#a7 ,implementation ,the ,president may exercise all authorities provided under sections #bjc and #bje of the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agjb and #agjd7 to carry out this section4 7#b7 ,penalties ,a person that violates1 attempts to violate1 conspires to violate1 or causes a violation of subsection 7d77#b77;,a7 or any regulation1 license1 or order issued under that subsection shall be subject to the penalties set forth in subsections 7b7 and 7c7 of section #bjf of the ,international ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agje7 to the same extent as a person that commits an unlawful act described in subsection 7a7 of that section4 7#c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act1 or any amendment made by this ,act1 may be construed to limit the authority of the ,president to designate or sanction persons pursuant to an applicable ,executive order or otherwise pursuant to the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq474 7f7 ,rulemaking 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall prescribe such regulations as are necessary for the implementation of this section4 7#b7 ,notification to congress ,not later than #aj days before prescribing regulations pursuant to paragraph 7#a71 the ,president shall notify the appropriate committees of ,congress of the proposed regulations and the provisions of this section that the regulations are implementing4 7g7 ,sanctions with respect to broader corruption in ,georgia 7#a7 ,determination ,the ,president shall determine whether there are foreign persons who1 on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 have engaged in significant corruption in ,georgia or acts that are intended to undermine the peace1 security1 stability1 sovereignty1 or territorial integrity of ,georgia for the purposes of potential imposition of sanctions pursuant to powers granted to the ,president under the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq474 7#b7 ,report 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of ,congress that-- 7i7 identifies all foreign persons the ,president has determined1 pursuant to this subsection1 have engaged in significant corruption in ,georgia or committed acts that are intended to undermine the peace1 security1 stability1 sovereignty1 or territorial integrity of ,georgia2 7ii7 the dates on which sanctions were imposed2 and 7iii7 the reasons for imposing such sanctions4 7,b7 ,form ,the report required under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be provided in unclassified form1 but may include a classified annex4 7h7 ,termination of sanctions ,any sanctions imposed on a foreign person pursuant to this section shall terminate on the earlier of-- 7#a7 the date on which the ,president certifies to the appropriate committees of ,congress that the foreign person is no longer engaging in the activities that led to the imposition of such sanction2 or 7#b7 the sunset date described in section #g4 7i7 ,exceptions 7#a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 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 man-made substance1 material1 supply1 or manufactured product1 including inspection and test equipment 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 ,exceptions 7,a7 ,exception relating to intelligence activities ,sanctions under this section shall not apply to-- 7i7 any activity subject to the reporting requirements under title ,v of the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjia et seq472 or 7ii7 any authorized intelligence activities of the ,united ,states4 7,b7 ,exception to comply with international obligations ,sanctions under this section shall not apply with respect to a foreign person if admitting or paroling the person into the ,united ,states is necessary 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 obligations4 7,c7 ,humanitarian assistance ,sanctions under this section shall not apply to-- 7i7 the conduct or facilitation of a transaction for the provision of agricultural commodities1 food1 medicine1 medical devices1 or humanitarian assistance1 or for humanitarian purposes2 or 7ii7 transactions that are necessary for1 or related to1 the activities described in paragraph 7#a74 7j7 ,exception relating to importation of goods ,the requirement to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property under this section shall not include the authority or a requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods4 #g4 ,additional assistance with respect to ,georgia 7a7 ,in general ,upon submission to ,congress of the certification described in subsection 7c7-- 7#a7 the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with other heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 should seek to further enhance people-to-people contacts and academic exchanges between the ,united ,states and ,georgia2 and 7#b7 the ,president1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,defense1 should maintain1 and as appropriate1 expand military co-operation with ,georgia1 including by providing further security and defense equipment ideally suited for territorial defense against ,russian aggression and related training1 maintenance1 and operations support elements4 7b7 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that1 after the submission of the certification described in subsection 7c7 should the ,georgian government take steps to re-align itself with its ,euro-,atlantic agenda1 including significant changes to the foreign influence law1 the ,president should take steps to improve the bilateral relationship between the ,united ,states and ,georgia1 including actions to bolster ,georgia's ability to deter threats from ,russia and other malign actors4 7c7 ,certification described ,the certification described in this subsection is a certification submitted to ,congress by the ,president that ,georgia has shown significant and sustained progress towards reinvigorating its democracy and advancing its ,euro-,atlantic integration4 #h4 ,sunset ,this ,act shall cease to have any force or effect beginning on the date that is #e years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,may #e1 #bjbe4,kevin ,f4 ,mc,cumber1,clerk4 ,may #f1 #bjbe,received2 read twice and placed on the calendar