No Russian Tunnel to Crimea Act
This bill requires the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on foreign persons that knowingly participate in the construction, maintenance, or repair of a tunnel or bridge that connects the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula.
The bill provides exceptions to these sanctions in certain circumstances (such as providing humanitarian assistance or to comply with international obligations). The President may also waive such sanctions on the basis of U.S. national security interests.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 476 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 476
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to any foreign
person who knowingly participates in the construction, maintenance, or
repair of a tunnel or bridge that connects the Russian mainland with
the Crimean peninsula.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2025
Mr. Meeks (for himself, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr.
Amo, Mr. Keating, and Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition
to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to any foreign
person who knowingly participates in the construction, maintenance, or
repair of a tunnel or bridge that connects the Russian mainland with
the Crimean peninsula.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``No Russian Tunnel to Crimea Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In February and March 2014, the Russian Federation
invaded the Crimean peninsula and annexed Crimea,
internationally recognized as Ukrainian territory.
(2) Following its annexation of Crimea, the Russian
Federation constructed the Kerch Strait Bridge to connect the
Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula.
(3) On February 24, 2022, the Government of the Russian
Federation, led by Vladimir Putin, launched an unprovoked,
full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
(4) The Russian Federation has used Crimea as an integral
part of its full scale invasion of Ukraine, including to house
Russian troops, store ammunition and weapons, and host the
Black Sea Fleet.
(5) In October 2023, it was publicly reported that Russian
and Chinese business officials met and exchanged emails to
discuss building a tunnel from the Russian mainland to
illegally occupied Crimea.
SEC. 3. SANCTIONS.
(a) In General.--The President shall impose sanctions described in
subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person who knowingly
participates in the construction, maintenance, or repair of a tunnel or
bridge that connects the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula.
(b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this
subsection are the following:
(1) Asset blocking.--Notwithstanding the requirements of
section 202 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
(50 U.S.C. 1701), the President may exercise of all powers
granted to the President by that Act to the extent necessary to
block and prohibit all transactions in all property and
interests in property of the foreign person if such property
and interests in property are in the United States, come within
the United States, or are or come within the possession or
control of a United States person.
(2) Visas, admission, or parole.--
(A) In general.--An alien who the Secretary of
State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a
designee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has
reason to believe, is described in subsection (a) is--
(i) inadmissible to the United States;
(ii) ineligible for a visa or other
documentation to enter the United States; and
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted
or paroled into the United States or to receive
any other benefit under the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
(B) Current visas revoked.--
(i) In general.--The issuing consular
officer, the Secretary of State, or the
Secretary of Homeland Security (or a designee
of one of such Secretaries) shall, in
accordance with section 221(i) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry
documentation issued to an alien described in
subparagraph (A) regardless of when the visa or
other entry documentation is issued.
(ii) Effect of revocation.--A revocation
under clause (i)--
(I) shall take effect immediately;
and
(II) shall automatically cancel any
other valid visa or entry documentation
that is in the alien's possession.
(c) Exceptions.--
(1) Exception to comply with international obligations.--
Sanctions under subsection (b)(2) shall not apply with respect
to the admission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien
into the United States is necessary to permit the United States
to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the
United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and
entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United
Nations and the United States, or other applicable
international obligations.
(2) Exception relating to the provision of humanitarian
assistance.--Sanctions under this section may not be imposed
with respect to transactions or the facilitation of
transactions for--
(A) the sale of agricultural commodities, food,
medicine, or medical devices;
(B) the provision of humanitarian assistance;
(C) financial transactions relating to humanitarian
assistance; or
(D) transporting goods or services that are
necessary to carry out operations relating to
humanitarian assistance.
(3) Exception for intelligence, law enforcement, and
national security activities.--Sanctions under this section
shall not apply to any authorized intelligence, law
enforcement, or national security activities of the United
States.
(d) Classified Information.--In any judicial review of a
determination made under this section, if the determination was based
on classified information (as defined in section 1(a) of the Classified
Information Procedures Act) such information may be submitted to the
reviewing court ex parte and in camera. This subsection does not confer
or imply any right to judicial review.
(e) Implementation; Penalties.--
(1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all
authorities provided to the President under sections 203 and
205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50
U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this section.
(2) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections
(b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person
that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or
causes a violation of regulations promulgated to carry out this
section to the same extent that such penalties apply to a
person who commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a)
of that Act.
(f) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions
imposed with respect to a foreign person under this section if the
President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees not
later than 15 days before such waiver is to take effect that the waiver
is important to the national security interests of the United States.
(g) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate;
(2) the term ``foreign person'' means an individual or
entity that is not a United States person; and
(3) the term ``United States person'' means--
(A) a United States citizen;
(B) a permanent resident alien of the United
States;
(C) an entity organized under the laws of the
United States or of any jurisdiction within the United
States, including a foreign branch of such an entity;
or
(D) a person in the United States.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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