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<bill bill-stage="Engrossed-in-House" dms-id="H0E90B921D1A74E109F5450087F773DFE" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc" stage-count="1"> 
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<dc:title>118 HR 825 EH: Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date></dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<form>
<distribution-code display="no">I</distribution-code> 
<congress display="yes">118th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session> 
<legis-num display="yes">H. R. 825</legis-num> 
<current-chamber display="no">IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber> 
<legis-type>AN ACT</legis-type> 
<official-title display="yes">To prohibit contracting with persons that have business operations with the Maduro regime, and for other purposes.</official-title> 
</form> 
<legis-body id="HD524277582244541AA25341847DB0572" style="OLC"> 
<section id="HB6BB8AC35295400A90D4CB15972C1B3B" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime Act</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>BOLIVAR Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="H0ECCF16E16664DA3A7671010BC28FCF1"><enum>2.</enum><header>Prohibition on contracting with persons that have business operations with the maduro regime</header> <subsection id="HF3905D0577D9442A8A8BCC8615A3830B"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Prohibition</header><text>Except as provided in subsections (b), (c), and (d), the head of an executive agency may not enter into a contract for the procurement of goods or services with any person that the head of an executive agency determines, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, knowingly engages in significant business operations, as defined by the Secretary in consultation with the Director, with an authority of the Government of Venezuela that is not recognized as the legitimate Government of Venezuela by the United States.</text></subsection> 
<subsection id="H0264D5801533444B90590CA0A34D79BD"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Exceptions</header> 
<paragraph id="HD8AEDCE532774793B8D73F2D329DE31C"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The prohibition under subsection (a) does not apply to a contract that the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, determines—</text> <subparagraph id="H172421A5725A4087BD668D45074F8862"><enum>(A)</enum><text>is necessary—</text> 
<clause id="H875ACF278E6148C3A97AC94052D61D70"><enum>(i)</enum><text>for purposes of providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela;</text></clause> <clause id="H30C37C11C50A4CAC9D60C76F4F3CDA3E"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>for purposes of providing disaster relief and other urgent humanitarian aid or life-saving measures; or</text></clause> 
<clause id="H2992C4561C8743A99495EDAE7E51576A"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>to carry out noncombatant evacuations; or</text></clause></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H8FE6B2209A744C99A4C65537AB6BF900"><enum>(B)</enum><text>is in the national security interests of the United States.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H56C79E6BC2C84E3F85B29D444FC672ED"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Support for united states government activities</header><text>The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply to contracts and agreements that support United States Government activities in Venezuela, including those necessary for the maintenance of United States Government facilities in Venezuela, or to contracts with international organizations.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H3092DDF2292E4E4CA75B4D31473038AB"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Notification requirement</header><text>The Secretary of State shall notify the appropriate congressional committees of any contract entered into on the basis of an exception provided for under paragraph (1), which may be submitted in a classified form, as appropriate.</text></paragraph></subsection> 
<subsection id="H02E0068D19D448248047DDE75EF84682"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Office of foreign assets control licenses</header><text>The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply to a person that has a valid license to operate in Venezuela issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H00B2D04BEA66410FAD020E97E3D4E613"><enum>(d)</enum><header>American diplomatic mission in venezuela</header><text>The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply to contracts related to the operation and maintenance of the United States Government’s consular offices and diplomatic posts in Venezuela.</text></subsection> 
<subsection id="HBD3D5AC0A15D48879A73B272F2D083FE"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Exception for intelligence activities</header><text>The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply to any activity subject to the reporting requirements under title V of the National Security Act of 1947 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/50/3091">50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.</external-xref>), any authorized intelligence activity of the United States, or any activity or procurement that supports an authorized intelligence activity.</text></subsection> <subsection id="HE605DF48AC164C6C850AB8E1D349D422"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Waiver</header><text>The Secretary of State may waive the requirements of subsection (a) if the Secretary of State determines that to do so is in the national interest of the United States.</text></subsection> 
<subsection id="HC18C3F64922B4356A52A4AE61D294968"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section:</text> <paragraph id="H4F1846C1B5E849DAB6ADB7A6D4BAE8F8"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Appropriate congressional committees</header><text>The term <quote>appropriate congressional committees</quote> means the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H5584388052B3489882D2A329C3A8E0F8"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Business operations</header><text>The term <quote>business operations</quote> means engaging in commerce in any form, including acquiring, developing, maintaining, owning, selling, possessing, leasing, or operating equipment, facilities, personnel, products, services, personal property, real property, or any other apparatus of business or commerce.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H92217967AB444A35886A83D57C44CDA1"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Executive agency</header><text>The term <quote>executive agency</quote> has the meaning given the term in section 133 of title 41, United States Code.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HB3590E43C0EB45C883888E4CA13CACB6"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Government of venezuela</header> 
<subparagraph id="H594EA90D0DA64A64846510BF8AF77417" display-inline="yes-display-inline"><enum>(A)</enum><text>The term <quote>Government of Venezuela</quote> includes the government of any political subdivision of Venezuela, and any agency or instrumentality of the Government of Venezuela.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H9B0ADA9924DE4AB7A1A08AAA4D1BDFC4"><enum>(B)</enum><text>For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term <quote>agency or instrumentality of the Government of Venezuela</quote> means an agency or instrumentality of a foreign state as defined in section 1603(b) of title 28, United States Code, with each reference in such section to <quote>a foreign state</quote> deemed to be a reference to <quote>Venezuela</quote>.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H7F5335869AF0417BA76ACE763357C07C"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Person</header><text>The term <quote>person</quote> means—</text> <subparagraph id="HF8EF2300145847FD934DC516C24E8270"><enum>(A)</enum><text>a natural person, corporation, company, business association, partnership, society, trust, or any other nongovernmental entity, organization, or group;</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H61CCC43D4D0B43E9A14A62941A088409"><enum>(B)</enum><text>any governmental entity or instrumentality of a government; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H81516C6A20D44516A3929D80243559FB"><enum>(C)</enum><text>any successor, subunit, parent entity, or subsidiary of, or any entity under common ownership or control with, any entity described in subparagraph (A) or (B).</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> 
<subsection id="H4D237CC9D74C4A53A64E704E090DA99E"><enum>(h)</enum><header>Term of applicability</header><text>This section shall apply with respect to any contract entered into during the three-year period beginning on the date that is 180 days after the enactment of this Act.</text></subsection></section> </legis-body> <attestation><attestation-group><attestation-date date="20241118" chamber="House">Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 2024.</attestation-date><attestor display="no">Kevin F. McCumber,</attestor><role>Clerk.</role></attestation-group></attestation> <endorsement display="yes"></endorsement> </bill> 

