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<BillSummaries>
<item congress="113" measure-type="hr" measure-number="4229" measure-id="id113hr4229" originChamber="HOUSE" orig-publish-date="2014-03-13" update-date="2014-03-25">
<title>Venezuelan Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act</title>
<summary summary-id="id113hr4229v00" currentChamber="HOUSE" update-date="2014-03-25">
<action-date>2014-03-13</action-date>
<action-desc>Introduced in House</action-desc>
<summary-text><![CDATA[<p>Venezuelan Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act - Directs the Secretary of State to require the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) to use U.S. influence at the OAS to protect the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and strengthen the independent Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to protect human rights throughout the Western Hemisphere, especially in Venezuela. </p> <p>Directs the President to transmit to Congress a list of Venezuelan government officials or persons acting on behalf of that government who are responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses against citizens of Venezuela or their family members. </p> <p>Directs the President to transmit to Congress a list of persons who: (1) transfer or facilitate the transfer of goods or technologies that are likely to be used to commit serious rights abuses to Venezuela, to any entity organized under the laws of Venezuela, or to any national of Venezuela, for use in Venezuela; or (2) provide services with respect to such goods or technologies after their transfer to Venezuela. </p> <p>Directs the President to transmit to Congress a list of persons who have engaged in censorship or other activities with respect to Venezuela that: (1) prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly; or (2) limit access to print or broadcast media, including facilitation of intentional frequency manipulation.</p> <p>Imposes property, financial, and visa sanctions against a person listed pursuant to this Act.</p> <p>States that it should be U.S. policy to reduce petroleum imports from Venezuela to prevent its leader Nicolas Maduro from using petroleum profits to fund his regime's oppression and human rights violations. </p> <p>Directs the Secretary of State to submit comprehensive strategies to Congress to: (1) promote internet and information access freedom in Venezuela, and (2) ensure that the government of Venezuela will uphold democratic principles and is moving toward market-oriented economic systems.</p> <p>States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) support efforts to identify prisoners of conscience and cases of human rights abuses in Venezuela, and (2) offer refugee status or political asylum in the United States to political dissidents in Venezuela or assist in their relocation to other countries. </p> <p>Obligates specified amounts for assistance to civil society in Venezuela.</p>]]></summary-text>
</summary>
</item>
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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>
<dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
<dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
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