[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3107 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3107

To require the continuation in effect of sanctions imposed with respect 
                  to Belarus, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2015

Mr. Pearce (for himself, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mr. 
 Stewart, Mr. Coffman, Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Mr. Byrne, Mr. 
Collins of Georgia, and Mrs. Roby) introduced the following bill; which 
            was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the continuation in effect of sanctions imposed with respect 
                  to Belarus, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Belarus Democracy and Sanctions 
Enforcement Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko 
        continues to abuse the human rights and impede the democratic 
        aspirations of the people of Belarus, including by imprisoning 
        leaders, restricting free media, and denying the freedom of 
        assembly.
            (2) On June 16, 2006, the United States Government imposed 
        sanctions with respect to entities in Belarus for the human 
        rights abuses, public corruption, and measures to undermine 
        democratic processes undertaken by President Lukashenko and his 
        associates.
            (3) President Lukashenko was personally named on the list 
        of specially designated nationals and blocked persons 
        maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the 
        Department of the Treasury.
            (4) On November 13, 2007, pursuant to Executive Order 13405 
        (71 Fed. Reg. 35485), the Office of Foreign Assets Control 
        added the Belarusian State Concern for Oil and Chemistry 
        (commonly referred to as ``Belneftekhim'') to the list of 
        specially designated nationals and blocked persons.
            (5) On February 2014, the Lukashenko regime spun the Joint 
        Stock Company Belaruskali and its trading arm, the Joint Stock 
        Company Belarusian Potash Company, out from under the 
        Belneftekhim umbrella, with press reports at the time citing 
        officials of the Government of Belarus as affirming that this 
        legal maneuver was intended specifically to evade sanctions 
        imposed by the United States.
            (6) The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013 
        of the Department of State stated that, in Belarus, 
        ``[a]uthorities at all levels operated with impunity and failed 
        to take steps to prosecute or punish officials in the 
        government or security forces who committed human rights 
        abuses''.
            (7) The Government of Belarus plans to hold presidential 
        elections in October 2015, which observers fear may not be free 
        and may result in prolonging President Lukashenko's 
        authoritarian rule.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to maintain all sanctions imposed with respect to 
        Belarus in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act 
        until the authorities of Belarus respect the human rights and 
        democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus; and
            (2) to crack down on all attempts by Belarusian entities 
        tied to the Government of Belarus to evade sanctions imposed by 
        the United States.

SEC. 4. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF SANCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--All sanctions imposed by the United States with 
respect to Belarus in effect on the date of enactment of this Act shall 
remain in effect until the President certifies to the appropriate 
congressional committees that the Government of Belarus has met the 
conditions described in section 6(b) of the Belarus Democracy Act of 
2004 (Public Law 108-347; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note).
    (b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Financial Services of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 5. INCLUSION OF JOINT STOCK COMPANY BELARUSKALI AND JOINT STOCK 
              COMPANY BELARUSIAN POTASH COMPANY ON THE LIST OF 
              SPECIALLY DESIGNATED NATIONALS AND BLOCKED PERSONS.

    Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the President shall include the Joint Stock Company Belaruskali and the 
Joint Stock Company Belarusian Potash Company on the list of specially 
designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of 
Foreign Assets Control.
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