[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 51 (Monday, March 25, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2767-H2769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VENEZUELA ARMS RESTRICTION ACT
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 920) to restrict the transfer of defense articles, defense
services, and crime control articles to any element of the security
forces of Venezuela that is under the authority of a government of
Venezuela that is not recognized as the legitimate government of
Venezuela by the Government of the United States, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 920
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 ``Venezuela Arms Restriction
Act''.
SEC. 2. RESTRICTION ON EXPORT OF COVERED ARTICLES AND
SERVICES TO CERTAIN SECURITY FORCES OF
VENEZUELA.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, covered articles or services may not be exported from
the United States to any element of the security forces of
Venezuela that is under the authority of a government of
Venezuela that is not recognized as the legitimate government
of Venezuela by the Government of the United States.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the heads of
other departments and agencies as appropriate, shall--
(1) determine, using such information that is available to
the Secretary of State, whether any covered article or
service has been
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transferred since July 2017 to the security forces of
Venezuela without a license or other authorization as
required by law; and
(2) submit such determination in writing to the appropriate
congressional committees.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the Secretary of Commerce as appropriate,
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report on the transfer by foreign persons of covered articles
or services to elements of the security forces of Venezuela
that are under the authority of a government of Venezuela
that is not recognized as the legitimate government of
Venezuela by the Government of the United States.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required by
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A list of all significant transfers by foreign persons
of covered articles or services to such elements of the
security forces of Venezuela since July 2017.
(2) A list of all foreign persons who maintain an existing
defense relationship with such elements of the security
forces of Venezuela.
(3) Any known use of covered articles or services by such
elements of the security forces of Venezuela or associated
forces, including paramilitary groups, that have coordinated
with such security forces to assault, intimidate, or murder
political activists, protesters, dissidents, and other civil
society leaders, including Juan Guaido.
SEC. 4. TERMINATION.
This Act shall expire on the earlier of--
(1) the date that is 3 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act; or
(2) the date on which the President certifies to the
appropriate congressional committees that the Government of
Venezuela has returned to a democratic form of government
with respect for the essential elements of representative
democracy as set forth in Article 3 of the Inter-American
Democratic Charter.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Financial Services of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.
(2) Covered article or service.--The term ``covered article
or service''--
(A) for purposes of section 2, means--
(i) a defense article or defense service, as such terms are
defined in section 47 of the Arms Export Control Act (22
U.S.C. 2794); and
(ii) any article included on the Commerce Control List set
forth in Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the Export
Administration Regulations under subchapter C of chapter VII
of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, and controlled for
crime control purposes, if it is determined that the end-user
is likely to use the article to violate the human rights of
the citizens of Venezuela; and
(B) for purposes of section 3, means--
(i) any defense article or defense service of the type
described in section 47 of the Arms Export Control Act; and
(ii) any article of the type included on the Commerce
Control List set forth in Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the
Export Administration Regulations and controlled for crime
control purposes.
(3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means a
person that is not a United States person.
(4) Person.--The term ``person'' means an individual or
entity.
(5) Security forces of venezuela.--The term ``security
forces of Venezuela'' includes--
(A) the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, including the
Bolivarian National Guard;
(B) the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service;
(C) the Bolivarian National Police; and
(D) the Bureau for Scientific, Criminal and Forensic
Investigations of the Ministry of Interior, Justice, and
Peace.
(6) United states person.--The term ``United States
person'' means--
(A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted
for permanent residence to the United States; or
(B) 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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Sires) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 920, the Venezuela Arms Restriction
Act, as amended, currently under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 920.
I would like to begin by thanking Ms. Shalala for her leadership in
authoring this important piece of legislation. She has been a leading
voice in supporting the Venezuelan people.
Sadly, human rights violations in Venezuela are nothing new. In
recent months, Nicolas Maduro and his cronies have intensified their
brutal crackdown on those who have bravely and peacefully pushed for
change.
With an increasing wave of demonstrations protesting the Maduro
regime, Congress must do all it can to support efforts by the
Venezuelan people to restore its democracy. This means making sure that
weapons from the United States aren't being used to commit these
horrific acts of violence against civilians. U.S. companies and
individuals should not be able to profit from the repression of the
Venezuelan people.
H.R. 920 codifies existing restrictions on arms exports to
Venezuela's security forces and adds new restrictions on items like
tear gas and riot gear that have been used to suppress peaceful
protestors.
As the protests continue, you can be sure that the Maduro regime will
do everything it can to silence the Venezuelan people; so Congress must
do everything in its power to keep these dangerous items out of the
hands of the Venezuelan security forces.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. ROONEY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Venezuela Arms
Restriction Act introduced by my colleagues from Florida, Congresswoman
Shalala and Congressman Diaz-Balart, to whom we are deeply grateful. I
would also like to thank Chairman Sires for his support and leadership
both of our committee and of this bill.
The criminal socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro is
systematically violating the human rights of the Venezuelan people
through violence, intimidation, torture, and murder. According to local
NGO Foro Penal, there are more than 850 political prisoners in
Venezuela today.
Just last week, Maduro's intelligence services arrested Roberto
Marrero, the chief of staff for the interim President and
constitutional leader of Venezuela, Juan Guaido. The regime has made
ludicrous claims that Marrero was leading a terrorist cell and it
reportedly planted weapons and cash to try to frame him.
The Congress and the people of the United States must stand united
with the people of Venezuela to help ensure that all individuals who
violate their human rights are held accountable.
This bill supports these efforts by identifying and holding
accountable any U.S. entities providing defense articles to Maduro's
security forces, and it restricts all U.S. sales of defense articles to
his socialist criminal dictatorship.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in demonstrating our
commitment to defending the security and human rights of the Venezuelan
people by supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Shalala), the author of this bill.
Ms. SHALALA. Mr. Speaker, this evening, Congress will vote on a bill
I introduced, H.R. 920, the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act. This
bipartisan bill prohibits the export of defense articles and crime
control materials from the United States to the security forces of
Venezuela.
The United States should have no business selling these tools for
oppression to the Maduro regime, as it punishes and kills those who are
peacefully protesting and demanding a return to democracy.
Since Maduro usurped power in January, we have seen headline after
headline:
``Maduro's Forces Kill, Injure Protestors as Standoff Over Aid in
Venezuela Escalates'';
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``Four Dead, Hundreds Detained After Venezuela Blackout''; and
``Venezuela Security Forces Kill, Punish Anti-Maduro Protestors.''
A few weeks ago, I traveled to the Venezuela-Colombia border, where I
heard heartbreaking stories of friends and family members dying of
starvation and treatable diseases, all while a brutal dictator does
everything possible to prevent aid from being delivered.
I met with refugees at hospitals in Colombia and heard their
harrowing stories of being on the verge of death due to a lack of
medical care. There were a number of high-risk pregnancies as a result.
This is a humanitarian crisis that has bled through Venezuela's
borders, and it continues to grow.
This is personal for us in south Florida, where thousands of
Venezuelans who have fled the crisis now call home. We will continue to
push for TPS, because our response to this crisis must include
supporting our friends and neighbors in south Florida and around the
country.
Today, in addition to the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act, we will
vote on bills introduced by my south Florida colleagues to support the
people of Venezuela as they demand free and fair elections. We will
vote on bills to provide humanitarian aid directly to the Venezuelan
people and a bill targeting Russian influence in Venezuela and its
impact on the United States.
Today, Congress will not stand idly by as this humanitarian crisis
rages on. With the passage of the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act, we
will move one step closer to fulfilling our obligations to ensure that
no weapons originating in the United States are used to silence dissent
through intimidation, repression, and execution. Congress, today, will
affirm its commitment to the women and men of Venezuela who are
fighting for democracy and a brighter future.
Mr. ROONEY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers.
In closing, I thank the authors of the bill. Congresswoman Shalala
just spoke about the depth and breadth of the horrible humanitarian
crisis that we see on our doorstep in Venezuela. I would like to
comment that the average Venezuelan has lost over 20 kilos of weight in
the last 2 years and they haven't had protein, so the whole country is
starving to death, worse than any Warsaw Pact dictatorship has ever
done.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank Congressman Diaz-Balart and
certainly Chairman Sires for their leadership on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I call on all of my colleagues to enthusiastically
support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for
the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, I again thank Ms. Shalala for her strong and timely
leadership on this legislation. It shows a strong commitment to the
Venezuelan people and to our constituents who care so deeply about this
issue.
The human rights situation in Venezuela is absolutely deplorable, and
it is important that we take the commonsense steps in this legislation
to help end the ongoing repression. Passing this measure will send an
important message that Congress stands with the Venezuelan people.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 920, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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