[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 22, 2019)] [House] [Pages H8339-H8345] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RODCHENKOV ANTI-DOPING ACT OF 2019 Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 835) to impose criminal sanctions on certain persons involved in [[Page H8340]] international doping fraud conspiracies, to provide restitution for victims of such conspiracies, and to require sharing of information with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to assist its fight against doping, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 835 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 ``Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019''. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. (1) Anti-doping organization.--The term ``anti-doping organization'' has the meaning given the term in Article 2 of the Convention. (2) Athlete.--The term ``athlete'' has the meaning given the term in Article 2 of the Convention. (3) Code.--The term ``Code'' means the World Anti-Doping Code most recently adopted by WADA on March 5, 2003. (4) Convention.--The term ``Convention'' means the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization International Convention Against Doping in Sport done at Paris October 19, 2005, and ratified by the United States in 2008. (5) Major international sport competition.--The term ``Major International Sport Competition''-- (A) means a competition-- (i) in which 1 or more United States athletes and 3 or more athletes from other countries participate; (ii) that is governed by the anti-doping rules and principles of the Code; and (iii) in which-- (I) the competition organizer or sanctioning body receives sponsorship or other financial support from an organization doing business in the United States; or (II) the competition organizer or sanctioning body receives compensation for the right to broadcast the competition in the United States; and (B) includes a competition that is a single event or a competition that consists of a series of events held at different times which, when combined, qualify an athlete or team for an award or other recognition. (6) Person.--The term ``person'' means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other entity. (7) Prohibited method.--The term ``prohibited method'' has the meaning given the term in Article 2 of the Convention. (8) Prohibited substance.--The term ``prohibited substance'' has the meaning given the term in Article 2 of the Convention. (9) Scheme in commerce.--The term ``scheme in commerce'' means any scheme effectuated in whole or in part through the use in interstate or foreign commerce of any facility for transportation or communication. (10) USADA.--The term ``USADA'' means the United States Anti-Doping Agency. (11) WADA.--The term ``WADA'' means the World Anti-Doping Agency. SEC. 3. MAJOR INTERNATIONAL DOPING FRAUD CONSPIRACIES. (a) In General.--It shall be unlawful for any person, other than an athlete, to knowingly carry into effect, attempt to carry into effect, or conspire with any other person to carry into effect a scheme in commerce to influence by use of a prohibited substance or prohibited method any major international sports competition. (b) Extraterritorial Jurisdiction.--There is extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section. SEC. 4. CRIMINAL PENALTIES AND STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS. (a) In General.-- (1) Criminal penalty.--Whoever violates section 3 shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment for not more than 10 years, fined $250,000 if the person is an individual or $1,000,000 if the defendant is other than an individual, or both. (2) Forfeiture.--Any property real or personal, tangible or intangible, may be seized and criminally forfeited to the United States if that property-- (A) is used or intended to be used, in any manner, to commit or facilitate a violation of section 3; or (B) constitutes or is traceable to the proceeds taken, obtained, or retained in connection with or as a result of a violation of section 3. (b) Limitation on Prosecution.-- (1) In general.--No person shall be prosecuted, tried, or punished for violation of section 3 unless the indictment is returned or the information is filed within 10 years after the date on which the offense was completed. (2) Tolling.--Upon application in the United States, filed before a return of an indictment, indicating that evidence of an offense under this chapter is in a foreign country, the district court before which a grand jury is impaneled to investigate the offense shall suspend the running of this statute of limitation for the offense if the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that an official request has been made for such evidence and that it reasonably appears, or reasonably appeared at the time the request was made, that such evidence is, or was, in such foreign country. SEC. 5. RESTITUTION. Section 3663A of title 18, United States Code, is amended in subsection (c)-- (1) in paragraph (1)(A)-- (A) by redesignating clauses (iii) and (iv) as clauses (iv) and (v), respectively; and (B) by inserting after clause (ii) the following: ``(iii) an offense described in section 3 of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019;''; and (2) in paragraph (3), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ``or (iii)'' after ``paragraph (1)(A)(ii)''. SEC. 6. COORDINATION AND SHARING OF INFORMATION WITH USADA. Except as otherwise prohibited by law and except in cases in which the integrity of a criminal investigation would be affected, in furtherance of the obligation of the United States under Article 7 of the Convention, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Food and Drug Administration shall coordinate with USADA with regard to any investigation related to a potential violation of section 3 of this Act, to include sharing with USADA all information in the possession of the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, or the Food and Drug Administration which may be relevant to any such potential violation. SEC. 7. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. The budgetary effects of this Act, and the amendments made by this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas. General Leave Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Texas? There was no objection. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my sponsors, but I particularly thank Dr. Burgess, who I will mention again, who joined me more than a year ago to move forward on a bill that we hope will give fairness to all the wonderful young athletes around the world. H.R. 835, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019, would strengthen the integrity of international sports competitions by imposing criminal sanctions on certain persons involved in international doping fraud conspiracies. It would also provide restitution for victims of such conspiracies and would require coordination and sharing of information with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to assist its fight against doping. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article from The New York Times regarding manipulated drug tests. Russian Doping Chief Says Thousands of Drug Tests Were Manipulated [From the New York Times, Oct. 14, 2019] (By Tariq Panja) Colorado Springs.--Russia made thousands of changes to the drug-test results of an unspecified number of its athletes, the head of the country's own antidoping agency said this week, confirming the suspicions of global officials who are considering severe penalties against Russian sports programs. The official, Yuri Ganus, the director general of the Russian antidoping agency, suggested in an interview at a conference in Colorado that the data had been concealed or altered to protect the reputations and positions of former star athletes who now have roles in government or who function as senior sports administrators in Russia. His comments went farther than his previous remarks about possible Russian manipulation of doping results, and they could complicate the country's efforts to avoid new punishments from global antidoping officials. Russian was already barred from international sporting events, including the 2018 Winter Olympics, after the discovery of a broad, state-sponsored doping program in 2015. In less than two weeks, a committee at the World Anti- Doping Agency will decide whether to press for more serious bans against Russian sports federations. Russia faces possible expulsion from international sports--a return to the pariah status that followed the 2015 discovery--if its authorities [[Page H8341]] cannot provide an explanation for missing or manipulated test results in a database that Russia turned over to WADA. Russia's promise to deliver that database of thousands of athlete records was a key factor in WADA's decision to lift a suspension of the country's antidoping agency in late 2018. That determination, criticized by athletes and other antidoping officials at the time, ended a three-year suspension that had been imposed after the discovery of one of the most audacious and sophisticated cheating schemes in history, a conspiracy that corrupted a number of major international sporting events, including several Olympics. Ganus, 55, said Sunday that he believed only individuals with access to some of Russia's most powerful institutions could have been able to manipulate the data, which WADA investigators crosschecked against a separate set provided by a whistle-blower in 2017. ``In this case, you have to understand what has to be the power which will receive access,'' Ganus said. Ganus said he had spoken out to ensure that current and future generations of Russian athletes do not suffer because of the actions of others. But his outspokenness has come as a surprise to some, given the risks whistle-blowers with information related to the case appear to face. Two other Russian antidoping officials with ties to the scandal--including one of Ganus's predecessors--have died under suspicious circumstances in recent years, and Ganus said he believed the Russian authorities were monitoring his electronic communications and his phone calls, as well as conducting surveillance near his home. ``It's really dangerous for me,'' he said. But Ganus said he was driven to complete what he described as ``the mission'' to assure that a new generation of Russian athletes could return, untainted, to international sports. ``Russia is a high level sports country, but those people who are responsible to solve this situation for many years chose the wrong way, the wrong approach,'' he said. There is a suspicion in sporting circles that Russia has allowed Ganus to speak out publicly so that he can separate the work of his agency, which has drawn praise from WADA for changes it has made, from that of the state authorities that control the Moscow laboratory where the athletes' data was stored. The government still considers that lab a crime scene under the control of state officials, not of domestic antidoping regulators. ``Certainly if he's speaking truth to power, maybe he's going to defect sometime soon or it's a strategic move,'' Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said of Ganus. ``I think the real issue is: Can the WADA system hold the national antidoping system responsible for something that the minister's office is ultimately responsible for?'' By lifting its ban on Russia last year before the country had complied with two remaining provisions of its so-called road map to reinstatement--namely, providing the athletes' data to WADA and acknowledging that Russia's doping program was state-controlled--WADA effectively freed the authorities who control the lab from the need to follow the terms of that agreement. Those officials might not fall under WADA's jurisdiction, as the Russian antidoping agency, known as Rusada, does. ``When they let them out of that road map, it put a lot of pressure on their ability under the new rules to hold Russia's state minister's office and sport community responsible through their authority over the national antidoping organization,'' Tygart said. ``That's what's going to come to a head. And let's hope it does:' Last month, the English lawyer Jonathan Taylor, who leads the WADA committee overseeing Russian compliance, said the country would need to ``pull a rabbit out of the hat'' to provide a credible explanation for anomalies in the data extracted from the Moscow lab. Taylor's committee will convene, probably by phone, on Oct. 23 to decide whether to recommend to WADA's executive board that Russia be designated ``noncompliant:'' If the board agrees, a case most likely will be fast-tracked to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport for a final ruling. In the past, individual sports had the power to decide whether to punish countries for doping offenses. But rules adopted in April 2018 mean a negative ruling for Russia at the arbitration court could trigger an automatic suspension for the country across a wide range of sports and federations bound by the WADA code. Under such a ban, Russian teams and athletes would be ineligible to compete in international sporting events, and the country would be barred from hosting them, until the WADA suspension was lifted. That could lead to Russia's missing out on next summer's Olympics in Tokyo, and even put at risk its national soccer team's participation in qualification matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. ____ [From the New York Times, June 12, 2018] U.S. Lawmakers Seek To Criminalize Doping in Global Competitions (By Rebecca R. Ruiz) United States lawmakers took a step on Tuesday toward criminalizing doping in international sports, introducing a bill in the House that would attach prison time to the use, manufacturing or distribution of performance-enhancing drugs in global competitions. The legislation, inspired by the Russian doping scandal, would echo the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal to bribe foreign officials to gain a business advantage. The statute would be the first of its kind with global reach, empowering American prosecutors to act on doping violations abroad, and to file fraud charges of a different variety than those the Justice Department brought against top international soccer officials in 2015. Although American leagues like Major League Baseball would not be affected by the legislation, which would apply only to competitions among countries, it could apply to a league's athletes when they participate in global events like the Ryder Cup, the Davis Cup or the World Baseball Classic. The law would establish America's jurisdiction over international sports events, even those outside of the United States, if they include at least three other nations, with at least four American athletes participating or two American companies acting as sponsors. It would also enhance the ability of cheated athletes and corporate sponsors to seek damages, expanding the window of time during which civil lawsuits could be filed. To justify the United States' broader jurisdiction over global competitions, the House bill invokes the United States' contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the global regulator of drugs in sports. At $2.3 million, the United States' annual contribution is the single largest of any nation. ``Doping fraud in major international competitions also effectively defrauds the United States:' the bill states. The lawmakers behind the bill were instrumental in the creation of the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which gave the government the right to freeze financial assets and impose visa restrictions on Russian nationals accused of serious human rights violations and corruption. On Tuesday, the lawmakers framed their interest in sports fraud around international relations and broader networks of crime that can accompany cheating. ``Doping fraud is a crime in which big money, state assets and transnational criminals gain advantage and honest athletes and companies are defrauded;' said Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrat of Texas, who introduced the legislation on Tuesday. ``This practice, some of it state-sanctioned, has the ability to undermine international relations, and is often connected to more nefarious actions by state actors?' Along with Ms. Jackson Lee, the bill was sponsored by two other congressional representatives, Michael C. Burgess, Republican of Texas, and Gwen Moore, Democrat of Wisconsin. It was put forward just as Russia prepares to host soccer's World Cup, which starts Thursday. That sporting event will be the nation's biggest since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where one of the most elaborate doping ploys in history took place. The bill, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, takes its name from Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the chemist who ran Russia's antidoping laboratory for 10 years before he spoke out about the state-sponsored cheating he had helped carry out--most notoriously in Sochi. At those Games, Dr. Rodchenkov said, he concealed widespread drug use among Russia's top Olympians by tampering with more than 100 urine samples with the help of Russia's Federal Security Service. Investigations commissioned by international sports regulators confirmed his account and concluded that Russia had cheated across competitions and years, tainting the performance of more than 1,000 athletes. In early 2017, American intelligence officials concluded that Russia's meddling in the 2016 American election had been, in part, a form of retribution for the Olympic doping scandal, whose disclosures Russian officials blamed on the United States. Nations including Germany, France, Italy, Kenya and Spain have established criminal penalties for sports doping perpetrated within their borders. Russia, too, passed a law in 2017 that made it a crime to assist or coerce doping, though no known charges have been brought under that law to date. Under the proposed American law, criminal penalties for offenders would include a prison term of up to five years as well as fines that could stretch to $250,000 for individuals and $1 million for organizations. ``We could have real change if people think they could actually go to jail for this,'' said Jim Walden, a lawyer for Dr. Rodchenkov, who met with the lawmakers as they considered the issue in recent months. ``I think it will have a meaningful impact on coaches and athletes if they realize they might not be able to travel outside of their country for fear of being arrested?' The legislation also authorizes civil actions for doping fraud, giving athletes who may have been cheated in competitions--as well as corporations acting as sponsors--the right to sue in federal court to recover damages from people who may have defrauded competitions. Ms. Jackson Lee cited the American runner Alysia Montano, who placed fifth in the 800 meters at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Two Russian women who placed first and third in that race were later disqualified for doping, elevating Ms. Montano years later. ``She had rightfully finished third, which would have earned her a bronze medal:' Ms. Jackson Lee said, noting the financial benefits and sponsorships Ms. Montano could have captured. [[Page H8342]] The bill would establish a window of seven years for criminal actions and 10 years for civil lawsuits. It also seeks to protect whistle-blowers from retaliation, making it illegal to take ``adverse action'' against a person because he or she has disclosed information about doping fraud. Dr. Rodchenkov, who has lived in the United States since fall 2015, has been criminally charged in Russia after he publicly deconstructed the cheating he said he carried out on orders from a state minister. ``While he was complicit in Russia's past bad acts, Dr. Rodchenkov regrets his past role in Russia's state-run doping program and seeks to atone for it by aiding the effort to clean up international sports and to curb the corruption rampant in Russia,'' Ms. Jackson Lee said, calling Tuesday's bill ``an important step to stemming the tide of Russian corruption in sport and restoring confidence in international competition.'' Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I introduced this bill, as I said, with Mr. Burgess of Texas because the widespread use of performance- enhancing substances had come to light in recent years, harming athletes and fans alike. Clean U.S. athletes and sports organizations that participate in these competitions, as well as their U.S. sponsors, are denied their due recognition and economic rewards. Young people who have worked all of their lives for this miraculous and important time in their lives and their fans lose when the legitimacy and integrity of the competition they enjoy are debased. {time} 1545 In recent years, there have been numerous allegations and instances of doping by professional and amateur athletes. The Summer and Winter Olympic Games, in particular, have been plagued with doping scandals, which has left an indelible stain on the reputation of those major international sports events. The infamous Russian doping scandal during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics is one notable example of the corruption and fraud that has damaged the integrity of sports competitions. After the Sochi games, whistleblowers Yuliya Stepanova, a former Russian track star, and her husband, Vitaly Stepanov, a former employee at the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, exposed the Russian Government's vast state-sponsored doping system, which subsequently led to further revelations by Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the chemist who ran the Russian anti-doping laboratory. Mr. Speaker, they simply could not take it anymore. Mr. Rodchenkov became a whistleblower and exposed the dozens of Russian athletes participating in the Sochi games, including 15 medal winners, who were part of a state-run doping program. In addition, Dr. Rodchenkov revealed that with the help of Russian intelligence--I want our Members to hear that again--Russian intelligence--the laboratory switched steroid-tainted urine of the Russian national team with clean samples, evading positive detection. It was an intelligence catastrophe, using that community to undermine the healthy work and the healthy commitment and participation of athletes all around the world. The ineffective response from international organizations with oversight responsibilities, such as the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the International Olympic Committee has only emboldened the Russian Government. Although Russia has denied its involvement, evidence shows that it operated a systematic state-sponsored doping program and cover-up scheme. Russia has cheated and defrauded all Olympic athletes, including its own and the general public, and has degraded the meaning and purpose of the games. Unfortunately, because the orchestrators of the Russian doping scandal operated with the blessing of the Russian Government, and because there is no legal mechanism in the United States to bring them to justice, they all escaped punishment for their actions. But imagine the hurt of all of these young athletes, in all of the countries, who worked so hard all of their life. Currently, there is no Federal statute that provides explicit, comprehensive protection against doping conspiracies in international sports competitions, and the actions are crying out for relief. The Federal statutory protections that currently exist are limited, and criminalize activities, such as conspiracies to commit wire and mail fraud, bribery, kickbacks, and money laundering. This legislation that we have introduced would fill that gap by establishing appropriate criminal penalties and civil penalties for international doping fraud. In addition to imposing criminal penalties on the conspirators, the bill would authorize private civil actions for doping fraud, which would give athletes and corporate sponsors the right to sue in Federal court to recover damages from individuals who may have defrauded competitions. We thought it was extremely important to cover our corporate sponsors. They willingly and enthusiastically help these young athletes, particularly these amateur athletes who have no other sources of income. They provide our international competition the support to have these athletes travel and provide other necessities so that they can compete without worry. This bill will provide justice to clean U.S. athletes, such as Olympic runner Alysia Montano, skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender, bobsledder Steve Holcomb, and many other champions who pursue excellence over glory. They have been denied medals that were rightfully theirs and cheated out of lucrative opportunities such as sponsorships. Most importantly, they have been deprived of the pride of seeing their country's flag being raised on the Olympic podium, an emotional moment that was stolen from them. In the case of Mr. Holcomb, his bobsled team's bronze medal was upgraded to silver in the spring of 2019 after the Russian teams were disqualified for doping offenses during the 2014 Sochi games. Tragically, Mr. Holcomb was not here to see it, having died in 2017. This bill also would provide much-needed protection and support for brave whistleblowers, such as Dr. Rodchenkov, who appeared here in the United States before the Helsinki Commission, and the Stepanovs, who have exposed major international doping fraud conspiracies, all at considerable personal risk and sacrifice. They should be honored. The exposure of this criminal activity would not have occurred without the courage and strength of these individuals, and this legislation would not have the very strong basis upon which it is written. Accordingly, I support H.R. 835, and I ask my colleagues to do so. Mr. Speaker, the proliferation of legal performance-enhancing drugs (``PEDs'') in sports damages the integrity of competition and defrauds individuals and corporate entities who participate in sporting competitions, including clean U.S. athletes and U.S. corporate sponsors. However, due to the efforts of gallant whistleblowers, the complex inner workings of large-scale doping schemes are public knowledge. In 2016, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov exposed the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, which teams were disqualified for doping offenses during the 2014 Sochi Games. Tragically, Mr. Holcomb was not here to see it, having died in 2017. The Rodchenkov Act comes at a crucial time for the international fight against doping in sports and is supported by the U.S. Helsinki Commission. On October 14, 2019, the New York Times reported that, as suspected, Russia made thousands of changes to the drug-test results of an unspecified number of its athletes, the head of the country's own antidoping agency said this week, confirming the suspicions of global officials who are considering severe penalties against Russian sports programs. The Russian doping fraud scandal shook the very foundations of the global anti-doping system and the problem shows no signs of stopping. The ultimate victims of doping fraud are clean athletes, who want nothing more than to compete on a level playing field. There are countless examples of U.S. athletes who have been defrauded by international doping fraud conspiracies. These athletes are deprived of Olympic glory and denied their rightful prize money and sponsorships. The Rodchenkov Act is fully compatible with the UNESCO Convention Against Doping in Sport and the World Anti-Doping Code, greatly enhances the fight against doping by creating additional legal tools to help guard against the type of behavior discovered in the Russian doping scandal. By criminalizing international doping conspiracies, the Rodchenkov Act provides law enforcement with a greater ability to investigate and pursue, and ultimately hold accountable, doping fraud perpetrators. In addition, this act will provide doping whistleblowers the same protections that are given [[Page H8343]] to whistleblowers of other serious crimes, and are all acutely aware of the current importance of protecting whistleblowers. This legislation is not only vital, but it is fully consistent with international law. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, we all have an interest in ensuring that our country and our athletes are not defrauded in international sports competitions. This bipartisan bill would fill an unfortunate gap with regard to the U.S. law enforcement to hold accountable those who engage in such fraud. It would also serve as a deterrent to those considering engaging in doping fraud conspiracies, and would provide a mechanism to gain visibility into a wider net of international corrupt practices that are connected to doping fraud. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense measure. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 835, the ``Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019,'' would strengthen the integrity of international sports competitions by imposing criminal sanctions on certain persons involved in international doping fraud conspiracies. It would also provide restitution for victims of such conspiracies, and would require coordination and sharing of information with the United States Anti- Doping Agency to assist its fight against doping. I introduced this bill along with Mr. Burgess of Texas, because the widespread use of performance enhancing substances has come to light in recent years, harming athletes and fans alike. Clean U.S. athletes and sports organizations who participate in these competitions, as well as their U.S. sponsors, are denied their due recognition and economic rewards. And their fans lose when the legitimacy and integrity of the competitions they enjoy are debased. In recent years, there have been numerous allegations and instances of doping by professional and amateur athletes. The summer and winter Olympic Games, in particular, have been plagued with doping scandals, which has left an indelible stain on the reputation of these major international sports events. The infamous Russian doping scandal during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics is one notable example of the corruption and fraud that has damaged the integrity of sports competitions. After the Sochi Games, whistleblowers Yuliya Stepanova, a former Russian track star, and her husband Vitaly Stepanov, a former employee at the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, exposed the Russian Government's vast state-sponsored doping system, which subsequently led to further revelations by Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the chemist who ran the Russian anti-doping laboratory. Dr. Rodchenkov became a whistleblower and exposed the dozens of Russian athletes participating in the Sochi Games, including 15 medal winners, who were part of a state-run doping program. In addition, Dr. Rodchenkov revealed that with the help of Russian intelligence, the laboratory switched steroid-tainted urine of the Russian national team with clean samples, evading positive detection. The ineffective response from international organizations with oversight responsibilities, such as the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the International Olympic Committee, has only emboldened the Russian Government. Although Russia has denied its involvement, evidence shows that it operated a systematic, state-sponsored doping program and cover-up scheme. Russia has cheated and defrauded all the Olympic athletes, including its own, and the general public, and has degraded the meaning and purpose of the Games. Unfortunately, because the orchestrators of the Russian doping scandal operated with the blessing of the Russian government, and because there is no legal mechanism in the United States to bring them to justice, they all escaped punishment for their actions. Currently, there is no federal statute that provides explicit comprehensive protection against doping conspiracies in international sports competitions. The federal statutory protections that currently exist are limited, and criminalize activities such as conspiracies to commit wire and mail fraud, bribery, kickbacks, and money laundering. This legislation would fill that gap by establishing appropriate criminal penalties and civil remedies for international doping fraud. In addition to imposing criminal penalties on the conspirators, the bill would authorize private civil actions for doping fraud, which would give athletes and corporate sponsors the right to sue in federal court to recover damages from individuals who may have defrauded competitions. This bill would provide justice to clean U.S. athletes, such as Olympic runner Alysia Montario, skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender, bobsledder Steve Holcomb, and many other champions who pursue excellence over glory. They have been denied medals that were rightfully theirs and cheated out of lucrative opportunities, such as sponsorships. Most importantly, they have been deprived of the pride of seeing their country's flag being raised on the Olympic podium an emotional moment that was stolen from them. In the case of Mr. Holcomb, his bobsled team's bronze medals were upgraded to silver in the spring of 2019, after the Russian teams were disqualified for doping offenses during the 2014 Sochi Games. Tragically, Mr. Holcomb was not here to see it, having died in 2017. This bill also would also provide much-needed protection and support for brave whistleblowers, such as Dr. Rodchenkov and the Stepanovas, who have exposed major international doping fraud conspiracies at considerable personal risk and sacrifice. The exposure of this criminal activity would not have occurred without the courage and strength of these individuals. Accordingly, I support H.R. 835. Mr. Speaker, we all have an interest in ensuring that our country and our athletes are not defrauded in international sports competitions. This bipartisan bill would fill an unfortunate gap with regard to the U.S. law enforcement to hold accountable those who engage in such fraud. It would also serve as a deterrent to those considering engaging in doping fraud conspiracies, and would provide a mechanism to gain visibility into a wider net of international corrupt practices that are connected to doping fraud. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, October 18, 2019. Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Pallone: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 835, the ``Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019.'' I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation. I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. I acknowledge that your Committee will not formally consider H.R. 835 and agree that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in H.R. 835 which fall within your Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Jerrold Nadler, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC, October 18, 2019. Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Nadler: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 835, the ``Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019,'' which was additionally referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Certain provisions in the bill fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed expeditiously to floor consideration of this important bill, the Committee on Energy and Commerce agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill. The Committee takes this action with the mutual understanding that it is not waiving any jurisdictional claim over this or similar legislation, and that the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues within our jurisdiction. I further request that you support my request to name members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce to any conference committee to consider such provisions. Finally, I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming this understanding and your inclusion of that response into the Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 835. Sincerely, Frank Pallone, Jr, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, October 18, 2019. Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Pallone: I am writing to acknowledge your letter dated October 18, 2019 responding to our request to your Committee that it waive any jurisdictional claims over the matters contained in H.R. 835, the ``Rodchenkow Anti- Doping Act of 2019,'' that fall within your Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. The Committee on the Judiciary confirms our mutual understanding that your Committee does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, [[Page H8344]] and your Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues within your Committee's jurisdiction. I will ensure that this exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Jerrold Nadler, Chairman. Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her leadership on this issue, and I thank the members of the committee for their hard work. Mr. Speaker, amateur and professional sports are an essential part of American society. We spend over $50 billion each year on sporting events. Billions more in revenue are generated from advertising, athlete endorsements, and broadcast rights of thousands of sporting events each year. The impact of sports in the United States is over half a trillion dollars, and the effects on local, State, national, and global economies are considerable. In other words, there is a great deal at stake. The integrity of leagues, coaches, athletes, and their sponsors is critical. Governments around the world sponsor their athletes in amateur sports, most notably in the Olympics. Scandals over the past 20 years involving doping and the use of performance-enhancing drugs have tarnished the reputations of players and coaches, and especially clean athletes who follow the rules and do not use prohibited drugs and substances. The widespread doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics led to Russia being banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics. Subsequent investigation revealed a massive government-sponsored doping program where a Russian drug testing laboratory director used a three-drug cocktail of anabolic steroids to boost the performance of Russian athletes. Even more distressing, Russian intelligence operatives switched the steroid-tainted urine samples of the Russian athletes with clean samples. In the end, 43 Olympic medals were stripped from Russia for doping violations. Federal law already contains penalties for kickbacks, bribery, corruption, foreign corrupt practices, and related crimes. However, it does not criminalize fraud through doping in international sport competitions, nor does it provide protections for the victims of doping fraud, such as athletes and whistleblowers. H.R. 835 would enhance America's jurisdiction over international sports and help ensure the integrity of athletes and coaches in the Olympics and similar competitions. Doping fraud conspiracies harm clean athletes and their coaches and cosponsors. They also defraud those who pay to watch sporting events and set an extremely poor example for our youth. It is time for the United States to join several European nations and add another means by which criminals engaged in doping fraud can be held accountable for their actions and no longer tarnish the honor and image of clean athletes. This bill is a unique example of bipartisan efforts. I am encouraged by the ability of Members and staff from both sides of the aisle to craft legislation which will help root out fraud and corruption in international sports. As the lead sponsor of several other bipartisan pieces of legislation, I look forward to finding more common ground for the benefit of the American people. I am pleased to support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it, as well. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess). Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 835, the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, a bill that was introduced with Ms. Jackson Lee to combat international doping schemes. The bill is named after Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia's anti-doping agency lab that blew the whistle on the massive, state-run doping scheme that led the International Olympic Committee to suspend Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics. From 2011 to 2015, over 1,000 Russian athletes in 30 sports benefited from an illegal program executed by numerous Russian state agencies at the direction of Russian President Putin. Another whistleblower, Yuliya Stepanova, revealed information that led to the formation of an independent commission at the World Anti- Doping Agency that investigated finding a deeply-rooted culture of cheating that existed in Russia. We heard from Ms. Stepanova and the lawyer for Dr. Rodchenkov during the Helsinki Commission hearing in July of 2018. Also present was Katie Uhlaender, who had been defrauded and cheated out of an Olympic medal as a result of the Russian doping scheme. No athlete should be subjected to doping, either through a state-run program or as a clean competitor. In 2015, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency entered into a Roadmap to Code Compliance agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency involving 31 criteria for the Russian agency to be reinstated. Russia's agreement to deliver additional drug-test lab samples is one of the reasons the World Anti-Doping Agency agreed to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency in 2018. But, just last week, the current head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency said thousands of changes were made to those drug-test results. The World Anti-Doping Agency had only been able to verify the authenticity of a portion of the provided samples, and these statements confirmed that Russia is still intent on cheating in international sport competitions. The World Anti-Doping Agency is currently considering how to respond, including possibly designating Russia as noncompliant and suspending Russian athletes from international sport competitions until that country is again designated as compliant. But the doping program goes beyond just harming clean athletes. President Putin views this type of illegal scheme as a geopolitical tool to characterize the West as unfair and oppressive. One year ago, the United States Department of Justice indicted seven Russian military intelligence officials for a cyberattack on the United States and other international organizations because they exposed Russia's state-run doping scheme and for protecting the whistleblowers, namely Dr. Rodchenkov. The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act would combat this type of illegal doping scheme and limit Russia's sphere of influence as they seek to undermine Western values around the world. This bill will criminalize knowingly facilitating a doping scheme in a major international sport competition where United States athletes are competing, and the competition organizer receives sponsorship or financial support from a U.S. entity. The bill also allows U.S. citizens to pursue civil action against deceptive competition and provides protection for whistleblowers. The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act will ensure that athletes' rights are respected, whistleblowers are protected, and criminals are brought to justice. The bill will restore the integrity of international sport competition and uphold the rule of law around the world. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, again, I would say that this is an important bill designed to restore integrity to international sport competition. Right now, you only need to look outside in the Nation's Capital to see that World Series fear has hit our Nation's Capital. As we all watch with enthusiasm, we are reminded of the noble goals and noble values inherent in sport and competition and look to preserve those goals and values with the passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his kind remarks and support. And I thank Dr. Burgess, as well, for his involvement and commitment to this [[Page H8345]] legislation. I also thank the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for really helping us move this bill very quickly. I thank the staffs of both the majority and the minority who have worked so very hard on moving this bill forward. And I acknowledge, in particular, the staff on the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security for their particular help and leadership on this. {time} 1600 Mr. Speaker, I am glad that we are talking about healthy sports and the recognition and the acceptance, if you will, of those who worked so long and so hard, many from their earlier years, to be Olympians, to play baseball, basketball, football, track, and the many sports that come under the Olympic mandate. This bill, in particular, I wish to remind our colleagues, again, provides relief, but we really hope it is a deterrent and works to move other nations, the European Union, to be able to establish these kinds of responses to doping. This act establishes criminal penalties for participating in a scheme in commerce to influence a major international sports competition through prohibitive substances or methods. It also provides restitution to victims of such conspiracy, athletes in particular, many of whom have suffered great losses because of this fraud. It protects whistleblowers from retaliation by criminalizing participation in international doping fraud conspiracies. Whistleblowers will be included under existing witness protection laws. It establishes coordination and sharing information with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to establish a matrix, if you will, a format. I want to say that we all have an interest in ensuring our country and our athletes are not defrauded in international sports competitions. This bipartisan bill would fill an unfortunate gap with regard to U.S. law enforcement to hold accountable those who engage in such fraud. It would also serve as a deterrent to those considering engaging in doping-fraud conspiracies and would provide a mechanism to gain visibility in a wider net of international corrupt practices that are connected to doping fraud. I leave my colleagues with the very visual that so many of us, if we were not able to be at the Olympics, watched as our athletes were able to stand under our flag, the emotion of that moment, the emotion of the athletes, the emotion of those watching, the excitement of standing in honor of your Nation and representing your Nation. Anyone who has talked to an Olympian knows that that is one of their greatest honors. Let's give them that honor fair and square, if you will. Since we believe in fairness and squareness in all of our athletic endeavors here in the United States, I certainly will end, as my friend commented here on the floor, I will end with the healthiness and the upstanding of the World Series and those who will play in it. I will take the opportunity at this time to say: Go Astros. I urge my colleagues to support the underlying, commonsense measure, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 835, 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. ____________________