[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5920-H5921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 UKRAINE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SUPPORT ACT

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5408) to oppose violations of religious freedom in Ukraine 
by Russia and armed groups commanded by Russia, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5408

       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 ``Ukraine Religious Freedom 
     Support Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Russia invaded the Crimea region of Ukraine in February 
     2014, continues to occupy and control that region, and has 
     exercised control over part of the Donbas region of eastern 
     Ukraine since April 2014 through non-state armed groups and 
     illegal entities it has established, instigated, commanded, 
     and supported, including with military and intelligence 
     personnel on the ground from Russia.
       (2) International humanitarian law, including the Geneva 
     Conventions, to which Russia is a signatory, requires Russia 
     to respect and protect the religious freedom of the 
     inhabitants of the territory it occupies or controls, 
     including through organized non-state armed groups and 
     illegal entities it commands and supports, and holds Russia 
     responsible for violations of religious freedom in this 
     territory.
       (3) According to the Department of State's International 
     Religious Freedom Reports, and other reporting, violations of 
     religious freedom in the Crimea region of Ukraine since 
     Russia invaded and occupied the territory have included 
     abduction, detention and imprisonment, torture, forced 
     psychiatric hospitalizations, fines, restrictions on 
     missionary activities, confiscations of property, including 
     churches and meeting halls, expulsions and obstructions to 
     reentry, denying registration of religious groups, vandalism, 
     fines, and banning peaceful religious groups, and targeted 
     groups have included Muslim Crimean Tatars, the Orthodox 
     Church of Ukraine, formerly the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of 
     the Kyivan Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, 
     Protestant Christians, and Jehovah's Witnesses.
       (4) According to the Department of State's International 
     Religious Freedom Reports, violations of religious freedom in 
     the part of the Donbas region of Ukraine controlled by armed 
     groups commanded by Russia have included detention and 
     imprisonment, torture, confiscation of property, including 
     churches and meeting halls, physical assaults and threats of 
     violence, vandalism, fines, restrictions on missionary 
     activities, religious services, ceremonies, gatherings, and 
     literature, and banning of peaceful religious groups, and 
     targeted groups have included the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, 
     formerly the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, the 
     Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Protestant Christians, and 
     Jehovah's Witnesses.
       (5) The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as 
     amended by the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom 
     Act, requires the President to--
       (A) designate a foreign country as a country of particular 
     concern for religious freedom when its government has engaged 
     in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious 
     freedom in that country over the previous 12 months;
       (B) take one or more of the actions described in paragraphs 
     (9) through (15) of section 405(a) of the International 
     Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6445(a)), or 
     commensurate actions in substitution, not later than 90 days, 
     or 180 days in case of a delay under paragraph (3), after the 
     date of the designation of a country as a country of 
     particular concern for religious freedom; and
       (C) designate a foreign country on a ``Special Watch List'' 
     when its government has engaged in or tolerated severe 
     violations of religious freedom in that country over the 
     previous 12 months.
       (6) On December 18, 2019, the Secretary of State re-
     designated Russia for the ``Special Watch List''.
       (7) The National Security Strategy of the United States 
     issued in 2017, 2015, 2006, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997, 
     committed the United States to promoting international 
     religious freedom to advance the security, economic, and 
     other national interests of the United States.

     SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States to consider any alien 
     who, while serving as an official of the Government of 
     Russia, was responsible for or directly carried out 
     particularly severe violations of religious freedom in the 
     sovereign territory of Ukraine that Russia illegally occupies 
     or controls, including through non-state armed groups and 
     illegal entities it commands and supports, to have committed 
     particularly severe violations of religious freedom for 
     purposes of applying section 212(a)(2)(G) of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) with respect to 
     any such alien.

     SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF RUSSIA AS A COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR 
                   CONCERN FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

       For purposes of making a determination of whether to 
     designate Russia as a country of particular concern for 
     religious freedom under section 402 of the International 
     Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442), the President 
     shall consider any particularly severe violation of religious 
     freedom in the territory of Ukraine that Russia occupies or 
     controls, including controls through non-state armed groups 
     and illegal entities it commands and supports, during the 
     period of time that is the basis for the determination and 
     designation, to be a particularly severe violation of 
     religious freedom that the Government of Russia has engaged 
     in or tolerated.

     SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of 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 gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Espaillat) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on H.R. 5408.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to my friend from South Carolina (Mr. 
Wilson) for bringing forward this bill that shines a light on the 
egregious violations of human rights and religious freedom at the hands 
of Russian-led forces in Ukraine's sovereign territory.

[[Page H5921]]

  We have been saying it for years, but it always bears repeating: 
Crimea is Ukraine; the Donbas is Ukraine. Russia must be held 
accountable for the brutal violations of human rights and religious 
freedoms taking place under their attempted annexation of these areas.
  The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 provides a range of 
consequences for governments that persecute people on religious 
grounds. From public condemnation to trade sanctions, the 
administration has tools to push back on this sort of abuse.
  This bill calls for Russia to be held accountable under the law for 
the violations of religious freedoms we are seeing in Ukraine.
  The bill represents a smart approach to address a specific problem 
emanating from Russia. We should move it forward along with other 
efforts to push back on Putin's aggression.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC, November 11, 2020.
     Hon. Jerrold Nadler,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Nadler: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 
     5408, Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act. I appreciate 
     your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation.
       I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the 
     jurisdiction of the House Committee on the Judiciary under 
     House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on 
     H.R. 5408 to expedite floor consideration. I further 
     acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect 
     to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim 
     over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your 
     jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of 
     Committee on the Judiciary conferees during any House-Senate 
     conference convened on this legislation.
       Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is 
     included in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your 
     cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to 
     continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the 
     legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                Washington, DC. November 17, 2020.
     Hon. Eliot Engel,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Engel: This is to advise you that the 
     Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to 
     review the provisions in R.R. 5408, the ``Ukraine Religious 
     Freedom Support Act,'' that fall within our Rule X 
     jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on those 
     provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to your 
     including them in the bill for consideration on the House 
     floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to forgo 
     action on R.R. 5408, with the understanding that we do not 
     thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those 
     provisions or their subject matters.
       I the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar 
     legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the 
     right to request an appropriate number of conferees to 
     address any concerns with these or similar provisions that 
     may arise in conference.
       Please place this letter into the Congressional Record 
     during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank 
     you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked 
     regarding this matter and others between our committees.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Jerrold Nadler,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill which I am grateful to 
have introduced with my colleague, Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, the 
Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act.
  Russia's war in Ukraine and illegal occupation of Crimea have dragged 
on for nearly 7 years. The human toll is staggering. The fighting has 
killed as many as 10,000 soldiers as well as 3,000 innocent civilians.
  Another casualty of Russian aggression in Ukraine has been the attack 
on religious freedom.
  Russian occupation authorities in Crimea continue to persecute and 
intimidate the minority Christian, Muslim, and other religious groups, 
like the Jehovah's Witnesses.
  Putin's puppets in Crimea have subjected them to kidnappings, 
torture, forced psychiatric examinations, and imprisonment. Recently, 
eight Muslim Crimean Tatars were sentenced to between 13 and 19 years 
in a Russian prison on the entirely baseless charge of terrorism.
  Minority religious groups in the area of eastern Ukraine, controlled 
by pro-Putin proxies, have also been forced to flee in order to escape 
the oppressive conditions.
  The religious persecution in Ukraine being committed at the hands of 
Putin authorities is self-destructive and must be stopped.
  Throughout our history, the United States has worked tirelessly to 
advance religious freedom and protect religious minorities around the 
globe. This bill follows that strong tradition by accomplishing two 
things.
  First, it brings international attention to the grave violations of 
religious freedom in the territory of Ukraine--where, again, people 
need to know, 13,000 people have been killed--that Putin illegally 
occupies or controls through illegal armed groups.
  Second, it helps ensure that Vladimir Putin and his cronies are held 
accountable.
  We cannot allow these grave violations to continue.
  In closing, it is vital that the United States continues to be a 
leader in advancing international religious freedom around the world.
  This bill not only brings international attention to the religious 
persecution being committed in the territory of Ukraine that Putin 
illegally occupies or controls through illegal armed groups it 
commands, but also ensures Vladimir Putin and his thugs are held 
accountable.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Helsinki Commission, along with 
Congressman and Chairman Alcee Hastings, I would also like to recognize 
the Helsinki Commission for long championing this issue. In particular, 
I would like to recognize Nathaniel Hurd of the Helsinki Commission 
staff for all of his work to ensure that we hold Putin to account for 
these egregious violations of religious liberty in Ukraine.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, Russia and Putin are responsible for 
illegal and destabilizing actions all around the world. We need a 
comprehensive strategy to put a stop to their aggression and impose 
tough consequences. It is going to take a lot of different tools, and 
this bill will give us one of them.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' 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 York (Mr. Espaillat) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5408, 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.

                          ____________________