[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3437-S3439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6297. Mr. KAINE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal
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year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the end of title XII, add the following:
Subtitle F--Venezuela Democratic Transition
SEC. 1271. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ``Venezuela Democratic
Transition Act''.
SEC. 1272. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Venezuelan parliamentary election held on December
6, 2020, and the Venezuelan parliamentary election held on
May 25, 2025, were fraudulent and widely condemned;
(2) the Venezuelan presidential election held on July 28,
2024, violated Venezuelan law and international standards;
(3) the Venezuelan regime led by Nicolas Maduro falsely
claimed victory in the 2024 presidential election and
intensified violent repression against the leaders and
supporters of the opposition presidential candidate; and
(4) Nicolas Maduro lost the 2024 presidential election and
his regime lacks legitimacy to represent the Venezuelan
people.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the United States should--
(1) continue to recognize Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as
Venezuela's legitimate President-elect;
(2) support the democratic opposition;
(3) facilitate free and fair presidential elections in 2026
with full opposition participation; and
(4) ensure that any energy agreements with Venezuela are
made only in consultation with the democratic opposition
movement.
SEC. 1273. DEFINITIONS.
In this subtitle:
(1) Admission; admitted; alien.--The terms ``admission'',
``admitted'', and ``alien'' have the meanings given such
terms in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1101).
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of
the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(E) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Financial Services of the House of
Representatives.
(3) Gross violations of internationally recognized human
rights.--The term ``gross violations of internationally
recognized human rights'' has the meaning given that term in
section 502B(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2304(d)).
(4) 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;
(B) an entity organized under the laws of the United States
or any jurisdiction within the United States, including a
foreign branch of such an entity; or
(C) any person located in the United States.
(5) Venezuelan person.--The term ``Venezuelan person''
means--
(A) a citizen or national of Venezuela; or
(B) an entity organized under the laws of Venezuela or
otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the Government of
Venezuela.
SEC. 1274. STRATEGY FOR SUPPORTING FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN
VENEZUELA.
The Secretary of State shall develop and submit to
Congress a strategy that--
(1) updates, with input from the appropriate congressional
committees, the Democratic Transition Framework for
Venezuela, which was originally published by the Department
of State on March 31, 2020;
(2) uses all available diplomatic tools--
(A) to facilitate a new presidential election in Venezuela
in 2026 that complies with international standards for a
free, fair, and transparent electoral process;
(B) to end the Maduro-Rodriguez regime's usurpation of
presidential authorities;
(C) to restore democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela;
(D) to free political prisoners and prisoners of conscience
from incarceration in Venezuela; and
(E) to facilitate the consistent delivery of humanitarian
assistance to the people of Venezuela;
(3) outlines benchmarks towards a democratic transition in
Venezuela;
(4) provides a detailed assessment of Venezuelan government
institutions, political prisoners, detention and torture
centers, armed groups, and laws used to repress political
opposition;
(5) outlines the next steps that need to be taken in
Venezuela--
(A) to coordinate international sanctions;
(B) to close torture centers;
(C) to ensure the Venezuelan military respects the results
of free and fair presidential elections;
(D) to establish mechanisms for institutional reform;
(E) to guarantee the safe return of opposition leaders,
including Maria Corina Machado; and
(F) to provide pathways for transitional justice and
accountability; and
(6) requires transparency and monthly reporting to the
appropriate congressional committees with respect to the
transition to democracy in Venezuela, including--
(A) closely monitoring energy-related negotiations; and
(B) tracking progress made toward achieving certain
democratic benchmarks.
SEC. 1275. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN VENEZUELA.
(a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions
described in subsection (b) with respect to Venezuelan
persons the President determines are complicit in gross
violations of internationally recognized human rights in
Venezuela.
(b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this
subsection are the following:
(1) Blocking of property.--The President shall exercise all
of the powers granted by the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary
to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and
interests in property of a person described in subsection
(a), if such property and interests in property are in the
United States, come within the United States, or are or come
within the procession or control of a United States person.
(2) Aliens inadmissible for visas, admission, or parole.--
In the case of an alien described in subsection (a), the
alien is--
(A) inadmissible to the United States;
(B) ineligible for a visa or other documentation to enter
the United States; and
(C) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or paroled into the
United States or to receive any other benefit under the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
(c) Exceptions.--
(1) Exception relating to importation of goods.--
(A) In general.--A requirement to block and prohibit all
transactions in all property and interests in property under
this section shall not include the authority or a requirement
to impose sanctions on the importation of goods.
(B) Good.--In this paragraph, the term ``good'' means any
article, natural or manmade substance, material, supply, or
manufactured product, including inspection and test
equipment, and excluding technical data.
(2) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters
agreement and law enforcement activities.--Sanctions under
subsection (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to the
admission of an alien to the United States if admitting or
paroling the alien into the United States is necessary--
(A) to permit the United States to comply with the
Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations,
signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force
November 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the United
States, or other applicable international obligations of the
United States; or
(B) to carry out or assist authorized law enforcement
activity in the United States.
(3) Exception to comply with intelligence activities.--
Sanctions under this section shall not apply to any activity
subject to the reporting requirements under title V of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) or any
authorized intelligence activities of the United States.
(d) Waivers.--
(1) National security waiver.--The President may waive the
application of sanctions under this section if the
President--
(A) determines such a waiver is in the national security
interests of the United States; and
(B) submits to the appropriate congressional committees a
report on the waiver and the reasons for the waiver.
(2) Humanitarian waiver.--
(A) In general.--Sanctions under this section shall not
apply to--
(i) the conduct or facilitation of a transaction for the
provision of agricultural commodities, food, medicine,
medical devices, humanitarian assistance, or for humanitarian
purposes; or
(ii) transactions that are necessary for or related to the
activities described in clause (i).
(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
(i) Agricultural commodity.--The term ``agricultural
commodity'' has the meaning given that term in section 102 of
the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602).
(ii) Medical device.--The term ``medical device'' has the
meaning given the term ``device'' in section 201 of the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
(iii) Medicine.--The term ``medicine'' has the meaning
given the term ``drug'' in section 201 of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
(3) Democratic transition.-- The President may waive the
application of sanctions under this section upon receiving
certifications from the Secretary of State and the Secretary
of the Treasury that a democratic transition has occurred in
Venezuela.
(e) Implementation; Penalties.--
(1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all
authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702
and 1704) to carry out this section.
(2) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to
violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this
section or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry
out this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth
in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705)
to the
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same extent as a person that commits an unlawful act
described in subsection (a) of that section.
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