119-hr475

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 475 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 475

 To authorize the imposition of sanctions with respect to any foreign 
person endangering the integrity or safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear 
 power plant.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 16, 2025

Mr. Meeks (for himself, Mr. Keating, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Connolly, 
 Mr. Costa, Ms. Titus, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Amo, Mr. Foster, Mr. Veasey, Mr. 
 Bera, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Quigley, and Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
 committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To authorize the imposition of sanctions with respect to any foreign 
person endangering the integrity or safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear 
 power plant.

 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 ``Sanction Russian Nuclear Safety 
Violators Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress makes the following findings:

    (1) On February 24, 2022, the Government of the Russian 
 Federation, led by Vladimir Putin, launched an unprovoked, 
 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    (2) Russian forces have illegally occupied the Zaporzhzhia 
 nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, 
 and have placed Russian military equipment within the power 
 plant.

    (3) Officials from the Russian Federations State Atomic 
 Energy Corporation ``Rosatom'' have been present at the plant 
 since March 2022 and have requested information on confidential 
 issues regarding the plant's operations.

    (4) The International Atomic Energy Association ``IAEA'' 
 has stated that the presence of Rosatom officials is a 
 significant safety concern and could lead to technical 
 interference in the plant's operations, and has found that the 
 power plant has structural damage in places due to shelling 
 caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

    (5) The Director General has stated that failing to 
 demilitarize the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is ``playing 
 with fire''.

    (6) In May 2023, Russia evacuated citizens from the region 
 around Zaporizhzhia, including personnel who operate the plant, 
 further exacerbating concerns about the plant's stability and 
 safety.

SEC. 3. SANCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--The President shall impose sanctions described in 
subsection

    (b) with respect to any foreign person that has endangered 
the integrity, safety, or undermined Ukrainian operational control of 
the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station located in southeastern Ukraine 
since the Russian Federation launched an unprovoked, full-scale 
invasion of Ukraine.

    (b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this 
subsection are the following:

    (1) Asset blocking.--Notwithstanding the requirements of 
 

section 202 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
 (50 U.S.C. 1701), the President may exercise of all powers 
 granted to the President by that Act to the extent necessary to 
 block and prohibit all transactions in all property and 
 interests in property of the foreign person if such property 
 and interests in property are in the United States, come within 
 the United States, or are or come within the possession or 
 control of a United States person.

    (2) Visas, admission, or parole.--
        (A) In general.--An alien who the Secretary of 
 State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a 
 designee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has 
 reason to believe, is described in subsection

    (a) is--
            (i) inadmissible to the United States;
            (ii) ineligible for a visa or other 
 documentation to enter the United States; and
            (iii) 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.).
        (B) Current visas revoked.--
            (i) In general.--The issuing consular 
 officer, the Secretary of State, or the 
 Secretary of Homeland Security (or a designee 
 of one of such Secretaries) shall, in 
 accordance with 

section 221
            (i) of the 
 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
 1201
            (i) ), revoke any visa or other entry 
 documentation issued to an alien described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) regardless of when the visa or 
 other entry documentation is issued.
            (ii) Effect of revocation.--A revocation 
 under clause
            (i) --
            (I) shall take effect immediately; 
 and
            (II) shall automatically cancel any 
 other valid visa or entry documentation 
 that is in the alien's possession.
            (c) Exceptions.--

    (1) Exception to comply with international obligations.--
 Sanctions under subsection

    (b)

    (2) shall not apply with respect 
 to the admission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien 
 into the United States is necessary 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.

    (2) Exception relating to the provision of humanitarian 
 assistance.--Sanctions under this section may not be imposed 
 with respect to transactions or the facilitation of 
 transactions for--
        (A) the sale of agricultural commodities, food, 
 medicine, or medical devices;
        (B) the provision of humanitarian assistance;
            (C) financial transactions relating to humanitarian 
 assistance; or
            (D) transporting goods or services that are 
 necessary to carry out operations relating to 
 humanitarian assistance.

    (3) Exception related to ukrainian operational control.--
 Sanctions under this section shall not apply to any foreign 
 person seeking to reestablish Ukrainian operational control of 
 the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station or the surrounding 
 region.
            (d) Implementation; Penalties.--

    (1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all 
 authorities provided to the President under sections 203 and 
 205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this subtitle.

    (2) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections

    (b) and
            (c) of 

section 206 of the International Emergency 
 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person 
 that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
 causes a violation of regulations promulgated under 

section 403

    (b) to carry out paragraph

    (1)
        (A) to the same extent that 
 such penalties apply to a person who commits an unlawful act 
 described in 

section 206

    (a) of that Act.

    (e) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions 
imposed with respect to a foreign person under this section if the 
President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees not 
later than 15 days before such waiver is to take effect that the waiver 
is vital to the national security interests of the United States.

    (f) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section--

    (1) the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means 
 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
 Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
 Senate;

    (2) the term ``foreign person'' means an individual or 
 entity that is not a United States person;

    (3) the term ``United States person'' means--
        (A) a United States citizen;
        (B) a permanent resident alien of the United 
 States;
            (C) 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; 
 or
            (D) a person in the United States.
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