Russia Bounty Response Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 4559 To respond to the provision of bounties by the Government of the Russian Federation for the killing of members of the Armed Forces of the United States and members of the Resolute Support Mission led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and with respect to certain Russian political figures and oligarchs, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. MERKLEY, and Ms. DUCKWORTH) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on For- eign Relations A BILL To respond to the provision of bounties by the Government of the Russian Federation for the killing of members of the Armed Forces of the United States and members of the Resolute Support Mission led by the North Atlan- tic Treaty Organization and with respect to certain Rus- sian political figures and oligarchs, and for other pur- poses. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 4559 IS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Russia Bounty Re- 2 sponse Act of 2020’’. 3 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 4 In this Act: 5 (1) ADMISSION; ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms 6 ‘‘admission’’, ‘‘admitted’’, and ‘‘alien’’ have the 7 meanings given those terms in section 101 of the 8 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 9 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 10 TEES AND LEADERSHIP.—The term ‘‘appropriate 11 congressional committees and leadership’’ means— 12 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 13 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 14 Urban Affairs, the Committee on Armed Serv- 15 ices, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and 16 the majority leader and the minority leader of 17 the Senate; and 18 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 19 Committee on Financial Services, the Com- 20 mittee on Armed Services, the Permanent Se- 21 lect Committee on Intelligence, and the Speak- 22 er, the majority leader, and the minority leader 23 of the House of Representatives. 24 (3) FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘fi- 25 nancial institution’’ means a financial institution 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 4559 IS specified in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), 1 (F), (G), (H), (I), (J), (M), or (Y) of section 2 5312(a)(2) of title 31, United States Code. 3 (4) FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The 4 term ‘‘foreign financial institution’’ has the meaning 5 given that term in regulations prescribed by the Sec- 6 retary of the Treasury. 7 (5) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 8 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 9 means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 10 have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 11 result. 12 (6) UNITED STATES FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.— 13 The term ‘‘United States financial institution’’ has 14 the meaning given that term in regulations pre- 15 scribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. 16 (7) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 17 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 18 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law- 19 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 20 United States; or 21 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 22 the United States or of any jurisdiction within 23 the United States, including a foreign branch of 24 such an entity. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 4559 IS TITLE I—COUNTERING RUSSIAN 1 INFLUENCE 2 SEC. 101. REGIONAL STRATEGY TO COUNTER RUSSIAN IN- 3 FLUENCE. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 6 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 7 and leadership a strategy on how the United States will 8 diplomatically counter Russian influence in the region of 9 South and Central Asia. 10 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub- 11 section (a) shall include the following elements: 12 (1) A description of the current efforts and 13 strategy of the United States Government to counter 14 Russian influence in the C5+1 format, through 15 which the United States has deepened diplomatic en- 16 gagement with countries in Central Asia since 2015. 17 (2) A description of current efforts and strategy 18 by the United States Government to diplomatically 19 urge governments in South and Central Asia to dis- 20 continue significant transactions with the Russian 21 defense and intelligence sectors. 22 (3) A description of efforts by individual United 23 States missions in South and Central Asia to 24 counter Russian influence since January 2017, to in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 4559 IS clude the number of embassy staff dedicated to 1 countering Russian influence, the number of cables 2 written on the topic as well as a description of their 3 content, efforts to coordinate countering Russian in- 4 fluence among like-minded foreign missions in the 5 respective capitals, statements issued by the mis- 6 sions’ public affairs office on the topic, and amount 7 of foreign assistance spent in country to counter 8 Russian influence. 9 (4) Individual strategic plans for each United 10 States mission in the region that defines the problem 11 of Russian influence in the country, establishes 12 goals, objectives and corresponding metrics to 13 counter Russian interference working with local gov- 14 ernment and non-governmental partners, and a de- 15 scription of the amount of staff time to be dedicated 16 to implementing the plan. 17 (5) A description for how the United States will 18 leverage its role in international bodies to counter 19 Russian influence in South and Central Asia. 20 (6) A clear delineation of tasks and responsibil- 21 ities for the Special Envoy for Countering Russian 22 Influence in South and Central Asia and the Deputy 23 Assistant Secretary for Countering Russian Influ- 24 ence in South and Central Asia. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 4559 IS SEC. 102. REPORT ON NATO ALLIANCE AND UNITED STATES 1 EFFORTS TO COUNTER RUSSIAN GOVERN- 2 MENT INFLUENCE IN AFGHANISTAN. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 5 in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit 6 to the appropriate congressional committees and leader- 7 ship a report providing an assessment of the threats and 8 challenges from the Russian Federation facing the NATO 9 alliance and the United States in Afghanistan. 10 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub- 11 section (a) shall include the following elements: 12 (1) A review of current and emerging threats to 13 the United States and NATO in Afghanistan. 14 (2) A review of efforts by the United States and 15 NATO to counter Russian influence in Afghanistan 16 since January 2017. 17 (3) A description of United States Government 18 efforts to inform NATO allies of the threats posed 19 by the Russian Federation in Afghanistan. 20 (4) A description of United States Government 21 efforts to lead a diplomatic effort to counter Russian 22 Federation influence in Afghanistan. 23 (5) A description of specific attacks resulting 24 from bounties against United States allies in NATO 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 4559 IS since 2017, including names of countries of origin 1 and casualty numbers. 2 (6) A summary of minutes from meetings of the 3 NATO-Russia Council since January 2017. 4 (7) A description of United States diplomatic 5 efforts to engage directly with the Russian Federa- 6 tion with respect to attacks on members of the 7 United States Armed Forces or NATO allies serving 8 in Afghanistan resulting from Russian bounties. 9 (8) Options for the realignment of United 10 States and NATO posture in Afghanistan to respond 11 to new threats and challenges presented by the Gov- 12 ernment of the Russian Federation in Afghanistan. 13 (9) A description of the views of counterpart 14 governments, including heads of state, heads of gov- 15 ernment, political leaders, and military commanders 16 in the region on Russian Federation interference 17 and influence in Afghanistan. 18 SEC. 103. UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN WORKING GROUP 19 ON RUSSIA. 20 (a) WORKING GROUP.—The Secretary of State shall 21 seek to establish a United States-Afghanistan Working 22 Group to address threats posed by the Russian Federation 23 to security in Afghanistan. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 4559 IS (b) REPRESENTATION.—The United States-Afghani- 1 stan Working Group should include high-level representa- 2 tives from the United States and Afghanistan as appro- 3 priate to jointly assess the threat posed by Russian ag- 4 gression in Afghanistan. 5 (c) REGULAR MEETINGS.—The working group re- 6 quired to be established under subsection (a) shall meet 7 not less than four times per year. 8 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 9 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State 10 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2026 11 to carry out the activities described in this section. 12 SEC. 104. REWARDS FOR JUSTICE. 13 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 14 authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fis- 15 cal years 2021 through 2026 for programing that provides 16 rewards to individuals who provide information on Russian 17 bounties against United States Armed Forces stationed 18 anywhere in the world under the Rewards for Justice Pro- 19 gram administered by the Department of State under sec- 20 tion 36 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act 21 of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2708). 22 (b) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 23 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 24 retary of State shall submit to the appropriate congres- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 4559 IS sional committees and leadership a comprehensive commu- 1 nications strategy on how the United States Government 2 will advertise the program authorized under subsection (a) 3 internationally. 4 SEC. 105. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR 5 COUNTERING RUSSIAN INFLUENCE. 6 The Secretary of State shall create a Deputy Assist- 7 ant Secretary position within the Bureau of South and 8 Central Asian Affairs tasked with coordinating efforts 9 across the bureau to counter Russian influence in the re- 10 gion. This individual shall coordinate with the Special 11 Envoy for Countering Russian Influence appointed pursu- 12 ant to section 106. 13 SEC. 106. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR COUNTERING RUSSIAN IN- 14 FLUENCE IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall appoint, by 16 and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a Special 17 Envoy to Counter Russian Influence in South and Central 18 Asia, who shall report to the Assistant Secretary of State 19 for South and Central Asian Affairs. The responsibilities 20 for this position shall include— 21 (1) serving as the United States liaison to gov- 22 ernments in the region working to deny Russian in- 23 terference in their respective political systems, 24 economies, and security apparatuses; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 4559 IS (2) leading diplomatic efforts to facilitate in- 1 creased security assistance, in accordance with exist- 2 ing Leahy vetting conditions under law, for those 3 countries intent on discontinuing security assistance 4 from the Russian Federation; 5 (3) serving as a liaison to Department of State 6 officials tasked with implementing section 231 of the 7 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanc- 8 tions Act (22 U.S.C. 9525) and leading diplomatic 9 efforts to engage with countries in the region on ef- 10 forts to diminish the sales of Russian weapons to 11 governments in the region; 12 (4) regularly engaging local media in countries 13 in South and Central Asia to counter Russian 14 disinformation efforts; 15 (5) facilitating efforts to increase the presence 16 of the Global Engagement Center in the countries of 17 South and Central Asia; 18 (6) coordinating with United States Chiefs of 19 Mission within the South and Central Asian Affairs 20 Bureau; and 21 (7) providing regular updates and briefs to the 22 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 23 the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the House of 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4559.IS S4559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 4559 IS Representatives on United States efforts to counter 1 Russian influence in the region. 2 SEC. 107. GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT CENTER PROGRAMMING 3 IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA. 4 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 5 authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fis- 6 cal years 2021 through 2026 for programing conducted 7 by the Department of State’s Global Engagement Center 8 to counter Russian influence in the countries of South and 9 Central Asia. 10 (b) STRATEGY REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 11 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 12 retary of State shall submit to the appropriate committees 13 of Congress a communications strategy on how the United 14 States will substantially increase Global Engagement Cen- 15 ter programming in South and Central Asia, to include 16 an assessment of the disinformation threat posed by the 17 Russian Federation in the region, a summary of United 18 States efforts to date in countering disinformation by the 19 Government of the Russian Federation or its proxies, and 20 the identification of local partners for the Global Engage- 21 ment Center. 22 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE- 23 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit- 24 tees of Congress’’ means— 25 VerDate Sep [Text truncated for display. 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