116th CONGRESS 1st Session |
To strengthen the United States response to Russian interference by providing transparency on the corruption of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
February 27, 2019
Mrs. Demings (for herself and Ms. Stefanik) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Financial Services, 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
To strengthen the United States response to Russian interference by providing transparency on the corruption of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Vladimir Putin Transparency Act”.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to an Intelligence Community Assessment dated January 6, 2017, “Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process … Moscow’s influence campaign followed a Russian messaging strategy that blends covert intelligence operations—such as cyber activity—with overt efforts by Russian Government agencies, state-funded media, third-party intermediaries, and paid social media users or ‘trolls’.”.
(2) According to the indictment issued by the Attorney General on February 16, 2018, Russian actors conspired “to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the government through fraud and deceit for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016”.
(3) Notwithstanding the enactment of the Countering Adversaries of America through Sanctions Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–44), Russia continues to support efforts to sow and exacerbate divisions among Americans, and to undermine democratic societies around the world.
(4) The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin employs a system of corruption and illicit financial ties as a tool for consolidating its domestic political control and projecting power abroad to weaken other democratic countries.
(5) Russia has also significantly stepped up its efforts to confront the United States and its allies politically and militarily, and to counter American influence worldwide, including by the following:
(A) Invading and illegally occupying Crimea.
(B) Intervening in and occupying parts of eastern Ukraine.
(C) Deploying substantial military forces and undertaking a ruthless bombing campaign in Syria to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad and defeat the American-supported opposition.
(D) Significantly expanding its armed forces and deploying missiles in violation of treaty commitments.
(E) Undertaking large military exercises designed to intimidate other countries.
(F) Interfering in the political systems of democracies around the world.
(G) Using the threat of cutting off gas supplies as leverage over the most energy-dependent European countries.
SEC. 3. Report on Kremlin-linked corruption.
(a) Sense of congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the intelligence community should dedicate resources to further expose key networks that the corrupt political class in Russia uses to hide the money it steals;
(2) the President should pursue efforts to stifle Russian use of hidden financial channels, including anonymous shell companies and real estate investments, in a manner similar to the efforts undertaken to tighten banking regulations after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and
(3) the United States should do more to expose the corruption of Vladimir Putin, whose ill-gotten wealth is the most powerful symbol of the corrupt nature of his government.
(b) Report.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the personal net worth of and assets owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, including—
(1) the estimated net worth and known sources of income of Vladimir Putin and his family members, including assets, investments, bank accounts, other business interests, and relevant beneficial ownership information;
(2) with respect to bank accounts, real estate holdings, and other financial assets, including those outside of Russia, that are owned by or accessible to Putin—
(A) the location of such accounts, holdings, or assets; and
(B) the contents of such accounts or the amount held through such holdings or assets;
(3) any “front” or shell companies, or other intermediaries, used by Vladimir Putin to hide assets from public disclosure; and
(4) an identification of the most significant senior Russian political figures and oligarchs who facilitate the corrupt practices of Vladimir Putin.
(c) Form.—The report required by subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
(d) Appropriate congressional committees defined.—In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Financial Services, and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate.