Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of 2017
Latest action · May 3, 2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 3, 2017
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of State to work through nongovernmental organizations to provide public health commodities, basic food commodities, and related technical assistance to Venezuela.
The State Department shall submit a multi-year strategy to Congress that: (1) describes how the United States will secure international support for the provision of humanitarian assistance to Venezuela, (2) identifies governments that will provide financial and technical assistance, and (3) identifies financial and technical assistance to be provided by multilateral institutions.
The State Department shall work: (1) with the Organization of American States to ensure international observation that contributes to free and transparent electoral processes in Venezuela; and (2) to defend internationally recognized human rights for the people of Venezuela, support the efforts of independent media outlets to share information beyond the limited channels made available by the Venezuelan government, facilitate open access to the Internet, and to combat government corruption.
The bill declares it to be U.S. policy to increase engagement with the governments in the Caribbean region and with the private sector and civil society in the United States and in the Caribbean.
The State Department shall report to Congress regarding the involvement in corruption of senior Venezuelan officials, including members of the National Electoral Council, the judicial system, and government security forces.
The bill amends the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 to: (1) direct the President to impose sanctions on any current or former official of the Venezuela government who is determined to have perpetrated significant acts of public corruption or actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions, and (2) extend the requirement to impose sanctions under such Act until December 31, 2022.
Cosponsors 14
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 3, 2017 to Jan 3, 2018; 8 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Bill Nelson | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| R-AZ | John McCain | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | Original | May 3, 2017 |
| R-CO | Cory Gardner | May 10, 2017 | |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | May 15, 2017 | |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Jun 7, 2017 | |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Jul 25, 2017 | |
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Sep 13, 2017 | |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Jan 3, 2018 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Foreign Relations Committee | Referred May 3, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 3, 2017Introduced in Senate
- May 3, 2017Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S8170 | Benjamin L. Cardin D-MD | Dec 20, 2017 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4611 | Bill Nelson D-FL | Jul 31, 2017 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3842 | Benjamin L. Cardin D-MD | Jun 29, 2017 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 3
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 3
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45120 | Latin America and the Caribbean: Issues in the 115th Congress Archived | Report | Jan 22, 2019 |
| IN10902 | Venezuela’s 2018 Presidential Elections Archived | Insight | May 24, 2018 |
| R45072 | Venezuela’s Economic Crisis: Issues for Congress Archived | Report | Jan 10, 2018 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2658 | Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of 2017 | Related bill | Dec 11, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to provide humanitarian assistance for the Venezuelan people, to defend democratic governance and combat widespread public corruption in Venezuela, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of 2017
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Alternative and renewable resources
- Aviation and airports
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Caribbean area
- Congressional oversight
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Customs enforcement
- Emergency planning and evacuation
- Energy efficiency and conservation
- Food assistance and relief
- Food supply, safety, and labeling
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Homeland security
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Intellectual property
- Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
- International Affairs
- International organizations and cooperation
- Latin America
- Multilateral development programs
- Natural disasters
- Nutrition and diet
- Sanctions
- Terrorism
- Travel and tourism
- Venezuela
- Visas and passports
- World health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 3, 2017Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
