HARM Act
Latest action · Jan 25, 2023 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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.
- IntroducedJan 25, 2023
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries Act or the HARM Act
This bill requires the Department of State to designate the Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization. Such designation also applies to any affiliated and successor entities undertaking malign activities against the United States and its allies or partners.
(Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.)
The President may waive the application of sanctions against these entities if the President determines it to be in the national interest.
Cosponsors 50
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 25, 2023 to Feb 5, 2024; 8 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| R-SC | Joe Wilson | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| R-FL | Maria Elvira Salazar | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| R-NC | Richard Hudson | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| D-AZ | Ruben Gallego | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Original | Jan 25, 2023 |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Jan 26, 2023 | |
| R-TX | Pat Fallon | Jan 31, 2023 | |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Feb 2, 2023 | |
| D-MN | Dean Phillips | Feb 7, 2023 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Feb 7, 2023 | |
| D-FL | Jared Moskowitz | Feb 8, 2023 | |
| R-NY | Michael Lawler | Feb 14, 2023 | |
| D-HI | Jill N. Tokuda | Feb 17, 2023 | |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Feb 17, 2023 | |
| D-IL | Mike Quigley | Feb 17, 2023 | |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | Feb 17, 2023 | |
| D-WA | Marie Gluesenkamp Perez | Feb 24, 2023 | |
| D-PA | Brendan F. Boyle | Feb 27, 2023 | |
| D-TX | Lloyd Doggett | Feb 27, 2023 | |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Mar 7, 2023 | |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Mar 7, 2023 | |
| R-IA | Ashley Hinson | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| D-MA | Jake Auchincloss | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Mar 27, 2023 | |
| D-NY | Daniel S. Goldman | Mar 29, 2023 | |
| D-IL | Bradley Scott Schneider | Apr 10, 2023 | |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Apr 17, 2023 | |
| R-GA | Earl L. "Buddy" Carter | Apr 25, 2023 | |
| R-MI | John James | Apr 25, 2023 | |
| R-IN | Victoria Spartz | May 2, 2023 | |
| R-FL | W. Gregory Steube | May 2, 2023 | |
| R-OH | Max L. Miller | May 11, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-NJ | Andy Kim | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-CO | Brittany Pettersen | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-CA | Jim Costa | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-CA | Maxine Waters | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| R-NJ | Thomas H. Kean, Jr. | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-TX | Vicente Gonzalez | Feb 5, 2024 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 25, 2023 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 25, 2023Introduced in House
- Jan 25, 2023Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 16, January 25, 2023, page H324.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF12389 | Russia’s Security Operations in Africa | Resource | Apr 8, 2026 |
| IF12344 | Russia’s Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) Archived | Resource | Aug 1, 2023 |
| R45428 | Sub-Saharan Africa: Overview and U.S. Engagement Archived | Report | Jul 21, 2023 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 416 | HARM Act | Related bill | Jul 25, 2023 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To designate the Russian-based mercenary Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- HARM Act
- Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Advisory bodies
- Africa
- Congressional oversight
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Europe
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- International Affairs
- Middle East
- Military assistance, sales, and agreements
- Military operations and strategy
- Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
- Russia
- Sanctions
- Terrorism
- Ukraine
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 25, 2023Introduced in House
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.
