S. 4809

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4809 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4809

To require the Secretary of State to develop a strategy for supporting 
free and fair elections in Venezuela, to impose sanctions on 
individuals who are complicit in gross violations of internationally 
recognized human rights in Venezuela, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 17, 2026

Mr. Kaine introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Secretary of State to develop a strategy for supporting 
free and fair elections in Venezuela, to impose sanctions on 
individuals who are complicit in gross violations of internationally 
recognized human rights in Venezuela, and for other purposes.

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 ``Venezuela Democratic Transition 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Venezuelan parliamentary election held on December 
6, 2020, and the Venezuelan parliamentary election held on May 
25, 2025, were fraudulent and widely condemned;
(2) the Venezuelan presidential election held on July 28, 
2024, violated Venezuelan law and international standards;
(3) the Venezuelan regime led by Nicolas Maduro falsely 
claimed victory in the 2024 presidential election and 
intensified violent repression against the leaders and 
supporters of the opposition presidential candidate; and
(4) Nicolas Maduro lost the 2024 presidential election and 
his regime lacks legitimacy to represent the Venezuelan people.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should--
(1) continue to recognize Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as 
Venezuela's legitimate President-elect;
(2) support the democratic opposition;
(3) facilitate free and fair presidential elections in 2026 
with full opposition participation; and
(4) ensure that any energy agreements with Venezuela are 
made only in consultation with the democratic opposition 
movement.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Admission; admitted; alien.--The terms ``admission'', 
``admitted'', and ``alien'' have the meanings given such terms 
in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1101).
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate;
(B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives;
(E) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Financial Services of the 
House of Representatives.
(3) Gross violations of internationally recognized human 
rights.--The term ``gross violations of internationally 
recognized human rights'' has the meaning given that term in 
section 502B(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2304(d)).
(4) United states person.--The term ``United States 
person'' means--
(A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully 
admitted for permanent residence to the United States;
(B) an entity organized under the laws of the 
United States or any jurisdiction within the United 
States, including a foreign branch of such an entity; 
or
(C) any person located in the United States.
(5) Venezuelan person.--The term ``Venezuelan person'' 
means--
(A) a citizen or national of Venezuela; or
(B) an entity organized under the laws of Venezuela 
or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the 
Government of Venezuela.

SEC. 4. STRATEGY FOR SUPPORTING FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA.

The Secretary of State shall develop and submit to Congress a 
strategy that--
(1) updates, with input from the appropriate congressional 
committees, the Democratic Transition Framework for Venezuela, 
which was originally published by the Department of State on 
March 31, 2020;
(2) uses all available diplomatic tools--
(A) to facilitate a new presidential election in 
Venezuela in 2026 that complies with international 
standards for a free, fair, and transparent electoral 
process;
(B) to end the Maduro-Rodriguez regime's usurpation 
of presidential authorities;
(C) to restore democracy and the rule of law in 
Venezuela;
(D) to free political prisoners and prisoners of 
conscience from incarceration in Venezuela; and
(E) to facilitate the consistent delivery of 
humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela;
(3) outlines benchmarks towards a democratic transition in 
Venezuela;
(4) provides a detailed assessment of Venezuelan government 
institutions, political prisoners, detention and torture 
centers, armed groups, and laws used to repress political 
opposition;
(5) outlines the next steps that need to be taken in 
Venezuela--
(A) to coordinate international sanctions;
(B) to close torture centers;
(C) to ensure the Venezuelan military respects the 
results of free and fair presidential elections;
(D) to establish mechanisms for institutional 
reform;
(E) to guarantee the safe return of opposition 
leaders, including Maria Corina Machado; and
(F) to provide pathways for transitional justice 
and accountability; and
(6) requires transparency and monthly reporting to the 
appropriate congressional committees with respect to the 
transition to democracy in Venezuela, including--
(A) closely monitoring energy-related negotiations; 
and
(B) tracking progress made toward achieving certain 
democratic benchmarks.

SEC. 5. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS 
IN VENEZUELA.

(a) In General.--The President shall impose the sanctions described 
in subsection (b) with respect to Venezuelan persons the President 
determines are complicit in gross violations of internationally 
recognized human rights in Venezuela.
(b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this 
subsection are the following:
(1) Blocking of property.--The President shall exercise all 
of the powers granted by the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to 
block and prohibit all transactions in all property and 
interests in property of a person described in subsection (a), 
if such property and interests in property are in the United 
States, come within the United States, or are or come within 
the procession or control of a United States person.
(2) Aliens inadmissible for visas, admission, or parole.--
In the case of an alien described in subsection (a), the alien 
is--
(A) inadmissible to the United States;
(B) ineligible for a visa or other documentation to 
enter the United States; and
(C) 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.).
(c) Exceptions.--
(1) Exception relating to importation of goods.--
(A) In general.--A requirement to block and 
prohibit all transactions in all property and interests 
in property under this section shall not include the 
authority or a requirement to impose sanctions on the 
importation of goods.
(B) Good.--In this paragraph, the term ``good'' 
means any article, natural or manmade substance, 
material, supply, or manufactured product, including 
inspection and test equipment, and excluding technical 
data.
(2) Exception to comply with united nations headquarters 
agreement and law enforcement activities.--Sanctions under 
subsection (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to the admission 
of an alien to the United States if admitting or paroling the 
alien into the United States is necessary--
(A) 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 of the United 
States; or
(B) to carry out or assist authorized law 
enforcement activity in the United States.
(3) Exception to comply with intelligence activities.--
Sanctions under this section shall not apply to any activity 
subject to the reporting requirements under title V of the 
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) or any 
authorized intelligence activities of the United States.
(d) Waivers.--
(1) National security waiver.--The President may waive the 
application of sanctions under this section if the President--
(A) determines such a waiver is in the national 
security interests of the United States; and
(B) submits to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report on the waiver and the reasons for 
the waiver.
(2) Humanitarian waiver.--
(A) In general.--Sanctions under this section shall 
not apply to--
(i) the conduct or facilitation of a 
transaction for the provision of agricultural 
commodities, food, medicine, medical devices, 
humanitarian assistance, or for humanitarian 
purposes; or
(ii) transactions that are necessary for or 
related to the activities described in clause 
(i).
(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
(i) Agricultural commodity.--The term 
``agricultural commodity'' has the meaning 
given that term in section 102 of the 
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602).
(ii) Medical device.--The term ``medical 
device'' has the meaning given the term 
``device'' in section 201 of the Federal Food, 
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
(iii) Medicine.--The term ``medicine'' has 
the meaning given the term ``drug'' in section 
201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(21 U.S.C. 321).
(3) Democratic transition.--The President may waive the 
application of sanctions under this section upon receiving 
certifications from the Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
the Treasury that a democratic transition has occurred in 
Venezuela.
(e) Implementation; Penalties.--
(1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all 
authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the 
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 
1704) to carry out this section.
(2) Penalties.--A person that violates, attempts to 
violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this 
section or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry 
out this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth in 
subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same 
extent as a person that commits an unlawful act described in 
subsection (a) of that section.
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