World Deserves To Know Act
This bill requires sanctions on certain members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and officials of Chinese health agencies. It also addresses related issues.
The President must impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person who is a CCP official and who is knowingly responsible for or complicit in (1) the disappearances of whistleblowers and citizen journalists in China relating to COVID-19, or (2) limiting free speech and academic freedom in China relating to COVID-19.
The President must also impose such sanctions on specified individuals who have leadership positions in China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention and China's National Health Commission (NHC).
The authority to impose such sanctions shall end when the President certifies to Congress that an independent and unimpeded investigation into the potential origin of COVID-19 from the Wuhan Institute of Virology has taken place.
The bill also bars federal funds and certain federal student assistance from going to institutions of higher education that enter into a contract with any element or China-based affiliate of the NHC.
Federal funding to the National Academy of Sciences may not be used to enter into a contract with any element or China-based affiliate of the NHC.
The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress a review of all funds that the National Institutes of Health have made available to the NHC since FY2010. This report must also be publicly available.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 229 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 229
To impose sanctions with respect to members of the Chinese Communist
Party and heads of Chinese health agencies relating to the COVID-19
pandemic, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 9, 2023
Mr. Wittman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the
Judiciary, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, 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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To impose sanctions with respect to members of the Chinese Communist
Party and heads of Chinese health agencies relating to the COVID-19
pandemic, 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 ``World Deserves To Know Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY AND HEADS OF CHINESE HEALTH
AGENCIES RELATING TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
(a) Chinese Communist Party Members.--
(1) In general.--The President shall impose the sanctions
described in section 1263 of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights
Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 2656 note) with respect to any
foreign person who is an official of the Chinese Communist
Party that the President determines is knowingly responsible
for, complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in--
(A) the disappearances of whistleblowers and
citizen journalists in the People's Republic of China
relating to the COVID-19 pandemic; or
(B) the establishment of limits on freedom of
speech and academic freedom in the People's Republic of
China relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2) Coordination.--The President shall coordinate with the
intelligence community for purposes of identifying foreign
persons under this subsection.
(b) Chinese Health Agencies Heads.--The President shall impose the
sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to the following
foreign persons:
(1) Gao Fu, also known as George Fu Gao, the Director of
the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the People's
Republic of China.
(2) Ma Xiaowei, Minister of the National Health Commission
of the People's Republic of China.
(c) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this
subsection with respect to a foreign person are the following:
(1) Blocking of property.--The President shall exercise all
of the powers granted to the President under the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (except
that the requirements of section 202 of such Act (50 U.S.C.
1701) shall not apply) to the extent necessary to block and
prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property
of the person if such property and interests in property are in
the United States, come within the United States, or come
within the possession or control of a United States person.
(2) Inadmissibility to the united states and revocation of
visa or other documentation.--
(A) Ineligibility for visa, admission, or parole.--
The foreign person is--
(i) inadmissible to the United States;
(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other
documentation to enter the United States; and
(iii) 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.).
(B) Current visa revoked.--The visa or other entry
documentation of the foreign person shall be revoked,
regardless of when such visa or other entry
documentation is or was issued. A revocation under this
subparagraph shall take effect immediately and
automatically cancel any other valid visa or entry
documentation that is in the person's possession.
(d) Exceptions.--
(1) To comply with united nations headquarters agreement.--
Sanctions under subsection (c)(2) shall not apply with respect
to a foreign person described in subsection (b) if admitting or
paroling the foreign person into the United States is necessary
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.
(2) To carry out or assist law enforcement activities.--
Sanctions under this section shall not apply to a foreign
person, if admitting or paroling the foreign person into the
United States is necessary to carry out or assist law
enforcement activity in the United States.
(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 and shall issue such
regulations, licenses, and orders as are necessary to carry out
this section.
(2) Penalties.--Any 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 paragraph (1) shall be subject to the penalties provided
for 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.
(f) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions
imposed with respect to a foreign person under this section if the
President--
(1) determines that a waiver is in the national interest of
the United States; and
(2) not later than the date on which such waiver will take
effect, submits to the appropriate congressional committees a
notice of and justification for such waiver.
(g) Termination of Sanctions With Respect to a Foreign Person.--
(1) In general.--The President may terminate the
application of sanctions imposed with respect to a foreign
person under this section if the President makes a
determination that--
(A) credible information exists that the person did
not engage in the activity for which the sanctions were
imposed; and
(B) the person has--
(i) credibly demonstrated a significant
change in behavior; and
(ii) been subject to an appropriate
consequence for the activity for which the
sanctions were imposed.
(2) Notification.--Not later than 15 days before the date
on which the application of sanctions imposed with respect to a
foreign person is terminated under paragraph (1), the Secretary
of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report that--
(A) describes the evidence and justification for
the necessity of the termination; and
(B) explains how the termination of the application
of sanctions is in the national security interests of
the United States.
(h) Termination of Authority To Impose Sanctions.--The authority to
impose sanctions under this section with respect to a foreign person
described in subsection (b) shall terminate on the date on which the
President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that an
independent, unimpeded investigation into the potential origin of
COVID-19 from the Wuhan Institute of Virology has taken place.
(i) Exception Relating to Importation of Goods.--
(1) In general.--The authorities and requirements to impose
sanctions under this section shall not include the authority or
requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods.
(2) Good defined.--In this subsection, the term ``good''
means any article, natural or man-made substance, material,
supply or manufactured product, including inspection and test
equipment, and excluding technical data.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON NEW CONTRACTS.
(a) Institutions of Higher Education.--
(1) In general.--No Federal funds may be made available to
an institution of higher education (as defined in section 102
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) that
enters into a contract with--
(A) any element or department of the National
Health Commission of the People's Republic of China;
(B) any agency or office that reports to the
National Health Commission of the People's Republic of
China; or
(C) any Chinese-based entity affiliated with the
National Health Commission of the People's Republic of
China.
(2) Program participation agreements under the higher
education act of 1965.--Section 487(a) of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(30) The institution will not enter into a contract
with--
``(A) any element or department of the National
Health Commission of the People's Republic of China;
``(B) any agency or office that reports to the
National Health Commission of the People's Republic of
China; or
``(C) any Chinese-based entity affiliated with the
National Health Commission of the People's Republic of
China.''.
(b) National Academy of Sciences.--No Federal funds made available
to the National Academy of Sciences may be used to enter into a
contract with--
(1) any element or department of the National Health
Commission of the People's Republic of China;
(2) any agency or office that reports to the National
Health Commission of the People's Republic of China; or
(3) any Chinese-based entity affiliated with the National
Health Commission of the People's Republic of China.
SEC. 4. REVIEW OF NIH FUNDING.
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Comptroller General of the United States, in consultation with the
Director of National Intelligence, shall--
(1) conduct a full review of all funds made available by
the National Institutes of Health, directly or indirectly,
during or after fiscal year 2010, to--
(A) the National Health Commission of the People's
Republic of China;
(B) any agency or office that reports to the
National Health Commission of the People's Republic of
China; or
(C) any Chinese-based entity that is affiliated
with the National Health Commission of the People's
Republic of China;
(2) make publicly available, and submit to the Congress, a
report on the results of such review; and
(3) in such report, clearly identify any funds described in
paragraph (1) that were used for gain of function research.
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that given Taiwan's early alerting to
the global health community on the dangers of COVID-19 while senior
officials in the Chinese Communist Party downplayed COVID-19 Taiwan
should be granted observer status in the World Health Assembly (WHA).
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Admitted; alien.--The terms ``admitted'' and ``alien''
have the meanings given those terms in section 101 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1001).
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee
on Appropriations, and the Committee on Financial
Services of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the
Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.
(3) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means a
person that is not a United States person.
(4) Intelligence community.--The term ``intelligence
community'' has the meaning given that term in section 3(4) of
the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
(5) Knowingly.--The term ``knowingly'' means, with respect
to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, that a person has
actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the
circumstance, or the result.
(6) Person.--The term ``person'' means an individual or
entity.
(7) United states person.--The term ``United States
person'' means--
(A) a United States citizen, an alien lawfully
admitted for permanent residence to the United States,
or any other individual subject to the jurisdiction of
the United States;
(B) an entity organized under the laws of the
United States or of any jurisdiction within the United
States, including a foreign branch of such entity; or
(C) any person in the United States.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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