# Plain Language Summary: Russian Parliament Sanctions Bill

This bill would punish Russian members of parliament who voted to recognize two Ukrainian regions—Donetsk and Luhansk—as independent states back in February 2022. Specifically, it targets those who voted in favor of an appeal asking President Putin to make this recognition official. The bill would impose sanctions on these individuals, which typically means freezing any assets they have in the United States, banning them from doing business here, and preventing them from traveling to America.

The practical effect is that this becomes a tool to hold specific Russian lawmakers accountable for their role in supporting Russia's military actions in Ukraine. By sanctioning individual parliamentarians rather than entire government institutions, the bill aims to create personal consequences for those who voted to support the invasion. These lawmakers would find themselves unable to access money in American banks, conduct business with U.S. companies, or enter the country.

This is part of a broader U.S. strategy of targeting individuals involved in Russia's Ukraine invasion rather than just imposing blanket sanctions on Russia as a whole. It's meant to send a message that voting to support military aggression against a neighboring country will have direct personal consequences. For most Americans, this bill wouldn't directly affect daily life, but it reflects how the U.S. government uses targeted sanctions as a diplomatic and political tool to respond to international conflicts.

To provide for the imposition of sanctions on members of parliament of the Russian Federation who voted on February 15, 2022, in favor of the appeal to President Vladimir Putin to recognize the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in southeastern Ukraine as one or more independent states.

Keating, William R.

 <p>This bill authorizes the President to impose asset- and visa-blocking sanctions on any member of Russia's parliament who voted on February 15, 2022, to appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as one or more independent states. </p>