Georgian People’s Act
A BILL
To support democracy and the rule of law in Georgia, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
On April 9, 1991, the Republic of Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union, and on March 24, 1992, the United States and Georgia established formal diplomatic relations.
Since 1993, the territorial integrity of Georgia has been reaffirmed by the international community and numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions.
At the 2008 Summit in Bucharest, NATO recognized the aspirations of Georgia to join NATO and committed that Georgia would become a member of the Alliance.
On August 7, 2008, the Russian Federation invaded Georgia and thereafter occupied 20 percent of its territory, all of which it continues to occupy.
On January 9, 2009, the United States and Georgia signed the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, affirming the close relationship between the United States and Georgia based on the shared principles of democracy, free markets, defense and security cooperation, and cultural exchanges.
Georgia made significant contributions to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the largest troop contributor among NATO partners to the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
The United States and Georgia have maintained a strong security partnership, including the U.S.-Georgia Security Cooperation Framework, signed in November 2019, and the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative, launched in October 2021.
The United States supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and condemns the continued occupation by Russia of the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The United States has continuously supported the democratic wishes of the Georgian people, who have long maintained their aspirations to join the European Union and NATO.
During and following her tenure as United States Ambassador and Plenipotentiary to Georgia between 2020 and 2023, Kelly Degnan has been the subject of slander and verbal abuse from members of the Government of Georgia.
As recently as October 2023, reputable polling indicates that 86 percent of the Georgian public support Georgia becoming a member of the European Union.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Georgia—
has not imposed its own sanctions on Russia; and
has increased economic ties, including initiating many direct flights to and from Russia;
has eased visa requirements for Russians visiting Georgia; and
is perceived as a conduit of Russia's sanctions evasion endeavors.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the subsequent rounds of international sanctions placed on Russia as a result of such invasion, Georgia saw its trade with Russia grow by 34 percent between January and June 2023.
Georgia’s geographic position as both a Black Sea littoral nation and its proximity to the Caspian Sea could further strengthen Georgia’s economy by transporting natural gas through the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline Project.
In June 2022, when the Governments of Ukraine and Moldova received candidate status for membership in the European Union, the European Council stated it would only be ready to grant Georgia candidate status once the country has addressed the 12 priorities outlined by the European Commission.
In December 2023, the European Union granted Georgia the status of candidate country, with the understanding that Georgia would act consistent with the recommendations of the European Commission by continuing to advance the outlined reform priorities and increasing its alignment with the European Union’s foreign and security policy positions.
On February 24, 2023, a foreign agents bill was introduced in the Parliament of Georgia—
to impose restrictions on civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and independent media organizations; and
to stigmatize such organizations as “foreign agents”.
On March 7, 2023, the Parliament of Georgia accelerated the passage of that bill, which led to—
large-scale protests that Georgian authorities confronted by deploying tear gas and water cannons; and
the withdrawal of the bill by the Parliament.
On April 15, 2024, the foreign agents bill, which was renamed “the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence”, was reintroduced in the Parliament of Georgia with minor changes that did not reflect the express wishes of the Georgian people, which provoked—
large-scale protests in Tbilisi and around the country; and
the ejection of opposition parliamentarians from parliamentary hearings.
On April 29, 2024, former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is currently the Honorary Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream Party, gave a speech in which he—
harshly attacked American and European partners;
alleged that the goal of foreign funding of civil society and nongovernmental organizations in Georgia is to deprive Georgia of its state sovereignty; and
promised to punish opposition political groups.
In the face of massive, nation-wide protests against the foreign agents bill, Georgian authorities have, in some cases, deployed disproportionate force against largely peaceful protestors, including—
reportedly attacking journalists covering the protests and members of the political opposition; and
threatening civil society leaders and family members of protestors at their homes.
On May 14, 2024, the Parliament of Georgia passed the foreign agents bill against the wishes of the Georgian people.
On May 21, 2024, the Venice Commission issued an opinion regarding Georgia’s foreign influence law in which it “strongly recommend[ed] repealing the Law in its current form, as its fundamental flaws will involve significant negative consequences for the freedoms of association and expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs as well as the prohibition of discrimination.”.
Sec. 3 Statement of policy
It is the policy of the United States—
to call on all political parties and elected Members of the Parliament of Georgia to continue working on addressing the reform plan outlined by the European Commission to advance Georgia's recently granted candidate status, which the people of Georgia have freely elected to pursue;
to call on the Government of Georgia to institute the required reforms, which are to be developed through an inclusive and transparent consultation process with opposition parties and civil society organizations;
to express serious concern that impediments to strengthening the democratic institutions and processes of Georgia, including the foreign agents bill, will slow or halt Georgia’s progress toward achieving its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, be perceived as stagnating the democratic trajectory of Georgia, and result in negative domestic and international consequences for the Government of Georgia;
to impose swift consequences on individuals who are directly responsible for leading or have directly and knowingly engaged in leading, actions or policies that significantly undermine the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Georgia;
to emphasize the importance of contributing to international efforts—
to combat Russian aggression, including through sanctions on trade with Russia and the implementation and enforcement of worldwide sanctions on Russia; and
to reduce, rather than increase, trade ties between Georgia and Russia;
to call on all political parties, elected Members of the Parliament of Georgia, and officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia to respect the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression, including for the press, and the rule of law, and encourage a vibrant and inclusive civil society;
to call on the Government of Georgia to release all persons detained or imprisoned on politically motivated grounds and drop any pending charges against them;
to call on the Government of Georgia to ensure that the national elections scheduled for October 2024 are free, fair, and reflective of the will of the Georgian people; and
to continue impressing upon the Government of Georgia that the United States is committed to sustaining and deepening bilateral relations and supporting Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
Sec. 4 Definitions
In this Act:
Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means—
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
Foreign agents bill— The term foreign agents bill means the “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill, which was reintroduced in the Parliament of Georgia in April 2024.
Georgia— The term Georgia means the Republic of Georgia.
NATO— The term NATO means the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of State.