To support democracy and the rule of law in Georgia, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill responds to concerns that Georgia (the country) is moving away from democracy and toward Russian influence. It imposes visa bans and financial sanctions on Georgian officials who undermine democracy or block Georgia's path to joining the EU and NATO. It also redirects U.S. foreign assistance toward democracy programs and requires the State Department to reassess all U.S. aid and strategic partnerships with Georgia.
Who Benefits and How
Georgian civil society organizations and independent media receive increased support through at least $50 million in democracy assistance funding. Pro-democracy activists and opposition parties benefit from U.S. diplomatic pressure on the Georgian government. NATO and EU allies benefit from coordinated efforts to counter Russian influence in the region.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Georgian government officials and oligarchs who support the 'foreign agents' law face visa revocations, travel bans, and asset freezes in the United States. The Georgian government may lose substantial U.S. foreign assistance if it does not reverse course on anti-democratic legislation. Russian-aligned actors in Georgia face increased scrutiny and potential sanctions.
Key Provisions
- Imposes mandatory sanctions (visa bans, asset freezes) on Georgian officials who undermine democracy, engage in corruption, or block EU/NATO integration
- Allocates at least $50 million for democracy, civil society, and independent media programs in Georgia
- Requires suspension of U.S. strategic dialogue and reassessment of all U.S. assistance to Georgia's government
- Mandates reports on disinformation, political prisoners, and corruption in Georgia
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
To support democracy and the rule of law in Georgia by imposing sanctions on individuals undermining democratic processes, providing democracy assistance funding, and requiring reassessment of U.S.-Georgia strategic relations in response to Georgia's passage of a 'foreign agents' law.
Key Policy Areas
Foreign Policy, Sanctions, Democracy Promotion, National Security
Primary Purpose
To support democracy and the rule of law in Georgia by imposing sanctions on individuals undermining democratic processes, providing democracy assistance funding, and requiring reassessment of U.S.-Georgia strategic relations in response to Georgia's passage of a 'foreign agents' law.
Policy Domains
Title I - Accountability for Actions that Undermine the Democracy, Sovereignty, and Territorial Integrity of Georgia
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Georgian civil society organizations
- Georgian opposition parties
- Pro-democracy activists in Georgia
- Independent media in Georgia
- NATO allies
- European Union
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Georgian government officials supporting foreign agents law
- Georgian oligarchs with U.S. assets
- Corrupt officials in Georgia
- Russian-aligned actors in Georgia
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - Promoting Democracy and the Rule of Law
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Georgian civil society organizations
- Independent media in Georgia
- National Endowment for Democracy
- OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Georgian government agencies
- State actors enabling Russian aggression
- Disinformation actors
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Ricketts, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Chinese information operations, Corrupt Georgian officials, Department of Defense
Positive-direction: U.S. intelligence agencies
Negative-direction: Chinese information operations, Corrupt Georgian officials, Department of Defense, Department of State, Executive Branch (reporting requirement), Georgian Ministry of Defense, Georgian government, Georgian government agencies receiving U.S. aid, Georgian government officials in leadership positions, Georgian government officials undermining democracy, Georgian officials blocking EU/NATO integration, Georgian officials enabling Russian aggression, Georgian officials involved in human rights abuses, Georgian parliament members involved in anti-democratic actions, Russian information operations, Russian-aligned actors in Georgia, USAID
Democracy programs in Europe/Eurasia region, Georgian civil society organizations, Humanitarian organizations operating in Georgia
Family members of sanctioned Georgian officials, Foreign persons undermining Georgian sovereignty, Political prisoners in Georgia
Positive-direction: Political prisoners in Georgia
Negative-direction: Family members of sanctioned Georgian officials, Foreign persons undermining Georgian sovereignty
Disinformation actors in Georgia, Independent media outlets in Georgia
Positive-direction: Independent media outlets in Georgia
Negative-direction: Disinformation actors in Georgia
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_president"
- → President of the United States
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of State
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of USAID
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of State
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of USAID
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, entity organized under U.S. laws, or any person within the United States
Sanctions do not apply to agricultural commodities, food, medicine, medical devices, or humanitarian assistance
The 'On Transparency of Foreign Influence' bill reintroduced in the Parliament of Georgia in April 2024
Any individual or entity that is not a United States person
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology