Bringing Real Accountability Via Enforcement in Burma Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3190) to amend the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022 to extend the sunset, to require a determination with respect to the imposition of sanctions on certain persons of Burma, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3190
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 ``Bringing Real Accountability Via Enforcement in Burma Act'' or the ``BRAVE Burma Act'' SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
Section 5571(e) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (22 U.S.C. 10222(e)) is amended to read as follows:
``(e) Assessment and Report on Sanctions With Respect to Burmese Persons.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 7 years, the President shall determine whether the following persons meet the criteria for sanctions described under subsection (a) or under Executive Order 14014 (86 Fed. Reg. 9429; relating to blocking property with respect to the situation in Burma):
``(A) Any Burmese state-owned enterprise described in subsection (c)(1).
``(B) Myanma Economic Bank.
``(C) Any foreign person that the President determines operates in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy, including through activities such as the provision of financial services or the importation, exportation, reexportation, sale, supply, trade, storage, or transport, directly or indirectly, of jet fuel in Burma.
``(2) Report required.--Upon making the determination required by paragraph (1), the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the assessment.
``(3) Form of report.--The report required by paragraph (2) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.''. SEC. 3. LIMITATION OF SHAREHOLDING BENEFITTING THE STATE ADMINISTRATION COUNCIL OF BURMA.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund to use the voice and vote of the United States, when assessing potential changes to any shareholding formula in connection with a governance review of the Fund, to limit, as appropriate, an increase to the shareholding of Burma if the country is subject to the rule of the State Administration Council.
(b) Waiver.--The President of the United States may waive the application of subsection (a) upon certifying to the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate that the waiver is important to the national interest of the United States, with a detailed explanation of the reasons therefor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our vice chairman, Mr. Huizenga's bill, the BRAVE Burma Act. The vice chairman is also a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Burma has been plagued with an ongoing humanitarian crisis for far too long. The Burmese people have been the victims of genocide as a direct result of the military junta's use of funds that fuel these abhorrent acts.
The bill introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) addresses this crisis head-on. H.R. 3190 requires the Treasury Secretary to limit any increase in Myanmar's influence at the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, so long as it is governed by the military dictatorship.
This bill also requires the President to annually determine whether the United States should impose stronger sanctions on the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, their economic bank, and any foreigners working in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy.
I commend the vice chairman for his hard work and leadership in fighting for the humanitarian rights in Burma by cutting off the source of the funding that is empowering these human rights travesties.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the CBO estimate for this bill. H.R. 3190, BRINGING REAL ACCOUNTABILITY VIA ENFORCEMENT IN BURMA ACT AS REPORTED BY THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES ON OCTOBER 3, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ By fiscal year, millions of dollars-- ----------------------------------- 2026 2026-2030 2026-2035 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Direct Spending (Outlays)........... * * * Revenues............................ * * * Increase or Decrease (-) in the * * * Deficit............................ Spending Subject to Appropriation * * * (Outlays).......................... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * = between -$500,000 and $500,000.
Increases net direct spending in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036? < $2.5 billion.
Increases on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036? No.
Statutory pay-as-you-go procedures apply? Yes.
Mandate Effects:
Contains intergovernmental mandate? No.
Contains private-sector mandate? No.
H.R. 3190 would require the Administration to annually determine whether people or entities connected to the state- owned enterprises in Burma or certain sectors of the Burmese economy meet the criteria for sanctions under Executive Order 14014. The bill would require the Administration to report on its determinations. The bill also would require the United States Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund to advocate against increases in shareholding for Burma while the country is under the control of the State Administrative Council.
Under current law, the Administration can impose sanctions on individuals and entities that undermine democracy and peace. Those sanctions include denying visas and blocking some asset and property transactions for certain people who have undermined democratic institutions and peace in Burma. H.R. 3190 does not require the imposition of sanctions or expand the types of sanctions that could be imposed. If enacting the bill leads the Administration to broaden those sanctions, more people would be denied visas by the Department of State, resulting in an insignificant decrease in revenues from visa fees. Although most visa fees are retained by the Department of State and spent, some collections are deposited into the Treasury as revenues. Denying foreign nationals entry into the United States also would reduce direct spending on federal benefits (emergency Medicaid or federal subsidies for health insurance, for example) for which those people might otherwise be eligible.
As a result of the determinations required by the bill, transactions involving certain assets either in the United States or under the control of people or entities in the United States could be blocked. Any person or entity violating those prohibitions would be subject to civil or criminal monetary penalties. Such penalties are recorded as revenues, and a portion can be spent without further appropriation.
On the basis of data about similar sanctions, CBO estimates that any additional sanctions resulting from the bill would affect a small number of people. Thus, enacting H.R. 3190 would have insignificant effects on revenues and direct spending, and would, on net, reduce deficits by less than $500,000 over the 2026-2035 period.
On the basis of information about the costs of similar reporting requirements and on diplomatic efforts to influence the actions of other nations and international organizations, CBO estimates that the reporting and advocacy required by the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2026-2030 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Emma Uebelhor. The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis. Phillip L. Swagel, Director, Congressional Budget Office. EFFECTS ON DIRECT SPENDING AND REVENUES OF LEGISLATION CONSIDERED UNDER SUSPENSION OF THE RULES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WEEK OF FEBRUARY 9, 2026 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional Information on Bill Number Title Effect on Direct Effect on Revenues Direct Spending Spending and Revenue Effects ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- H.R. 3190....................... BRAVE Burma Act, Change by Less Increase by at Would reduce as amended. Than $500K, Least $500K. deficits by less Direction Unknown. than $500K. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Congressional Budget Office.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his dedicated work on our committee, as well as the Committee on Foreign Affairs, in crafting economic deterrence to bad actors--certainly, the military junta in Myanmar is a bad actor--calling loudly for a strong bipartisan vote in this House on the BRAVE Burma Act, which I hope then will be promptly considered by the Senate.
This is when the legislative branch and the executive branch work best together, when we are in alignment on putting pressure against bad actors around the world.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his work. I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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