{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-4686","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 4686","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To promote free and fair elections, political freedoms, and human rights in Cambodia, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To promote free and fair elections, political freedoms, and human rights in Cambodia, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2021-07-26","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2021-09-28","vote":{"id":"117-2021-h301","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended","title":"Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021","result":"Passed","yea":403,"nay":17,"present":0,"not_voting":11,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll301.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.","date":"2021-09-29"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2021-09-28","stage":"Passed House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on individuals responsible for acts to undermine democracy in Cambodia, including acts that constituted serious human rights violations."},{"k":"p","t":"The sanctions shall be directed at senior Cambodian government, military, or security forces officials responsible for such actions, as well as entities controlled or owned by such individuals."},{"k":"p","t":"The sanctions shall include blocking assets and restricting the entry of sanctioned individuals into the United States, and shall not apply to the importation of goods."},{"k":"p","t":"The President may waive the sanctions with respect to a person or entity if it is in the national interest of the United States. The President may suspend the sanctions if Cambodia makes meaningful progress toward ending government efforts to undermine democracy or committing human rights violations."}],"words":132},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Requires the President to designate and sanction senior Cambodian government, military, and security officials who undermine democracy or commit related serious human rights violations, and entities they own or control, with provisions for waiver, suspension, and a five-year end date.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H9A780D4411DB4601A41ADE8CB5CBFF95"},{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H227941DCEEE843EFB71C0EB5112F72B1"},{"label":"Sec. 6","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#HF599D3E8945E49D1A3220DB53A3C38F4"}]},"core_areas":["Sanctions on Cambodian officials and entities for undermining democracy","Visa and entry restrictions for designated foreign persons","Presidential waiver and suspension of sanctions"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Requires the President, within 180 days of enactment, to designate and send to the appropriate congressional committees a list of senior Cambodian government, military, or security officials the President determines have directly and substantially undermined democracy or committed or directed serious human rights violations associated with doing so, and entities they own or control.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H9A780D4411DB4601A41ADE8CB5CBFF95"}},{"text":"Requires the President to use powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to block transactions in property of designated foreign persons that is in the United States or in the possession or control of a United States person.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H9A780D4411DB4601A41ADE8CB5CBFF95"}},{"text":"Makes designated foreign persons inadmissible to the United States, ineligible for visas and entry documents, and subject to immediate revocation of existing visas, with an exception where admission is needed to comply with the UN Headquarters Agreement or other international obligations.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H9A780D4411DB4601A41ADE8CB5CBFF95"}},{"text":"Allows the President to waive the sanctions for a designated person by determining and certifying to the appropriate congressional committees that the waiver is in the national interest of the United States.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H9A780D4411DB4601A41ADE8CB5CBFF95"}},{"text":"Allows the sanctions to be suspended for up to 1 year if the President certifies that Cambodia is making meaningful progress toward ending government efforts to undermine democracy, ending related human rights violations, and conducting free and fair elections with credible opposition candidates.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H227941DCEEE843EFB71C0EB5112F72B1"}},{"text":"Ends the Act 5 years after the date of enactment.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 6","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#HF599D3E8945E49D1A3220DB53A3C38F4"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"off_subject","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#HBE4C6D6E84F641F785362809512789BC"},"heading":"Determination of budgetary effects","effect":"Sets how the budgetary effects of this Act are determined for Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 purposes, by reference to a statement printed in the Congressional Record by the House Budget Committee Chairman.","amount":null,"quote":"shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled “Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation” for this Act"}]},{"category":"selective_carve_out","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh#H9A780D4411DB4601A41ADE8CB5CBFF95"},"heading":"Sanctions relating to undermining democracy in Cambodia","effect":"Excludes the importation of goods from the sanctions authority and requirements in the Act, so sanctions under it cannot be imposed on that kind of transaction. It also exempts from the visa and admission sanctions persons whose admission is needed to meet United Nations headquarters agreement or other international obligations.","amount":null,"quote":"The authorities and requirements to impose sanctions authorized under this Act shall not include the authority or requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods."}]}],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2021-09-28","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4686/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-4686.png","v":"7ec52c274c9b","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 4686, 117th Congress: Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021. House: 403 Yea, 17 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 28 Sep 2021."}}