Bill Summary
The "Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act" is legislation aimed at enhancing U.S. support for identifying and recovering Ukrainian children abducted by the Russian Federation and holding responsible parties accountable for these actions. Key components of the bill include:
1. **Support for Ukraine**: The U.S. government is committed to assisting Ukraine in investigating the abduction of children, rehabilitating and reintegrating those returned, and pursuing justice against perpetrators.
2. **Investigation Assistance**: Various U.S. departments, including Justice, State, and Homeland Security, are authorized to provide technical support, training, and advisory services to the Ukrainian government to strengthen its capacity to investigate and handle cases of child abduction.
3. **Rehabilitation and Reintegration**: The bill authorizes the provision of medical, psychological, and legal support to help abducted children reintegrate into Ukrainian society.
4. **Justice and Accountability**: It establishes mechanisms for supporting Ukraine's prosecutorial efforts against those involved in the abduction and other war crimes, including the formation of an Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group.
5. **Reporting Requirements**: The legislation mandates regular reports to Congress on U.S. support efforts and any discrepancies in sanctions against those responsible for the abductions.
6. **Utilization of Seized Assets**: The President is authorized to use Russian sovereign assets held in the U.S. to fund initiatives outlined in the bill.
Overall, the act represents a comprehensive U.S. initiative to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the abduction of Ukrainian children during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Possible Impacts
The "Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act" can affect people in various ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Support for Reunification and Rehabilitation**: The act authorizes the U.S. government to provide assistance for the rehabilitation and reintegration of Ukrainian children who have been abducted. This means that affected families may receive psychological and medical support, as well as legal aid to help bring their children back home and facilitate their reintegration into society. This assistance can significantly impact the emotional and physical well-being of these children and their families.
2. **Enhanced Investigative Capability**: By providing technical assistance and training to Ukrainian authorities, the legislation strengthens the ability of Ukraine to investigate and prosecute cases involving child abduction and war crimes. This not only helps bring justice to victims and their families but also serves as a deterrent against future abductions. The involvement of U.S. agencies may lead to more efficient and effective investigations, ultimately affecting the security and safety of children in conflict zones.
3. **Accountability for Perpetrators**: The act aims to hold accountable those responsible for the abduction of Ukrainian children by supporting the prosecution of such crimes. This increased focus on accountability can foster a sense of justice among victims and their communities, ensuring that perpetrators are pursued legally. This may also encourage other nations to take similar actions against human rights violations, contributing to a broader culture of accountability in international law.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2119 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2119
To enhance United States support for identifying and recovering
Ukrainian children who were abducted by the Russian Federation, and to
hold accountable those who are responsible for such abductions.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 18, 2025
Ms. Klobuchar (for herself and Mr. Grassley) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To enhance United States support for identifying and recovering
Ukrainian children who were abducted by the Russian Federation, and to
hold accountable those who are responsible for such abductions.
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 ``Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery
and Accountability Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to a White House press release, dated March
25, 2025, ``The United States and Ukraine agreed that the
United States remains committed to helping achieve the exchange
of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the
return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.''.
(2) To implement the commitment referred to in paragraph
(1), the United States Government requires an organized and
resourced policy approach to assist Ukraine with--
(A) investigations of Russia's abduction of
Ukrainian children;
(B) the rehabilitation and reintegration of
children returned to Ukraine; and
(C) justice and accountability for perpetrators of
the abductions.
SEC. 3. INVESTIGATION SUPPORT.
(a) Authorization of Technical Assistance and Advisory Support.--
(1) In general.--The Department of Justice, the Department
of State, and the Department of Homeland Security are
authorized--
(A) to provide technical assistance, training,
capacity building, and advisory support to the
Government of Ukraine in support of the commitment
described in section 2(1); and
(B) to advance the objectives described in section
2(2).
(2) Type of assistance.--The technical assistance
authorized under paragraph (1)(A) may include--
(A) training regarding the utilization of biometric
identification technologies in abduction and
trafficking investigations;
(B) assistance with respect to collecting and
analyzing open source intelligence information;
(C) assistance in the development and use of secure
communications technologies; and
(D) assistance with respect to managing and
securing relevant databases.
(b) Coordination.--
(1) Nongovernmental organizations.--The Department of
Justice, the Department of State, and the Department of
Homeland Security shall coordinate with, and may provide grants
to, nongovernmental organizations to carry out the assistance
authorized under subsection (a).
(2) Federal agencies.--The National Security Council shall
convene meetings with appropriate representatives from the
Department of Justice, the Department of State, the Department
of Homeland Security, and the intelligence community (as
defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50
U.S.C. 3003)) to carry out the assistance authorized under
subsection (a).
(c) Notification Requirement.--The National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency may not suspend or terminate the Government of Ukraine's access
to the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery Program unless the Director of
such agency, not later than 30 days before the date of such suspension
or termination, submits a notification to Congress that includes--
(1) a justification for such suspension or termination; and
(2) a plan describing an alternate method by which the
Government of Ukraine may access satellite imagery collected by
the United States Government.
SEC. 4. REHABILITATION AND REINTEGRATION.
(a) Authorization of Assistance.--The Secretary of State and the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
are authorized to provide support to the Government of Ukraine and to
nongovernmental organizations and local civil society groups in Ukraine
for the purpose of providing Ukrainian children who have been abducted
by the Russian Federation with--
(1) medical and psychological rehabilitation services;
(2) family support services; and
(3) services in support of the reintegration of such
children into Ukrainian society, including legal aid and
educational screening and placement.
(b) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that describes all
current or planned foreign assistance programs that will provide the
assistance authorized under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
(a) Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine.--The Department of
State, under the direction of the Ambassador at Large for Global
Criminal Justice, is authorized to support the Atrocity Crimes Advisory
Group for Ukraine by providing technical assistance, capacity building,
and advisory support to the Government of Ukraine's Office of the
Prosecutor General, and other relevant components of the Government of
Ukraine, for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting cases
involving abducted children, and other war crimes.
(b) Department of Justice.--The Department of Justice is authorized
to provide technical assistance, capacity building, and advisory
support to the Government of Ukraine through its Office of Overseas
Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training, which shall be
coordinated by the Resident Legal Adviser at the United States Embassy
in Kyiv, for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting cases
involving abducted children, and other atrocity crimes.
(c) Reports.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act--
(1) the Secretary of State, in coordination with the
Attorney General, shall submit a report to the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee on the Judiciary
of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the
House of Representatives that describes current and planned
United States Government support for the Government of
Ukraine's work to investigate and prosecute war crimes; and
(2) the Secretary of State, in coordination with the
Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit a report to the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives,
and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of
Representatives that outlines--
(A) any discrepancies between the sanctions regimes
of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the
European Union with respect to those responsible for
the abduction of Ukrainian children; and
(B) efforts made by the United States Government to
better align such sanction regimes.
SEC. 6. USE OF SEIZED RUSSIAN SOVEREIGN ASSETS.
The President may utilize any Russian sovereign assets held within
the United States for the purposes described in this Act and in
accordance with the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for
Ukrainians Act (division F of Public Law 118-50).
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