May 26, 2026
Ms. Salazar (for herself, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Gimenez, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, and Mr. Huizenga) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
To establish a Venezuela Restoration Fund, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Preserving Accountability for National Assets Act of 2026
or the PANA Act of 2026
.
Sec. 2. Venezuela Restoration Fund
(a) Establishment
There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund, to be known as the Venezuela Restoration Fund
, which shall consist of amounts deposited in such fund under subsection (c).
(b) Use of funds
Amounts in the Venezuela Restoration Fund—
(1)
shall be available to the Secretary of State for the purposes described in paragraph (2) without fiscal year limitation or need for subsequent appropriation;
(2)
shall be used for the purposes of—
(A)
strengthening democratic governance and institutions in Venezuela;
(B)
defending internationally recognized human rights for the people of Venezuela, including support for efforts to document crimes against humanity and abuses of human rights in Venezuela;
(C)
supporting the efforts of independent media outlets to broadcast, distribute, and share information in Venezuela; and
(D)
combating corruption and improving the transparency and accountability of governing institutions and state-owned enterprises in Venezuela;
(3)
may be used to support governmental and nongovernmental entities in advancing the purposes described in paragraph (2); and
(4)
shall be allocated in a manner complementary to existing United States foreign policy, diplomacy, and anti-corruption activities.
(c) Funding
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the case of any funds or assets forfeited to the United States on or after the date of the enactment of this Act by an individual or entity who has acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, the regimes of Hugo Chávez or Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, the funds or assets will be deposited in the Venezuela Restoration Fund established under subsection (a).
(d) Reporting
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes—
(1)
an accounting of the amount and sources of funds that have been deposited into the Venezuela Restoration Fund; and
(2)
a summary of the obligation, amounts, and expenditure of such funds.
(e) Appropriate congressional committees defined
In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means—
(1)
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives;
(2)
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(3)
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(4)
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.