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
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.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act
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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.
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(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).