February 18, 2025
Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Coons, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Whitehouse, and Ms. Cortez Masto) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
To designate the area of Sumner Row between 16th Street Northwest and L Street Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia, as Alexei Navalny Way
.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The administration of President Vladimir V. Putin of the Russian Federation has engaged in transnational repression, assassinations of political opponents, poisoning and other attempted murders of political opponents, journalists, and human rights defenders, systemic human rights abuses, and unprovoked military attacks against and deployments to neighboring countries.
(2)
The administration of President Vladimir V. Putin of the Russian Federation has carried out arrests and detentions of individuals who peacefully seek democratic freedoms or oppose his repression, corruption, and invasion of Ukraine.
(3)
Alexei Navalny was a Russian political dissident and activist dedicated to promoting democratic freedoms and fighting corruption in Russia.
(4)
On February 16, 2024, the Russian prison where Alexei Navalny was being held after his conviction on fabricated charges in February 2021 announced that he had died a day after he was seen in good health.
(5)
Alexei Navalny had a history of exposing the widespread corruption that sustained the Putin regime by enriching its enablers. He was recognized and awarded on numerous occasions for his work fighting corruption and promoting democratic ideals. Those recognitions and awards include the 2015 Prize of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience, a nomination for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, the 2021 Boris Nemtsov Prize for Courage, the 2021 Moral Courage Award by the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, the 2021 Knight of Freedom Award by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, and the 2021 Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament.
(6)
Alexei Navalny and fellow dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza endured several poisonings and other attempts on their lives carried out by Putin’s government.
(7)
Renaming the street near the official residence of the Russian Ambassador to the United States serves as a continuing expression of solidarity between the people of the United States and the people of the Russian Federation, who are engaged in a sustained, peaceful, and patriotic struggle for fundamental freedoms.
Sec. 2. Designation of Alexei Navalny Way
(a) Designation of way
(1) In general
The area of Sumner Row Northwest between 16th Street Northwest and L Street Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia, shall be known and designated as Alexei Navalny Way
.
(2) References
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the area referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a reference to Alexei Navalny Way
.
(b) Signs
The District of Columbia shall construct 2 street signs—
(1)
that contain the phrase Alexei Navalny Way
;
(2)
one of which shall be placed immediately above existing signs between 1135 16th Street Northwest and 1119–1125 16th Street Northwest;
(3)
one of which shall be placed on a sign post at 1555 L Street Northwest; and
(4)
that are similar in design to the signs used by the District of Columbia to designate the location of Metro stations.