H.R. 5209: Stopping Genetic Monitoring by China Act

This bill imposes export controls on genetic testing and sequencing technologies and bars exports of such technologies to specific countries. The bill also imposes sanctions on foreign persons (individuals and entities) involved with certain activities, including human rights violations.

Specifically, the End-User Review Committee must place on the Commerce Control List (CCL) technologies identified as genetic instruments by the Department of Defense, the Department of State, or the Department of Energy. The committee must also deny licenses required to export or transfer such technology to countries specified in this bill (e.g, Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia) unless the license applicant demonstrates that the technology will not be used for human rights abuses or by an entity engaged in human rights abuses. (Items covered by the CCL are subject to export controls and typically may not be exported without a license.)

The bill also requires the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on certain foreign persons, including (1) persons that are responsible for or complicit in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, (2) persons that conduct genetic testing and analysis and are located in a country targeted by the export controls in this bill, (3) any university in China involved in genetic monitoring and human rights abuses, (4) any private company in China with an owner or senior management official who is a delegate to the National People's Conference, and (5) corporate officers of entities sanctioned under this bill.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.