Houston Republic

Congressman Wesley Hunt's legislation, H.R. 9563, known as The Protecting Americans from Russian Litigation Act of 2024, has successfully passed the House of Representatives through a voice vote. This marks the third piece of legislation from Hunt that has been favorably passed by the House in the current Congress.

The bill received bipartisan support with cosponsorship from several members of the House Judiciary Committee, including Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), and Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL).

H.R. 9563 aims to protect U.S. businesses from unfair legal actions initiated by Russia against American companies complying with U.S. sanctions and export controls. Currently, there is no provision in U.S. law safeguarding these companies from lawsuits stemming from their adherence to such sanctions, which were imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Russia's use of this Title 28 loophole to impose fines on American companies and workers is abhorrent," stated Hunt, emphasizing the importance of protecting American business interests as a congressional priority.

He further remarked, "The Protecting Americans from Russian Litigation Act will ensure that Americans will not be punished for good faith compliance with U.S. sanctions, including those placed on Russia following Putin’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine."

Expressing satisfaction over the legislation's passage with significant bipartisan backing, Hunt added: "Today, the House sent a clear message to our adversaries – including Russia and others – that they will not be allowed to retaliate against U.S. sanctions by attacking American businesses using bad-faith litigation."

Rep. Ivey also commented on co-leading this effort: "I am proud to co-lead this effort with Rep. Hunt and my Judiciary colleagues to protect the sovereignty of American businesses."