H.R. 36 · 119th Congress
MEGOBARI Act
Introduced on Jan 3, 2025 by Joe Wilson (R-SC-2). 18 cosponsors, 10 of them from another party. Latest action (May 6, 2025): Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 70.
- Stage
- Passed one chamber
- Introduced
- Jan 3, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 18
- 10 from the other party
- Policy area
- International Affairs
Progress
The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.
- Introduced
- Reported by committee
- Passed one chamber
- 4Passed both chambers
- 5Sent to the President
- 6Became law
Official title
To counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, the Iranian Regime, and the Russian Federation in the nation of Georgia.
Subjects
- Alliances
- Asia
- Books and print media
- China
- Civil actions and liability
- Collective security
- Congressional oversight
- Detention of persons
- Digital media
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Europe
- European Union
- Federal officials
- Foreign property
- Georgia (Republic)
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Human rights
- Immigration status and procedures
- Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
- Iran
- Political parties and affiliation
- Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
- Protest and dissent
- Rule of law and government transparency
- Russia
- Sanctions
- Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
- Visas and passports
Summary
By the Congressional Research Service (Introduced in House, Jan 3, 2025). Public domain.
Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act or the MEGOBARI Act
This bill requires the President to impose sanctions on certain foreign persons, including Georgian government officials, who are undermining Georgia's security or stability.
Specifically, the bill requires the President to impose visa-blocking sanctions and authorizes the President to impose property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person the President determines is involved with actions or policies to undermine Georgia's security or stability. Immediate family members of a sanctioned individual are also subject to these sanctions if they benefited from the sanctioned individual's conduct.
The bill also requires the President to impose visa-blocking sanctions on the following foreign persons if the President determines such persons knowingly engaged in significant acts of corruption or acts of violence or intimidation in relation to the blocking of Euro-Atlantic integration in Georgia:
- any individual who served as a member of the Georgian parliament or as a senior official of a Georgian political party on or after January 1, 2014;
- any individual who is serving as an official in a leadership position on behalf of the Georgian government; and
- any immediate family member of such officials who benefited from their conduct.
Additionally, for the purpose of potential imposition of sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the President must determine whether there are foreign persons who, on or after the bill's enactment, have engaged in (1) significant corruption in Georgia, or (2) acts to undermine Georgia's security or stability.
Sponsor and cosponsors
Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.
Democrats · 10
- Steve CohenD-TN-9original
- Marc A. VeaseyD-TX-33original
- Emanuel CleaverD-MO-5signed on Jan 31, 2025
- Jim CostaD-CA-21signed on Jan 31, 2025
- Lloyd DoggettD-TX-37signed on Jan 31, 2025
- William R. KeatingD-MA-9signed on Jan 31, 2025
- Eleanor Holmes NortonD-DCsigned on Jan 31, 2025
- Eugene Simon VindmanD-VA-7signed on Feb 6, 2025
- Gerald E. ConnollyD-VA-11signed on Feb 24, 2025
- Jimmy PanettaD-CA-19signed on Feb 25, 2025
Republicans · 8
- Richard HudsonR-NC-9original
- Mike HaridopolosR-FL-8signed on Jan 15, 2025
- Robert B. AderholtR-AL-4signed on Jan 31, 2025
- Michael LawlerR-NY-17signed on Jan 31, 2025
- Michael R. TurnerR-OH-10signed on Jan 31, 2025
- James C. MoylanR-GUsigned on Feb 5, 2025
- Gary J. PalmerR-AL-6signed on Feb 6, 2025
- David RouzerR-NC-7signed on Feb 21, 2025
Roll calls
Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.
- May 5, 2025· House· Passage· Passed 349–42
History
Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.
- Jan 3, 2025Introduced in House
- Jan 3, 2025Introduced in House
- Jan 3, 2025 · HouseReferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Jan 3, 2025 · HouseReferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- May 5, 2025 · HouseMr. Mast moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- May 5, 2025 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1823-1828)
- May 5, 2025 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 36.
- May 5, 2025 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- May 5, 2025 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1840-1841)
- May 5, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 349 - 42 (Roll no. 116). (text: CR H1824-1826)House · Roll call 116
- May 5, 2025 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 349 - 42 (Roll no. 116). (text: CR H1824-1826)House · Roll call 116
- May 5, 2025 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- May 6, 2025 · SenateReceived in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 70.
Committees
Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.
Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction
Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.
Who lobbied on it
Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.
- AMERICAN CONCRETE PIPE ASSOCIATION6 reports$60K reported (all issues)
- JOINT BALTIC AMERICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, INC.6 reports
- FDD Action2 reports$510K reported (all issues)
Reports filed in 2025, 2026.
Sources and method
Every figure on this page traces to these records.
- Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
- Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
- House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
- Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
- Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
- Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
- Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.