PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 708.
Congressional Research Service
Version 01 · Reported to Senate with amendment(s) · Dec 7, 2016
Expresses concern about widespread shortages of essential medicines and basic food products faced by the people of Venezuela and urges President Maduro to permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Calls on the government of Venezuela to:
immediately release all political prisoners and to respect internationally recognized human rights;
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
ensure the neutrality and professionalism of all security forces and to respect the Venezuelan people's rights to freedom of expression and assembly; and
halt its efforts to undermine the principle of separation of powers, its circumvention of the democratically elected legislature, and its subjugation of judicial independence.
Expresses support for: (1) meaningful efforts towards a dialogue that leads to respect for Venezuela's constitutional mechanisms and resolves the country's political, economic, social, and humanitarian crisis; and (2) Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Almagro's invocation of Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Urges the OAS Permanent Council to undertake a collective assessment of the constitutional and democratic order in Venezuela.
Stresses the urgency of strengthening the rule of law and increasing efforts to combat impunity and public corruption in Venezuela.
Urges the President of the United States to provide full support for OAS efforts in favor of constitutional and democratic solutions to the political impasse and to instruct appropriate federal agencies to hold officials of the Venezuelan government accountable for violations of U.S. law and abuses of internationally recognized human rights.
People & committees
Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] · D–MD
Legislative record
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Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 708.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Corker with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title and with an amended preamble. Without written report.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Corker with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title and with an amended preamble. Without written report.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5172-5173)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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