Statements & Press Releases

House Passes Four Anticorruption Bills via “America COMPETES Act”

02/04/2022

Bills offer new tools to counter rising rate of global human rights abuses and state corruption

A statement from the U.S. office of Transparency International
Feb. 4, 2022

Washington, DC—Today the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act of 2022, a legislative package designed to address American economic competitiveness against China and other global competitors. Four anticorruption measures are included in the Act:

  • The Countering Russian and Other Overseas Kleptocracy Act (or “CROOK” Act), which would inject tens of millions of new dollars into existing and novel anticorruption programs across the world.
  • The reauthorization of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act—the U.S.’s most powerful anticorruption tool focused on targeted sanctions—which the U.S. has used to impose sanctions on more than 200 individuals and entities across dozens of countries, and which has inspired similar sanctions regimes in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
  • The Foreign Corruption Accountability Act, which would authorize visa bans on any foreign national who engages in an act of corruption against a U.S. person.
  • The Justice for Victims of Kleptocracy Act, which would create a public database that lists, by country, the total amount of assets stolen by corrupt foreign officials that has been successfully recovered by the United States.

Transparency International U.S. Director of Advocacy Scott Greytak issued the following statement regarding these four measures:

“Kleptocrats often use strategic corruption to fund efforts to undermine human rights and the rule of law. With the passage of these powerful and innovative anticorruption bills, Congress is saying we will use every tool we can to fight back. The bills offer an immediate opportunity to address the alarming deterioration of democratic norms around the world, and provide real, long-term solutions that will make the United States and the world less susceptible to autocrats and gangster regimes. 

The passage of these measures in the House is a victory for anticorruption advocates around the world. As the House and Senate work out their differences, Congress must ensure that these four powerful anticorruption measures are included in the final legislation.” 

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Media Contact

Scott Greytak, Director of Advocacy, Transparency International U.S. Office
Telephone: +1 614-668-0258
Email: sgreytak@transparency.org
Twitter: @TransparencyUSA

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