Bill · S. 4809· Senate(119-S-4809)
Venezuela Democratic Transition Act
- Introduced
- 6/17/2026
- Last activity
- 6/17/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Sponsored by
- Timothy Kaine
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Venezuela Democratic Transition Act requires the Secretary of State to create a strategy to support free and fair elections in Venezuela by 2026. The bill aims to restore democracy, free political prisoners, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. It also directs the President to impose sanctions, including blocking property and denying visas, on individuals involved in gross human rights violations. The act ensures that any energy agreements with Venezuela involve consultation with the democratic opposition.
Yes· 3 of 21
Does this make elections run better?+9
The bill's primary goal is the restoration of a free, fair, and transparent electoral process in Venezuela.
Does this protect the right to vote?+8
The bill specifically aims to support free and fair presidential elections in Venezuela in 2026.
Does this make casting a ballot easier in practice?+8
The strategy seeks to facilitate a transparent electoral process with full opposition participation.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Support for Democracy: The bill seeks to facilitate a presidential election in 2026 that follows international standards for being free, fair, and transparent (Section 4).
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Human Rights and Freedom: The strategy includes goals to free prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, as well as closing torture centers (Section 4).
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Humanitarian Aid: The bill directs the use of diplomatic tools to ensure humanitarian assistance is consistently delivered to the people of Venezuela (Section 4).
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Accountability for Abuses: The President is required to impose sanctions on Venezuelan persons complicit in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights (Section 5(a)).
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Protection of Basic Needs: Humanitarian waivers ensure that sanctions do not stop the provision of food, medicine, medical devices, or agricultural commodities (Section 5(d)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Financial Restrictions: The bill allows the President to block all transactions and property interests of specific Venezuelan persons, which could cause significant financial disruption for those targeted (Section 5(b)(1)).
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Travel and Entry Bans: Individuals determined to be complicit in human rights violations are made inadmissible to the United States and ineligible for visas or parole (Section 5(b)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+5Good For Hispanic Americans+4Good For Children+3Good For Men+3Good For Middle Aged+3Good For Middle Class Households+3Good For People With Disabilities+3Good For Seniors+3Good For Women+3Good For Young Adults+3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Voting Access+8Improves Voting Rights+8Improves Freedom Of Speech+6Improves Poverty Reduction+3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Electoral Process+9Improves Due Process+6Improves Freedom Of Speech+6
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Diplomatic Engagement+7Increases Foreign Aid+5Improves International Alliances+4
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+4
- 6/17/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Introduced in Senate