Subject: Fwd: FYI - New DWS bill on Venezuela sanctions
From: Ryan Banfill <[email-masked]>
To: Luis Miranda <[email-masked]>, Mark Paustenbach <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2016 14:28:35 -0400

FYI... Chair is an original co-sponsor. 

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Burgan, Geoff" <[email-masked]>
> Date: April 29, 2016 at 2:17:50 PM EDT
> To: "Ryan Banfill ([email-masked])" <[email-masked]>
> Cc: "Pough, Tracie" <[email-masked]>, "Farhadian, Sarah" <[email-masked]>, "Arkin, Sarah" <[email-masked]>
> Subject: FYI - New DWS bill on Venezuela sanctions
> 
> Ryan – flagging that DWS is an original cosponsor of a bill to extend sanctions against the Maduro regime. Ros-Lehtinen is the lead and other originals are DWS, Curbelo, Sires, Detuch and the Senate companion leaders are Rubio & Menendez. We won’t be doing any full statement on it – just quietly letting friends in the community know. Here’s Ros-Lehtinen’s statement that mentions DWS. Key priority for us at home with a big Venezuelan constituency in Weston.
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> With South Florida Congressional Delegation, Ros-Lehtinen Introduces Bipartisan Bill To Extend Sanctions Against Maduro Regime
> Apr 29, 2016
> With South Florida Congressional Delegation, Ros-Lehtinen Introduces Bipartisan Bill To Extend Sanctions Against Maduro Regime
> “The regime’s corruption, control of the judiciary, and lack of respect for the rule of law has severely restricted basic rights in Venezuela like freedom of expression and due process, yet not nearly enough is being done to sanction the responsible officials.”
> (Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27), along with Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Albio Sires (D-NJ), and Ted Deutch (D-FL), introduced H.R. 5134, a bipartisan bill to extend the President’s authority to sanction Maduro regime officials for violating the human rights of the Venezuelan people. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen’s bill is a House companion to the Senate bill passed by Sens. Marco Rubio and Bob Menendez yesterday, April 28. Ros-Lehtinen first authored the bipartisan Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act of 2014 which passed the House of Representatives on May 28, 2014. Its Senate companion was signed into law on December 18, 2014.
> Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
> “The Maduro regime continues to commit gross human rights violations against the Venezuelan people, harassing, jailing, and intimidating those who speak out against the regime, and subjecting prisoners to torture and inhumane treatment while killing with impunity. The regime’s corruption, control of the judiciary, and lack of respect for the rule of law has severely restricted basic rights in Venezuela like freedom of expression and due process, yet not nearly enough is being done to sanction the responsible officials. Despite more than enough evidence, the Obama administration has only sanctioned a mere few since the original legislation was passed and the White House can and must do better. This bill extends the President’s sanctions authority for another three years and I strongly urge him to sanction all Maduro regime officials responsible for human rights violations as soon as possible.”
> For a copy of the bill, please click here.
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> Geoff Burgan
> Press Secretary
> Office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)
> C: 443.801.1915
> BB: 202.999.9001
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