A local lawmaker is taking action to reaffirm his commitment to the case of a Butler native still serving time in a Russian prison.
Congressman Mike Kelly joined with colleagues in the U.S. House to introduce the bipartisan Marc Fogel Act.
This legislation would amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to mandate communication from the State Department to Congress about how wrongful detainment determinations are made within six months of an arrest.
Fogel was arrested in August of 2021 while teaching in Russia for possession of medical marijuana prescribed for back pain. One year ago he was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor in a Russian prison.
