Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009
Latest action · Dec 22, 2009 Became Public Law No: 111-122.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 20, 2009
- Passed SenateNov 21, 2009
- Passed HouseDec 15, 2009
- To the PresidentDec 17, 2009
- Became lawDec 22, 2009Public Law 111-122
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on November 6, 2009. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009 - Eliminates the Office of Special Investigations within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish, within 90 days after the enactment of this Act, a section within the Criminal Division of DOJ with responsibility for the enforcement of laws against suspected participants in serious human rights offenses; and (2) consult with the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State in taking appropriate legal action against such individuals. Defines "serious human rights offenses" to include genocide, torture, war crimes, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers.
Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) to punish a conspiracy to commit genocide in the same manner as completed act of genocide; (2) eliminate the limitation period for prosecuting crimes of genocide; and (3) include genocide and recruitment of child soldiers as predicates for the crime of providing material support to terrorists.
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to broaden the basis for rendering aliens participating in genocide inadmissible.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 977 | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Passed416–3 | Dec 15, 2009 |
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 20, 2009 to Oct 13, 2009; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-OK | Tom Coburn | Original | Jul 20, 2009 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Sep 30, 2009 | |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Oct 13, 2009 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 20, 2009Markup Nov 5, 2009Reported Nov 6, 2009 |
Actions 21
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 22, 2009Signed by President.
- Dec 22, 2009Became Public Law No: 111-122.
- Dec 17, 2009Presented to President.
- Dec 15, 2009Mr. Conyers moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Dec 15, 2009Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H14892-14894)
- Dec 15, 2009DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1472.
- Dec 15, 2009At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Conyers objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
- Dec 15, 2009Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H14944-14945)
- Dec 15, 2009Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by recorded vote (2/3 required): 416 - 3 (Roll no. 977). (text: CR H14892-14893)
- Dec 15, 2009Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Dec 15, 2009Cleared for White House.
- Dec 1, 2009Received in the House.
- Dec 1, 2009Held at the desk.
- Nov 30, 2009Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 21, 2009Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S11974-11976; text of measure as reported in Senate: CR S11974-11975; text as passed Senate: CR S11976)
- Nov 6, 2009Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with amendments. Without written report.
- Nov 6, 2009Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 209.
- Nov 5, 2009Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Jul 20, 2009Introduced in Senate
- Jul 20, 2009Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7702-7703)
- Jul 20, 2009Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7703)
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House · Senate | Debate and remarks H14892–H14894, S13243Text printed H14892Recorded votes H14944enact | John Conyers, Jr. D-MI, Lamar Smith R-TX, Richard J. Durbin D-IL, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Dec 15, 2009 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S11974–S11976Text printed S11974, S11976Amendments S11974 | Patrick J. Leahy D-VT, Sherrod Brown D-OH (text) | Nov 21, 2009 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S7702Text printed S7703 | Richard J. Durbin D-IL (text) | Jul 20, 2009 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Dec 2, 2009S. 1472, Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009<p>Cost estimate for the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on November 6, 2009</p>
- Dec 2, 2009S. 1472, Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009Cost estimate for the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on November 6, 2009
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45388 | Burmese Security Forces and Personnel Implicated in Serious Human Rights Abuses and Accountability Options Archived | Report | Mar 5, 2019 |
| R41173 | Foreign Aid Reform, National Strategy, and the Quadrennial Review Archived | Report | Feb 15, 2011 |
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to establish a section within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice to enforce human rights laws, to make technical and conforming amendments to criminal and immigration laws pertaining to human rights violations, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009
- Short Titles as Enacted
- Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Nov 21, 2009Engrossed in Senate
- Nov 6, 2009Reported to Senate
- Jul 20, 2009Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
