UIGHUR Act of 2019
Latest action · Oct 21, 2020 Second cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 - 44. Record Vote Number: 207. (CR S6343)
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.
- IntroducedJan 17, 2019
- Passed SenateSep 11, 2019
- Passed HouseDec 3, 2019
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019 or the UIGHUR Act of 2019
This bill directs the President to impose sanctions and export restrictions related to China's treatment of the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnic group.
The President shall report to Congress a list of senior Chinese government officials who are engaged in or responsible for serious human rights abuses, including mass incarceration and political indoctrination, against Turkic Muslims in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The President shall impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on such individuals. The President may waive the imposition of such sanctions on U.S. national interest grounds.
The President shall identify items that provide China with a critical capability to suppress basic human rights, including items that provide capability to (1) conduct surveillance, (2) monitor and restrict an individual's movement, (3) monitor and restrict access to the internet, and (4) identify individuals through facial or voice recognition. The President shall (1) place such items on the Commerce Control List (a list of items subject to export controls); and (2) require authorization for the export, reexport, or transfer of such items to or within China.
The bill terminates certain prohibitions, such as a prohibition against obligating funds for U.S. Trade and Development Agency activities in China, upon a report by the President to Congress that China has taken specified actions, including ending the mass internment of Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang.
The Department of State shall report to Congress on human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including an assessment of the number of individuals detained in forced labor camps.
Recorded votes 6
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate 207 | On the Cloture Motion S. 178 | Cloture Motion Rejected51–44 | Oct 21, 2020 |
| Senate 202 | On the Motion to Table S. 178 | Motion to Table Agreed to48–42 | Oct 19, 2020 |
| Senate 198 | On the Motion to Proceed S. 178 | Motion to Proceed Agreed to48–46 | Sep 30, 2020 |
| Senate 168 | On the Cloture Motion S. 178 | Cloture Motion Rejected52–47 | Sep 10, 2020 |
| Senate 153 | On the Motion to Proceed S. 178 | Motion to Proceed Agreed to47–42 | Jul 30, 2020 |
| House 644 | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended | Passed407–1 | Dec 3, 2019 |
Cosponsors 50
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 17, 2019 to Mar 10, 2020; 17 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| R-CO | Cory Gardner | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| R-MT | Steve Daines | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
Committees 4
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Foreign Relations Committee | Referred Jan 17, 2019Markup May 22, 2019Reported Jun 3, 2019 |
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Sep 12, 2019Markup Oct 30, 2019 |
| House | Intelligence (Permanent Select) Committee | Referred Sep 12, 2019 |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Sep 12, 2019 |
Actions 33
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 21, 2020Second cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 - 44. Record Vote Number: 207. (CR S6343)
- Oct 20, 2020Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6318)
- Oct 19, 2020Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6050-6052)
- Oct 19, 2020Second cloture motion on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) presented in Senate. (CR S6050)
- Sep 30, 2020Motion to proceed to consideration of the House message to accompany S. 178 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 48 - 46. Record Vote Number: 198. (CR S5923)
In the Congressional Record 24
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6468–S6471 | Rob Portman R-OH | Oct 25, 2020 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6431, S6432 | Charles E. Schumer D-NY, Ron Johnson R-WI, Sherrod Brown D-OH | Oct 24, 2020 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6383, S6388, S6396 | Chuck Grassley R-IA, Richard J. Durbin D-IL, Rob Portman R-OH | Oct 22, 2020 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6337–S6342, S6353–S6357, S6364–S6366Cloture motions S6343Recorded votes S6343cloture motion on House amendment | Charles E. Schumer D-NY, Chuck Grassley R-IA (cloture motion), Deb Fischer R-NE (cloture motion), James E. Risch R-ID (cloture motion), Jeanne Shaheen D-NH, John Barrasso R-WY (cloture motion), John Boozman R-AR (cloture motion), John Thune R-SD, Kevin Cramer R-ND (cloture motion), Lamar Alexander R-TN (cloture motion), Lindsey Graham R-SC (cloture motion), Michael B. Enzi R-WY (cloture motion), Mike Crapo R-ID, Mitch McConnell R-KY (cloture motion), Pat Roberts R-KS (cloture motion), Patrick J. Leahy D-VT, Richard C. Shelby R-AL (cloture motion), Richard J. Durbin D-IL, Rob Portman R-OH (cloture motion), Roy Blunt R-MO (cloture motion), Sherrod Brown D-OH, Susan M. Collins R-ME (cloture motion), Thom Tillis R-NC (cloture motion), Todd Young R-IN (cloture motion), Tom Udall D-NM | Oct 21, 2020 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6303–S6315, S6318Motions S6318Recorded votes S6318McConnell motion to table McConnell amendment (SBA Paycheck Protection Program Second Draw Loan establishment) | Benjamin L. Cardin D-MD, Charles E. Schumer D-NY, Debbie Stabenow D-MI, John Barrasso R-WY, John Thune R-SD, Marco Rubio R-FL, Mitch McConnell R-KY (motion), Richard J. Durbin D-IL, Susan M. Collins R-ME | Oct 20, 2020 |
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 3
- Oct 21, 2020Senate Amendment 2652 to S. 178, the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses ActSenate Amendment 2652 as proposed by Senator McConnell on September 8, 2020
- Nov 27, 2019S. 178, Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019As ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on October 30, 2019
- Jun 6, 2019S. 178, Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019As reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on June 3, 2019
Printed hearings 3
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS, FORCED LABOR, AND THE XINJIANG AUTONOMOUS REGION35 pages | Congressional-Executive Commission on China | Mar 11, 2020 |
| Serial No. 116-76 | MARKUP OF H.R. 2153, H.Res. 189, H.Res. 230, H.R. 1771, H.Res. 410, H.Res. 349, H.R. 4754, S. 178, H.Res. 585, H.R. 554, H.R. 2881, H.R. 3763, H.Res. 446, H.R. 1819, H.R. 4802, H.R. 4862, H.Res. 649, H.Res. 546198 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Oct 30, 2019 |
| — | FORCED LABOR, MASS INTERNMENT, AND SOCIAL CONTROL IN XINJIANG259 pages | Congressional-Executive Commission on China | Oct 17, 2019 |
CRS reports 14
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 14
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R41003 | Amendments Between the Houses: Procedural Options and Effects | Report | Jan 6, 2026 |
| R47327 | Suspension of the Rules: House Practice in the 116th Congress (2019-2020) | Report | Dec 7, 2022 |
| R46631 | Section 307 and U.S. Imports of Products of Forced Labor: Overview and Issues for Congress | Report | May 21, 2021 |
| R46779 | Over the Line: Asset Thresholds in Bank Regulation Archived | Report | May 3, 2021 |
| R45478 | Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 116th Congress | Report | Mar 8, 2021 |
Amendments 147
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 2499 | In the nature of a substitute. | Mitch McConnell R-KY | Proposed amendment SA 2499 withdrawn in Senate. (consideration: CR S5433) |
| SA 2503 | No description on file | Kelly Loeffler R-GA | Senate amendment submitted |
| SA 2504 | No description on file | Chuck Grassley R-IA | Senate amendment submitted |
| SA 2505 | No description on file | Marco Rubio R-FL | Senate amendment submitted |
| SA 2506 | No description on file | Marco Rubio R-FL | Senate amendment submitted |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 649 | Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 | Related bill | Mar 4, 2019 |
| S 2972 | UIGHUR Protection Act of 2019 | Related bill | Dec 4, 2019 |
Titles 9
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China.
- Short Titles as Passed House
- UIGHUR Act of 2019
- Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019
- Short Title(s) from Engrossed Amendment House bill text
- Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019
- UIGHUR Act of 2019
- Short Titles from RFH (Referred to House) bill text
- Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Alliances
- Asia
- Business ethics
- China
- Congressional oversight
- Congressional tributes
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Department of State
- Detention of persons
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Federal officials
- Foreign and international corporations
- Government information and archives
- Human rights
- Human trafficking
- Industrial facilities
- Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
- International Affairs
- International exchange and broadcasting
- International organizations and cooperation
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Labor standards
- Licensing and registrations
- Manufacturing
- News media and reporting
- Racial and ethnic relations
- Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
- Religion
- Right of privacy
- Sanctions
- Technology transfer and commercialization
- Terrorism
- Trade restrictions
- United Nations
- Visas and passports
- Wages and earnings
Text 5
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 3, 2019Engrossed Amendment House
- Sep 12, 2019Referred in House
- Sep 11, 2019Engrossed in Senate
- Jun 3, 2019Reported to Senate
- Jan 17, 2019Introduced 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.
