Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act
Latest action · Jun 18, 2020 Held at the desk.
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.
- IntroducedMar 7, 2019
- Passed SenateJun 15, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act
This bill establishes various entities and procedures to address the wrongful detainment of U.S. nationals abroad.
The President shall appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The envoy's duties shall include leading diplomatic engagement on U.S. hostage policy and coordinating diplomatic engagements in support of hostage recovery efforts.
The President shall establish an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which shall assess and track all hostage cases of U.S. nationals and coordinate agency efforts to safely recover hostages. The President shall also establish the Hostage Recovery Group, which shall make recommendations regarding hostage recovery options and coordinate the development and implementation of U.S. hostage recovery policies.
The President is authorized to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against any foreign person responsible for or complicit in the unlawful or wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad.
The Department of State shall review cases where U.S. nationals are detained abroad and refer instances of wrongful or unlawful detainment to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 7, 2019 to Dec 19, 2019; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | Mar 7, 2019 |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Original | Mar 7, 2019 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Mar 7, 2019 |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Dec 19, 2019 |
Committees 1
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 Mar 7, 2019Markup May 21, 2020Reported Jun 3, 2020 |
Actions 9
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 18, 2020Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jun 18, 2020Received in the House.
- Jun 18, 2020Held at the desk.
- Jun 15, 2020Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2977-2979; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S2977-2979)
- Jun 3, 2020Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Risch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title. Without written report.
- Jun 3, 2020Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 462.
- May 21, 2020Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Mar 7, 2019Introduced in Senate
- Mar 7, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
In the Congressional Record 1
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 S2977–S2979Text printed S2977–S2979Amendments S2979 | Cory Gardner R-CO | Jun 15, 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 estimate
- Jun 8, 2020S. 712, Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability ActAs reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on June 3, 2020
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 116-65 | THE COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN AND WATER MANAGEMENT IN FLORIDA73 pages | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Sep 24, 2020 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1611 | Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act | Identical bill | Mar 4, 2020 |
| S 4049 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 | Related bill | Aug 7, 2020 |
| S 5074 | Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act | Related bill | Dec 19, 2020 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to provide assistance for United States citizens and nationals taken hostage or unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad, and for other purposes.
- Official Titles as Amended by Senate
- A bill to provide assistance for United States nationals taken hostage or unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Congressional oversight
- Correctional facilities and imprisonment
- Criminal procedure and sentencing
- Department of State
- Detention of persons
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Due process and equal protection
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Foreign property
- Government information and archives
- Human rights
- Intergovernmental relations
- International Affairs
- Sanctions
- Visas and passports
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 15, 2020Engrossed in Senate
- Jun 3, 2020Reported to Senate
- Mar 7, 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.
