Uyghur SOS Act
Latest action · Nov 9, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
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.
- IntroducedMay 18, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Uyghur Stop Oppressive Sterilizations Act or the Uyghur SOS Act
This bill expands existing visa-blocking sanctions to cover certain high-ranking foreign government officials who are responsible for coercive population control policies, such as forced abortions, with a focus on those responsible for such policies against ethnic minority groups in China.
Specifically, the Department of State may not issue a visa to a foreign national who is a head of state, head of government, or cabinet-level minister and responsible for establishing or enforcing such policies if the policies are (1) imposed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group; or (2) targeting ethnic minority groups (e.g., Uyghurs, Kazakhs, or Tibetans) or individuals peacefully expressing internationally-recognized human rights in China. (Currently, these sanctions do not apply to any foreign government officials at these higher ranks.)
The State Department must make a public announcement each time sanctions are imposed under this bill.
The bill also requires the State Department to provide all appropriate assistance to women who belong to an ethnic minority group in China and who have experienced sexual violence, torture, or coercive population control policies.
Cosponsors 29
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 18, 2021 to Dec 27, 2021; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Thomas R. Suozzi | Original | May 18, 2021 |
| R-OH | Bill Johnson | May 21, 2021 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | May 21, 2021 | |
| R-WI | Mike Gallagher | May 21, 2021 | |
| R-TX | Ronny Jackson | May 21, 2021 | |
| R-MO | Ann Wagner | May 28, 2021 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | May 28, 2021 | |
| R-IN | Jackie Walorski | Jun 15, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Michael Waltz | Jun 15, 2021 | |
| R-ID | Russ Fulcher | Jun 15, 2021 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Jun 15, 2021 | |
| R-MS | Trent Kelly | Jun 15, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Jun 21, 2021 | |
| R-MI | Lisa C. McClain | Jun 21, 2021 | |
| R-WI | Glenn Grothman | Jun 28, 2021 | |
| R-WY | Liz Cheney | Jun 28, 2021 | |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | Jun 30, 2021 | |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Jul 20, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Gus M. Bilirakis | Aug 23, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Susan Wild | Sep 30, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | Nov 4, 2021 | |
| R-CA | Michelle Steel | Nov 4, 2021 | |
| R-TN | Tim Burchett | Nov 4, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Maria Elvira Salazar | Nov 5, 2021 | |
| R-TN | Mark E. Green | Nov 5, 2021 | |
| R-TX | August Pfluger | Nov 16, 2021 | |
| R-KY | Andy Barr | Dec 1, 2021 | |
| R-OH | Steve Chabot | Dec 20, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Dec 27, 2021 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred May 18, 2021 |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 18, 2021 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Nov 9, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 9, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- May 18, 2021Introduced in House
- May 18, 2021Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 86, May 18, 2021, page H2541.
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To address state-sanctioned violence against women in the People's Republic of China, including rape and torture in detention and forced sterilizations, forced abortions, and other coercive birth restriction policies, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Uyghur SOS Act
- Uyghur Stop Oppressive Sterilizations Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 18, 2021Introduced in House
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.
