HR 5826 · 118th Congress 2023–2025, ended

No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act

Introduced Sep 28, 2023 Originated House Sponsor Joe Wilson R-SC

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Apr 17, 2024 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

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.

  1. IntroducedSep 28, 2023
  2. Passed HouseApr 16, 2024
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act

This bill allows the President to deny a representative of the United Nations diplomatic entry to the United States if the individual is sanctioned under specified Executive Orders related to terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Currently, the President may deny entry to a United Nations representative if the individual is found to be engaged in specified espionage or terrorist activities directed against the United States or its allies and may pose a threat to security.

The bill also requires the President to report to Congress on certain matters regarding Iran. The President must report on 

  • the $6 billion transferred from restricted Iranian accounts in South Korea to restricted accounts in Qatar on August 9, 2023; 
  • all cases of hostage taking of a U.S. national in Iran or at the direction of Iran during the last 10 years and whether specified sanctions apply; 
  • blocked Iranian assets; 
  • international efforts to find, freeze, and forfeit assets of those connected to Iran's hostage-taking, wrongful detention, and human rights violations; 
  • whether the travel of U.S. persons to Iran presents an imminent danger to travelers; and 
  • a strategy to deter hostage-taking by U.S adversaries.

Recorded votes 1

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll callQuestionResultDate
House 131Passed391–34Apr 16, 2024

Cosponsors 12

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 28, 2023 to Apr 15, 2024; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-FLJared MoskowitzOriginalSep 28, 2023
R-ASAumua Amata Coleman RadewagenOct 17, 2023
R-INJames R. BairdOct 17, 2023
R-NVMark E. AmodeiOct 17, 2023
R-TXMichael T. McCaulOct 17, 2023
R-NJThomas H. Kean, Jr.Oct 17, 2023
R-NDKelly ArmstrongOct 18, 2023
R-SCNancy MaceNov 1, 2023
R-FLJohn H. RutherfordNov 7, 2023
R-TXMonica De La CruzNov 14, 2023
R-NYAnthony D'EspositoJan 5, 2024
R-NYClaudia TenneyApr 15, 2024

Committees 3

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseForeign Affairs Committee
Referred Sep 28, 2023Markup Oct 19, 2023
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Sep 28, 2023
SenateForeign Relations Committee
Referred Apr 17, 2024

Actions 12

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Apr 17, 2024Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  2. Apr 16, 2024Mr. Wilson (SC) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  3. Apr 16, 2024Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2423-2426)
  4. Apr 16, 2024DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5826.
  5. Apr 16, 2024At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
Show all 12 actions

In the Congressional Record 2

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.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
ExtensionsDebate and remarks E364Joaquin Castro D-TXApr 17, 2024
HouseDebate and remarks H2423–H2426Text printed H2423–H2425Recorded votes H2434enactGregory W. Meeks D-NY, Joe Wilson R-SCApr 16, 2024

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

  1. Nov 9, 2023H.R. 5826, No Paydays for Hostage-Takers ActAs ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on October 19, 2023

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: U.S. Constitution Article 1. Section 8. The single subject of this legislation is: To require a report on sanctions under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 158, September 28, 2023, page H4857.

Printed hearings 2

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 118-52MOVING THE MONEY: UNDERSTANDING THE IRANIAN REGIME'S ACCESS TO MONEY AROUND THE WORLD AND HOW THEY USE IT TO SUPPORT TERRORISM76 pagesFinancial Services CommitteeOct 26, 2023
Serial No. 118-53MARKUP OF VARIOUS MEASURES267 pagesForeign Affairs CommitteeOct 19, 2023

CRS reports 4

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 4

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Titles 4

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To require a report on sanctions under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act
Short Title(s) as Passed House
No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act
Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.

Text 3

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Apr 17, 2024Referred in Senate
  2. Apr 16, 2024Engrossed in House
  3. Sep 28, 2023Introduced in House

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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.