United States 115th Congress Status: Passed House Bipartisan · 83 R · 37 D · 1 I cosponsors

HRES 129 — Calling on the Department of Defense, other appropriate elements of the Federal Government, and foreign governments to resolutely continue efforts to investigate, recover, and identify all United States personnel designated as unaccounted-for from past wars and conflicts around the world.

Last action — Motion to reconsider laid on the table. Agreed to without objection.

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Calls upon: (1) the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, other elements of the federal government, and foreign governments to resolutely continue efforts to investigate, recover, identify, and account as fully as possible for all U.S. personnel designated as unaccounted-for from past wars and conflicts; and (2) all foreign governments with information on such personnel, or with such personnel within their territories, to cooperate fully with the U.S. government to provide the fullest possible accounting for those American lives.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

34 added · 51 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to H. Res. 129 updated the language to specify the number of unaccounted-for United States personnel from past wars as approximately 82,000, down from the previous figure of 83,000. It also clarifies that about 48,000 of these personnel are presumed lost at sea, making recovery unlikely, while emphasizing the ongoing efforts for accounting by families and multiple veterans' organizations. Additionally, the language has been expanded to call for continued resolute efforts by various government entities to investigate and recover missing personnel, rather than simply intensifying existing efforts.

→
Previous
Latest
129 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
129 Engrossed in House (EH)] <DOC> H.
RES.
Res.
129 Calling on the Department of Defense, other elements of the Federal Government, and foreign governments to intensify efforts to investigate, recover, and identify all missing and unaccounted-for personnel of the United States.
129 In the House of Representatives, U.
_______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 15, 2017 Mr.
S., February 14, 2018.
Sam Johnson of Texas submitted the following resolution;
Whereas according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency of the Department of Defense, more than 82,000 United States personnel are still unaccounted- for from past wars and conflicts around the world;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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 _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION Calling on the Department of Defense, other elements of the Federal Government, and foreign governments to intensify efforts to investigate, recover, and identify all missing and unaccounted-for personnel of the United States.
Whereas, though recognizing that an estimated 48,000 of these personnel were presumed lost at sea and are unlikely to be recovered, tens of thousands of families and friends have waited decades for the accounting of their loved ones and comrades in arms;
Whereas more than 83,000 personnel of the United States are still unaccounted- for around the world from past wars and conflicts;
Whereas, though recognizing that an estimated 50,000 of these World War II personnel were lost deep at sea and are unlikely ever to be recovered, thousands of families and friends have waited decades for the accounting of their loved ones and comrades in arms;
Whereas the National League of POW/MIA Families, and their iconic POW/MIA flag, pioneered the accounting effort since 1970 and has been joined in this humanitarian quest for answers by the Korean War, Cold War and World War II families, fully supported by the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America, Special Forces Association, Special Operations Association, Rolling Thunder, and other more recently formed groups, and thousands of families are yearning and advocating for answers concerning the fates of their loved ones and comrades in arms;
Whereas the National League of POW/MIA Families, and their iconic POW/MIA flag, pioneered the Vietnam War accounting effort since 1970 and has been joined in this humanitarian quest for answers by Korean War, Cold War, and World War II families, fully supported by the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America, Special Forces Association, Special Operations Association, Rolling Thunder, and other more recently formed groups, and tens of thousands of families and veterans are yearning and advocating for answers concerning the fates of their loved ones and comrades in arms;
and Whereas the recovery and investigation teams of the Department of Defense deploy to countries around the world to account as fully as possible for these missing and otherwise unaccounted-for personnel of the United States:
and Whereas the recovery and investigation teams of the Department of Defense deploy to countries around the world to account as fully as possible for these unaccounted-for United States personnel:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) calls upon the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and other elements of the Department of Defense, other elements of the Federal Government, and all foreign governments to intensify efforts to investigate, recover, identify and account as fully as possible for all missing and unaccounted-for personnel of the United States around the world;
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) calls upon the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and other elements of the Department of Defense, other appropriate elements of the Federal Government, and all foreign governments to resolutely continue efforts to investigate, recover, identify, and account as fully as possible for all United States personnel designated as unaccounted-for from past wars and conflicts around the world;
and (2) calls upon all foreign governments with information on missing personnel of the United States, or with missing personnel of the United States within their territories, to cooperate fully with the Government of the United States to provide the fullest possible accounting for all missing personnel of the United States.
and (2) calls upon all foreign governments with information on United States personnel designated as unaccounted-for from past wars and conflicts, or with such personnel within their territories, to cooperate fully with the Government of the United States to provide the fullest possible accounting for those American lives.
<all>
Attest:
Clerk.
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1147)

  2. Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 411 - 0 (Roll no. 75).(text: CR 2/13/2018 H1087)

  3. On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 411 - 0 (Roll no. 75). (text: CR 2/13/2018 H1087)

  4. The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.

  5. Motion to reconsider laid on the table. Agreed to without objection.

  6. Mr. Wilson (SC) moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.

  7. Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1087-1090)

  8. DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 129.

  9. At 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.

  10. Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

  11. Introduced in House

  12. Introduced in House

  13. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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.

  14. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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.

  15. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 120 co-sponsors · 426 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (120)

Not signed on (426)

426 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 426 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

veterans
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HRES 129 do?
Calls upon: (1) the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, other elements of the federal government, and foreign governments to resolutely continue efforts to investigate, recover, identify, and account as fully as possible for all U.S. personnel designated as unaccounted-for from past wars and conflicts; and (2) all foreign governments with information on such personnel, or with such personnel within their territories, to cooperate fully with the U.S. government to provide the fullest possible accounting for those American lives.
Who sponsors HRES 129?
HRES 129 is sponsored by Tiberi, Patrick J. (Republican), Walz, Timothy J. (Democratic), Brady, Robert A. (Democratic), Long, Billy (Republican), Roe, David P. (Republican), Tipton, Scott R. (Republican), Westerman, Bruce (Republican), Jones, Walter B., Jr. (Republican), Wagner, Ann (Republican), Thompson, Glenn (Republican), Meehan, Patrick (Republican), Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" (Democratic), Sinema, Kyrsten (Independent), Rooney, Thomas J. (Republican), Webster, Daniel (Republican), Sessions, Pete (Republican), Pearce, Stevan (Republican), DeFazio, Peter A. (Democratic), Luetkemeyer, Blaine (Republican), Lewis, John (Democratic), Ryan, Tim (Democratic), Posey, Bill (Republican), Loudermilk, Barry (Republican), DeSantis, Ron (Republican), Wittman, Robert J. (Republican), Bergman, Jack (Republican), DeSaulnier, Mark (Democratic), Rosen, Jacky (Democratic), Hill, J. French (Republican), Himes, James A. (Democratic), Hanabusa, Colleen (Democratic), Peterson, Collin C. (Democratic), Mast, Brian J. (Republican), Rush, Bobby L. (Democratic), Ratcliffe, John (Republican), Bacon, Don (Republican), Polis, Jared (Democratic), Barr, Andy (Republican), LoBiondo, Frank A. (Republican), Flores, Bill (Republican), Heck, Denny (Democratic), Brownley, Julia (Democratic), King, Peter T. (Republican), Hartzler, Vicky (Republican), Olson, Pete (Republican), Lipinski, Daniel (Democratic), Collins, Chris (Republican), Perlmutter, Ed (Democratic), Ellison, Keith (Democratic), Delaney, John K. (Democratic), Hice, Jody B. (Republican), Cole, Tom (Republican), Foster, Bill (Democratic), Turner, Michael R. (Republican), Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" (Democratic), Conyers, John, Jr. (Democratic), Poliquin, Bruce (Republican), LaMalfa, Doug (Republican), Scott, David (Democratic), Babin, Brian (Republican), Weber, Randy K. Sr. (Republican), Pittenger, Robert (Republican), Huizenga, Bill (Republican), Wenstrup, Brad R. (Republican), Noem, Kristi L. (Republican), Graves, Tom (Republican), Allen, Rick W. (Republican), Crawford, Eric A. "Rick" (Republican), Bordallo, Madeleine Z. (Democratic), Messer, Luke (Republican), Beatty, Joyce (Democratic), Byrne, Bradley (Republican), Costa, Jim (Democratic), Moolenaar, John R. (Republican), Gallagher, Mike (Republican), Kaptur, Marcy (Democratic), Bishop, Sanford D. (Democratic), Brady, Kevin (Republican), Woodall, Rob (Republican), Scott, Austin (Republican), McMorris Rodgers, Cathy (Republican), Dunn, Neal P. (Republican), Blackburn, Marsha (Republican), Stefanik, Elise M. (Republican), Renacci, James B. (Republican), Trott, David A. (Republican), Cook, Paul (Republican), Suozzi, Thomas R. (Democratic), Perry, Scott (Republican), Joyce, David P. (Republican), Moulton, Seth (Democratic), King, Steve (Republican), Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" (Republican), Kinzinger, Adam (Republican), Wilson, Joe (Republican), Chabot, Steve (Republican), Handel, Karen C. (Republican), Larsen, Rick (Democratic), Rooney, Francis (Republican), McCaul, Michael T. (Republican), Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (Republican), Norman, Ralph (Republican), Knight, Stephen (Republican), DesJarlais, Scott (Republican), Gallego, Ruben (Democratic), Khanna, Ro (Democratic), Graves, Sam (Republican), Shuster, Bill (Republican), Carbajal, Salud O. (Democratic), McEachin, A. Donald (Democratic), Russell, Steve (Republican), Bishop, Rob (Republican), Conaway, K. Michael (Republican), Garamendi, John (Democratic), Gaetz, Matt (Republican), Brown, Anthony G. (Democratic), Scalise, Steve (Republican), Kelly, Trent (Republican), McSally, Martha (Republican), Abraham, Ralph Lee (Republican), and Johnson, Sam (Republican).
What is the current status of HRES 129?
This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HRES 129?
Track HRES 129 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HRES 129

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HRES 129

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →