United States 112th Congress Status: Died 1 R cosponsors

HR 1940 — International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2011

Last action — Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. Died in session

This bill died with 112th Congress. It reached “Introduced” 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This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis.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

International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2011 - Establishes within the Department of State an Office on International Child Abductions which shall be headed by the Ambassador at Large for International Child Abductions. States that Ambassador at Large shall be a principal adviser to the President and the Secretary of State regarding matters of international child abduction and refusals of rights of access. Authorizes the Ambassador at Large to represent the United States in such diplomatic matters and international forums. States that the primary responsibilities of the Ambassador at Large shall be to: (1) promote measures to prevent the international abduction of children from the United States, (2) advocate on behalf of abducted children whose habitual residence is the United States, (3) assist left-behind parents in the resolution of abduction or refusal of access cases, and (4) advance mechanisms to prevent and resolve cases of international child abduction. Directs the President to: (1) annually review the status of unresolved cases in each foreign country to determine whether the government has engaged in a pattern of noncooperation, and if so, designate such country as a Country With a Pattern of Noncooperation; (2) notify the appropriate congressional committees of such designation; and (3) take specified presidential or commensurate actions to bring about a cessation of noncooperation. Sets forth consultation, notification, and reporting requirements for the President and the Secretary. Prohibits judicial review of any presidential determination or agency action under this Act. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Financial Institutions Act to require the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President, respectively, in determining whether a country engages in a pattern of gross human right violations for purposes of assistance considerations, to consider whether such country has engaged in a pattern of noncooperation regarding unresolved cases of international child abduction or denial of rights of access, or has failed to undertake serious efforts to locate children abducted to such country. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to consider for tariff preference purposes whether a country has engaged in a pattern of noncooperation regarding unresolved cases of international child abduction or denial of rights of access. Amends the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 to require, for issuance of a passport for a child under 14 years old living outside the United States, that the person executing the passport application provides documentary evidence that such person is a U.S. citizen, has joint custody over the child, and is executing such application outside the United States.

Bill Text

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Read HR 1940 on the official United States source →

Action History

  1. Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

  2. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  3. Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights.

  4. Referred to the Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade.

  5. Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.

  6. Referred to the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform .

  7. Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

  8. Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform

  9. Referred to House Judiciary

  10. Referred to House Financial Services

  11. Referred to House Ways and Means

  12. Referred to House Foreign Affairs

  13. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, the Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"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

public-safety immigration civil-rights
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 HR 1940 do?
International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2011 - Establishes within the Department of State an Office on International Child Abductions which shall be headed by the Ambassador at Large for International Child Abductions. States that Ambassador at Large shall be a principal adviser to the President and the Secretary of State regarding matters of international child abduction and refusals of rights of access. Authorizes the Ambassador at Large to represent the United States in such diplomatic matters and international forums. States that the primary responsibilities of the Ambassador at Large shall be to: (1) promote measures to prevent the international abduction of children from the United States, (2) advocate on behalf of abducted children whose habitual residence is the United States, (3) assist left-behind parents in the resolution of abduction or refusal of access cases, and (4) advance mechanisms to prevent and resolve cases of international child abduction. Directs the President to: (1) annually review the status of unresolved cases in each foreign country to determine whether the government has engaged in a pattern of noncooperation, and if so, designate such country as a Country With a Pattern of Noncooperation; (2) notify the appropriate congressional committees of such designation; and (3) take specified presidential or commensurate actions to bring about a cessation of noncooperation. Sets forth consultation, notification, and reporting requirements for the President and the Secretary. Prohibits judicial review of any presidential determination or agency action under this Act. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Financial Institutions Act to require the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President, respectively, in determining whether a country engages in a pattern of gross human right violations for purposes of assistance considerations, to consider whether such country has engaged in a pattern of noncooperation regarding unresolved cases of international child abduction or denial of rights of access, or has failed to undertake serious efforts to locate children abducted to such country. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to consider for tariff preference purposes whether a country has engaged in a pattern of noncooperation regarding unresolved cases of international child abduction or denial of rights of access. Amends the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 to require, for issuance of a passport for a child under 14 years old living outside the United States, that the person executing the passport application provides documentary evidence that such person is a U.S. citizen, has joint custody over the child, and is executing such application outside the United States.
Who sponsors HR 1940?
HR 1940 is sponsored by Christopher Smith (R).
What is the current status of HR 1940?
This bill died with 112th Congress. It reached “Introduced” 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 HR 1940?
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