About the bill
If you’re found in the U.S., does it matter where you’re from?
Context
The War Crimes Act of 1996 criminalizes war crimes under U.S. law, and allows for potential prosecution for war crimes anywhere in the world if either the alleged victim or perpetrator is a U.S. national or a U.S. military member.
The bill was considered relatively noncontroversial, passing by voice vote in the House and unanimous consent in the Senate.
What if an alleged war criminal is found in the U.S., even if neither they nor their alleged victim is American? Even though they’re physically on American soil, the law technically doesn’t allow U.S. law enforcement to arrest them.
What the legislation does
The Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act would allow for the prosecution for war …
Sponsor and status
117th Congress (2021–2023)
Enacted — Signed by the President on Jan 5, 2023
This bill was enacted after being signed by the President on January 5, 2023.
7 Cosponsors (4 Democrats, 3 Republicans)
Position statements
What legislators are saying
“House Sends Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Broaden War Crimes Jurisdiction to Presidents Desk”
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Rep. David Cicilline [D-RI1]
on Dec 22, 2022
“the daily leader: thursday, december 22, 2022”
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Rep. Steny Hoyer [D-MD5]
on Dec 22, 2022
“Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act Sponsors React to UN Findings of War Crimes in Ukraine”
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Rep. David Cicilline [D-RI1]
on Sep 28, 2022
Incorporated legislation
This bill incorporates provisions from:
H.R. 7818: Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act
Introduced on May 18, 2022. 98% incorporated. (compare text)
History
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May 18, 2022
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Introduced
Bills and resolutions are referred to committees which debate the bill before possibly sending it on to the whole chamber. |
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Dec 21, 2022
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Passed Senate (House next)
The bill was passed in a vote in the Senate. It goes to the House next. The vote was by Unanimous Consent so no record of individual votes was made. |
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Dec 21, 2022
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Text Published
Updated bill text was published as of Preprint (Suspension). |
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Dec 22, 2022
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Passed House
The bill was passed by both chambers in identical form. It goes to the President next who may sign or veto the bill. The vote was by voice vote so no record of individual votes was made. |
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Jan 5, 2023
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Enacted — Signed by the President
The President signed the bill and it became law.
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S. 4240 (117th) was a bill in the United States Congress.
A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.
Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number S. 4240. This is the one from the 117th Congress.
This bill was introduced in the 117th Congress, which met from Jan 3, 2021 to Jan 3, 2023. Legislation not passed by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books.
How to cite this information.
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“S. 4240 — 117th Congress: Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act.” www.GovTrack.us. 2022. September 28, 2023 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/s4240>
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Where is this information from?
GovTrack automatically collects legislative information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources. This page is sourced primarily from Congress.gov, the official portal of the United States Congress. Congress.gov is generally updated one day after events occur, and so legislative activity shown here may be one day behind. Data via the congress project.
