S. 3929: A bill to authorize military commissions to bring terrorists to justice, to strengthen and modernize terrorist surveillance capabilities, and for other purposes.

109th Congress · introduced 2006-09-22 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 633.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2006-09-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. McConnell, Mitch [R-KY] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 633. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to authorize military commissions to bring terrorists to justice, to strengthen and modernize terrorist surveillance capabilities, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

Military Commissions Act of 2006 - Authorizes the: (1) President to establish military commissions (commissions) to try alien unlawful enemy combatants engaged in hostilities against the United States for violations of the law of war and other triable offenses; (2) commissions to impose upon any person found guilty any sentence appropriate to the offense, including death or imprisonment for life; and (3) Secretary of Defense to carry out such sentences. Prohibits a combatant under trial from invoking the Geneva Conventions as a source of rights. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to codify and establish procedures governing the use of commissions to try such combatants for violations of triable offenses. Makes eligible to serve on a commission any U.S. commissioned officer on active duty. Requires to be detailed to each commission a military judge, trial and military defense counsel, and reporters and interpreters. Requires at least five members in each commission. Prescribes, with respect to each established commission, pre-trial and trial procedures, including charges, rules of evidence, pleas, opportunity to obtain witnesses and other evidence, and defenses. Requires: (1) a two-thirds commission member vote for conviction; (2) a three-fourths member vote for a sentence of life imprisonment or confinement of more than ten years; and (3) a unanimous vote by at least 12 members in a case in which the death penalty is sought. Prescribes post-trial procedures and reviews of commission actions, including appeal by the United States, rehearings, and review by the Court of Military Commission Review, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Outlines offenses triable by commissions. Amends the federal criminal code to add certain actions to be considered violations of the War Crimes Act. Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to establish a new title relating to electronic surveillance programs (programs). Gives the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (established under FISA) jurisdiction to review programs that seek to obtain foreign intelligence information or to protect against international terrorism. Allows the Court to issue an order that authorizes a program for up to 90 days. Provides for congressional oversight of approved programs.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to authorize military commissions to bring terrorists to justice, to strengthen and modernize terrorist surveillance capabilities, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. McConnell, Mitch [R-KY] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. McConnell, Mitch [R-KY] reported raising $278,697 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-109s3929.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/109/s>

Record fed-us-cong109-s3929 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109