S.Res. 494: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the creation of refugee populations in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf region as a result of human rights violations.

S.Res. 494: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the creation of refugee populations in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf region as a result of human rights violations.

109th Congress · introduced 2006-05-25 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5257-5259)

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2006-05-25 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Santorum, Rick [R-PA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5257-5259) 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 resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the creation of refugee populations in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf region as a result of human rights violations.

Plain summary

Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States deplores the past and continuing violation of the human rights and religious freedoms of minority populations in Arab and Muslim countries throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf; and (2) with respect to Jews, Christians, and other displaced populations from countries in the region any comprehensive Middle East peace agreement must resolve all outstanding issues, including the legitimate rights of all Middle East refugees. Urges the President to instruct the U.S. Representative to the United Nations and all U.S. representatives in bilateral and multilateral fora that, when the United States considers resolutions that refer to Middle East refugees, the U.S. delegation should ensure that: (1) relevant text refers to multiple refugee populations that have been caused by the Arab-Israeli conflict; and (2) any explicit reference to the resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue is matched by a similar reference to the resolution of the issue of Jewish, Christian, and other refugees from Arab countries. Urges the President to make clear that the United States supports the position that, as an integral part of any comprehensive peace, the issue of refugees and the mass violations of human rights of minorities in Arab and Muslim countries throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf must be resolved in a manner that includes: (1) consideration of the legitimate rights of all refugees displaced from Arab countries; and (2) recognition of the losses incurred by Jews, Christians, and other minority groups as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

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

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

A Yea supports adopting this resolution.

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 resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the creation of refugee populations in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf region as a result of human rights violations.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Santorum, Rick [R-PA] · 11 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR)

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 (2)

Resolution: A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.
Roll-call vote: A vote where each member's position is recorded by name, so the public can see how every member voted. "Yea" means yes, "Nay" means no, "Present" means the member was there but did not take a side.

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-109sres494.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/109/sres>

Record fed-us-cong109-sres494 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109