H.R. 651: United States-Afghanistan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Act of 2011

112th Congress · introduced 2011-02-10 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-02-10 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [D-CA-6] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 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

United States-Afghanistan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Act of 2011

Plain summary

United States-Afghanistan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Act of 2011 - Directs the President to seek to enter into a bilateral status of forces agreement with the government of Afghanistan which shall: (1) prohibit the permanent basing or military presence of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan; (2) provide, no later than one year after the date on which such agreement is entered into, for the complete redeployment from Afghanistan of the U.S. Armed Forces and Department of Defense (DOD) civilian employees and contractors; and (3) establish that the temporary presence of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan is at the request of the government of Afghanistan. Authorizes such agreement to provide for specific activities or missions of the U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should submit such agreement to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification as a treaty or alternatively the President should request statutory authorization for such agreement by Congress.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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

United States-Afghanistan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Act of 2011

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [D-CA-6] · 70 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

James P. McGovern (D-MA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Garamendi (D-CA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Judy Chu (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and 10 more.

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)

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.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr651.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr651 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112