S. 879: Iran Human Rights and Democracy Promotion Act of 2011

112th Congress · introduced 2011-05-04 · International Affairs · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-05-04 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. 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

Iran Human Rights and Democracy Promotion Act of 2011

Plain summary

Iran Human Rights and Democracy Promotion Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is responsible for directing the commission of serious human rights abuses against Iranian citizens on or after June 12, 2009. Amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to require the President: (1) upon receipt of credible information that a person may be an official of the government of Iran or acting on behalf of that government who is complicit in the commission of serious human rights abuses against Iranian citizens on or after June 12, 2009, to investigate and determine within 180 days whether the person is such a described individual; and (2) submit a list of such persons to Congress every 180 days or as new information becomes available. Requires the President: (1) upon receipt of credible information that a person may have transferred to Iran goods or technologies, or provided post-transfer services, that may be used to commit human rights abuses to investigate and determine within 180 days whether the person engaged in such activity; (2) submit a list of such persons to Congress every 180 days or as new information becomes available; and (3) freeze the assets of a listed person. Amends the Iran Freedom Support Act to: (1) extend the President's authority to provide financial and political assistance to support democracy in Iran through December 31, 2016; and (2) expand the forms of such assistance. Requires the President to appoint a Special Representative on Human Rights and Democracy in Iran within the Department of State. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary should support efforts to research and catalogue prisoners of conscience and cases of human rights abuses inside Iran, (2) the U.S. government should offer political asylum to such political prisoners as well as assisting with their relocation to other countries if requested, and (3) the Special Representative and all representatives of the U.S. government should publicly call for the release of Iranian dissidents by name and raise individual cases of Iranian dissidents and prisoners of conscience as appropriate. Requires the President to submit to Congress a comprehensive strategy to promote Internet freedom and access to information in Iran.

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

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Iran Human Rights and Democracy Promotion Act of 2011

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), John Cornyn (R-TX)

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 (1)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.

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-112s879.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s879 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112