H.R. 5703: Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act

113th Congress · introduced 2014-11-13 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2014-11-13 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Engel, Eliot L. [D-NY-16] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. 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

Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act

Plain summary

Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act - Directs the President to appoint a White House Coordinator for International Cultural Property Protection who shall coordinate and promote federal agency efforts to address international cultural property protection activities. Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary in this Act), the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Attorney General (DOJ), and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit to the Coordinator information on efforts to protect international cultural property. Authorizes the Department of State, DOD, USAID, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), DOJ, the Department of the Interior, the National Archives, the National Science Foundation, and any other appropriate agency to enter into agreements with the Smithsonian Institution to engage temporarily Smithsonian personnel to assist in international cultural property protection activities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to private individuals or organizations for international cultural property protection activities in areas at risk of destruction due to political instability, armed conflict, or natural or other disasters. Directs the President to apply specified import restrictions with respect to any archaeological or ethnological material of Syria as if Syria were a State Party to the Convention on prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property (adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

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

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

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Engel, Eliot L. [D-NY-16] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ)

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)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

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-113hr5703.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr5703 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113