H.Res. 597: Urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, and religion and all fundamental human rights and the rule of law for all its citizens and to stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and their violent suppression.

H.Res. 597: Urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, and religion and all fundamental human rights and the rule of law for all its citizens and to stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and their violent suppression.

113th Congress · introduced 2014-05-23 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2014-05-23 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 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

Urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, and religion and all fundamental human rights and the rule of law for all its citizens and to stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and their violent suppression.

Plain summary

Urges the government of China to stop censoring information about the June 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Expresses sympathy to the families of those killed, tortured, and imprisoned as a result of their participation in the Tiananmen Square democracy protests. Supports all peaceful advocates for human rights and the rule of law in China for their efforts to advance democratic reforms and human rights during the past. Condemns the government of China's ongoing human rights abuses. Calls on the Broadcasting Board of Governors to take appropriate steps to circumvent Chinese Internet censorship and to provide information to the people of China about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Calls on the United States to: (1) make human rights, including religious freedom, a priority in bilateral discussions with China; and (2) instruct the U.S. representative at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to introduce a resolution calling for an examination of China's human rights practices. Calls on China to: (1) end the harassment, detention, and torture of Chinese citizens expressing their freedom of religion, expression, and association, including on the Internet; (2) release all remaining prisoners who continue to be detained because of their participation in the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations; (4) allow protest participants who are living in exile to return to China without risk of retribution; and (5) end Internet, media, and academic censorship of discussions of the Tiananmen protests and related events. Calls on the Administration and Congress to continue to mark the events of Tiananmen Square. Finds that U.S. relations with China are more likely to further improve once China respects the individual human rights of all its people.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, and religion and all fundamental human rights and the rule of law for all its citizens and to stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and their violent suppression.

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. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] reported raising $797,217 (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 (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
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.
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 House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hres597.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hres>

Record fed-us-cong113-hres597 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113