H.Res. 290: Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy laws.

114th Congress · introduced 2015-06-02 · International Affairs · Latest: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-06-02 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Pitts, Joseph R. [R-PA-16] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote . 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

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy laws.

Plain summary

Recognizes that blasphemy laws position governments as arbiters of truth or religious rightness as they empower officials to enforce particular religious views against individuals and minorities. Calls on the President and the Department of State (Department) to make the repeal of blasphemy laws a priority in their relationships with countries that have such laws. Encourages the President and the Department to oppose any efforts at the United Nations (U.N.) or other international or multilateral fora to create an international anti-blasphemy norm, or attempts to expand the international norm on incitement to include blasphemy or defamation of religions. Supports efforts at the U.N. to combat intolerance or violence against persons based on religion or belief without restricting expression. Reaffirms the decision to designate Saudi Arabia as a "country of particular concern" for detaining and imprisoning people for blasphemy and for imposing torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment, and limit the waiver on this designation to no more than 180 days. Calls on the President and the Department to designate Pakistan and Egypt each as a "country of particular concern" for perpetrating and tolerating particularly severe violations of religious freedom, including abuses flowing from the enforcement of blasphemy laws and from vigilante violence around blasphemy allegations that takes place with impunity. Urges the governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other countries to amend or repeal their blasphemy laws as they provide a pretext for violence against religious minorities. Urges those countries that have imprisoned people on charges of blasphemy to release them and ensure their safety and that of their families.

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.

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

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy laws.

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. Pitts, Joseph R. [R-PA-16] · 32 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Juan Vargas (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Randy K. Weber, Sr. (R-TX), William R. Keating (D-MA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)

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 House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hres290.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hres>

Record fed-us-cong114-hres290 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114