H.Res. 440: Calling for urgent international action on behalf of Iraqi and Syrian civilians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and severe persecution because of their faith or ethnicity in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq and Khabor, Kobane, and Aleppo regions of Syria.

H.Res. 440: Calling for urgent international action on behalf of Iraqi and Syrian civilians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and severe persecution because of their faith or ethnicity in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq and Khabor, Kobane, and Aleppo regions of Syria.

114th Congress · introduced 2015-09-24 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-09-24 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Trott, David A. [R-MI-11] · 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

Calling for urgent international action on behalf of Iraqi and Syrian civilians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and severe persecution because of their faith or ethnicity in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq and Khabor, Kobane, and Aleppo regions of Syria.

Plain summary

Condemns the religious bigotry and attacks against innocent civilians, as well as the destruction of property and ancient sites, by armed extremists in Iraq and Syria. Calls on the relevant parties to protect all citizens in the region. Calls on the President, the Department of State, and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) to provide humanitarian assistance, protect civilians, and help reestablish livelihoods for displaced and persecuted persons in their communities of origin. Calls on the U.S. Permanent Representative to work with relevant U.N. agencies, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, to document human rights abuses against Iraqi and Syrian refugees and develop a plan to facilitate safe access to potable water, health care, fuel, electricity, and basic security. Calls on the relevant U.N. agencies to collaborate with international humanitarian organizations working in Iraq and Syria to develop: (1) an effective resettlement strategy for displaced and persecuted populations in beleaguered areas, including the ancestral villages in the Nineveh Plain, that facilitates a transition from emergency relief to longer-term economic development; and (2) mechanisms to ensure that assistance reaches vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities without being diverted. Calls on the Department of State and the Department of Defense to: (1) support the training and equipping of vetted local Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christians security forces in Iraq and Syria, and (2) work to ensure that minority communities in Iraq and Syria are integrated into future security forces.

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 urgent international action on behalf of Iraqi and Syrian civilians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and severe persecution because of their faith or ethnicity in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq and Khabor, Kobane, and Aleppo regions of Syria.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Trott, David A. [R-MI-11] · 16 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Brad Sherman (D-CA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Juan Vargas (D-CA), John R. Moolenaar (R-MI), Randy K. Weber, Sr. (R-TX), Andy Barr (R-KY)

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 (3)

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.
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-114hres440.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hres>

Record fed-us-cong114-hres440 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114