S. 284: Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act

114th Congress · introduced 2015-01-28 · International Affairs · Latest: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-01-28 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent. 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

Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act

Plain summary

Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Sec. 3) This bill authorizes the President to impose U.S. entry and property sanctions against any foreign person (or entity) who: is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in any foreign country seeking to expose illegal activity carried out by government officials, or to obtain, exercise, or promote human rights and freedoms; acted as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign person in such activities; is a government official or senior associate of such official responsible for, or complicit in, ordering or otherwise directing acts of significant corruption, including the expropriation of private or public assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, bribery, or the facilitation or transfer of the proceeds of corruption to foreign jurisdictions; or has materially assisted or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such activities. The authority to block and prohibit transactions in property and property interests shall not include the authority to impose sanctions on the importation of goods (any article, natural or man made substance, material, supply or manufactured product, including inspection and test equipment, excluding technical data). The President shall, after receiving a request from the chairperson and ranking member of one of the appropriate congressional committees with respect to whether a foreign person has engaged in a prohibited activity: determine if the person has engaged in such an activity; and report to the chairperson and ranking member whether or not the President imposed or intends to impose specified sanctions against the person. Sanctions shall not apply to an individual as necessary for law enforcement purposes, or to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters or other applicable international obligations of the United States. The President may terminate sanctions under specified conditions. The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor may submit to the Department of State the names of foreign persons who may meet the sanctions criteria. (Sec. 4) The President shall report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, the type of sanctions imposed, and the reason for their imposition.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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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

Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended)

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The strongest published arguments

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] · 10 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 284, Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (2015-09-02); CBO cost estimate: S. 284, Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (2016-06-02)

Cosponsors on this site

Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)

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)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s284.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s284 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114