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H.R. 5621: Vietnam Human Rights Act

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H.R. 5621: Vietnam Human Rights Act

115th Congress · introduced 2018-04-25 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2018-04-25 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

Vietnam Human Rights Act

Plain summary

Vietnam Human Rights Act This bill urges the Department of State to prompt Vietnam to: (1) repeal laws and administrative decrees restricting freedom of expression (including the Internet), association, and peaceful assembly; and (2) release political and religious prisoners. The bill states that: (1) it is U.S. policy to prioritize religious freedom in bilateral relations with Vietnam, (2) Vietnam should be designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom, and (3) Vietnamese officials guilty of gross violations of human rights should be investigated by the United States and sanctioned if warranted. The State Department may establish programs to: (1) monitor and halt bride and sex trafficking of girls and women in Vietnam and other Asian countries, including China; and (2) address Vietnam's growing sex-ratio disparity. The President may provide assistance to ethnic minority groups in Vietnam affected by severe human rights violations. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) military assistance to Vietnam should be conditioned upon human rights progress, and (2) trade and foreign assistance benefits will be contingent upon whether Vietnam has illegally expropriated properties of U.S. citizens.

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

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

Vietnam Human Rights Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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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: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 27 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Brad Sherman (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), Al Green (D-TX), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Pete Sessions (R-TX)

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 (1)
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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr5621 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115