S. 1118: North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-05-11 · International Affairs · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 280.

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-05-11 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 280. 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

North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017

Plain summary

North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the President, through the Department of State, to: (1) provide grants to distribute information receiving devices, electronically readable devices, and other informational sources in North Korea; and (2) establish a grant program to develop and/or distribute new products or methods to allow North Koreans easier access to outside information. The Broadcasting Board of Governors may broadcast American, Korean, Chinese, and other popular music, television, movies, and popular cultural references as part of its programming. The Board shall broadcast to North Korea in the Korean language information on rights, laws, and freedoms afforded through the North Korean Constitution and through other applicable treaties or international agreements. The President is authorized to provide grants for research on North Korea's denial of human rights. The bill extends through 2022 the requirements for annual reports from: (1) the Special Envoy on North Korean human rights issues, (2) the U.S. Agency for International Development on U.S. humanitarian assistance activities both inside North Korea and for North Koreans outside of North Korea, and (3) the State Department and Department of Homeland Security on North Korean refugees and immigration. The North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 is amended to authorize appropriations through FY2022 for: (1) programs that promote human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and the development of a market economy in North Korea; (2) actions to promote freedom of information in North Korea; and (3) humanitarian assistance to North Koreans who are outside of North Korea without the permission of the government.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1118, North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017 (2017-12-20)

Cosponsors on this site

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 (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
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).
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.
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 Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s1118.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s1118 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115