S.Res. 376: A resolution urging the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh to ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military.

S.Res. 376: A resolution urging the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh to ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military.

115th Congress · introduced 2018-01-23 · International Affairs · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 358.

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2018-01-23 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · 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. 358. 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

A resolution urging the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh to ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military.

Plain summary

Condemns: (1) the violence and displacement inflicted on Burma's (Myanmar's) Rohingya and other ethnic minorities, and (2) the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant group. Calls for an immediate halt to all hostilities by Burmese authorities. Calls on: the government of Burma to allow full access to Rakhine State and to ensure the full participation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and that the voices of refugees are represented, the UNHCR and international nongovernmental organizations to play a role in monitoring repatriation efforts by the governments of Bangladesh and Burma, and the United Nations to consider the feasibility of Bangladesh's proposal for a safe zone or for a peacekeeping mission to protect vulnerable communities under international supervision. Commends: (1) the positive role of the government of Bangladesh in receiving Rohingya refugees and urges that government to continue allowing the full participation of the UNHCR and human rights organizations in accessing refugee camps, and (2) the Bangladesh's efforts to provide shelter and relief for such refugees. Calls for any return of Rohingya to include specified guarantees. Recognizes that any forced relocation of Rohingya refugees into areas not of their choosing is unacceptable. Calls on the government of Burma to: allow for a flexible and practical approach to dealing with evidence of Rohingya residence in Burma; address root causes consistent with the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations and fully implement such recommendations; address the issue of statelessness for the Rohingya, the deprivation of rights, and institutionalized and pervasive discrimination; and release journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. Calls on the government of Bangladesh to ensure that all refugees have freedom of movement and are not subject to unsafe, involuntary, precipitous, or uninformed returns to Burma.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

A resolution urging the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh to ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · 18 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Todd Young (R-IN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Tina Smith (D-MN), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] reported raising $5.4 million (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 (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 Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115sres376.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/sres>

Record fed-us-cong115-sres376 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115