H.Res. 681: Recognizing the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus a year after the 2020 election, calling for an end to Alyaksandr Lukashenka's continued campaign of repression against peaceful protesters, journalists, cultural workers, human rights defenders, trade union activists, political activists, and government critics, and expressing solidarity with the Belarusian people.

H.Res. 681: Recognizing the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus a year after the 2020 election, calling for an end to Alyaksandr Lukashenka's continued campaign of repression against peaceful protesters, journalists, cultural workers, human rights defenders, trade union activists, political activists, and government critics, and expressing solidarity with the Belarusian people.

117th Congress · introduced 2021-09-24 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber.

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-09-24 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber. 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

Recognizing the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus a year after the 2020 election, calling for an end to Alyaksandr Lukashenka's continued campaign of repression against peaceful protesters, journalists, cultural workers, human rights defenders, trade union activists, political activists, and government critics, and expressing solidarity with the Belarusian people.

Plain summary

This resolution condemns Belarusian authorities' assault on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus since the August 2020 presidential election. The resolution also calls for the immediate release of journalists, cultural figures, and dissidents currently held as political prisoners in Belarus. Furthermore, the resolution calls on the Biden Administration to support initiatives to assist survivors of torture and other human rights violations from Belarus, including by working with allies in the region to grant them protection and providing avenues for them and their families to access safety in the United States; examine all available accountability options for violators of human rights and fundamental freedoms; and demand that Belarus cooperate fully with international partners and organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Finally, the resolution supports the aspirations of the Belarusian people in their struggle for freedom and human rights.

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

Recognizing the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus a year after the 2020 election, calling for an end to Alyaksandr Lukashenka's continued campaign of repression against peaceful protesters, journalists, cultural workers, human rights defenders, trade union activists, political activists, and government critics, and expressing solidarity with the Belarusian people.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] · 14 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Joe Wilson (R-SC), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), William R. Keating (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Brad Sherman (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] reported raising $785,039 (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 (3)

Ballot initiative: A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
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 House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hres681.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hres>

Record fed-us-cong117-hres681 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117