Department of State Rewards Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012
Public Law 112-283 · S. 2318 · 112th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Jan 15, 2013 · International Affairs
Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
Cosponsors (8): Sen. John Boozman, Sen. Christopher Coons,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Department of State Rewards Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012 - (Sec. 2) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of State rewards program should be expanded to: (1) address the threat to U.S. interests from transnational criminal activity, such as intellectual property rights piracy, money laundering, trafficking in persons, arms trafficking, and cyber crime; and (2) target individuals indicted by international, hybrid, or mixed tribunals for genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity.
(Sec. 3) Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to include in the program's purpose the prevention of acts of transnational organized crime and violations of international humanitarian law.
Authorizes the Secretary of State to issue rewards for information leading to: (1) the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual for participating in, primarily outside the United States, transnational organized crime; (2) the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in transnational organized crime; or (3) the arrest or conviction in any country, or the transfer to or conviction by an international criminal tribunal, of any foreign national accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide.
Directs the Secretary to notify Congress at least 15 days before announcing a reward for a foreign national accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide.
(Sec. 4) Eliminates program references to the reward for the capture or death of Osama bin Laden.
(Sec. 5) States that nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing the use of activity precluded under the American Servicemembers' Protection Act of 2002.
(Sec. 6) States that the Secretary shall use amounts available to the Department's Emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular Services account to pay rewards authorized pursuant to this Act and to carry out other related activities.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Foreign Relations Committee · Senate · hearings by, markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Africa and Global Health Policy Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 4077Related bill
Department of State Rewards Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.
- Jan 15, 2013Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-283.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jan 3, 2013FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jan 1, 2013FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- Dec 30, 2012FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Ms. Ros-Lehtinen objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was considered as withdrawn.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2318.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Ms. Ros-Lehtinen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Dec 20, 2012FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
- Dec 19, 2012FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- Nov 13, 2012CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 537.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Kerry with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 112-232.
- Sep 19, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- May 24, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-602.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- Apr 24, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. Hearings held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Africa and Global Health Policy Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- Apr 19, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.