Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011
Public Law 112-63 · H.R. 394 · 112th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 7, 2011 · Law
Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX-21)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Howard Coble,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateUnanimous consent
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.
Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011 - Title I: Jurisdictional Improvements - (Sec. 101) Amends the federal judicial code to declare that, with respect to diversity of citizenship, the U.S. district courts shall not have original jurisdiction of any civil action between citizens of a state and citizens or subjects of a foreign state who are lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States and are domiciled in the same state.
(Sec. 102) Modifies the citizenship rules to treat corporations as citizens of any foreign state: (1) by which it has been incorporated, and (2) where it has its principal place of business. Treats insurers as citizens of any foreign state: (1) of which the insured is a citizen, (2) by which the insurer has been incorporated, and (3) where the insurer has its principal place of business.
(Sec. 103) Separates the removal requirements governing civil cases and those governing criminal cases into two separate categories.
Declares that, upon removal of any civil action with both removable and nonremovable claims, the district court shall sever from the action all nonremovable claims and remand them to the state court from which the action was removed. Requires only defendants against whom a removable claim has been asserted to join in or consent to removal of the action.
Prescribes requirements for filing notices of removal, including assertion in the notice of the amount in controversy, when it exceeds the necessary amount, if the initial pleading seeks: (1) nonmonetary relief; or (2) a money judgment, but the state practice either does not permit demand for a specific sum or permits recovery of damages in excess of the amount demanded.
Allows removal of a case based on diversity of citizenship more than one year after commencement of the action if the district court finds that the plaintiff has acted in bad faith in order to prevent a defendant from removing the action.
Title II: Venue and Transfer Improvements - (Sec. 202) Revises general requirements for the scope of venue of civil actions. Requires the proper venue of any civil action brought in a U.S. district court to be determined without regard to whether the action is local or transitory in nature.
(Sec. 203) Repeals the "local action" rule that any civil action, of a local nature, involving property located in different districts in the same state, may be brought in any of such districts.
(Sec. 204) Allows a district court to transfer a civil action to any district or division to which all parties have consented.
Prohibits transfers from a U.S. district court to the District Court of Guam, the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, or the District Court of the Virgin Islands.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet 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.
S. 1636Identical billRelated bill
Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011
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. 33 actions.
- Dec 7, 2011Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-63.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 2, 2011FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 1, 2011FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 30, 2011Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment to Senate amendment No. 2 by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to Senate amendment No. 2 by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 18, 2011Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree with an amendment to the Senate amendments Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Smith (TX) asked unanimous consent that the House agree with an amendment to the Senate amendments.
- FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate amendment.
- FloorFloor · House agreed to Senate Amendment No. 1 to the bill (H.R. 394) and agreed to Senate Amendment No. 2 to the bill (H.R. 394) with an amendment.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree with an amendment to the Senate amendments Agreed to without objection.
- Nov 1, 2011FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Oct 31, 2011FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 17, 2011CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 200.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with amendments. Without written report.
- Oct 13, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Mar 1, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Feb 28, 2011FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 402 - 0 (Roll no. 148).House roll call 148
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 394.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Smith (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Feb 11, 2011CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 3.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 112-10.
- Jan 26, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law Discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
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.