To amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include the desecration of cemeteries among the many forms of violations of the right to religious freedom.
Public Law 113-154 · H.R. 4028 · 113th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Aug 8, 2014 · International Affairs
Sponsor: Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-6)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. Doug Collins, Rep. Alan Lowenthal,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- 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.
Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include the desecration of cemeteries among the forms of violations of the right to religious freedom in many countries around the world.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
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. 2466Related bill
A bill to amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include the desecration of cemeteries among the many forms of violations of the right to religious freedom.
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. 18 actions.
- Aug 8, 2014Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-154.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 31, 2014FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 30, 2014FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 29, 2014FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 21, 2014CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 475.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez without amendment. With written report No. 113-214.
- Jul 16, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jun 2, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- May 28, 2014FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4028.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Ms. Ros-Lehtinen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Apr 30, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Feb 27, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.
- Feb 10, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
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.