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Organization of American States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2013

Public Law 113-41 · S. 793 · 113th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 2, 2013 · International Affairs

Sponsor: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)

Cosponsors (3): Sen. Bob Corker,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 383 yea, 24 nay383–24
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Organization of American States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2013 - States that it is U.S. policy to: (1) promote democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in the Western Hemisphere; and (2) support the practices and principles expressed in the Charter of the Organization of American States, the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and other fundamental instruments of democracy.

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Organization of American States (OAS) should be the primary multi-lateral diplomatic entity for regional dispute resolution and promotion of democratic governance; (2) the Summit of the Americas process should be formally and more effectively integrated into the work of the OAS, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other Members of the Joint Summit Working Group; (3) the OAS has historically accepted too many member state mandates creating unclear priorities and loss of institutional focus; and (4) it is in the interest of the United States and the OAS and its member states to move toward an assessed fee structure that assures financial sustainability and establishes, within five years, that no member state pays more than 50% of the organization's assessed fees.

Directs the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a multiyear strategy that: (1) leads to such assessed fee structure, (2) identifies a path toward the adoption of necessary reforms that prioritize the core competencies of the OAS, (3) outlines a results-based budgeting process to prioritize current and future mandates and transparent hiring and promotion practices, and (4) reflects the inputs and coordination from other executive branch agencies.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out diplomatic engagement to build support for reforms and budgetary burden sharing among OAS member states and observers, and (2) promote donor coordination among OAS member states.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 113th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 383 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

383 yea24 nay25 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(181)

Republicans who voted yea(202)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 461 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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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.

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 24 actions.

  1. Oct 2, 2013Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-41.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Sep 26, 2013FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Sep 25, 2013Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Sep 18, 2013FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
  8. Sep 17, 2013FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 383 - 24 (Roll no. 462).House roll call 462
  9. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  10. 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.
  11. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 793.
  12. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  13. FloorFloor · Mr. Royce moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  14. Jul 24, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  16. Jul 9, 2013FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  17. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
  19. Jul 8, 2013FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  20. Jun 13, 2013CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 87.
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez without amendment. With written report No. 113-43.
  22. May 14, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
  23. Apr 24, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  24. 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.

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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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.