Judicial Redress Act of 2015
Public Law 114-126 · H.R. 1428 · 114th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Feb 24, 2016 · Law
Sponsor: Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI-5)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Glenn Thompson,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- 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.
Judicial Redress Act of 2015
(Sec. 2) This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to designate foreign countries or regional economic integration organizations whose natural citizens may bring civil actions under the Privacy Act of 1974 against certain U.S. government agencies for purposes of accessing, amending, or redressing unlawful disclosures of records transferred from a foreign country to the United States to prevent, investigate, detect, or prosecute criminal offenses.
The citizens of such countries or organizations may bring a civil action against: (1) U.S. agencies that intentionally or willfully violate conditions for disclosing records without the consent of the individual to whom the record pertains; and (2) U.S. agencies designated by DOJ, with the concurrence of the agency, that refuse an individual's request to review or amend his or her records.
DOJ, with the concurrence of the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Homeland Security, may designate countries or organizations whose citizens may pursue such civil remedies if the person's country or organization: (1) has appropriate privacy protections for sharing information with the United States, as provided for in an agreement with the United States or as determined by DOJ; (2) permits the transfer of personal data for commercial purposes between its territory and the United States; and (3) has DOJ-certified data transfer policies that do not impede U.S. national security interests.
A country's designation may be revoked if it: (1) is not complying with a privacy protection agreement, (2) no longer has appropriate privacy protections for sharing information, (3) fails to meet requirements for transfers of personal data for commercial purposes, (4) no longer meets the DOJ's transfer policy certification requirements, or (5) impedes the transfer of information to the United States (for purposes of reporting or preventing unlawful activity) by a private entity or person.
DOJ's designations are exempt from judicial or administrative review.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is granted exclusive jurisdiction over any claim arising under this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Constitution and Limited Government 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. 1600Identical bill
Judicial Redress Act of 2015
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. 27 actions.
- Feb 24, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-126.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Feb 12, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Feb 10, 2016Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Goodlatte asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Feb 9, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Feb 1, 2016CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 356.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment. Without written report.
- Jan 28, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Oct 21, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Oct 20, 2015FloorFloor · 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 · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1428.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Goodlatte moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 223.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Oversight and Government discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 114-294, Part I.
- Sep 17, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Sep 16, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Discharged.
- Apr 29, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
- Mar 18, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerne…
- 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.