Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act
Public Law 114-240 · S. 1004 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 7, 2016 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Cosponsors (7): Sen. Richard Durbin, Sen. Jim Inhofe,
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.
Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act
(Sec. 2) Directs the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe two minutes of silence on Veterans Day, beginning at 3:11 p.m. Atlantic standard time, in honor of the service and sacrifice of veterans throughout the history of the nation.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Veterans' Affairs Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs 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
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
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. 16 actions.
- Oct 7, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-240.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 29, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 27, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Miller (FL) asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged.
- Dec 3, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- Nov 16, 2015FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Nov 10, 2015FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 9, 2015FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 16, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 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.