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Gold Star Families Voices Act

Public Law 114-246 · H.R. 4511 · 114th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Nov 28, 2016 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-4)

Cosponsors (7): Rep. Lynn Jenkins,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateRecorded vote: 97 yea, 0 nay97–0
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.

Gold Star Families Voices Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Veterans' Oral History Project Act to require the veterans oral history program to include the collection of video and audio recordings of biographical histories by immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces who became missing in action or who died as a result of their wartime service.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 114th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 97 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

97 yea0 nay3 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(46)

Republicans who voted yea(51)

Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 491 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

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 3419Related bill

    Gold Star Families Voices Act of 2016

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. 19 actions.

  1. Nov 28, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-246.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Nov 17, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Nov 16, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Nov 15, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 97 - 0. Record Vote Number: 152.Senate roll call 152
  6. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  7. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Rules and Administration discharged pursuant to the order of 09/28/2016.
  8. Sep 7, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
  9. Sep 6, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  10. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  11. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4511.
  12. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  13. FloorFloor · Mr. Harper moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  14. Jul 5, 2016CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 514.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on House Administration. H. Rept. 114-663.
  16. May 17, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  18. Feb 9, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
  19. 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.

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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.