Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act
Public Law 114-319 · H.R. 6477 · 114th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 16, 2016 · Law
Sponsor: Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH-1)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Bob Goodlatte,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the federal judicial code with respect to denial of a foreign state's sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction of U.S. or state courts in commercial activity cases where rights in property taken in violation of international law are in issue and that property, or any property exchanged for it, is: (1) present in the United States in connection with a commercial activity carried on by the foreign state in the United States, or (2) owned by an agency or instrumentality of the foreign state and that agency or instrumentality is engaged in a commercial activity in the United States.
The bill grants a foreign state or certain carriers immunity from federal or state court jurisdiction for any activity in the United States associated with a temporary exhibition or display of a work of art or other object of cultural significance if:
• the work of art or other object of cultural significance is imported into the United States from any foreign country pursuant to an agreement for its temporary exhibition or display between a foreign state that is its owner or custodian and the United States or U.S. cultural or educational institutions; and
• the President has determined that such work is culturally significant and its temporary exhibition or display is in the national interest.
The bill denies immunity, however, in cases concerning rights in property taken in violation of international law in which the action is based upon a claim that the work was taken: (1) between January 30, 1933, and May 8, 1945, by the government of Germany or any government in Europe occupied, assisted, or allied by the German government; or (2) after 1900 in connection with the acts of a foreign government as part of a systematic campaign of coercive confiscation or misappropriation of works from members of a targeted and vulnerable group. For purposes of these denials of immunity, the court must determine that the activity associated with the exhibition or display is commercial and that determination must be necessary for the court to exercise jurisdiction over the foreign state.
(Sec. 3) The Department of State must ensure that foreign states that apply for such temporary exhibition immunity are notified of the amendments made by this bill.
Committees
The record shows no committee referral for this bill.
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
3 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 889Related bill
Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act
S. 2648Related bill
CREATE Act of 2016
S. 3155Related bill
Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act
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. 11 actions.
- Dec 16, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-319.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 15, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 12, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 10, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Dec 8, 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. Goodlatte asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- 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.