Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018
Public Law 115-253 · S. 2946 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Oct 3, 2018 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Cosponsors (11): Sen. Bill Nelson, Sen. Marco Rubio,
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.
Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the federal criminal code to make three changes to provisions governing civil claims for damages resulting from an act of international terrorism.
First, the bill narrows the limitation on such claims that occur during an act of war. Current law bars claims for international terrorism that occur during an armed conflict between military forces. This bill specifies that designated foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists are not military forces.
Second, the bill makes available any asset of a terrorist party seized or frozen under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act for the satisfaction of court-awarded judgments against the terrorist party.
Third, it allows federal courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over a foreign non-state defendant that accepts benefits from the United States (e.g., foreign assistance).
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.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 5954Identical billRelated bill
Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018
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 3, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-253.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 24, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 13, 2018FloorFloor · 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.
- Aug 24, 2018FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- Aug 23, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Aug 22, 2018FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- Jul 12, 2018CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 514.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- May 24, 2018CommitteeCommittee · 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.