Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017, Improvements Act
Public Law 115-94 · S. 371 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 18, 2017 · International Affairs
Sponsor: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)
Cosponsors: None
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.
Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017, Improvements Act This bill provides the House and Senate Appropriations Committees with oversight authority regarding congressional reports on: (1) high-risk diplomatic and consular posts, (2) embassy construction costs, (3) combating sexual exploitation in United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping operations, (4) Department of State overseas staffing levels, and (5) reducing illicit drug supply and abuse in the Western Hemisphere. The bill provides such committees with oversight authority regarding the granting of consular immunity. The Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 is amended regarding: (1) replacement of a specified reference to anti-Semitism with a reference to intolerance; (2) the definition of "change to the federal status" with respect to the Cuba Service and the Television Marti Service; (3) the report on the costs, strengths, and limitations of U.S. and U.N. peacekeeping operations; (4) U.N. peacekeeper training to reduce sexual exploitation; (5) the U.N. Secretary General; (6) Foreign Service entry; (7) completion of the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission report; and (8) ransoms to foreign terrorist organizations. The United States is urged to use its influence to prohibit U.N. Human Rights Council membership to a country: (1) designated as a Tier 3 human trafficking country, or (2) identified as having failed to prevent or address gross violations of human rights. The President shall report to Congress regarding steps taken to encourage China to enter into a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, his representatives, or successor leading to a negotiated agreement on Tibet. The bill requires inclusion of the foreign affairs committees as recipients of the report made by the State Department before implementation of any reorganization of the department or the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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
The record lists no related bills.
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. 21 actions.
- Dec 18, 2017Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 6, 2017FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 5, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 4, 2017Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate bill by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate bill by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 31, 2017FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- Jul 28, 2017FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Royce (CA) asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Affairs discharged.
- May 25, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- May 2, 2017FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
- May 1, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Foreign Relations discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Feb 14, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- 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
2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
H.Amdt. 272HouseRep. Ed RoyceR-CA-39· offered Jul 28, 2017Agreed to
An amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following new text entitled the "Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017, Improvements Act".
Jul 28, 2017: On agreeing to the Royce (CA) amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 209SenateSen. Bob CorkerR-TN· offered May 1, 2017Agreed to
To require that the comparative report on peacekeeping operations include an assessment of the operational, structural, and doctrinal differences between the military and civilian infrastructures of the United States and United Nations and…
May 1, 2017: Amendment SA 209 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
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.