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Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act

Public Law 116-156 · S. 2163 · 116th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Aug 14, 2020 · Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Sponsor: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Cosponsors (13): Sen. Kamala Harris,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 368 yea, 1 nay368–1
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act

This bill establishes the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys within the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Office of the Staff Director to conduct a systematic study of the conditions affecting Black men and boys.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 116th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 368 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

368 yea1 nay61 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(228)

Republicans who voted yea(140)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 866 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

3 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 1636Related bill

    Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act

  • H.R. 7278Related bill

    JUSTICE Act

  • S. 3985Related bill

    A bill to improve and reform policing practices, accountability, and transparency.

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. 16 actions.

  1. Aug 14, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-156.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 4, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jul 27, 2020FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 368 - 1 (Roll no. 167).House roll call 167
  6. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2163.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mrs. McBath moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Jun 29, 2020FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  10. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  11. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. Jun 25, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  13. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  15. Jul 18, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  16. 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.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 1809SenateSen. James LankfordR-OK· offered Jun 25, 2020Agreed to

    To require an equal number of Republicans and Democrats to serve on the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys.

    Jun 25, 2020: Amendment SA 1809 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
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.