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Homicide Victims' Families' Rights Act of 2021

Public Law 117-164 · H.R. 3359 · 117th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Aug 3, 2022 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15)

Cosponsors (17): Rep. Michael McCaul,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 406 yea, 20 nay406–20
  • 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.

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Summary

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

This bill establishes a framework for immediate family members of a victim of murder under federal law to request a review of the victim's case file if the murder was committed more than three years prior, the murder was investigated by a federal law enforcement entity, all probative investigative leads have been exhausted, and no likely perpetrator has been identified.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 117th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 406 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

406 yea20 nay5 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(219)

Republicans who voted yea(187)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 535 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.

  • Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
  • Judiciary Committee · Senate · discharged from, referred to
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. 4549Related bill

    Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act of 2022

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. 22 actions.

  1. Aug 3, 2022Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-164.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 2, 2022FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jul 26, 2022FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Jul 25, 2022FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Mar 30, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  8. Mar 29, 2022FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  9. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 406 - 20 (Roll no. 88).House roll call 88
  10. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  11. Mar 28, 2022FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  12. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3359.
  13. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  14. FloorFloor · Ms. Jackson Lee moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  15. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 207.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 117-280.
  17. Dec 8, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Discharged.
  20. Nov 9, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
  21. May 19, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  22. 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.