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COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023

Public Law 118-2 · S. 619 · 118th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Mar 20, 2023 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)

Cosponsors (4): Sen. Mike Braun,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 419 yea, 0 nay419–0
  • 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.

COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023

This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to declassify all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of COVID-19. The ODNI must submit to Congress an unclassified report with all such information with redactions only as necessary to protect sources and methods.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 118th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 419 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

419 yea0 nay16 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(204)

Republicans who voted yea(215)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 142 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 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.

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Related bills

3 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 1346Identical bill

    COVID–19 Origin Act of 2023

  • H.R. 1376Identical bill

    COVID–19 Origin Act of 2023

  • H.Res. 199Procedurally related

    Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 140) to amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit Federal employees from advocating for censorship of viewpoints in their official capacity, and for other purposes; pro…

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. Mar 20, 2023Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-2.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Mar 16, 2023FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Mar 10, 2023FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 419 - 0 (Roll no. 143).House roll call 143
  6. FloorFloor · The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  7. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on S. 619.
  8. FloorFloor · Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 140, H.J. Res. 27 and S. 619. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 140, under a structured rule. The resolution provides for consideration of H.J.Res. 27 and S. 619, under closed rules. General debate is limited to one hour of…
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 199.
  10. Mar 8, 2023FloorFloor · Rule H. Res. 199 passed House.
  11. Mar 7, 2023FloorFloor · Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 199 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 140, H.J. Res. 27 and S. 619. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 140, under a structured rule. The resolution provides for consideration of H.J.Res. 27 and S. 619, un…
  12. Mar 3, 2023FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  13. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  14. Mar 2, 2023FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  15. Mar 1, 2023FloorFloor · Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  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

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.