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Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act

Public Law 118-70 · S. 138 · 118th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jul 12, 2024 · International Affairs

Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Cosponsors (15): Sen. Todd Young,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 391 yea, 26 nay391–26
  • 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 act addresses issues relating to Tibet, including by establishing a statutory definition of Tibet that includes areas in Chinese provinces outside the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

For the purposes of a federal law concerning U.S. policies and activities relating to Tibet, this act defines Tibet to include the TAR and the Tibetan areas of the Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces. (Generally, when China's government refers to Tibet, it means only the TAR, but it recognizes the areas included in this act's definition as Tibetan. China's government formally established the TAR in 1965.)

Furthermore, the duties of the Office of the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues shall include working with relevant bureaus in the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to ensure that U.S. government statements and documents counter, as appropriate, disinformation about Tibet by China's government and the Chinese Communist Party, including disinformation about Tibet's history and institutions.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 118th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 391 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

391 yea26 nay14 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(206)

Republicans who voted yea(185)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 970 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

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 533Related bill

    Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act

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. 19 actions.

  1. Jul 12, 2024Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-70.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jul 8, 2024FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jun 12, 2024FloorFloor · 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): 391 - 26 (Roll no. 252).House roll call 252
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  7. Jun 11, 2024FloorFloor · 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.
  8. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 138.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  10. FloorFloor · Mr. McCaul moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  11. May 31, 2024FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. May 30, 2024FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  14. May 23, 2024FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  15. May 7, 2024CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 367.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Cardin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
  17. Apr 16, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  18. Jan 30, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  19. 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.