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Victims' VOICES Act

Public Law 118-77 · S. 3706 · 118th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jul 30, 2024 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Cosponsors (3): Sen. Richard Blumenthal,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 408 yea, 2 nay408–2
  • 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 makes a person who has assumed a victim's rights eligible to receive restitution for certain expenses from a convicted defendant. The act applies to a person (i.e., legal guardian, representative of the victim's estate, another family member, or any other person appointed as suitable by the court) who has assumed the rights of a victim because such victim is under 18 years of age, incompetent, incapacitated, or deceased.

Under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996, federal courts must order defendants who are convicted of certain crimes to pay restitution to their victims. This restitution must include the costs to reimburse the victim for lost income and necessary child care, transportation, and other expenses incurred while participating in the investigation or prosecution of the offense or attending proceedings relating to the offense, as well as medical and nonmedical care and treatment, and other associated costs.

This act specifies that, in ordering restitution, a court must order the defendant to pay restitution to a person who has assumed the victim's rights. In particular, the defendant must pay restitution to reimburse the person's necessary and reasonable costs for (1) lost income, child care, transportation, and other expenses associated with participating in the investigation or prosecution of the offense or attending proceedings relating to the offense; and (2) lost income, transportation, and other expenses associated with transporting a victim to receive medical and nonmedical care and treatment (including physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation).

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 118th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 408 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

408 yea2 nay21 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(199)

Republicans who voted yea(209)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1079 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

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.

  1. Jul 30, 2024Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-77.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jul 25, 2024FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jul 23, 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): 408 - 2 (Roll no. 361).House roll call 361
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  7. Jul 22, 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. 3706.
  9. FloorFloor · Ms. Hageman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  11. Mar 1, 2024FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  14. Feb 29, 2024FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  16. Jan 31, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  17. 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.