H.R. 496 · 117th Congress

To oppose violations of religious freedom in Ukraine by Russia and armed groups commanded or otherwise supported by or acting on behalf of Russia.

Introduced on Jan 28, 2021 by Joe Wilson (R-SC-2). 24 cosponsors, 14 of them from another party. Latest action (May 11, 2022): Star Print ordered on the bill.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Jan 28, 2021
Cosponsors
24
14 from the other party
Policy area
International Affairs
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To oppose violations of religious freedom in Ukraine by Russia and armed groups commanded by Russia.

Subjects

  • Conflicts and wars
  • Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
  • Europe
  • Human rights
  • Military operations and strategy
  • Religion
  • Russia
  • Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
  • Ukraine
  • Visas and passports

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Apr 27, 2022). Public domain.

Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act

This bill directs the President, when determining whether Russia is a country of particular concern for religious freedom under certain federal laws, to consider incidents occurring in the parts of Ukraine that Russia (or any Russia-affiliated non-state group) occupies, controls, or recognizes as independent. (The United States may take certain actions, such as withdrawing development assistance, against a country of particular concern for religious freedom.)

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Joe WilsonR-SC-2Sponsor

Democrats · 14

Republicans · 10

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
    Apr 27, 2022· House· Passage· Passed 421–4

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Jan 28, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Jan 28, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Jan 28, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  4. Jan 28, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  5. Jan 28, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  6. Mar 5, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
  7. Apr 21, 2021 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  8. Apr 21, 2021 · HouseOrdered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
  9. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseMr. Phillips moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  10. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4529-4530)
  11. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 496.
  12. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseAt 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.
  13. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H4554)
  14. Apr 27, 2022Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 421 - 4 (Roll no. 129).House · Roll call 129
  15. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 421 - 4 (Roll no. 129). (text: CR H4529)House · Roll call 129
  16. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  17. Apr 27, 2022 · HouseThe title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  18. Apr 28, 2022 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  19. May 11, 2022 · SenateStar Print ordered on the bill.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.