H.R. 826 · 117th Congress

Divided Families Reunification Act

Introduced on Feb 4, 2021 by Grace Meng (D-NY-6). 27 cosponsors, 5 of them from another party. Latest action (Jul 20, 2021): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Feb 4, 2021
Cosponsors
27
5 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 require consultations on reuniting Korean Americans with family members in North Korea.

Subjects

  • Asia
  • Conflicts and wars
  • Congressional oversight
  • Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
  • Family relationships
  • Internet and video services
  • Internet, web applications, social media
  • North Korea
  • South Korea

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Jul 19, 2021). Public domain.

Divided Families Reunification Act

This bill directs the Department of State to periodically report to Congress on its consultations with South Korea on potential opportunities to reunite Korean Americans with family in North Korea. The State Department's Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues shall periodically report to Congress on its consultations with representatives of Korean Americans with family in North Korea on reunification efforts.

Sponsor and cosponsors

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

Grace MengD-NY-6Sponsor

Democrats · 22

Republicans · 5

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
    Jul 19, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 415–0

History

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

  1. Feb 4, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Feb 4, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Feb 4, 2021Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E105)
  4. Feb 4, 2021 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
  5. Apr 21, 2021 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  6. Apr 21, 2021 · HouseOrdered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
  7. Jul 19, 2021 · HouseMs. Houlahan moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  8. Jul 19, 2021 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H3651-3652)
  9. Jul 19, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 826.
  10. Jul 19, 2021 · 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.
  11. Jul 19, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H3658-3659)
  12. Jul 19, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 415 - 0 (Roll no. 209).(text: CR H3651)House · Roll call 209
  13. Jul 19, 2021 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 415 - 0 (Roll no. 209). (text: CR H3651)House · Roll call 209
  14. Jul 19, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  15. Jul 20, 2021 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

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 8, 2026 · loaded Oct 8, 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 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 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.