H.Res. 837 · 117th Congress

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Beijing should immediately guarantee the safety and freedom of tennis star Peng Shuai.

Introduced on Dec 3, 2021 by Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10). 8 cosponsors, 4 of them from another party. Latest action (Dec 8, 2021): The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Dec 3, 2021
Cosponsors
8
4 from the other party
Policy area
International Affairs
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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

Subjects

  • Asia
  • Assault and harassment offenses
  • Athletes
  • China
  • Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Human rights
  • International organizations and cooperation
  • News media and reporting
  • Olympic games
  • Political parties and affiliation
  • Professional sports
  • Sex offenses
  • Violent crime

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Dec 8, 2021). Public domain.

This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the case of Peng Shuai is directly related to broader international concerns around the freedom of speech and safety of athletes participating in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.

The resolution also expresses that the role of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in legitimizing China's claims about Peng's safety raises questions about the IOC's ability and willingness to protect the rights of athletes participating in the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic games in Beijing.

Finally, the resolution expresses that China should (1) provide independent and verifiable proof of Peng's whereabouts and that she is safe, (2) allow Peng to engage directly with the Women's Tennis Association and the United Nations to independently verify her safety and explain her absence from public life since making her allegation, (3) open an independent and transparent investigation into Peng's allegations against former senior Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, (4) publicly commit to holding sexual violence abusers accountable, (5) cease all censorship of reporting and discussions of Peng's case, and (6) allow Peng to leave China if she so desires and not retaliate against her family members who remain there.

Sponsor and cosponsors

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

Jennifer WextonD-VA-10Sponsor

Democrats · 4

Republicans · 4

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 Agree, as Amended
    Dec 8, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 428–0

History

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

  1. Dec 3, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Dec 3, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Dec 3, 2021 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
  4. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseMr. Meeks moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
  5. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7504-7507)
  6. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 837.
  7. Dec 8, 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.
  8. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7534)
  9. Dec 8, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 428 - 0 (Roll no. 413).(text: CR H7505)House · Roll call 413
  10. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 428 - 0 (Roll no. 413). (text: CR H7505)House · Roll call 413
  11. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  12. Dec 8, 2021 · HouseThe title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.

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 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 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.