S. 4240 · 117th Congress

Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act

Introduced on May 18, 2022 by Chuck Grassley (R-IA). 7 cosponsors, 4 of them from another party. Became Public Law 117-351.

Stage
Became law
Public Law 117-351
Introduced
May 18, 2022
Cosponsors
7
4 from the other party
Policy area
Crime and Law Enforcement
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. Passed both chambers
  5. Sent to the President
  6. Became law

Official title

A bill to amend section 2441 of title 18, United States Code, to broaden the scope of individuals subject to prosecution for war crimes.

Subjects

  • Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
  • Immigration status and procedures
  • International Affairs
  • Judicial review and appeals
  • Jurisdiction and venue
  • War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Jan 5, 2023). Public domain.

Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act

This act broadens the scope of individuals who are subject to federal prosecution for war crime offenses.

Currently, the federal war crimes statute provides federal jurisdiction over war crime offenses committed anywhere (i.e., inside or outside the United States) if the victim or offender is a member of the Armed Forces or a U.S. national.

First, this act extends federal jurisdiction over war crime offenses committed anywhere to offenses where (1) the victim or offender is an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence; or (2) the offender is present in the United States, regardless of the nationality of the victim or the offender.

Second, the act expands federal jurisdiction over war crime offenses to include offenses that occur in whole or in part within the United States, regardless of whether the victim or offender is a member of the Armed Forces, a U.S. national, or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.

The act allows an indictment for certain war crime offenses to be instituted any time, making the statute of limitations inapplicable. To undertake a prosecution for war crime offenses, the act requires written certification that prosecution is in the public interest and is necessary to secure substantial justice. The certification is not subject to judicial review.

Sponsor and cosponsors

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

Chuck GrassleyR-IASponsor

Democrats · 4

Republicans · 3

Roll calls

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

No recorded roll call on this measure: it moved by voice vote or unanimous consent, or has not reached the floor.

History

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

  1. May 18, 2022Introduced in Senate
  2. May 18, 2022 · SenateRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  3. Dec 21, 2022Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  4. Dec 21, 2022 · SenateSenate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  5. Dec 21, 2022 · SenateMeasure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S9713-9714)
  6. Dec 21, 2022Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.(text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S9713-9714)
  7. Dec 21, 2022 · SenatePassed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S9713-9714)
  8. Dec 21, 2022 · SenateMessage on Senate action sent to the House.
  9. Dec 21, 2022 · HouseReceived in the House.
  10. Dec 21, 2022 · HouseHeld at the desk.
  11. Dec 22, 2022 · HouseMr. Nadler moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  12. Dec 22, 2022 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H10012-10013)
  13. Dec 22, 2022 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 4240.
  14. Dec 22, 2022Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H10012)
  15. Dec 22, 2022 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H10012)
  16. Dec 22, 2022 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  17. Dec 28, 2022Presented to President.
  18. Dec 28, 2022 · HousePresented to President.
  19. Jan 5, 2023Signed by President.
  20. Jan 5, 2023Signed by President.
  21. Jan 5, 2023Became Public Law No: 117-351.
  22. Jan 5, 2023Became Public Law No: 117-351.

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 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 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 5, 2026 · loaded Oct 5, 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.