US Congress Senate Bill 2854 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: Passed on December 16 2016 - 100% progression
Action: 2016-12-16 - Became Public Law No: 114-325.
Text: Latest bill text (Enrolled) [PDF]

Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill reauthorizes the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007 (Emmett Till Act) and expands the responsibilities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include the investigation and prosecution of criminal civil rights statutes violations that occurred before 1980 and resulted in a death. (Currently, Emmett Till Act investigations are limited to violations that occurred before 1970.) The bill expresses the sense of Congress that all authorities with jurisdiction should: (1) meet regularly with civil rights organizations, institutions of higher education, and DOJ-designated entities to coordinate information sharing and discuss the status of DOJ's Emmett Till Act work; (2) support the full accounting of all victims whose deaths or disappearances were the result of racially motivated crimes; (3) hold accountable under federal and state law individuals who were perpetrators of, or accomplices in, unsolved civil rights murders and disappearances; (4) keep families regularly informed about the status of the investigations; and (5) expeditiously comply with Freedom of Information Act requests and develop a singular, publicly accessible repository of these disclosed documents. In investigating a complaint, DOJ may coordinate activities with entities that DOJ determines to be appropriate. DOJ may reopen and review cases closed without an in-person investigation conducted by DOJ or the FBI. DOJ must hold meetings with the Civil Rights Division, the FBI, the Community Relations Service, civil rights organizations, institutions of higher education, DOJ-designated entities, and state and local law enforcement to discuss the status of its Emmett Till Act work. In an annual report to Congress, DOJ must indicate: the number of cases referred by a civil rights organization, an institution of higher education, or a state or local law enforcement agency; the number of such cases that resulted in federal charges; the date any such charges were filed; whether DOJ has declined to prosecute or participate in an investigation of a referred case; the outreach, collaboration, and support for investigations and prosecutions of violations of criminal civil rights statutes, including murders and disappearances; and any activity on reopened cases. The Community Relations Service must provide technical assistance by bringing together law enforcement agencies and communities to address tensions raised by civil rights era crimes.

Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016

Sen. Richard Burr [R-NC]	Sen. Claire McCaskill [D-MO]	Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]	Sen. Roy Blunt [R-MO]
Sen. Thad Cochran [R-MS]	Sen. Mark Kirk [R-IL]	Sen. Roger Wicker [R-MS]	Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX]
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]	Sen. Edward Markey [D-MA]	Sen. Orrin Hatch [R-UT]	Sen. Cory Booker [D-NJ]
Sen. Al Franken [D-MN]	Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]	Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]	Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D-CT]
Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]

Date	Chamber	Action
2016-12-16	House	Became Public Law No: 114-325.
2016-12-16	House	Signed by President.
2016-12-14	House	Presented to President.
2016-12-12	House	Message on Senate action sent to the House.
2016-12-10	House	Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 2854 by Voice Vote.
2016-12-10	House	Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S7135)
2016-12-08	House	Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
2016-12-07	House	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
2016-12-07	House	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H7343)
2016-12-07	House	DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2854.
2016-12-07	House	Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7343-7346)
2016-12-07	House	Mr. Goodlatte moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
2016-07-27	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
2016-07-27	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
2016-07-18	House	Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
2016-07-18	House	Received in the House.
2016-07-15	Senate	Message on Senate action sent to the House.
2016-07-14	Senate	Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
2016-07-14	Senate	S.Amdt.4975 Amendment SA 4975 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
2016-07-14	Senate	S.Amdt.4975 Amendment SA 4975 proposed by Senator Murkowski for Senator Burr. (consideration: CR S5184-5185; text: CR S5184-5185)
2016-07-14	Senate	Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S5183-5185)
2016-07-14	Senate	Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
2016-04-26	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

HB5067 (Same As) 2016-05-17 - Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2854/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2854/BILLS-114s2854is.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2854/BILLS-114s2854es.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2854/BILLS-114s2854eah.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2854/BILLS-114s2854enr.pdf