{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-4785","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 4785","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Uyghur Policy Act of 2021","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority groups residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and safeguard their distinct identity, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority groups residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and safeguard their distinct identity, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Uyghur Policy Act of 2021"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Uyghur Policy Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Uyghur Policy Act of 2021"},{"type":"Official Titles as Amended by House","title":"To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority groups residing primarily in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and safeguard their distinct identity, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Uyghur Policy Act of 2021"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2021-07-29","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2022-12-01","vote":{"id":"117-2022-h494","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended","title":"Uyghur Policy Act","result":"Passed","yea":407,"nay":17,"present":0,"not_voting":8,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll494.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.","date":"2022-12-05"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-12-01","stage":"Passed House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Uyghur Policy Act of 2021"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill addresses human rights issues concerning the Uyghurs and other minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China."},{"k":"p","t":"The bill authorizes the establishment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues position within the Department of State."},{"k":"p","t":"The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs may, subject to appropriations, make certain funds available to human rights advocates working on behalf of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups persecuted in China. The funds, if made available, shall be used to facilitate the presence of such human rights advocates at public diplomacy forums to speak on issues related to the human rights and religious freedoms of minority groups persecuted in China."},{"k":"p","t":"The State Department must ensure that Uyghur language training is available to Foreign Service officers. It must also ensure that a Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service is assigned to U.S. diplomatic and consular missions in China."}],"words":158},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Establishes a United States policy on the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, including a State Department Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues, funding for advocates, language training, and statements of congressional policy.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#HB5DD5FAE1F8B438FAC069FC86A5C5567"},{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#HB113DCA3092F4F13873240759CE192AF"},{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#H68543181446D49779971598EAEB771DD"},{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#H6DBE9C7125874ADAA1163A682D6E794E"}]},"core_areas":["Human rights of Uyghurs and other minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region","State Department Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues","Public diplomacy funding for Uyghur human rights advocates","Uyghur language training for Foreign Service officers","United States positions at the United Nations on Xinjiang"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Authorizes a United States Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues within the Department of State, designated by the Secretary of State after consulting the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House foreign affairs committees.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#HB113DCA3092F4F13873240759CE192AF"}},{"text":"Provides that the Special Coordinator should coordinate United States Government policies, programs and projects concerning the Uyghurs, and should lead coordination efforts for the release of political prisoners detained in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region for exercising their human rights.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#HB113DCA3092F4F13873240759CE192AF"}},{"text":"Requires a report to the House and Senate foreign affairs committees explaining the reasons for delay if the Special Coordinator is not designated within 180 days after enactment, and ends the section five years after the designation.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#HB113DCA3092F4F13873240759CE192AF"}},{"text":"Authorizes $250,000 for each of fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024 from amounts for the U.S. Speaker Program for human rights advocates on behalf of Uyghurs and other persecuted minority groups to speak at public diplomacy forums in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries and other regions.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#H68543181446D49779971598EAEB771DD"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary of State to ensure Uyghur language training is available to Foreign Service officers as appropriate, and that every effort is made to assign a Uyghur-speaking Foreign Service member to United States diplomatic and consular missions in China.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#H6DBE9C7125874ADAA1163A682D6E794E"}},{"text":"States the sense of Congress that the United States should oppose efforts to prevent United Nations consideration of Xinjiang issues, and that the Secretary of State should instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to support a special rapporteur or working group for the region.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 8","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#H6653F732883046B39FCF3AACB3D4FF41"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"named_funding","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#H68543181446D49779971598EAEB771DD"},"heading":"Public diplomacy in the islamic world on the uyghur situation","effect":"Authorizes $250,000 for each of fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024 from the U.S. Speaker Program for human rights advocates on behalf of Uyghurs and other persecuted minority groups to speak at public diplomacy forums.","amount":"$250,000","quote":"Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for the U.S. Speaker Program in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State, $250,000 for each of fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024"},{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 6","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh#H1398C3754323429CA10BC6FBC9B32FE0"},"heading":"Access to detention facilities and prisons and the release of prisoners","effect":"States the sense of Congress on closing detention facilities and seeking prisoner release, and calls for the release of one named individual, Ekpar Asat, who is serving a 15 year sentence. No funding is provided.","amount":null,"quote":"including Ekpar Asat, who participated in the Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program in 2016, was incarcerated after returning to the XUAR"}]}],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2022-12-01","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4785/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-4785.png","v":"0a4e782d0c5d","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 4785, 117th Congress: Uyghur Policy Act of 2021. House: 407 Yea, 17 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 1 Dec 2022."}}