HRES 149 United States House · 118th Congress

Condemning the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

This resolution (HRES 149) is a symbolic congressional statement condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine, specifically the forcible transfer and abduction of Ukrainian children. It directly addresses the Russian government, citing evidence including Ukrainian reports of over 2,300 children kidnapped and Russia's policy granting citizenship to children born in occupied territories after February 24, 2022. The resolution formally declares these actions violate the Genocide Convention (Article II(e)) and claims Russia is attempting to erase Ukrainian identity by targeting children. As a non-binding resolution, it holds no legal force but expresses the House's official stance against these practices.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
Committee Review
Nov 2023
House Passage
Mar 2024
Senate Passage
President
Introduced Feb 21, 2023 Last action Mar 19, 2024
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in House Engrossed in House · 7 edits · Mar 19, 2024
MODERATE
The engrossed version of HRES 149 updates terminology throughout to use more precise legal language aligned with the Genocide Convention (replacing 'kidnapping' with 'abduction and forcible transfer'), adds context about Russia's eight-year occupation prior to the 2022 invasion, corrects the death toll at the Mariupol maternity hospital from 3 to 5, and reorganizes the operative clauses so that the condemnation of Russia is now the final clause rather than the first. The bill also moved from the first session (February 2023) to the second session (March 2024) of the 118th Congress.
Scope change
The substantive scope of the resolution is largely unchanged. The main scope-related addition is the explicit reference to Russia's eight-year occupation prior to the 2022 invasion, which broadens the historical context but does not change what the resolution condemns or demands.
DEFINITION

Throughout the resolution, the term 'kidnapping' or 'kidnapped' was replaced with 'abduction and forcible transfer' or 'abducted and forcibly transferred,' aligning the language more closely with Article II(e) of the Genocide Convention.

Russia's relationship to the Genocide Convention was changed from 'signatory' to 'party,' which is a more accurate legal term indicating ratification rather than mere signature.

SCOPE

The description of Russia's invasion was expanded from 'renewed their illegal and unprovoked large-scale invasion' to 'escalated its eight-year-long occupation of sovereign Ukrainian territory by launching an unprovoked large-scale invasion,' explicitly referencing the 2014 annexation of Crimea and Donbas.

TECHNICAL

The death toll at the Mariupol maternity hospital attack was corrected from 3 individuals killed to 5 individuals killed.

The tone of operative clause 3 was softened from 'asserts' to 'notes with concern' regarding increased risks to children, while clause 2 was strengthened from 'claims' to 'further declares' regarding the attempt to wipe out a generation.

REQUIREMENT

The operative clauses were reorganized: the original clause (1) holding Russia responsible and condemning its actions was moved to become clause (4), making it the final and closing statement. The declaration that the actions amount to genocide was merged with the condemnation of illegal adoptions into a single clause (1).

TIMELINE

The resolution moved from the first session (introduced February 21, 2023) to the second session (engrossed March 19, 2024) of the 118th Congress, reflecting a delay of over a year.

Floor votes · House Mar 19, 2024

How they voted

3909
Passed · 32 other
Total votes 431
Mar 19, 2024
D Democratic213
194 Yea 19
91% Yea
I Independent1
1 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican217
195 Yea 9 Nay 13
89% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
3
Mar 19, 2024
Introduced
The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
lower
Mar 19, 2024
Introduced
On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 390 - 9 (Roll no. 88). (text: CR H1201-1202)
lower
Mar 19, 2024
Lower · Passed
Passed/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): 390 - 9 (Roll no. 88). (text: CR H1201-1202)
lower
Mar 19, 2024
Introduced
Mrs. Wagner moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
lower
Nov 7, 2023
Lower · Passed
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
lower
Feb 21, 2023
Committee
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
lower
Feb 21, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 39 co-sponsors

Sponsors