Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (16)
- Rep. Kim, Young [R-California-40]
- Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-Virginia-11]
- Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-New York-11]
- Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-California-32]
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-Pennsylvania-1]
- Rep. Radewagen, Aumua Amata Coleman [R-American Samoa]
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-Illinois-1]
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-New York-17]
- Rep. Bera, Ami [D-California-6]
- Rep. Meng, Grace [D-New York-6]
- Rep. Min, Dave [D-California-47]
- Rep. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-Northern Mariana Islands]
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-Virginia-2]
- Rep. Moylan, James C. [R-Guam]
- Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-Virginia-11]
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-New York-3]
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would ask the State Department to create a private national list of Korean American families who were separated from relatives in North Korea after the Korean War armistice in 1953. The goal is to help prepare for possible future family reunions, including reunions in person or by video. It also tells the U.S. government to work this issue into talks with North Korea and to consult with South Korea. The bill would require regular reports to Congress on the registry, reunion efforts, North Korea’s response, and any rules or actions in North Korea that keep families from leaving or meeting again.
- The State Department would collect information from Korean American families who want to find or reunite with relatives in North Korea.
- The registry would be kept private and used to support future reunions in South Korea, the United States, or other countries, and to store information about family members in North Korea, including those who may have died.
- The bill directs the State Department to push for progress on family reunions in any direct talks between the United States and North Korea.
- The State Department would have to send Congress a report within one year, and then once a year for five years, on the registry, the number of families involved, North Korea’s responses, and barriers North Korea places on family contact or travel.
Official Summaries
Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act
This bill establishes a national registry of Korean American families who wish to be reunited with family members living in North Korea. The bill also requires the Department of State to include reunions of such families in any direct dialogue with North Korea.
Specifically, the bill requires the State Department to (1) collect information on Korean American families, divided from North Korean family members after the Korean War armistice, who wish to be reunited with such family members; and (2) establish a national registry of information on those families to facilitate future reunions. The State Department must ensure that any direct dialogue with North Korea includes progress towards holding such reunions.
The State Department must report to Congress periodically on the registry, previous reunions, and on certain North Korean actions related to reunions.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1273 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1273
To direct the Secretary of State to establish a national registry of
Korean American divided families, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 12, 2025
Mr. Subramanyam (for himself, Mrs. Kim, Mr. Connolly, and Ms.
Malliotakis) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of State to establish a national registry of
Korean American divided families, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Korean American Divided Families
National Registry Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL REGISTRY OF KOREAN AMERICAN DIVIDED FAMILIES.
The Secretary of State, acting through the Special Envoy on North
Korean Human Rights Issues or such other individual as the Secretary
may designate, shall--
(1) collate information on Korean American families who
wish to be reunited with family members in North Korea from
which such Korean American families were divided after the
signing of the Agreement Concerning a Military Armistice in
Korea, signed at Panmunjom July 27, 1953 (commonly referred to
as the ``Korean War Armistice Agreement''), in anticipation of
future reunions for such families and family members, including
in-person and video reunions; and
(2) establish a private internal national registry of the
names and other relevant information of such Korean American
families--
(A) to host such future reunions in South Korea,
the United States, or third countries; and
(B) to provide for a private internal repository of
information about such Korean American families and
family members in North Korea, including information
about individuals who may be deceased.
SEC. 3. ACTIONS TO FACILITATE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND
NORTH KOREA.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall take such actions as
may be necessary to ensure that any direct dialogue between the United
States and North Korea includes progress towards holding future
reunions for Korean American families and their family members in North
Korea as described in section 2.
(b) Consultations.--The Secretary of State shall consult with the
Government of the Republic of Korea in carrying out this section.
(c) Report.--No later than one year after enactment of this Act,
and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary of State shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on--
(1) the status of the national registry established
pursuant to section 2(a)(2);
(2) the number of individuals included on the registry
who--
(A) have met their family members in North Korea
during previous reunions; and
(B) have yet to meet their family members in North
Korea during previous reunions;
(3) a summary of responses by North Korea to requests to
hold reunions of divided families; and
(4) a description of regulations in North Korea and actions
taken by North Korea in the year previous to submission of each
report that prevent the emigration of family members of Korean
American families.
(d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this Act,
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate.
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