Skip to main content
SJRES 161 99th Congress Senate International Affairs Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Emigration Jews Political prisoners Repatriation U.S.S.R.

A joint resolution to appeal for the release of Soviet Jewry.

Introduced: July 11, 1985 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 19 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 6, 1985
Became Public Law No: 99-81.
Aug 6, 1985
Signed by President.
Jul 31, 1985
Presented to President.
Jul 30, 1985
Measure Signed in Senate.
Jul 25, 1985
Passed House by Voice Vote.
Jul 25, 1985
Passed/agreed to in House: Passed House by Voice Vote.
Jul 25, 1985
Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
Jul 25, 1985
House Committee on Foreign Affairs Discharged by Unanimous Consent.
Jul 24, 1985
Ordered to be Reported.
Jul 24, 1985
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 22, 1985
Referred to House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Jul 18, 1985
Passed Senate with an amendment and with a preamble by Voice Vote.
Jul 18, 1985
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment and with a preamble by Voice Vote.
Jul 18, 1985
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
Jul 17, 1985
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 233.
Jul 17, 1985
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported to Senate by Senator Lugar without amendment and with a preamble. Without written report.
Jul 17, 1985
Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Jul 11, 1985
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Jul 11, 1985
Introduced in Senate
 Amendments to this bill 1

Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.

1 agreed to

AmendmentSponsorPurposeStatusLatest action
SAMDT 533 To appeal for the release of Soviet Jewry. Agreed to Jul 18, 1985
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Calls on the Soviet Union to: (1) release Anatoly Shcharansky, Yosef Begun, and other Prisoners of Conscience and allow them to leave the Soviet Union; (2) issue exit permits to long term "Refuseniks" including Ida Nudel and Vladimir Slepak; and (3) allow thousands of Jews who have requested such permits to leave.

What's happening now August 6, 1985

Became Public Law No: 99-81.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S.J. Res. 161: A joint resolution to appeal for the release of Soviet Jewry.. 99th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/99-SJRES-161/
MLA
"S.J. Res. 161: A joint resolution to appeal for the release of Soviet Jewry.." 99th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/99-SJRES-161/.
Bluebook (legal)
S.J. Res. 161, 99th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/99-SJRES-161/.
Markdown link
[S.J. Res. 161: A joint resolution to appeal for the release of Soviet Jewry.](https://openamerica.io/bill/99-SJRES-161/)
Report a problem