International Women's Freedom Act of 2009

Bill: 111-hr-606
Sponsor: Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-14]
Introduced: 2009-01-16 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Business ethics
Department of State
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Executive Office of the President
Executive agency funding and structure
Foreign aid and international relief
Government information and archives
Human rights
International organizations and cooperation
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Sanctions
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Trade restrictions
U.S. and foreign investments
Women's rights

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: 
International Women's Freedom Act of 2009 - Establishes within the Department of State an Office of International Women's Rights to be headed by an Ambassador at Large for International Women's Rights.
 
Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) establish a women's rights Internet site; and (2) maintain prisoner lists and issue briefs on women's rights concerns.
 
Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to include instruction on the internationally recognized rights of women and the various aspects and manifestations of violations of women's rights in Foreign Service officer training.
 
Establishes the United States Commission on International Women's Rights. (Terminates the Commission 12 years after the date of the initial appointment of its members.)
 
Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to express the sense of Congress that there should be within the National Security Council (NSC) staff a Special Adviser to the President on International Women's Rights. 
 
Directs the President to take specified actions in response to women's rights violations, including actions in response to particularly severe rights violations.
 
Provides for prohibition of economic, multilateral, military, and export assistance in instances of particularly severe women's rights violations.
 
Provides for the promotion of women's rights.
 
Provides for women's rights-related training with respect to refugee, asylum, and consular matters.
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the inadmissibility of foreign government officials who have engaged in particularly severe women's rights violations.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that transnational corporations operating overseas should adopt codes of conduct upholding the rights of their female employees. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: Referred to House Judiciary
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: Referred to House Financial Services
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: Referred to House Foreign Affairs
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E109)
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2009-01-16
text: Introduced in House