Bill
HR 1503
Targets forced organ harvesting by boosting sanctions, reporting, and passport denial to curb trafficking worldwide; lists offenders and blocks their financial and travel access.
NOTE ON BILL IDENTIFICATION
- The metadata at the top of your request (title: "Honoring Katherine Lindley…") appears to be unrelated to the body of text provided. The legislative text and actions included here are for H.R. 1503, the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025,” introduced Feb 21, 2025 by Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R–NJ) with Rep. William R. Keating (D–MA) as cosponsor. This summary covers the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025 as reflected in the bill text and legislative actions you provided.
Summary — purpose and intent
- The Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025 is designed to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for the removal of organs. It establishes U.S. policy priorities, new reporting requirements, targeted sanctions authority, and administrative measures intended to identify, deter, and hold accountable perpetrators and facilitators of forced organ removal worldwide.
Key provisions and changes
- Policy statement: Declares U.S. policy to combat international trafficking in persons for organ removal; to promote voluntary organ donation systems with enforcement; to uphold human dignity; and to hold accountable persons — including members of the Chinese Communist Party as named in the policy statement — implicated in forced organ harvesting.
- Definitions: Provides statutory definitions for “forced organ harvesting,” “organ” (cross-references the National Organ Transplant Act), and “trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs.”
- Passport authority: Authorizes the Secretary of State to refuse issuance or to revoke a U.S. passport for any individual convicted under section 301 of the National Organ Transplant Act (42 U.S.C. 274e) who used a passport or crossed an international border in committing the offense.
- Reporting requirements: Amends the Foreign Assistance Act reporting (sec. 116) and the Trafficking in Persons report provisions (sec. 502B) to require country-level assessments addressing forced organ harvesting and trafficking for organ removal in each foreign country covered by those reports.
- Sanctions list and measures: Requires the President, within 180 days of enactment, to submit to appropriate Congressional committees a list of individuals/entities the President determines fund, sponsor, or otherwise facilitate forced organ harvesting or trafficking for organ removal. The President must impose sanctions on listed persons, including use of authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to block and prohibit transactions in property and interests in property. (The public text provided is truncated after the initial IEEPA provision; the bill directs further sanctions to be imposed on listed persons.)
Who would be affected
- Primary targets: Individuals, entities, and state or non‑state actors assessed to fund, sponsor, or facilitate forced organ harvesting or trafficking for organ removal.
- Geographic/diplomatic implications: Countries where forced organ harvesting occurs will be subject to formal reporting, public identification, and potential sanctions; the bill’s policy statement explicitly references holding members of the Chinese Communist Party accountable, which may affect U.S.–China diplomatic relations.
- U.S. government actors: Department of State (passport authority, reporting), Department of State and Department of Justice (investigations/prosecutions), White House (sanctions determinations), Departments preparing country reports required under existing law.
- Others: U.S. financial institutions and businesses could face restrictions when dealing with listed persons or jurisdictions; victims and civil society organizations may benefit from increased attention and reporting.
Procedural and timeline aspects
- Introduced: Feb 21, 2025. Passed House under suspension of the rules (Yeas 406 – Nays 1) May 7, 2025. Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations May 8, 2025. Reported enrolled June 2, 2025.
- Deadline: President must submit the list of implicated persons to Congress within 180 days of enactment.
- Reporting integration: New assessment requirements are folded into the existing Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (sec. 116) and Trafficking in Persons report (sec. 502B), aligning forced organ harvesting reporting with established cycles.
Potential impact and considerations
- Strengthens U.S. public diplomacy, reporting, and sanctions tools to address forced organ harvesting and organ‑removal trafficking.
- May increase diplomatic pressure on states and actors identified in reports and on the sanctions list; could strain relations with targeted countries.
- Enhances statutory grounds to disrupt financial and travel privileges of persons implicated in organ trafficking.
- The bill’s effectiveness will depend on investigative capacity, interagency coordination, and political will to apply sanctions and sustain reporting.
Sponsors
- Primary: Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R–NJ)
- Cosponsor: Rep. William R. Keating (D–MA)
For the full legal text and the complete list of authorized sanctions and implementation details, consult the enrolled bill text and Congressional Record entries referenced in the legislative actions.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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