Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2023
Latest action. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 775.
To approve the 2023 Agreement to Amend the U.S.-FSM Compact, and related agreements, between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia, the 2023 Agreement to Amend the U.S.-RMI Compact, and certain related agreements between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 2023 U.S.-Palau Compact Review Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Palau, to appropriate funds to carry out the agreements, and for other purposes.
This is the official title Congress filed with the measure as introduced, quoted in full and not written by Civibrief. It states the measure's purpose, not its contents. No plain-language summary has been published for this bill yet, by the Congressional Research Service or by Civibrief editors. Read the bill on Congress.gov
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this joint resolution could become law.
The record's latest action, on December 19, 2024: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 775.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
What is a joint resolution, exactly?
A joint resolution travels the same road as a bill: both chambers pass it and the President signs it, and it then has the same force as any other law. The label is largely a matter of custom, often used for narrow or time-limited measures.
One exception matters. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution is not sent to the President at all. It goes to the states, and three quarters of them have to ratify it.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced it on November 2, 2023, and 42 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 19 Democrats, 23 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on November 2, 2023, 1043 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 630 days ago, on December 19, 2024.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers