House · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and AgreePassed
Yea 414 Nay 0 Present / not voting 16
H.Res. 1259 · 119th CongressStatus not classified
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should prioritize securing the release of Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Jimmy Lai detained by the People’s Republic of China during future engagements with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Latest action. Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research ServiceThis resolution calls upon the President to prioritize the humanitarian release of five specified individuals (Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Jimmy Lai) and others unjustly detained by China during future engagements with China's President Xi Jinping.
The resolution also (1) urges the President to seek verifiable proof of life, access to independent legal counsel, family communication, and medical care for these detainees; and (2) reaffirms the U.S. commitment to defending political and religious freedom and advocating for the release of those unjustly detained for exercising such fundamental freedoms.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 7, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Status
Latest action, as recorded
May 13, 2026
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Common questions
Composed from the official recordWhere is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on May 13, 2026: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
What is a simple resolution, exactly?
A simple resolution concerns one chamber only, such as its own rules or an expression of its opinion. The other chamber and the President play no part, and it does not carry the force of law.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
Yes. 1 recorded roll-call vote cites this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.
Who is behind it?
Christopher Smith (R-NJ) introduced it on May 7, 2026, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 2 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 May 7, 2026, 126 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 120 days ago, on May 13, 2026.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
That deadline applies to this measure too, even though it was never headed for the President's desk.
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
- HousePassed on a recorded vote (official bill record may lag)
- SenateAwaiting Senate vote
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action