RENACER Act
Latest action. Held at the desk.
Reinforcing Nicaragua's Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act of 2021 or the RENACER Act
This bill establishes measures to monitor, report on, and address corruption and human rights abuses in Nicaragua.
Specifically, the bill directs U.S. leadership at international financial institutions to advocate for oversight with respect to any loan or financial or technical assistance for projects in Nicaragua.
The Department of State and the Department of the Treasury must establish a strategy to align diplomatic engagement with implementing sanctions to facilitate free, fair, and transparent elections in Nicaragua. Pursuant to this strategy, the President must prioritize implementing targeted sanctions on persons obstructing such elections. The State Department must also engage in diplomatic efforts with partner countries to impose targeted sanctions on such individuals.
The bill adds Nicaragua to a list of countries whose citizens are subject to visa-blocking sanctions for knowingly engaging in (1) actions undermining democratic processes or institutions, or (2) significant corruption or obstruction of investigations into such corruption.
Further, the bill requires the State Department to report on
the involvement of President Daniel Ortega, members of his family, and senior government officials in significant acts of public corruption;
Russian activities in Nicaragua; and
gross human rights violations by the Ortega government against campesinos (i.e., natives of Latin American rural areas, especially Latin American Indian farmers or farm laborers) and indigenous communities.
In addition, the State Department must report on obstacles to news and information about domestic and international affairs and submit a strategy for strengthening independent broadcasting, information distribution, and media platforms in Nicaragua.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed Senate" stage on August 6, 2021. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Held at the desk.
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Where 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 August 10, 2021: Held at the desk.
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 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps 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?
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced it on March 25, 2021, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 4 Democrats, 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 March 25, 2021, 1995 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1857 days ago, on August 10, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 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
- SenateHeld at the desk.
- HouseNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action