# 116-hr-1611: Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act

116-hr-1611, Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-22] (D-FL); status Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1611
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-1611
- Congress: 116
- Title: Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act
- Status: Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- Introduced: 2019-03-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-22] (D-FL)
- Cosponsors: 19
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act This bill establishes various entities and procedures to address the wrongful detainment of U.S. nationals abroad.The President shall appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The envoy's duties shall include leading diplomatic engagement on U.S. hostage policy and coordinating diplomatic engagements in support of hostage recovery efforts. The President shall establish an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which shall assess and track all hostage cases of U.S. nationals and coordinate agency efforts to safely recover hostages. The President shall also establish the Hostage Recovery Group, which shall make recommendations regarding hostage recovery options and coordinate the development and implementation of U.S. hostage recovery policies. The President is authorized to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against any foreign person responsible for or complicit in the unlawful or wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad. The Department of State shall review cases where U.S. nationals are detained abroad and refer instances of wrongful or unlawful detainment to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

## Cosponsors (19)

- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2020-03-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-32] (D-CA), 2020-03-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9] (D-MA), 2020-05-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] (R-SC), 2019-03-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2019-03-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Waltz, Michael [R-FL-6] (R-FL), 2019-03-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meadows, Mark [R-NC-11] (R-NC), 2019-04-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7] (D-NJ), 2019-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY), 2019-09-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4] (D-PA), 2019-09-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2019-10-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10] (R-PA), 2019-10-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2019-10-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hurd, Will [R-TX-23] (R-TX), 2019-10-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Reschenthaler, Guy [R-PA-14] (R-PA), 2019-10-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Spanberger, Abigail Davis [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2019-11-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ), 2019-12-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brooks, Susan W. [R-IN-5] (R-IN), 2020-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Zeldin, Lee M. [R-NY-1] (R-NY), 2020-03-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-748: CARES Act
- 116-hr-943: Never Again Education Act
- 116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020
- 116-hr-1379: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act
- 116-hr-1108: Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019

## Sources
- [116-hr-1611 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1611)

## Related
- [116-hr-748: CARES Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-748)
- [116-hr-943: Never Again Education Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-943)
- [116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-2423)
- [116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1570)
- [116-hr-1379: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1379)
- [116-hr-1108: Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1611 (as of 2025-11-18).