To provide resources for United States nationals unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill expands support for Americans who are unlawfully or wrongfully detained in foreign countries and their families. It requires the Secretary of State to provide travel funding so families can meet with government officials in Washington D.C., and mandates mental health support services for both detained Americans and their loved ones.
Who Benefits and How
Families of detained Americans benefit by receiving financial assistance for travel to Washington D.C. (up to 2 trips per year, covering airfare, lodging at government rates). Detained Americans themselves benefit from guaranteed access to operational psychologists and clinical social workers, plus compensation for return travel to the U.S. upon release if other government assistance is unavailable.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The State Department bears administrative and financial costs of implementing the travel assistance and mental health support programs. Congress gains oversight responsibility through required notifications for spending above $250,000 and mandatory annual reports detailing expenditures and support provided.
Key Provisions
- Travel assistance for up to 2 family members per trip, 2 trips per year, with 2 nights lodging at government rates
- Mental health support through operational psychologists and clinical social workers for detained Americans and their families
- Return travel assistance for released detainees when other government help is unavailable
- Annual reporting to Congress and notification for spending exceeding $250,000
- Program authority expires December 31, 2027
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to provide travel assistance, mental health support, and return travel resources for U.S. nationals unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad and their families.
Key Policy Areas
Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
Amends the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to provide travel assistance, mental health support, and return travel resources for U.S. nationals unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad and their families.
Policy Domains
Section 2 - Resources for United States nationals unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad
Identified Gains
- Families of detained Americans
- U.S. nationals wrongfully detained abroad
- Mental health professionals (psychologists, social workers)
Identified Costs
- Department of State
- Congressional oversight committees
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment
Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Department of State, Department of State hostage affairs and travel assistance administrators
Families of U.S. nationals wrongfully detained abroad, U.S. nationals wrongfully detained abroad
Families of U.S. nationals unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad
Human rights and detainee advocacy organizations
Mental health professionals (psychologists, clinical social workers)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of State
- "special_presidential_envoy"
- → Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A spouse, father, mother, child, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, cousin, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half sister.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology