Remembering American Hostages Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 5772
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-10-17: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-10T08:07:57Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 5772: Remembering American Hostages Act of 2025
Purpose
This bill aims to honor American hostages and wrongfully detained individuals by requiring the display of a specific "Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag" on certain historical dates at federal locations. It seeks to raise awareness of key events involving hostages and expand the flag's visibility across more government sites and agencies.
Key Provisions
- Display Dates: Mandates flying the flag on specific dates tied to hostage history, including:
- November 4 and January 20, marking key events in the 1979-1981 Iranian hostage crisis.
- August 19, the anniversary of journalist James Foley's death in captivity (2014).
- October 7, the date of the 2023 Hamas attack in Israel, during which over 240 people, including 12 Americans, were taken hostage.
- Additional Display Requirement: The flag must also be flown at certain locations on any day the U.S. flag is displayed.
- Expanded Locations: Adds new sites for mandatory display, such as:
- U.S. Department of State offices in the U.S.
- U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.
- U.S. Department of Justice offices (unless exempted by the Attorney General).
- Passport application or renewal facilities, in visible spots.
- Responsible Officials: Includes additional federal leaders overseeing compliance, such as the Attorney General, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Transportation, and Secretary of Commerce.
- Sense of Congress: Expresses that the federal government should urge state and local governments, as well as airports (in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration), to voluntarily display the flag on the specified dates. It also recommends flying the flag when a hostage returns to the U.S. or is recognized as having died in captivity, potentially via an Executive Order.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill amends Section 904(b) of title 36, United States Code (which governs patriotic customs and the display of flags):
- Adds new subparagraphs to expand the list of display dates, previously focused on broader national observances.
- Redesignates and inserts clauses to include the hostage-specific dates without removing existing ones.
- Broadens the list of locations and responsible officials, previously limited to entities like the White House, Capitol, and certain cabinet secretaries.
These changes make the flag's display more routine and widespread, shifting from optional or limited use to required on targeted dates and sites.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases administrative duties for agencies like State, Justice, Education, Transportation, and Commerce to ensure flag display at offices, embassies, and passport centers, potentially requiring minor logistical adjustments (e.g., flag procurement and protocols).
- Citizens: Raises public awareness of hostage issues through visible symbols at federal sites, which may foster national remembrance but has no direct enforcement on individuals.
- International Relations: Symbolically highlights U.S. commitment to addressing wrongful detentions abroad (e.g., in Iran or by groups like Hamas), potentially signaling solidarity with affected families and pressuring foreign entities, though it has no binding diplomatic effects.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Agencies and Officials: Departments of State, Justice, Education, Transportation, and Commerce; embassy/consulate staff; passport offices.
- Hostage Families and Advocates: Americans wrongfully detained or their relatives, including those from the Iranian crisis, James Foley case, and 2023 Hamas attack.
- Local/State Governments and Airports: Encouraged (but not required) to participate, affecting municipal facilities and aviation sites.
- General Public: Indirectly, through increased visibility of the flag at government locations.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Builds on existing flag-display laws in title 36 without conflicting with free speech or other rights; enforcement relies on agency compliance, with no new penalties specified.
- Constitutional: No apparent issues, as it involves symbolic government action on public property, akin to other national flag protocols.
- Political: Serves as a bipartisan gesture (introduced by Reps. Kean and Moskowitz) to commemorate specific tragedies, potentially uniting Congress on foreign policy concerns like hostage recovery. It emphasizes remembrance without allocating new funds, keeping it low-cost and symbolic.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23], Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5], Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2]
Recent Actions
- 2025-10-17: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2025-10-17: Introduced in House
- 2025-10-17: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Remembering American Hostages Act of 2025 — issued 2025-10-17 — PDF (4 pages)