Statement on Signing the Department of State Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012
Issued 2013-01-15 by Barack Obama
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
President Obama signed into law a bill that expands the government's ability to offer cash rewards for information leading to the capture of certain criminals. The law allows the United States to pay rewards for tips that help arrest or convict foreign nationals accused of atrocity-related crimes by international criminal tribunals, as well as individuals involved in transnational organized crime. This means the government can now offer money to informants who help bring in accused war criminals or people involved in activities like money laundering, human trafficking, and trafficking in arms and illicit goods.
The law potentially affects individuals accused by international tribunals of serious crimes including attacks on civilians, murder, recruiting child soldiers, and rape. President Obama specifically mentioned that this tool could be used to help capture individuals such as Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army, as well as certain commanders of other groups facing international charges.
This action matters because it gives the U.S. government a new tool to help bring accused perpetrators of atrocities to justice and to combat transnational organized crime networks. The President stated this would support his administration's efforts to fight modern slavery and protect national security. This is a signing statement—a public comment the President made when signing the bill into law—and the constitutional questions around such statements have been debated, though this particular statement appears to simply describe and endorse the new law rather than raise objections to it.
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
This signing statement ("Statement on Signing the Department of State Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012") was issued alongside a bill the President signed into law. The President's stated concerns: "transnational organized crime, bolster our fight against the scourge of modern slavery, and protect our national security." Signing statements allow presidents to express constitutional or policy objections to specific provisions of legislation they have just signed. Their legal weight and constitutional propriety have been contested since the practice became common in the 1980s.
Critics — including the American Bar Association — argue that using signing statements to announce an intent to not enforce portions of a law effectively creates a line-item veto, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York (1998). Defenders argue presidents have a duty to identify constitutional concerns and that signing statements are a legitimate form of executive interpretation. The constitutional propriety depends on whether this specific statement announces non-enforcement or merely records the President's views.
Official Summary
Administration of Barack Obama, 2013 Statement on Signing the Department of State Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012 January 15, 2013 Today I signed into law S. 2318, the Department of State Rewards Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012. This legislation will enhance the ability of the U.S. Government to offer monetary rewards for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of foreign nationals accused by international criminal tribunals of atrocity-related crimes and of individuals involved in transnational organized crime. This powerful new tool can be used to help bring to justice perpetrators of the worst crimes known to humankind. This includes individuals such as Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), as well as certain commanders of M23 and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). All of these individuals face charges before international criminal tribunals for horrific acts, including attacks on civilians, murder, the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and rape. We have made unmistakably clear that the United States is committed to seeing war criminals and other perpetrators of atrocities held accountable for