American Families United Act
Latest action · Jan 9, 2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 30, 2013
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
American Families United Act - States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to enable the Attorney General (DOJ) or the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand his or her discretionary authority beyond a case-by-case basis, or to provide legalization or nationalization of persons covered under this Act.
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to revise waiver of inadmissibility requirements, among other things waiving inadmissibility for: (1) certain persons who entered the United States before age 16 who have earned a degree from a U.S. institution of higher education, (2) false claims of U.S. citizenship by persons under age 18 or lacking mental competence to knowingly misrepresent a claim, and (3) false claims of U.S. citizenship if inadmissibility would create family separation hardship for the alien (including a self-petitioner under the Violence Against Women Act) or for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member.
Authorizes parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to apply for a waiver of inadmissibility for unlawful presence.
Places a three-year limit on immigration-related misrepresentations rendering aliens inadmissible.
Revises the definition "conviction" for INA purposes.
Authorizes an immigration judge in specified circumstances, including family separation hardship, but with certain exceptions, to decline to order an alien removed, deported, or excluded and terminate related proceedings or grant permission to reapply for admission or for relief from removal.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 30, 2013 to Jun 25, 2014; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NM | Stevan Pearce | Original | Oct 30, 2013 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Nov 21, 2013 | |
| D-CA | Jim Costa | Dec 11, 2013 | |
| R-CA | David G. Valadao | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| D-CA | Gloria Negrete McLeod | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| D-TX | Lloyd Doggett | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Mar 6, 2014 | |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | May 15, 2014 | |
| R-MN | Erik Paulsen | Jun 17, 2014 | |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Jun 25, 2014 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Oct 30, 2013 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Jan 9, 2014 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 9, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
- Oct 30, 2013Introduced in House
- Oct 30, 2013Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H6956.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 15 | Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act | Related bill | Mar 26, 2014 |
| S 744 | Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act | Related bill | Jun 27, 2013 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote family unity, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- American Families United Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Administrative remedies
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Citizenship and naturalization
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Justice
- Family relationships
- Foreign labor
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Higher education
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Judicial review and appeals
- Temporary and part-time employment
- Visas and passports
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 30, 2013Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
