HR 1149 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

Protection of Children Act of 2015

Introduced Feb 27, 2015 Originated House Sponsor John R. Carter R-TX

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Mar 4, 2015 Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 17 - 13.

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.

  1. IntroducedFeb 27, 2015
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Protection of Children Act of 2015

This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to eliminate the special repatriation requirements for unaccompanied alien children (UAC) who are nationals or residents of a country contiguous to the United States. (The same removal requirements are applied to all UACs who are not victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons and who do not have a fear of returning to their country of nationality or last habitual residence.)

An immigration officer who finds an inadmissible UAC at a land border or port of entry shall return the child to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence. (Such authority is now only discretionary.)

The Department of State is authorized to negotiate agreements between the United States and other countries for the repatriation of children. (Under current law the State Department is required to negotiate agreements between the United States and countries contiguous to the United States for the repatriation of children.)

An unaccompanied child who is not a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, and does not have a fear of returning to his or her country of nationality or last habitual residence, but who is:

  • in removal proceedings shall have a hearing before an immigration judge within 14 days,
  • in federal custody shall be transferred to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody within 30 days, and
  • in HHS or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody shall have access to legal counsel at no cost to the government.

HHS, before placing a child with an individual, shall provide DHS with the individual's name, Social Security number, date of birth, residence location, and immigration status, if known.

DHS shall investigate the immigration status of the individual with whom the child is placed, and initiate removal proceedings if that individual is unlawfully present in the United States.

Such requirements are applied to any unauthorized child apprehended on or after June 15, 2012.

The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended with respect to: (1) special immigrant juvenile status, and (2) jurisdiction of asylum applications.

Cosponsors 40

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 27, 2015 to Apr 14, 2016; 12 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-TXBlake FarentholdOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-VABob GoodlatteOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-TNCharles J. "Chuck" FleischmannOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-GADoug CollinsOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-TXJohn Abney CulbersonOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-TXKenny MarchantOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-TXLamar SmithOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-TXMichael C. BurgessOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-ALRobert B. AderholtOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-TXRoger WilliamsOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-PATom MarinoOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-SCTrey GowdyOriginalFeb 27, 2015
R-TXRandy K. Weber, Sr.Mar 2, 2015
R-OHSteve StiversMar 3, 2015
R-GABarry LoudermilkMar 13, 2015
R-ALBradley ByrneMar 13, 2015
R-TXBrian BabinMar 13, 2015
R-CADarrell IssaMar 13, 2015
R-GAEarl L. "Buddy" CarterMar 13, 2015
R-NHFrank C. GuintaMar 13, 2015
R-NJLeonard LanceMar 13, 2015
R-ALMike RogersMar 13, 2015
R-ALMo BrooksMar 13, 2015
R-AZPaul A. GosarMar 13, 2015
R-TXPete OlsonMar 13, 2015
R-TXPete SessionsMar 13, 2015
R-NCRobert PittengerMar 13, 2015
R-TXSam JohnsonMar 13, 2015
R-FLGus M. BilirakisMar 18, 2015
R-SCJeff DuncanMar 18, 2015
R-GATom GravesMar 19, 2015
R-TNJohn J. Duncan, Jr.Mar 23, 2015
R-TXMichael T. McCaulMar 23, 2015
R-PALou BarlettaApr 13, 2015
R-TXJohn RatcliffeApr 28, 2015
R-VADave BratJul 13, 2015
R-TXJeb HensarlingAug 4, 2015
R-GAJody B. HiceOct 8, 2015
R-LAJohn FlemingDec 18, 2015
R-GAAustin ScottApr 14, 2016

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Feb 27, 2015Markup Mar 4, 2015
Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee
Referred Mar 2, 2015Discharged Mar 3, 2015
HouseForeign Affairs Committee
Referred Feb 27, 2015

Actions 6

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 4, 2015Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  2. Mar 4, 2015Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 17 - 13.
  3. Mar 3, 2015Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security Discharged.
  4. Mar 2, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
  5. Feb 27, 2015Introduced in House
Show all 6 actions

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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; Article I, Section 8, Clause 4: To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States; Article I Section 8, Clause 10: To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 34, February 27, 2015, page H1500.

CRS reports 2

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 2

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 495Protection of Children Act of 2017Reintroduced BillJun 21, 2017
S 2561Protection of Children Act of 2016Related billFeb 22, 2016

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to provide for the expedited removal of unaccompanied alien children who are not victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons and who do not have a fear of returning to their country of nationality or last habitual residence, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced
Protection of Children Act of 2015

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Feb 27, 2015Introduced in House

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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.