Protecting American Lives Act
Latest action · Sep 28, 2015 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.
- IntroducedJul 31, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting American Lives Act
This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to declare that a person or agency shall not prohibit or restrict a federal, state, or local government entity from undertaking any of the following law enforcement activities (current law refers to information activities) regarding an individual's immigration status:
- notifying the federal government regarding the presence of inadmissible and deportable aliens who are encountered by law enforcement personnel of a state or political subdivision of a state (political subdivision), or
- complying with federal law enforcement information requests.
A federal, state, or local government entity or official shall not issue ordinances, administrative actions, general or special orders, or departmental policies that violate federal law or restrict a state or political subdivision from complying with federal law or coordinating with federal law enforcement.
A state or political subdivision that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits state or local law enforcement officers from assisting or cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement in the course of carrying out the officers' routine law enforcement duties shall not be eligible to receive: (1) funds for the incarceration of undocumented criminal aliens or for the Cops on the Beat program, or (2) any other law enforcement or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant.
States or political subdivisions not in compliance shall: (1) be ineligible to receive such assistance for at least one year, and (2) become eligible for such assistance only after DHS certifies that the jurisdiction is in compliance. Withheld funds shall be reallocated to complying states or political subdivisions.
States and political subdivisions shall provide DHS with identifying information regarding each incarcerated alien who is believed to be inadmissible or deportable.
Nothing in this Act shall require state or local law enforcement officials to: (1) provide DHS with information related to a victim of a crime or witness to a criminal offense, or (2) otherwise report or arrest such a victim or witness.
A state or a political subdivision acting in compliance with a DHS detainer that temporarily holds aliens in its custody so that they may be taken into federal custody, or transports the aliens for transfer to federal custody, shall be considered to be acting under color of federal authority for purposes of determining its liability, and immunity from suit in civil actions brought by the aliens under federal or state law.
It is the sense of Congress that DHS has probable cause to believe that an alien is inadmissible or deportable when it issues a detainer regarding the alien under the standards in place on the date of introduction of this Act.
The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to increase mandatory minimum sentences for the illegal re-entry of an alien who: (1) was previously denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed; or (2) was removed for certain criminal convictions or excluded for security-related grounds.
Cosponsors 22
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 10, 2015 to Jul 12, 2016.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AZ | Paul A. Gosar | Sep 10, 2015 | |
| R-AL | Mo Brooks | Sep 22, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Nov 16, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Bill Flores | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Blake Farenthold | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Joe Barton | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | John Abney Culberson | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Kenny Marchant | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Lamar Smith | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-GA | Lynn A. Westmoreland | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Michael C. Burgess | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Pete Olson | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Randy K. Weber, Sr. | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-UT | Rob Bishop | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-MS | Steven M. Palazzo | Dec 3, 2015 | |
| R-GA | Doug Collins | Dec 7, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Jeb Hensarling | Dec 7, 2015 | |
| R-SC | Jeff Duncan | Dec 7, 2015 | |
| R-AL | Mike Rogers | Dec 10, 2015 | |
| R-GA | Earl L. "Buddy" Carter | Dec 11, 2015 | |
| R-CA | Tom McClintock | Dec 15, 2015 | |
| R-VA | Dave Brat | Jul 12, 2016 |
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 Jul 31, 2015 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Sep 28, 2015 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 28, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
- Jul 31, 2015Introduced in House
- Jul 31, 2015Referred 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 Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 123, July 31, 2015, page H5783.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1842 | Protecting American Lives Act | Identical bill | Jul 22, 2015 |
| HR 5825 | Illegal Alien Capture Notification Act | Related bill | Aug 11, 2016 |
| HR 5826 | Detain and Deport Act | Related bill | Aug 11, 2016 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To ensure State and local compliance with all Federal immigration detainers on aliens in custody and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Protecting American Lives Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Criminal justice information and records
- Criminal procedure and sentencing
- Detention of persons
- Government liability
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Intergovernmental relations
- Law enforcement administration and funding
- Law enforcement officers
- State and local government operations
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 31, 2015Introduced 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.
