Freedom for Refugees Escaping Enmity (FREE) Act
Latest action · Mar 6, 2017 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.
- IntroducedFeb 15, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Freedom for Refugees Escaping Enmity (FREE) Act
This bill nullifies Executive Order 13769, entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." No federal funds may be used to implement or enforce any of the policy changes set forth in such order.
Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants from seven countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security shall release any alien in custody under authority of such order. Visas or documentation that were revoked or refused under authority of such order shall be reissued or reconsidered as appropriate unless a consular officer knows, or has reason to believe, that the alien is ineligible to receive the visa or documentation under any provision of the immigration laws.
The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to prohibit an alien from being given immigration visa preference, being discriminated against, or being denied U.S. entry or admission based upon religion or lack of religious beliefs.
The President may may not exercise his or her authority to suspend or restrict the U.S. entry of aliens or classes of aliens so as to modify the entry, reentry, or admission requirements of an alien having a valid and unexpired: (1) immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, or (2) refugee or legal permanent resident status.
Cosponsors 18
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Feb 15, 2017.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-TX | Al Green | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-FL | Al Lawson, Jr. | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-MD | Anthony G. Brown | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-FL | Darren Soto | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-TX | Eddie Bernice Johnson | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-MO | Emanuel Cleaver | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-NC | G. K. Butterfield | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-NY | Gregory W. Meeks | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-SC | James E. Clyburn | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-OH | Marcia L. Fudge | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-IL | Robin L. Kelly | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-NV | Ruben J. Kihuen | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
| D-FL | Val Butler Demings | Original | Feb 15, 2017 |
Committees 4
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Feb 15, 2017 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Mar 6, 2017 | |
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Feb 15, 2017 |
| House | Homeland Security Committee | Referred Feb 15, 2017 |
| Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Feb 28, 2017 | |
| House | Intelligence (Permanent Select) Committee | Referred Feb 15, 2017 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 6, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
- Feb 28, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.
- Feb 15, 2017Introduced in House
- Feb 15, 2017Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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. 163, no. 27, February 15, 2017, page H1244.
Related bills 4
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 248 | A bill to block implementation of the Executive order that restricts individuals from certain countries from entering the United States. | Related bill | Jan 30, 2017 |
| HR 722 | No Funds for Unconstitutional Executive Orders Act | Related bill | Feb 14, 2017 |
| HR 724 | SOLVE Act of 2017 | Related bill | Mar 2, 2017 |
| HR 735 | USA Values Act of 2017 | Related bill | Feb 24, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To provide that the Executive Order entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" (January 27, 2017) shall have no force or effect, to prohibit the use of Federal funds to enforce the Executive Order, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Freedom for Refugees Escaping Enmity (FREE) Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Africa
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Iran
- Iraq
- Libya
- Middle East
- Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
- Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
- Religion
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Travel and tourism
- Visas and passports
- Yemen
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 15, 2017Introduced 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.
