Protecting American Lives Act
Latest action · Jun 28, 2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
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.
- IntroducedMay 23, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting American Lives Act
This bill imposes requirements related to state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts and increases criminal penalties for certain removed aliens who reenter the United States.
A state or local government jurisdiction shall be ineligible for certain federal law enforcement grants if the jurisdiction has a statute, policy, or practice (1) to not comply with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainer requests, or (2) prohibiting the jurisdiction's law enforcement officers from assisting with federal immigration law enforcement. (A detainer is a DHS request that a jurisdiction hold an alien in its custody until that alien can be transferred to federal custody.)
Compliance with a detainer request shall be an action under color of federal authority for immunity and liability purposes in a civil action.
A state or local jurisdiction shall timely inform DHS about an alien believed to be inadmissible or deportable in the jurisdiction's custody. DHS shall reimburse each jurisdiction for reasonable costs incurred from this requirement.
The bill imposes a minimum imprisonment term of five years for certain aliens who without authorization reenter the United States after being removed or denied admission. Such an alien shall be criminally fined, imprisoned, or both.
It shall be unlawful for a state or local jurisdiction to discriminate against a law enforcement officer for complying with a detainer request.
Cosponsors 28
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 23, 2019 to Sep 18, 2019; 9 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-PA | John Joyce | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-NC | Mark Walker | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-FL | Matt Gaetz | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-LA | Mike Johnson | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-TX | Randy K. Weber, Sr. | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-TX | Ron Wright | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-LA | Steve Scalise | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-TX | Van Taylor | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| R-AZ | Andy Biggs | Jun 6, 2019 | |
| R-AL | Bradley Byrne | Jun 6, 2019 | |
| R-AL | Mo Brooks | Jun 6, 2019 | |
| R-FL | Brian J. Mast | Jun 18, 2019 | |
| R-AZ | Debbie Lesko | Jun 18, 2019 | |
| R-CA | Doug LaMalfa | Jun 18, 2019 | |
| R-CA | Paul Cook | Jun 18, 2019 | |
| R-LA | Ralph Lee Abraham | Jun 18, 2019 | |
| R-TN | Scott DesJarlais | Jun 18, 2019 | |
| R-CA | Tom McClintock | Jun 18, 2019 | |
| R-MD | Andy Harris | Jun 21, 2019 | |
| R-OH | Bob Gibbs | Jun 21, 2019 | |
| R-NE | Adrian Smith | Jun 25, 2019 | |
| R-CO | Doug Lamborn | Jun 27, 2019 | |
| R-OK | Tom Cole | Jul 11, 2019 | |
| R-OH | Bill Johnson | Jul 16, 2019 | |
| R-SC | Ralph Norman | Jul 22, 2019 | |
| R-KY | Harold Rogers | Jul 25, 2019 | |
| R-OK | Kevin Hern | Sep 18, 2019 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 23, 2019 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Jun 28, 2019 | |
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred May 23, 2019 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 28, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- May 23, 2019Introduced in House
- May 23, 2019Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 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 page H4166.
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 Title(s) 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
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- 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.
- May 23, 2019Introduced 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.
