Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act
Latest action · Aug 21, 2020 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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.
- IntroducedAug 21, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act
This bill expands Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authority to provide premium processing services for certain immigration-related applications and contains other related provisions.
DHS may collect a fee to provide premium processing of an application for any immigration benefit that DHS considers appropriate, subject to certain requirements. Currently, DHS only has statutory authority to provide premium processing for employment-based applications.
Under current law, DHS must use such premium fees to provide premium processing services and make infrastructure improvements. Under this bill, such fees shall be used for these purposes and other activities that offset the cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services.
DHS may suspend premium processing of applications only if circumstances prevent the timely processing of a significant number of such applications. DHS shall provide those who have requested premium processing with access to case status information and communications channels to the premium processing units.
DHS may expand premium processing to certain immigrant benefits and set fees for such processing without following certain rulemaking procedures if DHS meets certain requirements, such as limiting the premium fee to specified amounts.
The bill also increases the premium fees charged to applicants. DHS may, subject to requirements, biennially adjust premium fees to reflect inflation without following certain rulemaking requirements.
Cosponsors 6
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Aug 21, 2020.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MO | Emanuel Cleaver | Original | Aug 21, 2020 |
| D-MD | Jamie Raskin | Original | Aug 21, 2020 |
| R-NE | Jeff Fortenberry | Original | Aug 21, 2020 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | Aug 21, 2020 |
| R-CO | Ken Buck | Original | Aug 21, 2020 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | Aug 21, 2020 |
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 Aug 21, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 21, 2020Introduced in House
- Aug 21, 2020Referred 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. 166, no. 148, August 21, 2020, page H4251.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 8089 | Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act | Related bill | Sep 8, 2020 |
| HR 8319 | Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act | Related bill | Sep 23, 2020 |
| HR 8337 | Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act | Related bill | Oct 1, 2020 |
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 expand premium processing for certain immigration benefits, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Citizenship and naturalization
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Homeland Security
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Foreign labor
- Government information and archives
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Inflation and prices
- User charges and fees
- Visas and passports
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Aug 21, 2020Introduced 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.
