American Families United Act
Latest action · Oct 30, 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.
- IntroducedOct 30, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
American Families United Act
This bill limits what constitutes a conviction for immigration purposes and contains other related provisions. (A conviction can in certain instances be grounds for denying an individual immigration benefits.)
Under this bill, certain judgments of guilt, such as one that has been deferred, expunged, or invalidated, shall not be considered a conviction for immigration purposes. An order of probation without an entry of judgment shall also not count as a conviction. Similarly, a pardon shall render the underlying conviction null for immigration purposes.
Furthermore, for immigration purposes, a term of imprisonment shall only include the actual period of incarceration ordered by a court. If a term of imprisonment is suspended for any length, the suspended time shall not be considered as part of the term of imprisonment. (An individual may be denied certain immigration benefits if the individual has been convicted for a crime with a certain term of imprisonment.)
The bill also provides statutory authority for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to, in certain instances, exercise discretion when enforcing immigration laws, such as waiving one or more grounds of inadmissibility or declining to order an alien removed. Such discretion may only be exercised on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian purposes or to preserve family unity and is subject to other limitations.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Oct 30, 2020.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Darren Soto | Original | Oct 30, 2020 |
| R-GA | Rob Woodall | Original | Oct 30, 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 Oct 30, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 30, 2020Introduced in House
- Oct 30, 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. 186, October 30, 2020, page H5715.
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 promote family unity, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- American Families United Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 30, 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.
