FAMILIES Act
Latest action · Nov 18, 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.
- IntroducedNov 18, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Finding Alternatives to Mass Incarceration: Lives Improved by Ending Separation Act of 2020 or the FAMILIES Act
This bill establishes and provides funds for a program to divert eligible individuals (e.g., parents of minor children and caregivers) from a term of imprisonment or probation into comprehensive support services (e.g., education, jobs, in-home parenting, and substance abuse treatment programs). Additionally, the bill provides funds for the training of district court judges, a study on the effects of incarceration on children of incarcerated parents, and grants to states for parenting sentencing alternative programs.
Cosponsors 5
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Nov 24, 2020 to Dec 14, 2020.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MD | David J. Trone | Nov 24, 2020 | |
| D-NM | Debra A. Haaland | Nov 27, 2020 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Dec 2, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Dec 4, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Dec 14, 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 Nov 18, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 18, 2020Introduced in House
- Nov 18, 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. 196, November 18, 2020, page H5932.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 4709 | FAMILIES Act | Reintroduced Bill | Nov 1, 2022 |
| S 4916 | FAMILIES Act | Identical bill | Nov 18, 2020 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 18, United States Code, to divert certain parents of minor children, expectant parents, and other caregivers from incarceration and into comprehensive programs providing resources, services, and training to those individuals and their families.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Finding Alternatives to Mass Incarceration: Lives Improved by Ending Separation Act of 2020
- FAMILIES Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Adult day care
- Appropriations
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Child care and development
- Child health
- Child safety and welfare
- Congressional oversight
- Correctional facilities and imprisonment
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Crime victims
- Criminal procedure and sentencing
- Department of Justice
- Disability and paralysis
- Disability assistance
- Domestic violence and child abuse
- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Elementary and secondary education
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Employment and training programs
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Family relationships
- Food assistance and relief
- Government studies and investigations
- Health care costs and insurance
- Health care coverage and access
- Higher education
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Intergovernmental relations
- Judges
- Judicial procedure and administration
- Law enforcement administration and funding
- Lawyers and legal services
- Low- and moderate-income housing
- Mental health
- Nutrition and diet
- Poverty and welfare assistance
- Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
- State and local government operations
- Wages and earnings
- Women's health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Nov 18, 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.
