Access to Counsel Act of 2021
Latest action · Apr 22, 2021 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the 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.
- IntroducedMar 3, 2021
- Passed HouseApr 21, 2021
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Access to Counsel Act of 2021
This bill provides various protections for covered individuals subject to secondary or deferred inspections when seeking admission into the United States. Covered individuals include U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, aliens in possession of a visa, returning asylees, and refugees.
The Department of Homeland Security shall ensure that a covered individual subject to secondary or deferred inspection has a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and certain related parties, such as a relative, within an hour of the start of the secondary inspection and as necessary during the inspection process. The counsel and related party shall be allowed to advocate on behalf of the covered individual, including by providing evidence and information to the examining immigration officer.
A lawful permanent resident subject to secondary or deferred inspection may not abandon lawful permanent resident status until the individual has had a meaningful opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless the individual voluntarily and knowingly waives in writing this opportunity to seek counsel's advice.
Recorded votes 2
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 129 | On Passage | Passed217–207 | Apr 21, 2021 |
| House 128 | On Motion to Recommit | Failed209–215 | Apr 21, 2021 |
Cosponsors 49
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 8, 2021 to Apr 13, 2021.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Jesús G. "Chuy" García | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-FL | Theodore E. Deutch | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Mar 9, 2021 |
Actions 20
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 22, 2021Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Apr 21, 2021Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2030-2032)
- Apr 21, 2021Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 330. (consideration: CR H2016-2025)
- Apr 21, 2021DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 1573.
- Apr 21, 2021Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAmdt 43 | Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 330, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary is considered adopted. | Rules Committee | On agreeing to the Rules amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote. |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRES 330 | Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 51) to provide for the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. into the Union; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1573) to clarify the rights of all persons who are held or detained at a port of | Related bill | Apr 20, 2021 |
| S 1912 | Access to Counsel Act of 2021 | Identical bill | May 27, 2021 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Administrative remedies
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Department of Homeland Security
- Detention of persons
- Evidence and witnesses
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Lawyers and legal services
- Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
- Telephone and wireless communication
- Visas and passports
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 22, 2021Referred in Senate
- Apr 21, 2021Engrossed in House
- Apr 16, 2021Reported in House
- Mar 3, 2021Introduced 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.