HR 471 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

PAUSE Act of 2021

Introduced Jan 25, 2021 Originated House Sponsor Yvette Herrell R-NM

Latest action · Feb 2, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

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.

IntroducedJan 25, 2021
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Protecting Americans from Unnecessary Spread upon Entry from COVID-19 Act of 2021 or the PAUSE Act of 2021

This bill maintains immigration restrictions put in place under public health emergency authorities to prevent the introduction of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) from foreign countries.

Specifically, the bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from rescinding or reducing the stringency of the restrictions. It also prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from stopping or reducing enforcement of the restrictions. These prohibitions remain in effect until (1) federal and state COVID-19 emergency orders are lifted, and (2) the risk of introducing COVID-19 in or from Canada and Mexico is minimal.

Cosponsors 94

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 25, 2021 to Apr 7, 2022; 25 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-AZ	Andy Biggs	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-IA	Ashley Hinson	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-AL	Barry Moore	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-VA	Bob Good	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-UT	Burgess Owens	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-NC	Dan Bishop	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-TN	Diana Harshbarger	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-AL	Jerry L. Carl	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-TX	Jodey C. Arrington	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-SC	Joe Wilson	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-CA	Ken Calvert	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-CO	Lauren Boebert	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-TX	Louie Gohmert	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-NC	Madison Cawthorn	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-IA	Mariannette Miller-Meeks	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-GA	Marjorie Taylor Greene	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-IL	Mary E. Miller	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-FL	Matt Gaetz	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-AL	Mo Brooks	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-TX	Pat Fallon	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-AZ	Paul A. Gosar	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-TX	Pete Sessions	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-FL	Scott Franklin	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-TN	Tim Burchett	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-FL	W. Gregory Steube	Original	Jan 25, 2021
R-OH	Bob Gibbs		Jan 28, 2021
R-TX	Brian Babin		Jan 28, 2021
R-CO	Ken Buck		Jan 28, 2021
R-SC	Nancy Mace		Jan 28, 2021
R-SC	Ralph Norman		Jan 28, 2021
R-TX	Ron Wright		Jan 28, 2021
R-PA	Scott Perry		Jan 28, 2021
R-TX	Chip Roy		Feb 4, 2021
R-OK	Markwayne Mullin		Feb 18, 2021
R-TX	Michael Cloud		Feb 18, 2021
R-FL	Bill Posey		Feb 23, 2021
R-GA	Jody B. Hice		Feb 23, 2021
R-TN	John W. Rose		Feb 23, 2021
R-TX	Ronny Jackson		Feb 23, 2021
R-CA	Tom McClintock		Mar 1, 2021
R-CA	Doug LaMalfa		Mar 3, 2021
R-TX	John R. Carter		Mar 8, 2021
R-TX	Michael C. Burgess		Mar 8, 2021
R-TX	Troy E. Nehls		Mar 9, 2021
R-WI	Glenn Grothman		Apr 15, 2021
R-OK	Kevin Hern		Apr 16, 2021
R-TX	Roger Williams		Apr 20, 2021
R-NC	Ted Budd		Apr 20, 2021
R-TX	Van Taylor		Apr 20, 2021
R-VA	H. Morgan Griffith		Apr 21, 2021
R-KS	Jake LaTurner		Apr 21, 2021
R-MO	Ann Wagner		May 4, 2021
R-TX	Lance Gooden		May 11, 2021
R-NY	John Katko		May 12, 2021
R-GA	Rick W. Allen		May 18, 2021
R-NY	Andrew R. Garbarino		May 28, 2021
R-FL	Michael Waltz		Jun 14, 2021
R-AZ	Debbie Lesko		Jun 16, 2021
R-OH	Bill Johnson		Jun 22, 2021
R-TN	David Kustoff		Jun 23, 2021
R-PA	Mike Kelly		Jun 23, 2021
R-OK	Stephanie I. Bice		Jul 13, 2021
R-OH	Robert E. Latta		Jul 26, 2021
R-FL	Vern Buchanan		Jul 27, 2021
D-NJ	Jefferson Van Drew		Jul 28, 2021
R-CO	Doug Lamborn		Jul 29, 2021
R-SD	Dusty Johnson		Jul 29, 2021
R-PA	Glenn Thompson		Jul 29, 2021
R-VA	Robert J. Wittman		Jul 29, 2021
R-MO	Jason Smith		Jul 30, 2021
R-CA	Mike Garcia		Sep 20, 2021
R-OH	Warren Davidson		Sep 20, 2021
R-LA	Garret Graves		Sep 22, 2021
R-AL	Robert B. Aderholt		Sep 22, 2021
R-TX	Tony Gonzales		Sep 22, 2021
R-WA	Jaime Herrera Beutler		Sep 30, 2021
R-GA	Barry Loudermilk		Oct 26, 2021
R-NC	Patrick T. McHenry		Oct 27, 2021
R-GA	A. Drew Ferguson IV		Feb 18, 2022
R-OH	Michael R. Turner		Mar 30, 2022
R-KY	Andy Barr		Apr 5, 2022
R-WA	Dan Newhouse		Apr 5, 2022
R-OR	Cliff Bentz		Apr 6, 2022
R-PA	Daniel Meuser		Apr 6, 2022
R-AZ	David Schweikert		Apr 6, 2022
R-GA	Earl L. "Buddy" Carter		Apr 6, 2022
R-AR	J. French Hill		Apr 6, 2022
R-IN	Larry Bucshon		Apr 6, 2022
R-ID	Michael K. Simpson		Apr 6, 2022
R-IL	Mike Bost		Apr 6, 2022
R-OH	Troy Balderson		Apr 6, 2022
R-FL	Gus M. Bilirakis		Apr 7, 2022
R-TX	Jake Ellzey		Apr 7, 2022
R-KS	Ron Estes		Apr 7, 2022

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Energy and Commerce Committee	Referred Jan 25, 2021
	Health Subcommittee	Referred Feb 2, 2021

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Feb 2, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jan 25, 2021Introduced in House
Jan 25, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

In the Congressional Record 23

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
House	Debate and remarks H7494, H7496	Chip Roy R-TX, Guy Reschenthaler R-PA, Mario Diaz-Balart R-FL	Jul 29, 2022
House	Discharge petition H5920	—	Jun 24, 2022
House	Debate and remarks H5748, H5749	Mayra Flores R-TX, Michael C. Burgess R-TX	Jun 22, 2022
House	Debate and remarks H4587, H4588–H4592	Earl L. "Buddy" Carter R-GA, Elise M. Stefanik R-NY, Guy Reschenthaler R-PA, James Comer R-KY, Marjorie Taylor Greene R-GA, Michael Guest R-MS	Apr 28, 2022
House	Debate and remarks H4426Discharge petition H4436	Chip Roy R-TX	Apr 7, 2022

Show all 23 days

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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, section 8, clause 4, (the Naturalization Clause) which gives Congress sovereign control over immigration, In Chirac v. Lessee of Chirac (1817), the Supreme Court affirmed that the Constitution grants Congress Plenary power on immigration policy. Further, in Galvan v. Press (1954) the court found ``that the formulation of policies [pertaining to the entry of aliens and the right to remain here] is entrusted to Congress has become about as firmly imbedded in the legislative and judicial tissues of our body politic as any aspect of our government.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 14, January 25, 2021, page H233.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 4088	PAUSE Act of 2022	Related bill	Apr 27, 2022

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from lessening the stringency of, and to prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from ceasing or lessening implementation of, the COVID-19 border health provisions through the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: PAUSE Act of 2021; Protecting Americans from Unnecessary Spread upon Entry from COVID–19 Act of 2021

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jan 25, 2021Introduced in House

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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.