GRACE Act
Latest action · Apr 15, 2021 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.
- IntroducedApr 15, 2021
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling Enhancement Act or the GRACE Act
This bill establishes that the maximum number of refugees admitted each fiscal year shall be no less than 125,000 and that the maximum number shall be treated as the numerical goal for refugee admissions for the applicable fiscal year. The President may set a higher number if it is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.
Currently, the number admitted each fiscal year may not exceed 50,000 unless the President determines that a higher number is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.
The bill directs the President to take into consideration information from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees when establishing the maximum admission number and making certain other related decisions. The President shall report to Congress quarterly on (1) the number of refugees admitted during the preceding quarter, (2) the number of aliens who were security-cleared during the preceding quarter, (3) a plan to reach the numerical goal for admitted refugees for that fiscal year, and (4) other related information.
Cosponsors 23
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 15, 2021 to Jul 14, 2021; 20 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-RI | Jack Reed | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-VA | Mark R. Warner | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | Original | Apr 15, 2021 |
| D-CA | Alex Padilla | Apr 22, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Apr 28, 2021 | |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Jul 14, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Apr 15, 2021 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 15, 2021Introduced in Senate
- Apr 15, 2021Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Related bills 4
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2237 | GRACE Act | Identical bill | Oct 19, 2021 |
| S 3714 | GRACE Act | Reintroduced Bill | Jan 31, 2024 |
| S 5353 | Refugee Protection Act of 2022 | Related bill | Dec 21, 2022 |
| HR 9685 | Refugee Protection Act of 2022 | Related bill | Dec 22, 2022 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the President to set a minimum annual goal for the number of refugees to be admitted, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- GRACE Act
- Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling Enhancement Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 15, 2021Introduced in Senate
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.
