HR 7909 · 118th Congress 2023–2025, ended

Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act

Introduced Apr 9, 2024 Originated House Sponsor Nancy Mace R-SC

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Sep 19, 2024 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.

  1. IntroducedApr 9, 2024
  2. Passed HouseSep 18, 2024
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act

This bill establishes certain criminal grounds for making non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) inadmissible and expands the crimes for which a non-U.S. national is deportable.

First, the bill establishes that a non-U.S. national is inadmissible if the individual has admitted to or is convicted of acts constituting the essential elements of stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, a sex offense, conspiracy to commit a sex offense, a violation of certain protection orders, and domestic violence (including physical or sexual abuse or a pattern of coercive behavior when it occurs within certain close relationships). 

Next, the bill establishes additional grounds for deportation. Under current law, a non-U.S. national is deportable for certain criminal convictions, including domestic violence, stalking, and child abuse. The bill makes any sex offense (including crimes against minors) or conspiracy to commit a sex offense a basis for deportation. The bill also expands the domestic violence crimes that make a non-U.S. national deportable to include physical or sexual abuse or a pattern of coercive behavior when it occurs within certain close relationships.

Recorded votes 1

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll callQuestionResultDate
House 429On PassagePassed266–158Sep 18, 2024

Yea 266

Nay 158

Not voting 7

Cosponsors 6

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 9, 2024 to May 22, 2024; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-AZAndy BiggsOriginalApr 9, 2024
R-COLauren BoebertOriginalApr 9, 2024
R-MDAndy HarrisApr 11, 2024
R-FLLaurel M. LeeMay 21, 2024
R-PAScott PerryMay 22, 2024
R-TXTroy E. NehlsMay 22, 2024

Committees 2

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

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Apr 9, 2024Markup May 22, 2024Reported Sep 6, 2024
SenateJudiciary Committee
Referred Sep 19, 2024

Actions 16

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Sep 19, 2024Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  2. Sep 18, 2024Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1455. (consideration: CR H5354-5358)
  3. Sep 18, 2024Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3724, H.R. 4790, H.R. 5179, H.R. 5339, H.R. 5717, H.R. 7909 and H.J. Res. 136. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 3724 and H.R. 5717 under a structured rule and H.R. 4790, H.R. 5179, H.R. 5339, H.R. 7909, and H.J. Res. 136 under a closed rule. The resolution provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each measure.
  4. Sep 18, 2024DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 7909.
  5. Sep 18, 2024The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
Show all 16 actions

In the Congressional Record 3

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.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
HouseDebate and remarks H5809Blake D. Moore R-UTSep 25, 2024
HouseDebate and remarks H5512Nicholas A. Langworthy R-NYSep 19, 2024
HouseDebate and remarks H5329–H5340, H5354–H5358Text printed H5329, H5354Amendments H5338Recorded votes H5339, H5340, H5372consideration (H. Res. 1455), previous questionenactErin Houchin R-IN, Guy Reschenthaler R-PA, James P. McGovern D-MA (amendment), Jerrold Nadler D-NY, Jesús G. "Chuy" García D-IL, Laurel M. Lee R-FL, Marcus J. Molinaro R-NY, Michael C. Burgess R-TX, Michelle Fischbach R-MN, Nancy Mace R-SC, Pramila Jayapal D-WA, Ralph Norman R-SC, Tom McClintock R-CA, Veronica Escobar D-TXSep 18, 2024

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.

Committee report

Congressional Budget Office cost estimate

  1. Jun 20, 2024H.R. 7909, Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens ActAs ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on May 22, 2024

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. The single subject of this legislation is: To provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses or domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 170, no. 60, April 9, 2024, page H2252.

Amendments 1

Amendments offered to this bill.

AmendmentDescriptionOffered byStatus
HAmdt 1196Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1455, in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 118-47 is considered adopted.Rules CommitteeOn agreeing to the Rules amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.

Related bills 1

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

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HRES 1455Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3724) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit recognized accrediting agencies and associations from requiring, encouraging, or coercing institutions of higher education to meet any political litmus test or violate any right protected by the Constitution as a condition of accreditation; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4790) to amend the Federal securities laws with respect to the materiality of disclosure requirements, to establish the Public Company Advisory Committee, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5179) to require the maintenance of the country of origin markings for imported goods produced in the West Bank or Gaza, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5339) to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to specify requirements concerning the consideration of pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5717) to provide that sanctuary jurisdictions that provide benefits to aliens who are present in the United States without lawful status under the immigration laws are ineligible for Federal funds intended to benefit such aliens; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 7909) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses or domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable; and providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 136) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles".Related billSep 18, 2024

Titles 5

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

Official Title as Introduced
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses or domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
Short Title(s) as Reported to House
Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
Short Title(s) as Passed House
Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act

Subjects

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

Text 4

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Sep 19, 2024Referred in Senate
  2. Sep 18, 2024Engrossed in House
  3. Sep 6, 2024Reported in House
  4. Apr 9, 2024Introduced 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.