Hearing Information
Meeting Information
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 - 4:00pm in H-313 The Capitol View Announcement »
H.R. 4038 - American SAFE Act of 2015
Bill Text
Hearing Documents
Rule Information
COMMITTEE ACTION:
REPORTED BY RECORD VOTE of 7-3 on Wednesday, November 18, 2015.
FLOOR ACTION ON H. RES. 531:
Agreed to by record vote of 242-183, after agreeing to the previous question by record vote of 243-182, on Thursday, November 19, 2015.
MANAGERS:Collins/McGovern
1. Closed rule.
2. Provides one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary.
3. Waives all points of order against consideration of the bill.
4. Provides that the bill shall be considered as read.
5. Waives all points of order against provisions in the bill.
6. Provides one motion to recommit.
Amendments (click headers to sort)
| # | Version # | Sponsor(s) | Party | Summary | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Version 1 | Babin (TX), Brat (VA), Brooks (AL), Meadows (NC), Duncan (SC), Barletta (PA), Loudermilk (GA), LaMalfa (CA), Hice, Jody (GA), DeSantis (FL), Sanford (SC), Gohmert (TX), Culberson (TX), Graves, Garret (LA), Walker (NC) | Republican | Adds a 180 day moratorium on any refugee resettlement to the United States. Requires a GAO study within 90 days of the economic impact of refugees on state and local governments. | Submitted |
| 20 | Version 1 | Babin (TX) | Republican | Adds aliens from Libya, Uzbekistan, Bosnia and Somalia to the list of nations under the definition of "Covered Alien". Provides flexibility for the Secretary of DHS to also designate additional countries, if warranted. | Submitted |
| 5 | Version 1 | Bridenstine (OK) | Republican | Repeals the adjustment of status of refugees period. Currently, refugees must apply for permanent residency after one year in the United States; this Amendment repeals that section. | Submitted |
| 3 | Version 1 | Byrne (AL) | Republican | Defunds the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program and halts the acceptance of Syrian refugees into the United States. | Submitted |
| 10 | Version 1 | Cartwright (PA) | Democrat | Excludes women and children 18 years of age or younger from the requirements of this Act. | Submitted |
| 13 | Version 1 | Collins, Chris (NY) | Republican | Grants states the authority to withhold federal refugee relocation assistance funding from refugees that are nationals of, or last habitually resided in, a country with a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" or "Terrorist Sanctuary" designation, without the loss of federal funding for their refugee programs. | Submitted |
| 8 | Version 2 | Duffy (WI), Aderholt (AL) | Republican | Revised Requires the President, when considering the admission of refugees from Iraq and Syria, to prioritize the admission of refugees who are members of a persecuted religious minority community. | Submitted |
| 9 | Version 1 | Duffy (WI) | Republican | Requires the GAO to submit a report to Congress on the adequacy and effectiveness of the refugee screening process at protecting the security of the United States. | Submitted |
| 17 | Version 1 | Duffy (WI), Aderholt (AL) | Republican | Requires the State Department to develop a strategy to identify and assist persecuted religious minorities who have not been referred for admission into the U.S. by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. | Submitted |
| 12 | Version 1 | Hill (AR) | Republican | Requires the Secretary of State, in coordination with DHS, FBI, and DNI, to submit a report to congress on levels of risk for countries with refugee applications to the US, and adds refugees coming from high risk countries as determined in the State Departments report to the definition of “covered alien” under the Act. | Submitted |
| 18 | Version 1 | Issa (CA) | Republican | Prioritizes refugees who meet the requirements of both priority groups 1 or 2 and 3, by moving those who qualify for family reunification to the top of their respective category. Under current law, family reunification cases confirmed with DNA testing are considered a priority 3 of 3 for resettlement. | Submitted |
| 15 | Version 1 | King, Steve (IA) | Republican | Expresses a sense of Congress that an international safe zone should be established by liberators, specifically Kurds and Sunni Arabs with U.S. support, in the Ninevah Plains region for victims of genocide, particularly Assyrian Christians, Chaldean Christians, and Yezidis, in their ancestral homelands. | Submitted |
| 14 | Version 1 | McKinley (WV) | Republican | Requires that the Administration give first priority to covered aliens applying for admission as a refugee who have immediate family members who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. | Submitted |
| 21 | Version 1 | McKinley (WV) | Republican | Requires that the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may not begin to conduct the background checks described in the bill, and a covered alien may not be admitted as a refugee, until such time as a joint resolution is enacted into law approving the sufficiency of such background checks. | Submitted |
| 6 | Version 1 | Palazzo (MS) | Republican | Requires that the federal agency will not be able to resettle any refugee in a state where the governor has taken formal action to disapprove of refugees or certain refugees. | Submitted |
| 22 | Version 1 | Pitts (PA), Eshoo (CA) | Bi-Partisan | Requires the prioritization of background investigations of those aliens deemed especially vulnerable. Defines especially vulnerable aliens as: members of persecuted religious or ethnic minority groups; those employed by or who work directly for or with the United States government in Iraq or Syria; those employed in Iraq or Syria by media or non-governmental organizations, as well as those who have received grants or who have been contracted by the United States government; victims of torture or sexual abuse; and the spouses, children, sons, daughters, siblings, and parents of such aliens. | Submitted |
| 4 | Version 1 | Salmon, (AZ) | Republican | Adds Yemen and Somalia to the list of countries listed in (e) 1, (a), (b), & (c). | Submitted |
| 1 | Version 2 | Schweikert (AZ) | Republican | Revised Requires that the Secretary of Homeland Security review the criminal- and security-related grounds for the admission of aliens into the United States. This amendment also requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to determine if any changes should be made to those grounds and to report those findings to Congress. | Submitted |
| 2 | Version 1 | Schweikert (AZ) | Republican | Gives a Governor of a State the power to formally disapprove of the resettlement of refugees in their state if that Governor believes such refugees pose a credible security threat. | Submitted |
| 7 | Version 1 | Scott, Austin (GA) | Republican | Amends the American SAFE Act of 2015 by improving data gathering regarding aliens who have been admitted to the US. | Submitted |
| 16 | Version 1 | Thompson, Bennie (MS), Lofgren (CA) | Democrat | Requires DHS to have procedures to overcome information gaps in checks on identity for refugee applicants; authorizes a comprehensive review of refugees to identify security threats; requires DHS to certify that the comprehensive review was undertaken; and bolsters Congressional oversight by requiring monthly DHS reports on refugee applications from Syria and Iraq and DHS IG reviews of DHS certifications. | Submitted |
| 19 | Version 1 | Westmoreland (GA) | Republican | Requires inclusion in the monthly report, the total number, type, and status of Iraqi and Syrian visas approved. | Submitted |
Committee Votes
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 123
Motion by Ms. Slaughter to make in order and provide the appropriate waivers for amendment #16, offered by Rep. Thompson (MS) and Rep. Lofgren (CA), which requires DHS to have procedures to overcome information gaps in checks on identity for refugee applicants; authorizes a comprehensive review of refugees to identify security threats; requires DHS to certify that the comprehensive review was undertaken; and bolsters Congressional oversight by requiring monthly DHS reports on refugee applications from Syria and Iraq and DHS IG reviews of DHS certifications. Defeated: 3–7
Majority Member
Vote
Ms. Foxx
No Vote
Mr. Cole
No Vote
Mr. Woodall
Nay
Mr. Burgess
Nay
Mr. Stivers
Nay
Mr. Collins
Nay
Mr. Byrne
Nay
Mr. Newhouse
Nay
Mr. Sessions, Chairman
Nay
Minority Member
Vote
Ms. Slaughter
Yea
Mr. McGovern
Yea
Mr. Hastings
Yea
Mr. Polis
No Vote
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 124
Motion by Mr. McGovern to report an open rule. Defeated: 3–7
Majority Member
Vote
Ms. Foxx
No Vote
Mr. Cole
No Vote
Mr. Woodall
Nay
Mr. Burgess
Nay
Mr. Stivers
Nay
Mr. Collins
Nay
Mr. Byrne
Nay
Mr. Newhouse
Nay
Mr. Sessions, Chairman
Nay
Minority Member
Vote
Ms. Slaughter
Yea
Mr. McGovern
Yea
Mr. Hastings
Yea
Mr. Polis
No Vote
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 125
Motion by Mr. Burgess to report the rule. Adopted: 7-3
Majority Member
Vote
Ms. Foxx
No Vote
Mr. Cole
No Vote
Mr. Woodall
Yea
Mr. Burgess
Yea
Mr. Stivers
Yea
Mr. Collins
Yea
Mr. Byrne
Yea
Mr. Newhouse
Yea
Mr. Sessions, Chairman
Yea
Minority Member
Vote
Ms. Slaughter
Nay
Mr. McGovern
Nay
Mr. Hastings
Nay
Mr. Polis
No Vote