 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
While no new legislation was introduced in Congress this week, we are pleased to bring a new feature to our website. As seen below we have created a table to outline the status of immigration related legislation. The bill number is linked to the bill text provided by the Government Printing Office, and we have also provided links to the House and Senate Immigration Subcommittees so that readers may track the progress of the legislation through the committee process. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | BILL NO. | TITLE/DESCRIPTION | LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS | H.R.3667 | Child Citizenship Act of 2000; would amend the requirements for automatic citizenship of children born outside the US. | Introduced by Rep. Delahunt (D-MA) and Rep. Gejdenson (D-CT) on 02/15/00; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary; 02/18/00 referred to the Immigration Subcommittee | H.R. 3664 | Illegal Alien Prosecution Act of 2000; would allow deportation to be deferred for aliens who are awaiting state or federal criminal trial. | Introduced by Rep. Salmon (R-AZ) on 02/15/00; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary; 02/18/00 referred to the Immigration Subcommittee | H.R. 3650 | Permanent Partners Immigration Act of 2000; would give same-sex couples the same immigration opportunities as married couples | Introduced by Rep. Nadler (D-NY) and 11 others on 02/14/2000; referred to Committee on the Judiciary; 02/18/00 referred to Immigration Subcommittee | H.R. 3585 | Would make the land border entry at Pittsburg, New Hampshire a full time port of entry | Introduced by Rep. Bass (R-NH) on 02/08/00; referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on the Judiciary; 02/15/00 referred to Immigration Subcommittee | H.R. 3547 | Would clarify forfeiture provisions relating to alien smuggling | Introduced by Rep. Meek (D-FL) on 01/27/2000; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary; 02/23/00 referred to Immigration Subcommittee | H.R. 3527 | Would extend the application period under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act and the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act until at least October 1, 2001 | Introduced by Rep. Meek (D-FL) and four others on 02/02/2000; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary; 02/08/00 referred to Immigration Subcommittee | SENATE | BILL NO. | TITLE/DESCRIPTION | LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS | S. 2058 | Would extend the deadlines for filing applications under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act and the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act until one year after final regulations are published | Introduced by Sen. Graham (D-FL) and four others on 02/10/2000; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary | S. 2045 | The American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000; would increase the annual cap on H-1B visas to 195,000 through 2002, as well as exempt some graduates of US schools and many who are employed by universities and research institutions | Introduced by Sen. Hatch (R-UT) and 19 others on 02/09/2000; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary | S. 2025 | The Hmong Veterans’ Naturalization Act of 2000; would ease many of the requirements for naturalization for those Hmong who fought for the US during the Vietnam War | Introduced by Sen. Grams (R-MN) on 02/02/2000; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary |
State bills – A bill was introduced this month in the Oklahoma state senate that would prohibit state law enforcement officers from stopping, searching or detaining a person based solely only their race, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation. It would also require law enforcement agencies to keep a record of each stop. The bill was prompted by a federal lawsuit filed last year alleging that Oklahoma state police illegally targeted minorities in making stops. Much support for the bill comes from advocates who say the police unfairly target Hispanics in their efforts to stop undocumented migrants.
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