The bill would give agencies maximum discretion to change rules to address the system headaches and grant an automatic extension of status in most cases where people are expiring. Keep in mind there’s nothing in a comparable Senate bill yet and whether the White House would agree is also an open question.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to make ineligible any assistance that would otherwise be eligible under section 502 of such Act.
SEC. 10607. (a) During the public health emergency declared pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) with respect to the COVID– 19 pandemic, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of State, Attorney General or Secretary of Labor, as appropriate, shall temporarily suspend or modify any procedural requirement with which an applicant, petitioner, or other person or entity must otherwise comply under the immigration laws, as defined in section 101(a)(17) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(17)), or any regulation pertaining thereto, when necessary to—
(1) promote government efficiency;
(2) ensure the timely and fair adjudication of applications or petitions;
(3) prevent hardship to applicants, petitioners, beneficiaries, or other persons or entities, including by granting automatic or other extensions or renewals when necessary to protect individuals from lapses in status or work authorization; or
(4) protect the public interest.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision law, the requirements of chapter 5 of title 5, U.S. Code (commonly known as the Administrative Procedure Act), or any other law relating to rulemaking, information collection or publication in the Federal Register shall not apply to any action taken under the authority of this section.
(c) SPECIFIC AUTHORITY FOR EXPIRING STATUSES OR WORK AUTHORIZATION.—
Notwithstanding any provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act or any other provision of law, with respect to any alien whose status, whether permanent, temporary, or deferred, or employment authorization has expired within the 30 days preceding the date of the enactment of this act, or will expire by the later of one year from the date of enactment of this act or 90 days from the rescission of the March 13, 2020 Presidential Proclamation declaring a national emergency, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall automatically extend such status or work authorization for the same time period as the alien’s status or work authorization.
(d) The amounts made available by this section are designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.