3.0.0 8708 2023-01-11T13:44:27Z 2023-01-11T13:44:27Z House HR 2020-10-30 116 [Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 186 (Friday, October 30, 2020)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Ms. ESCOBAR:H.R. 8708.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:The Congress shall have power . . . To make all laws whichshall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution theforegoing powers. and all other powers vested by thisConstitution in the government of the United States, or inany department or officer thereof.Constitutional Authority--Necessary and Proper Clause (Art.I, Sec. 8, Clause 18)[Page H5715]]]> hsju00 Judiciary Committee House Standing Referred to 2020-10-30T14:01:35Z 2020-10-30 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hsju00 Judiciary Committee 2020-10-30 Introduced in House IntroReferral Intro-H 9 Library of Congress 2020-10-30 Introduced in House IntroReferral 1000 9 Library of Congress E000299 Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] Veronica Escobar D TX 16 N W000810 Rep. Woodall, Rob [R-GA-7] Rob Woodall R GA 7 2020-10-30 True S001200 Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] Darren Soto D FL 9 2020-10-30 True Immigration Administrative remedies Border security and unlawful immigration Correctional facilities and imprisonment Department of Homeland Security Department of Justice Family relationships Immigration status and procedures Judicial procedure and administration Immigration 00 2020-10-30 Introduced in House 2022-06-07T12:06:11Z American Families United Act

This bill limits what constitutes a conviction for immigration purposes and contains other related provisions. (A conviction can in certain instances be grounds for denying an individual immigration benefits.)

Under this bill, certain judgments of guilt, such as one that has been deferred, expunged, or invalidated, shall not be considered a conviction for immigration purposes. An order of probation without an entry of judgment shall also not count as a conviction. Similarly, a pardon shall render the underlying conviction null for immigration purposes.

Furthermore, for immigration purposes, a term of imprisonment shall only include the actual period of incarceration ordered by a court. If a term of imprisonment is suspended for any length, the suspended time shall not be considered as part of the term of imprisonment. (An individual may be denied certain immigration benefits if the individual has been convicted for a crime with a certain term of imprisonment.)

The bill also provides statutory authority for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to, in certain instances, exercise discretion when enforcing immigration laws, such as waiving one or more grounds of inadmissibility or declining to order an alien removed. Such discretion may only be exercised on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian purposes or to preserve family unity and is subject to other limitations.

]]> American Families United Act Display Title American Families United Act Short Title(s) as Introduced American Families United Act Introduced in House IH Official Title as Introduced To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote family unity, and for other purposes. Introduced in House IH Introduced in House 2020-10-30T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hr8708ih/xml/BILLS-116hr8708ih.xml 2020-10-30 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.