[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2980 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2980
To provide for the establishment of the Entry Adjudication through
General Legal Expertise Corps, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 23, 2019
Mr. Crawford introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on
Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of the Entry Adjudication through
General Legal Expertise Corps, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Eagle Corps Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. ENTRY ADJUDICATION THROUGH GENERAL LEGAL EXPERTISE CORPS.
(a) Establishment; Composition; Purpose.--
(1) Establishment.--For the purpose of ameliorating delays
in the adjudication of cases by the immigration courts and
other inefficiencies in the administration of the immigration
laws, there is established, within the Executive Office of
Immigration Review within the Department of Justice, the Entry
Adjudication through General Legal Expertise Corps (or EAGLE
Corps) (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``Corps''),
which shall consist of--
(A) such civilian employees of the United States as
the Attorney General may appoint; and
(B) such other individuals who are not employees of
the United States.
(2) Purpose.--The Corps shall be utilized by the Attorney
General to provide legal services for the United States before
the immigration courts. The Corps shall also include employees
to provide administrative and support services.
(3) Term.--Each member of the Corps shall serve for a
period not to exceed 24 months.
(b) Recruitment and Fellowship Programs.--
(1) The Attorney General may conduct at law schools the
Loan Repayment Program. Such recruiting programs shall include
efforts to recruit individuals who will serve in the Corps
other than pursuant to obligated service under the Loan
Repayment Program.
(2) In the case of attorneys who have an interest and a
commitment to providing legal services for the United States
before the immigration courts, the Attorney General may
establish fellowship programs to enable such attorneys to gain
exposure to and expertise in the provision of such legal
services. To the maximum extent practicable, the Attorney
General shall ensure that any such programs are established in
conjunction with other legal training programs.
(c) Travel and Moving Expenses; Persons Entitled; Reimbursement;
Limitation.--
(1) The Attorney General may reimburse an applicant for a
position in the Corps for the actual and reasonable expenses
incurred in traveling to and from the applicant's place of
residence to an eligible site to which the applicant may be
assigned. The Attorney General may establish a maximum total
amount that may be paid to an individual as reimbursement for
such expenses.
(2) The Attorney General may also reimburse the applicant
for the actual and reasonable expenses incurred for the travel
of 1 family member to accompany the applicant to such site. The
Attorney General may establish a maximum total amount that may
be paid to an individual as reimbursement for such expenses.
(3) In the case of an individual who has entered into a
contract for obligated service under the Scholarship Program or
under the Loan Repayment Program, the Attorney General may
reimburse such individual for all or part of the actual and
reasonable expenses incurred in transporting the individual,
the individual's family, and the family's possessions to the
site of the individual's assignment. The Attorney General may
establish a maximum total amount that may be paid to an
individual as reimbursement for such expenses.
(d) Monthly Pay Adjustments.--The Attorney General may, under
regulations promulgated by the Attorney General, adjust the monthly pay
of each member of the Corps. During the 24 months in which such a
member is so engaged in the delivery of legal services, the monthly pay
of that member may be increased by an amount which when added to the
member's monthly pay and allowances will provide a monthly income
competitive with the average monthly income from a practice of an
individual who is a member of the profession of the Corps member, who
has equivalent training, and who has been in practice for a period
equivalent to the period during which the Corps member has been in
practice.
(e) Effective Administration of Program.--The Attorney General
shall ensure that adequate staff is provided to the Service with
respect to effectively administering the program for the Corps.
(f) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
(1) The term ``Department'' means the Department of
Justice.
(2) The term ``Loan Repayment Program'' means the Loan
Repayment Program established under section 4.
(3) The term ``State'' includes, in addition to the several
States, only the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust
Territory of the Pacific Islands.
(4) The term ``Corps'' means the Entry Adjudication through
General Legal Expertise Corps.
(5) The term ``Corps member'' means each of the officers,
employees, and individuals of which the Corps consists pursuant
to paragraph (1).
(6) The term ``legal services'' means legal representation
in any proceeding before an immigration court.
SEC. 3. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.
The Secretary of Education shall, subject to such terms and
conditions as the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General,
may by rule establish, repay or cancel the outstanding balance of
principal and interest due on the Federal loans and private education
loans of a borrower. The term ``Federal loan'' means a loan made,
insured, or guaranteed under title IV of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.). The term ``private education loan'' has
the meaning given the term in section 140 of the Truth in Lending Act.
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