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H.R. 2607 · 112th CongressIn committee

HELP Separated Children Act

Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Immigration Policy and Enforcement. · August 25, 2011

Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research Service

Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act or the HELP Separated Children Act - Sets forth: (1) apprehension procedures for immigration enforcement-related activities engaged in by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or by other entities under agreement with DHS, and (2) related protections for apprehended persons who belong to specified vulnerable population groups.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) authorize an alien who has been arrested or detained pending a removal determination to be represented by counsel (at no cost to the government), and (2) require that an alien who has been in such custody for more that 48 hours be brought for a custody determination not later than 72 hours after commencement of detention.

Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require that state plans for foster care and adoption assistance include provisions regarding foster care children with a parent, legal guardian, or primary caregiver relative who is in immigration detainment or has been removed from the United States.

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) mandate vulnerable population and child welfare training for immigration enforcement personnel, and (2) ensure that immigration detention facilities take steps to preserve family unity.

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on July 21, 2011. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

Status
Introduced
July 21, 2011
In committee
August 25, 2011
Passed a chamber
Cleared Congress
Enacted
Where this sits in the process
Common questions
Composed from the official record
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?

4 steps remain before this bill could become law.

The record's latest action, on August 25, 2011: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.

  1. Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
  2. Passage by the House
  3. Passage by the Senate
  4. The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?

Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.

In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.

This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.

Has anyone actually voted on it?

No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.

A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.

Who is behind it?

LYNN WOOLSEY (D-CA) introduced it on July 21, 2011, and 20 members have since signed on as cosponsors.

They are 20 Democrats.

Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.

How long has it been in play?

It was introduced on July 21, 2011, 5530 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5495 days ago, on August 25, 2011.

Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.

Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.

Vote history

  1. House
    In committee, no floor vote yet
  2. Senate
    Awaits House passage
  3. President
    Awaits both chambers
No recorded votes yet
No roll call in this Congress cites this bill. Most bills die in committee without ever reaching a recorded floor vote.