DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2023
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 Social SecurityThe federal retirement, survivors, and disability insurance program, funded by payroll taxes and paid as an entitlement under permanent law.Read the full definition (opens a new tab).
Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act of 2023 or as the DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2023
This bill addresses immigration-related issues, such as increasing hiring for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and providing removal deferral for eligible non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law).
For example, the bill
requires the hiring of additional CBP personnel and authorizes recruitment, relocation, and retention bonuses for CBP personnel;
provides funding for border infrastructure and equipment;
makes it a crime to transmit the location of law enforcement with the intent to violate immigration laws or certain other federal laws;
requires employers to verify the immigration status of individuals using an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system;
requires unaccompanied alien children to be processed and reunited with U.S.-based sponsors in accordance with the Flores settlement, which established policies pertaining to the treatment of minors without lawful immigration status;
requires the Department of State to implement a strategy to address the key factors contributing to individuals from Central America traveling to the United States;
provides a path to permanent resident status to eligible individuals without lawful immigration status who entered the United States as minors (commonly referred to as Dreamers);
establishes the Dignity Program, which defers the removal of eligible individuals without lawful immigration status who meet various requirements, including paying into a fund to provide training to U.S. workers; and
establishes the Redemption Program, which provides a path to permanent resident status to individuals who complete the Dignity Program and meet various requirements, including making additional payments into the U.S. worker fund.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 23, 2023. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
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 December 17, 2024: Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- 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 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 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?
Maria Salazar (R-FL) introduced it on May 23, 2023, and 38 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 30 Democrats, 8 Republicans.
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 May 23, 2023, 1206 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 632 days ago, on December 17, 2024.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 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
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers