Strong STANDARDS 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 the Constitution, civil rightsProtections against discrimination and guarantees of equal participation, usually enforced by statute. Civil liberties are freedoms from government interference.Read the full definition (opens a new tab), and Civil Liberties.
Safe Treatment, Avoiding Needless Deaths, and Abuse Reduction in the Detention System Act or the Strong STANDARDS Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) ensure that all individuals subject to detention under the Immigration and Nationality Act (detainees) are treated humanely and granted specified protections; and (2) comply with minimum requirements concerning detainees set forth in this Act.
Sets forth requirements concerning a wide range of issues, including: (1) detainee medical care, examinations, and records; (2) detainee releases, transfers, and transportation; (3) detainee access to telephones, legal information and representation, translation services, and recreational activities; (4) protection of detainees from abuse, the unique needs of vulnerable detainees, and the segregation of children; (5) limitations on solitary confinement, shackling, and strip searches; (6) detainee visits with religious individuals and children; (7) detention facility personnel training; (8) detainee grievances; and (9) facility compliance.
Sets forth specific requirements for short-term (72 hours or less) detention facilities, including concerning: (1) provision of basic needs, detainee access to consular officials and health care professionals, and the return of property; and (2) protections for children.
Requires the Secretary to appoint and convene an Immigration Detention Commission to conduct independent investigations of detention facility and DHS compliance with requirements under this Act. Establishes reporting requirements concerning any individual who dies while in DHS custody.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 19, 2010. 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 March 1, 2010: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
- 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 111th Congress (2009-10), 383 of the 10,778 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.6 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?
Diane Watson (D-CA) introduced it on January 19, 2010, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 3 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 January 19, 2010, 6078 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 6037 days ago, on March 1, 2010.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 111th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2011 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