USA Act of 2018
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Uniting and Securing America Act of 2018 or the USA Act of 2018
This bill provides conditional permanent resident status for an alien meeting specified requirements, including having entered the United States when younger than 18 years old and residing in the United States since December 31, 2013.
An individual may apply to have such conditional basis removed after meeting specified eligibility requirements.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an individual who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, unless such individual has engaged in disqualifying conduct.
The bill repeals provisions that deny an unlawful alien eligibility for higher education benefits on the basis of residence within a state unless a U.S. citizen or national is eligible for such benefits without regard to whether such citizen or national is such a resident.
DHS shall: (1) deploy the most practical and effective technology available in order to achieve situational awareness and operational control along the U.S. border; (2) submit to Congress a comprehensive southern border strategy to achieve border control; and (3) begin eradicating the carrizo cane plant and salt cedar along the Rio Grande River and the Lower Colorado River.
DHS may construct new ports of entry along the northern and southern borders.
The bill establishes Operation Stonegarden in DHS to provide border security grants to law enforcement agencies in border or maritime border states that are involved in U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations
DHS shall establish a two-year grant program to improve emergency communications in the southern border region for individuals who are at risk of violence and lack cellular and LTE network service.
The number of immigration judges is increased.
The President shall designate a senior official (Coordinator) to coordinate federal and international efforts to strengthen citizen security, the rule of law, and economic prosperity in Central America.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on February 5, 2018. 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 February 5, 2018: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 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?
Christopher Coons (D-DE) introduced it on February 5, 2018, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
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 February 5, 2018, 3139 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3139 days ago, on February 5, 2018.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers