FAMILIES Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Fixing America's Marred Immigration Laws to Improve and Ensure Security or the FAMILIES Act
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to inspect the conditions of family detention centers. It also requires reporting to the congressional homeland security committees on family separation, care of unaccompanied alien children, and alternatives to detention.
DHS must (1) submit to Congress a maritime border threat analysis describing current and potential terrorism threats and improvements needed at U.S. sea ports, (2) develop a plan for managing its border security technology program, (3) provide for an option under the Secure Mail Initiative to have the U.S. Postal Service use the hold for pickup service or the signature confirmation service in delivering a document, (4) revise standards the hiring and retention of border patrol agents, and (5) provide for the care of alien children under the age of 18 who are in detention.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on September 18, 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 September 18, 2018: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 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?
Ron Johnson (R-WI) introduced it on September 18, 2018. No cosponsors are recorded.
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 September 18, 2018, 2914 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2914 days ago, on September 18, 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