Expatriate Terrorist Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Expatriate Terrorist Act
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include among the grounds for loss of U.S. nationality by a native-born or naturalized citizen:
taking an oath or making a declaration of allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization after attaining the age of 18;
entering, or serving in, a foreign terrorist organization;
accepting, serving in, or performing the duties of any office, post, or employment under the government of a foreign state, a political subdivision, or a foreign terrorist organization after attaining the age of 18 if the person knowingly has or acquires the nationality of that foreign state, or if an oath, affirmation, or declaration of allegiance to the foreign state, political subdivision, or designated foreign terrorist organization is required for the office, post, or employment; and
knowingly providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization if the person knows that such organization is engaged in hostilities against the United States.
The Passport Act of 1926 is amended to:
prohibit the Department of State from issuing a passport or passport card to an individual who is serving in, or attempting to serve in, a foreign terrorist organization and is a threat to U.S. national security; and
direct the State Department to revoke a passport or passport card previously issued to any such individual.
A person who is denied issuance of a passport or passport card or whose passport or passport card is revoked or otherwise restricted may request a due process hearing not later than 60 days after receiving notice of the nonissuance, revocation, or restriction.
The State Department may issue a passport or passport card to, or refuse to revoke a passport or passport card from, an individual if such issuance or refusal to revoke is in U.S. national security interests.
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 13, 2017. 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 13, 2017: 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?
Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced it on February 13, 2017, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 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 February 13, 2017, 3543 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3543 days ago, on February 13, 2017.
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