What This Bill Does
This bill allows certain immigrants to work for Congress in the same way that U.S. citizens can. It removes barriers preventing people with deferred action status, deferred enforced departure, or temporary protected status from serving as officers or employees of Congress.
Who It Affects
Individuals who have deferred action status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, individuals with deferred enforced departure authorization, and individuals with temporary protected status.
Key Provisions
- People with deferred action status from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program must be treated like U.S. citizens when determining if they can work for Congress. (Sec. 2(a))
- People whose employment is authorized through deferred enforced departure must be treated like U.S. citizens when determining if they can work for Congress. (Sec. 2(a))
- People with temporary protected status must be treated like U.S. citizens when determining if they can work for Congress. (Sec. 2(a))
What Changes
If this becomes law, individuals with deferred action, deferred enforced departure, or temporary protected status will no longer face different eligibility rules than U.S. citizens when applying to work as officers or employees of Congress.
Important Definitions
Deferred action means work authorization given by the Department of Homeland Security under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. Deferred enforced departure means work authorization granted through a government policy that postpones removing someone from the United States. Temporary protected status is a legal status granted under immigration law to people from countries experiencing armed conflict or natural disaster.
Effective Date
This law applies starting in fiscal year 2024 and every fiscal year after that. (Sec. 2(c))
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1381
To provide that individuals who are beneficiaries of deferred action, deferred
enforced departure, or temporary protected status shall be treated in
the same manner as citizens of the United States for purposes of deter-
mining the eligibility of such individuals to serve as officers or employees
of Congress.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 7, 2023
Mr. AGUILAR (for himself and Mr. STANTON) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on House Administration
A BILL
To provide that individuals who are beneficiaries of deferred
action, deferred enforced departure, or temporary pro-
tected status shall be treated in the same manner as
citizens of the United States for purposes of determining
the eligibility of such individuals to serve as officers
or employees of Congress.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Dream Em-
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ployment Act of 2023’’.
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•HR 1381 IH
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF BENEFICIARIES OF DEFERRED AC-
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TION OR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS
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FOR EMPLOYMENT IN CONGRESS.
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(a) TREATMENT IN SAME MANNER AS CITIZENS OF
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UNITED STATES.—For purposes of determining the eligi-
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bility of an individual described in subsection (b) to serve
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as an officer or employee of an office of Congress, the indi-
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vidual shall be treated in the same manner as an indi-
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vidual who is a citizen of the United States.
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(b) INDIVIDUALS DESCRIBED.—An individual de-
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scribed in this subsection is an individual—
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(1) who has been issued an employment author-
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ization document under the Deferred Action for
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Childhood Arrivals Program of the Secretary of
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Homeland Security, established pursuant to the
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memorandum from the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
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rity entitled ‘‘Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion
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with Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United
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States as Children’’, dated June 15, 2012, or pursu-
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ant to the rule of the Department of Homeland Se-
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curity entitled ‘‘Deferred Action for Childhood Arriv-
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als’’ (87 Fed. Reg. 53152);
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(2) whose employment is authorized pursuant
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to a grant of deferred enforced departure; or
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•HR 1381 IH
(3) who has temporary protected status under
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section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
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(8 U.S. 1254a).
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(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with
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respect to fiscal year 2024 and each succeeding fiscal year.
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Æ
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