Correcting Hurtful and Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3776 To prohibit Executive agencies from using the derogatory term ‘‘alien’’ to refer to an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States, to amend chapter 1 of title 1, United States Code, to establish a uniform definition for the term ‘‘foreign national’’, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 16, 2019 Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GALLEGO, Mrs. TRAHAN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. CORREA, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. OMAR, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, and Mr. SOTO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Over- sight and Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To prohibit Executive agencies from using the derogatory term ‘‘alien’’ to refer to an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States, to amend chap- ter 1 of title 1, United States Code, to establish a uniform definition for the term ‘‘foreign national’’, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:13 Jul 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3776.IH H3776 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 3776 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Correcting Hurtful and 2 Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) 3 Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. MODERNIZATION OF LANGUAGE REFERRING TO IN- 5 DIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT CITIZENS OR NA- 6 TIONALS OF THE UNITED STATES. 7 An Executive agency (as defined in section 105 of 8 title 5, United States Code) shall not use the following 9 terms in any proposed or final rule, regulation, interpreta- 10 tion, publication, other document, display, or sign issued 11 by the agency after the date of the enactment of this Act, 12 except to the extent that the term is used in quoting or 13 reproducing text written by a source other than an officer 14 (as defined in section 2104 of title 5, United States Code) 15 or employee (as defined in section 2105 of title 5, United 16 States Code) of the agency: 17 (1) The term ‘‘alien’’, when used to refer to an 18 individual who is not a citizen or national of the 19 United States. 20 (2) The term ‘‘illegal alien’’ when used to refer 21 to an individual who is unlawfully present in the 22 United States or who lacks a lawful immigration 23 status in the United States. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:13 Jul 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3776.IH H3776 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 3776 IH SEC. 3. UNIFORM DEFINITION. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 1, United 2 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 3 lowing: 4 ‘‘§ 9. Definition of ‘foreign national’ 5 ‘‘In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, 6 or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of various 7 administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, 8 the term ‘foreign national’ means any individual other 9 than an individual— 10 ‘‘(1) who is a citizen of the United States; or 11 ‘‘(2) though not a citizen of the United States, 12 who owes permanent allegiance to the United 13 States.’’. 14 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 15 for chapter 1 of title 1, United States Code, is amended 16 by adding at the end the following: 17 ‘‘9. Definition of ‘foreign national’.’’. SEC. 4. REFERENCES. 18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Any reference in any Federal 19 statute, rule, regulation, Executive order, publication, or 20 other document of the United States— 21 (1) to the term ‘‘alien’’, when used to refer to 22 an individual who is not a citizen or national of the 23 United States, is deemed to refer to the term ‘‘for- 24 eign national’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:13 Jul 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3776.IH H3776 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 3776 IH (2) to the term ‘‘illegal alien’’, when used to 1 refer to an individual who is unlawfully present in 2 the United States or who lacks a lawful immigration 3 status in the United States, is deemed to refer to 4 the term ‘‘undocumented foreign national’’. 5 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 6 (1) Section 421(5)(A)(ii)(II) of the Congres- 7 sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 8 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658(5)(A)(ii)(II)) is amended by 9 striking ‘‘illegal aliens’’ and inserting ‘‘undocu- 10 mented foreign nationals’’. 11 (2) Section 432(e) of the Homeland Security 12 Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 240(e)) is amended by strik- 13 ing ‘‘illegal alien’’ and inserting ‘‘undocumented for- 14 eign national’’. 15 (3) Section 439 of the Antiterrorism and Effec- 16 tive Death Penalty Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1252c) is 17 amended in the section heading by striking ‘‘ILLE- 18 GAL ALIENS’’ and inserting ‘‘UNDOCUMENTED 19 FOREIGN NATIONALS’’. 20 (4) Section 280(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Immigration 21 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1330(b)(3)(A)(iii)) is 22 amended by striking ‘‘illegal aliens’’ and inserting 23 ‘‘undocumented foreign nationals’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:13 Jul 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3776.IH H3776 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 3776 IH (5) Section 286(r)(3)(ii) of the Immigration 1 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356(r)(3)(ii)) is 2 amended by striking ‘‘illegal aliens’’ and inserting 3 ‘‘undocumented foreign nationals’’. 4 (6) Section 501 of the Immigration Reform and 5 Control Act of 1986 (8 U.S.C. 1365) is amended— 6 (A) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘IL- 7 LEGAL ALIENS’’ and inserting ‘‘UNDOCU- 8 MENTED FOREIGN NATIONALS’’; 9 (B) in the subsection heading for sub- 10 section (b), by striking ‘‘ILLEGAL ALIENS’’ and 11 inserting ‘‘UNDOCUMENTED FOREIGN NATION- 12 ALS’’; and 13 (C) by striking ‘‘illegal alien’’ each place 14 such term appears and inserting ‘‘undocu- 15 mented foreign national’’. 16 (7) Section 332 of the Omnibus Consolidated 17 Appropriations Act, 1997 (8 U.S.C. 1366) is amend- 18 ed by striking ‘‘illegal aliens’’ each place such term 19 appears and inserting ‘‘undocumented foreign na- 20 tionals’’. 21 (8) Section 411(d) of the Personal Responsi- 22 bility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 23 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1621(d)) is amended in the sub- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:13 Jul 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3776.IH H3776 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 3776 IH section heading by striking ‘‘ILLEGAL ALIENS’’ and 1 inserting ‘‘UNDOCUMENTED FOREIGN NATIONALS’’. 2 (9) Section 106(e) of the Public Works Employ- 3 ment Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6705(e)) is amended 4 in the subsection heading by striking ‘‘ILLEGAL 5 ALIENS’’ and inserting ‘‘UNDOCUMENTED FOREIGN 6 NATIONALS’’. 7 (10) Section 40125(a)(2) of title 49, United 8 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘illegal aliens’’ 9 and inserting ‘‘undocumented foreign nationals’’. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:13 Jul 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3776.IH H3776 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS