I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6256 
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to allow Members of Congress to tour detention 
facilities that house foreign national minors. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 27, 2018 
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (for herself, Mr. POCAN, Mr. GOMEZ, Ms. SHEA- 
PORTER, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. MOORE, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. 
CA´RDENAS, Mr. SOTO, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. 
CASTOR of Florida, and Mr. RASKIN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to allow Mem-
bers of Congress to tour detention facilities that house 
foreign national minors. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Congressional Access 
to Children’s Detention Facilities Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec-
retary concerned’’ means, as applicable— 
(A) the Attorney General; 
(B) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 
or 
(C) the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services. 
(2) FOREIGN
NATIONAL
MINOR.—The term 
‘‘foreign national minor’’ means an individual who is 
not a citizen of the United States and is under 18 
years of age. 
SEC. 3. MANDATORY ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES 
HOUSING 
UNACCOMPANIED 
ALIEN 
CHIL-
DREN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (c), the Sec-
retary concerned shall allow a Member of Congress to tour 
any facility in which one or more foreign national minors 
are housed on a date and at a time between 8:00 a.m. 
and 7:00 p.m. requested by the Member of Congress if, 
not later than midnight on the date requested, the Sec-
retary receives written notice from the Member of Con-
gress that includes— 
(1) the name or location of the facility; and 
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(2) the date on and time at which the Member 
of Congress intends to tour the facility. 
(b) ACCOMPANYING MEMBERS OF THE PRESS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 
shall allow one or more members of the press chosen 
by the visiting Member of Congress to accompany 
any Member of Congress on a tour of a facility 
under this section. 
(2) LIMITATION.—The Secretary concerned 
shall not be required to allow a member of the press 
accompanying a Member of Congress under para-
graph (1) to enter such facility with a still or video 
camera. 
(c) LIMITATION.—The Secretary concerned may limit 
a tour under subsection (a) to— 
(1) in the case of a facility that houses fewer 
than 50 foreign national minors— 
(A) not more than 5 Members of Congress; 
and 
(B) accompanying members of the press 
under subsection (b); and 
(2) in the case of a facility that houses not 
fewer than 50 foreign national minors— 
(A) not more than 10 Members of Con-
gress; and 
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(B) accompanying members of the press 
under subsection (b). 
SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede 
or modify applicable— 
(1) Federal child welfare law, including the 
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public 
Law 105–89); or 
(2) child welfare law of any State. 
Æ 
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