Title: Protect American Values Act
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Protect American Values Act
This bill prohibits using federal funds to implement the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds, published August 14, 2019, which expands the definition of a public charge for immigration purposes.
(An alien who is a public charge may be denied certain immigration benefits, such as lawful permanent residence. Currently, a public charge is generally interpreted as an individual who is primarily dependent on the government for subsistence. The DHS rule would define a public charge to mean an individual who receives more than 12 months' worth of designated public benefits in a 36-month period.)

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2482 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2482

To prohibit the use of Federal funds to carry out the final rule of the 
 Department of Homeland Security entitled ``Inadmissibility on Public 
                           Charge Grounds''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 17, 2019

 Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Markey, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Harris, Mr. 
 Blumenthal, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Booker, Ms. Duckworth, 
  Mr. Cardin, Mr. Brown, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Warren, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Casey, Mr. Reed, Mr. 
    Udall, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Coons, Mr. 
Menendez, Mr. Heinrich, and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit the use of Federal funds to carry out the final rule of the 
 Department of Homeland Security entitled ``Inadmissibility on Public 
                           Charge Grounds''.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protect American Values Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) immigrants and their families are a core part of our 
        Nation;
            (2) the health and safety of immigrants is critical to the 
        health and safety of our communities;
            (3) Federal, State, and local assistance programs promote 
        self-sufficiency by ensuring that families, including immigrant 
        and mixed-status families, maintain their health, strength, and 
        stability to enable them to continue contributing to the 
        Nation's social and economic life;
            (4) the final rule of the Department of Homeland Security 
        entitled ``Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds'', 
        published August 14, 2019, is a sweeping and dangerous policy 
        that will impede access to essential food, medical care, 
        housing, and other critical forms of assistance for many 
        families, including those not directly subject to the rule due 
        to its widespread chilling effect;
            (5) this rule will harm families and children, including 
        United States citizens as the Department of Homeland Security's 
        own assessment of the impacts of the rule acknowledge that the 
        rule--
                    (A) ``may decrease disposable income and increase 
                the poverty of certain families and children, including 
                U.S. citizen children''; and
                    (B) could lead to ``[a]dverse health effects'', 
                ``[a]dditional medical expenses due to delayed health 
                care treatment'', ``[i]ncreased disability insurance 
                claims'', and ``[p]otential lost productivity'';
            (6) this rule will damage State and local economies, while 
        burdening health care and other service providers, as the 
        Department of Homeland Security's own assessment of the impacts 
        of the rule recognizes that the rule may ``result in reduced 
        revenues for healthcare providers'', ``companies that 
        manufacture medical supplies or pharmaceuticals'', ``grocery 
        retailers'', ``agricultural producers'', and ``landlords 
        participating in Federally funded housing programs''; and
            (7) this rule circumvents Congress and reverses 100 years 
        of United States law and policy by restricting immigration and 
        decreasing the diversity of our Nation through factors such as 
        family size, financial status, education and skills, and 
        employability and chilling access to services for which 
        immigrants and their citizen family members are eligible, in a 
        manner not authorized or contemplated by Congress.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funds 
appropriated or otherwise made available for any fiscal year may be 
used to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out the final rule of 
the Department of Homeland Security entitled ``Inadmissibility on 
Public Charge Grounds'', published August 14, 2019.
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