Title: Eagle Corps Act of 2019
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Eagle Corps Act of 2019
This bill establishes the Entry Adjudication through General Legal Expertise Corps (EAGLE Corps) within the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the purpose of addressing inefficiencies in the administration of immigration laws. The EAGLE Corps shall provide legal services for the United States before the immigration courts and also provide administrative and support services.
Each EAGLE Corps member may serve for up to 24 months.
The bill directs the Department of Education to establish a loan repayment program for repaying certain education loans. DOJ may recruit for potential EAGLE Corps members in law schools, including but not limited to those who may serve pursuant to the loan repayment program.
DOJ may establish fellowship programs for attorneys who have an interest and commitment to serving in the EAGLE Corps.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2980 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2980

  To provide for the establishment of the Entry Adjudication through 
         General Legal Expertise Corps, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2019

 Mr. Crawford introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
    Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
Education and Labor, 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 provide for the establishment of the Entry Adjudication through 
         General Legal Expertise Corps, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Eagle Corps Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. ENTRY ADJUDICATION THROUGH GENERAL LEGAL EXPERTISE CORPS.

    (a) Establishment; Composition; Purpose.--
            (1) Establishment.--For the purpose of ameliorating delays 
        in the adjudication of cases by the immigration courts and 
        other inefficiencies in the administration of the immigration 
        laws, there is established, within the Executive Office of 
        Immigration Review within the Department of Justice, the Entry 
        Adjudication through General Legal Expertise Corps (or EAGLE 
        Corps) (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``Corps''), 
        which shall consist of--
                    (A) such civilian employees of the United States as 
                the Attorney General may appoint; and
                    (B) such other individuals who are not employees of 
                the United States.
            (2) Purpose.--The Corps shall be utilized by the Attorney 
        General to provide legal services for the United States before 
        the immigration courts. The Corps shall also include employees 
        to provide administrative and support services.
            (3) Term.--Each member of the Corps shall serve for a 
        period not to exceed 24 months.
    (b) Recruitment and Fellowship Programs.--
            (1) The Attorney General may conduct at law schools the 
        Loan Repayment Program. Such recruiting programs shall include 
        efforts to recruit individuals who will serve in the Corps 
        other than pursuant to obligated service under the Loan 
        Repayment Program.
            (2) In the case of attorneys who have an interest and a 
        commitment to providing legal services for the United States 
        before the immigration courts, the Attorney General may 
        establish fellowship programs to enable such attorneys to gain 
        exposure to and expertise in the provision of such legal 
        services. To the maximum extent practicable, the Attorney 
        General shall ensure that any such programs are established in 
        conjunction with other legal training programs.
    (c) Travel and Moving Expenses; Persons Entitled; Reimbursement; 
Limitation.--
            (1) The Attorney General may reimburse an applicant for a 
        position in the Corps for the actual and reasonable expenses 
        incurred in traveling to and from the applicant's place of 
        residence to an eligible site to which the applicant may be 
        assigned. The Attorney General may establish a maximum total 
        amount that may be paid to an individual as reimbursement for 
        such expenses.
            (2) The Attorney General may also reimburse the applicant 
        for the actual and reasonable expenses incurred for the travel 
        of 1 family member to accompany the applicant to such site. The 
        Attorney General may establish a maximum total amount that may 
        be paid to an individual as reimbursement for such expenses.
            (3) In the case of an individual who has entered into a 
        contract for obligated service under the Scholarship Program or 
        under the Loan Repayment Program, the Attorney General may 
        reimburse such individual for all or part of the actual and 
        reasonable expenses incurred in transporting the individual, 
        the individual's family, and the family's possessions to the 
        site of the individual's assignment. The Attorney General may 
        establish a maximum total amount that may be paid to an 
        individual as reimbursement for such expenses.
    (d) Monthly Pay Adjustments.--The Attorney General may, under 
regulations promulgated by the Attorney General, adjust the monthly pay 
of each member of the Corps. During the 24 months in which such a 
member is so engaged in the delivery of legal services, the monthly pay 
of that member may be increased by an amount which when added to the 
member's monthly pay and allowances will provide a monthly income 
competitive with the average monthly income from a practice of an 
individual who is a member of the profession of the Corps member, who 
has equivalent training, and who has been in practice for a period 
equivalent to the period during which the Corps member has been in 
practice.
    (e) Effective Administration of Program.--The Attorney General 
shall ensure that adequate staff is provided to the Service with 
respect to effectively administering the program for the Corps.
    (f) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            (1) The term ``Department'' means the Department of 
        Justice.
            (2) The term ``Loan Repayment Program'' means the Loan 
        Repayment Program established under section 4.
            (3) The term ``State'' includes, in addition to the several 
        States, only the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
        the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust 
        Territory of the Pacific Islands.
            (4) The term ``Corps'' means the Entry Adjudication through 
        General Legal Expertise Corps.
            (5) The term ``Corps member'' means each of the officers, 
        employees, and individuals of which the Corps consists pursuant 
        to paragraph (1).
            (6) The term ``legal services'' means legal representation 
        in any proceeding before an immigration court.

SEC. 3. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    The Secretary of Education shall, subject to such terms and 
conditions as the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General, 
may by rule establish, repay or cancel the outstanding balance of 
principal and interest due on the Federal loans and private education 
loans of a borrower. The term ``Federal loan'' means a loan made, 
insured, or guaranteed under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.). The term ``private education loan'' has 
the meaning given the term in section 140 of the Truth in Lending Act.
                                 <all>