Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act

Bill: 116-s-3609
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2020-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Assault and harassment offenses
Border security and unlawful immigration
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Child care and development
Community life and organization
Crime victims
Crimes against women
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Justice
Department of State
Detention of persons
Disability and paralysis
Domestic violence and child abuse
Educational facilities and institutions
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Food assistance and relief
Foreign labor
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government information and archives
Health facilities and institutions
Health promotion and preventive care
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Human trafficking
Immigrant health and welfare
Immigration status and procedures
Immunology and vaccination
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Medicaid
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Mental health
Poverty and welfare assistance
Religion
Sex offenses
Social Security Administration
State and local government operations
Violent crime
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2020-05-05
text: 

Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act

 
This bill addresses immigration issues related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and otherwise makes changes to certain COVID-19 response activities, benefits, and programs.
 
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) must temporarily limit in-person immigration proceedings, and, during the COVID-19 emergency, DHS, DOJ, and the Department of State shall not take certain adverse immigration actions. In addition, an individual's use of certain assistance related to COVID-19 may not be considered in current or future immigration determinations concerning that individual. 
 
The bill includes pandemics within the scope of specified disaster and emergency laws and modifies nutrition and other benefits during such emergencies. For example, states may receive Medicaid payments for COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and treatment for certain unlawful aliens, and individuals who use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number may receive cash assistance related to the COVID-19 response. In addition, individuals may not be excluded from participating in COVID-19 response programs due to actual or perceived immigration status.
 
To ensure the availability of information related to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must (1) establish programs for eligible community-based organizations to develop preparedness materials that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, and (2) translate materials and operate telephone hotlines in specified languages. Agencies that receive funding under a law enacted in response to COVID-19 must also provide information about programs and opportunities in such languages.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2020-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate