POD Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-2842
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6]
Introduced: 2019-05-20
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration

Congressional oversight

Congressional-executive branch relations

Detention of persons

Government buildings, facilities, and property

Members of Congress

Public-private cooperation
Latest action: action_date: 2019-06-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-05-20
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Public Oversight of Detention Centers Act of 2019 or the POD Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill prohibits certain limitations on the ability of a Member of Congress to access any facility for detaining aliens operated by the Department of Homeland Security, the&nbsp;Department of Health and Human Services, or affiliated private contractors. Specifically, the Member must be allowed to enter such a facility within 48 hours of a request to do so, and the facility may not be temporarily modified in a way that alters what the Member would otherwise observe.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2842 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 20, 2019 Mr. Crow (for himself, Ms. Garcia of Texas , Mr. Johnson of Georgia , and Ms. DeLauro ) 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 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 any limitation on the entry of a Member of Congress to any facility for the detention of aliens, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Public Oversight of Detention Centers Act of 2019 or as the POD Act of 2019 . 2. Congressional oversight of detention facilities (a) Prohibition on limitations on oversight of detention facilities Chapter 4 of title II of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 244A. Prohibition on limitations on oversight of detention facilities (a) In general A Member of Congress may not be prevented from entering by not later than 48 hours after making a request to do so, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security (including any facility operated by a private contractor with the Department) used to detain or otherwise house aliens, or nor may any temporary modification be made at any such facility that in any way alters what is observed by a visiting Member of Congress, compared to what would be observed in the absence of such modification. (b) Facilities housing alien minors A Member of Congress may not be prevented from entering by not later than 48 hours after making a request to do so, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Health and Human Services (including any facility operated by a private contractor with either Department) used to detain or otherwise house alien minors, or to make any temporary modification at any such facility that in any way alters what is observed by a visiting Member of Congress, compared to what would be observed in the absence of such modification. . (b) Clerical amendment The table of contents for such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 244 the following: 244A. Prohibition on limitations on oversight of detention facilities. .