Accountability for Migrant Deaths Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-3660
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3]
Introduced: 2019-07-09
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Border security and unlawful immigration

Congressional oversight

Congressional-executive branch relations

Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Homeland Security

Detention of persons

Federal officials

Health information and medical records

Immigrant health and welfare

Immigration status and procedures
Latest action: action_date: 2019-07-30
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-07-09
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Accountability for Migrant Deaths Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Health and Human Services to report to Congress within 24 hours of a death of a foreign national while in the respective department's custody. </p> <p>The House of Representatives shall hold a hearing within a week of receiving such a report. Executive privilege may not be asserted with respect to testimony before Congress about such a death.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3660 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 9, 2019 Mrs. Trahan (for herself and Ms. Mucarsel-Powell ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary , and in addition to the Committee on Rules , 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 direct the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to notify Congress of each foreign national who dies in the custody of the Secretary, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Accountability for Migrant Deaths Act of 2019 . 2. Congressional notification of foreign national deaths in custody Not later than 24 hours after a foreign national dies while in the custody of the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the appropriate Secretary shall notify Congress of such death, which notification shall include a description of the circumstances of such death. 3. Limitation on the assertion of Executive privilege The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services may not assert Executive privilege with respect to testimony before a committee of the House of Representatives or of the Senate related to a death described in section 2. 4. Committee hearings on foreign national deaths in custody required in the House (a) Amendment to the Rules of the House of Representatives Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following new clause: Committee hearings on foreign national deaths in custody required (7) Not later than one week after receiving a notification under section 1 of the Accountability for Migrant Deaths Act of 2019 that a foreign national died while in the custody of the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform or another standing committee of jurisdiction shall convene a hearing to receive testimony from appropriate agency officials related to the death. . (b) Exercise of rulemaking power The provisions of this section are enacted by the Congress— (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives, and as such they shall be considered as part of the rules of the House, and such rules shall supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of the House of Representatives to change such rules at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House. 5. Foreign national In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the term foreign national means any individual other than an individual— (1) who is a citizen of the United States; or (2) though not a citizen of the United States, who owes permanent allegiance to the United States.