Anti-immigration bills proliferate in Congress
Members of Congress may not be in DC right now, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still offering bills that support their re-election agenda. This post contains a selection of Republican and Democratic bills introduced in the month of October.
REPUBLICAN BILLS
Immigration
Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) introduced H.R. 9238, to prevent the Biden administration from spending $240 million on assistance for South America and instead direct the money to Border Patrol and border states. The money, as Biden intends to use it, would go towards improving security and criminal justice in South American countries in the hopes of improving the quality of life for individuals who might otherwise attempt to cross the U.S. border.
“Americans across the country have had enough of this administration putting other countries ahead of our own,” said Rep. Van Duyne. “It’s past time Democrats in Washington step up and prioritize our southern border that has been so woefully neglected by this administration. The Border Patrol First Act will divert President Biden’s $240 million in assistance to South American countries towards securing our southern border once and for all.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced a bill to allow states to bring criminal and civil charges for immigration-relation offenses. Currently, immigration law is under the purview of the federal executive branch alone.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced legislation requiring the Department of Homeland Security to reimburse Texas for expenses incurred by Operation Lone Star. Since its launch in early 2021, the project has cost Texas over $4 billion.
Other
Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) introduced legislation last week calling the Biden administration’s release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve “irresponsible” and a “threat to the security of the United States.” H. Res. 1445 criticizes President Biden for accelerating the switch to renewable energy and halting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, saying it has made “the United States dependent on foreign powers.”
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) introduced a bill to ban the use of federal funds for teaching sexual orientation or gender identity to children under 10 years old. Named the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” H.R. 9197 would also ban the use of federal funds for family friendly drag shows and drag reading hours, claiming without evidence that such events teach children “concepts like masturbation, pornography, sexual acts, and gender transition.”
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) introduced H.R. 9212, the “Domestic Terrorist Murder Act,” last week. The bill would impose a sentence of life imprisonment without parole or the death sentence on any individual convicted of murder who is also a member of a street gang. Furthermore, the bill would apply the same penalties to any individual “who is or has been associated with” a group that caused over $500,000 in damages in protests and/or riots and has been convicted of murder. This would include any individual that protested for racial justice and was later convicted of murder.
Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced a bill to require all National Forests and Bureau of Land Management land contain at least one shooting range. H.R. 9183 states that the shooting ranges must be free to use and must include “significantly modified landscapes,” like berms, that would disrupt the natural landscape the National Forests strive to maintain.
DEMOCRATIC BILLS
Civil rights
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) last week introduced H.R. 9219, a bill to expand the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to “combat intentional and unintentional discrimination against people based on (actual or perceived) race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, or national origin.” Among the variety of changes to the Civil Rights Act, Tlaib’s bill would prohibit compelled arbitration clauses and eliminate qualified immunity for government employees, including police officers.
Abortion
Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) introduced legislation to provide funding for a public awareness campaign to “inform health care professionals and health care professional students on how to help patients navigate the legal landscape in the United States with respect to abortion and other reproductive health care services.”
Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Mondaire Jones (D-NY) introduced H. Res. 1434, a resolution to reaffirm the Food and Drug Administration’s authority to preempt state law and ensure patients continue to have access to reproductive health care products – including abortion pills.
Other
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) introduced a bill to ban the new purchase or sale of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) introduced legislation to allow unused coronavirus funds to be used to address the monkeypox public health emergency.
Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) introduced H.R. 9168 to require the removal of United States Armed Forces from Saudi Arabia, declaring the relationship between the two countries as a “strained partnership.”
Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) introduced a bill to increase SNAP (food stamp) benefits for children that suffer from one or more chronic medical conditions.