US Congress House Bill 8428 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-6)
Status: Engrossed on December 8 2020 - 50% progression, died in committee
Action: 2020-12-08 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Pending: Senate Judiciary Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Engrossed) [PDF]

Provides for temporary protected status (TPS) and refugee status for qualifying Hong Kong residents and contains other immigration-related provisions. Hong Kong shall be treated as a TPS-designated country for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment. (Qualifying nationals of a TPS-designated country may not be removed from the United States and shall have employment authorization while the designation is in effect.) Furthermore, Hong Kong shall be treated as separate from China for the purposes of various numerical limitations on immigrant visas. (Hong Kong is part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system.) The bill also establishes Priority Hong Kong Resident status for qualified individuals. To obtain such status, an individual must meet certain requirements, such as having resided in Hong Kong for at least ten years as of the day of this bill's enactment and not having citizenship in any jurisdiction other than China, Hong Kong, or Macau. For the purposes of seeking refugee status or asylum, a Priority Hong Kong Resident (and certain family members of such an individual) may establish that the individual has a well-founded fear of persecution if the individual asserts such fear and (1) had a significant role in an organization that supported the 2019 or 2020 protests related to China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy or the Hong Kong National Security Law enacted in 2020; or (2) was arrested, charged, detained, or convicted for participating in the nonviolent exercise of certain rights.

Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2020

Rep. Tom Malinowski [D-NJ]	Rep. Adam Kinzinger [R-IL]	Rep. Dean Phillips [D-MN]	Rep. Nicholas Taylor [R-TX]
Rep. Joaquin Castro [D-TX]	Rep. Ted Yoho [R-FL]	Rep. Brad Sherman [D-CA]	Rep. Rodney Davis [R-IL]
Rep. Albio Sires [D-NJ]	Rep. Joe Wilson [R-SC]	Rep. Alan Lowenthal [D-CA]	Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick [R-PA]
Rep. Theodore Deutch [D-FL]	Rep. Gerald Connolly [D-VA]	Rep. Thomas Suozzi [D-NY]	Rep. Jamie Raskin [D-MD]
Rep. David Cicilline [D-RI]	Rep. Ami Bera [D-CA]	Rep. Katie Porter [D-CA]	Rep. James McGovern [D-MA]
Rep. Bobby Rush [D-IL]	Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN]	Rep. Ro Khanna [D-CA]	Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2020-12-08	Senate	Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
2020-12-07	House	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
2020-12-07	House	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H6872-6874)
2020-12-07	House	DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 8428.
2020-12-07	House	Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6872-6877)
2020-12-07	House	Mr. Engel moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
2020-10-01	House	Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
2020-10-01	House	Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
2020-09-29	House	Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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.
2020-09-29	House	Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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.
2020-09-29	House	Introduced in House

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8428/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr8428/BILLS-116hr8428ih.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr8428/BILLS-116hr8428eh.pdf