US Congress Senate Bill 2540 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 28-1)
Status: Introduced on February 11 2016 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2016-02-11 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S876-877)
Pending: Senate Judiciary Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appoint or provide counsel at government expense to aliens in removal proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall provide an alien in removal proceedings with all relevant documents in its possession, unless the alien has knowingly waived the right to such documents. In the absence of a waiver a removal proceeding may not proceed until the alien has received, and had time to review, the documents. DOJ may appoint or provide counsel to aliens in any INA proceeding. DHS shall ensure that aliens have access to counsel inside all immigration detention and border facilities. DOJ shall appoint counsel, at government expense if necessary, for an unaccompanied alien child or a particularly vulnerable individual. DHS shall: (1) facilitate access to counsel for all aliens detained in facilities under the supervision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and (2) establish procedures to ensure that legal orientation programs are available for all detained aliens, including aliens held in CBP facilities. DOJ shall develop and administer a two-year pilot program at not fewer than two immigration courts to grant access to legal information to non-detained aliens with pending asylum claims. DHS shall establish a pilot program to increase the court appearance rates of unaccompanied alien children and particularly vulnerable individuals by contracting with nongovernmental, community-based organizations to provide such aliens with case management services.

Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016

Sen. Harry Reid [D-NV]	Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]	Sen. Patty Murray [D-WA]	Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Sen. Robert Menendez [D-NJ]	Sen. Mazie Hirono [D-HI]	Sen. Al Franken [D-MN]	Sen. Tom Udall [D-NM]
Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH]	Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D-CT]	Sen. Cory Booker [D-NJ]	Sen. Bernard Sanders [I-VT]
Sen. Ron Wyden [D-OR]	Sen. Edward Markey [D-MA]	Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D-NY]	Sen. Barbara Boxer [D-CA]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-MA]	Sen. Barbara Mikulski [D-MD]	Sen. Maria Cantwell [D-WA]	Sen. Christopher Coons [D-DE]
Sen. Robert Casey [D-PA]	Sen. Gary Peters [D-MI]	Sen. Tammy Baldwin [D-WI]	Sen. Jeff Merkley [D-OR]
Sen. Brian Schatz [D-HI]	Sen. Debbie Stabenow [D-MI]	Sen. Martin Heinrich [D-NM]	Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D-MD]
Sen. Christopher Murphy [D-CT]

Date	Chamber	Action
2016-02-11	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S876-877)

HB4646 (Related) 2016-04-01 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2540/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2540/BILLS-114s2540is.pdf