S. 480: Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2011
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S. 480: Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2011
112th Congress · introduced 2011-03-03 · Immigration · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2011-03-03 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2011
Plain summary
Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2011 or the H.E.L.P. Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to V- visa nonimmigrants (spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents who come to the United States to wait for completion of the immigrant visa process) to include certain Haitian nationals whose petition for a family-sponsored immigrant visa was approved on or before January 12, 2010. Authorizes the Secretary of State to use secondary evidence to verify eligibility for such status or for immediate relative status. Sunsets the provisions of this Act two years after its enactment.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2011
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
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The strongest published arguments
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] · 4 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] reported raising $3.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s480.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>
Record fed-us-cong112-s480 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112