H.R. 5398: Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-06-07 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-06-07 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Rice, Tom [R-SC-7] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. 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.

What does this mean?

Official title

Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016

Plain summary

Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce the annual cap for family-sponsored immigrants and increase the annual cap for certain employment-sponsored immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. (The current paper-based I-9 system is eliminated.) An employer shall verify that an individual is not an unauthorized alien by: (1) obtaining the individual's social security account number, and (2) examining an individual's identity and work authorization documents. An individual shall attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States. The bill establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill requires reverification of certain workers who have not been verified under E-verify. An employer may voluntarily reverify employees. Employment recruitment and referral are included within the scope of EEVS. The bill provides for the establishment of programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, and (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud. DHS shall establish: (1) a program under which parents or legal guardians may suspend or limit the use of the social security account number or other identifying information of a minor for the purposes of the employment eligibility verification system, and (2) an Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot program to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of enrolled new employees. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to: (1) deny an earned income tax credit and a child care credit to an alien receiving work authorization pursuant to a deferred removal action; and (2) require an individual to include his or her social security number on his or her tax return in order to receive a child tax credit. The Department of State shall suspend all U.S. foreign assistance to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, except for assistance under the international narcotic control law enforcement program. The annual H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural workers) cap is increased. A specified Department of Labor rule regarding temporary employment certification for nonimmigrant seasonal agricultural workers and enforcement of employer contractual obligations applicable to such workers shall cease to have effect and an earlier Labor rule relating to such matters shall resume effect. No visa may be issued under this bill unless DHS certifies to Congress that the issuance of such visa would not result in a U.S. security threat.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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

Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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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: Rep. Rice, Tom [R-SC-7] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)

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.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr5398.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr5398 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114