S. 3241: Refugee Protection Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-07-14 · Immigration · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5167-5168)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-07-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] · 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. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5167-5168) 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

Refugee Protection Act of 2016

Plain summary

Refugee Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Naturalization Act to eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. The bill revises: (1) the definition of "refugee," and (2) the criteria for granting asylum. The bill makes certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum discretionary. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, and (2) establish specified conditions of detention. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom may conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority. The bill: (1) authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who worked for the U.S. government overseas; (2) exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum; and (3) sets forth protections for minors, refugees, aliens interdicted at sea, and stateless persons. The President is authorized to designate refugee groups. The bill authorizes refugee applicants to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. The spouse or child of a refugee or asylee may bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. If the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year, the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. The bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required physical presence in the United States. The bill revises: (1) the definition of "terrorist activity" for purposes of alien inadmissibility, including for aliens who were under 18 years of age when they committed certain actions under duress; and (2) the refugee grant and contract assistance allocation formula. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is amended to extend the eligibility for supplemental security income (SSI) assistance to certain aliens (including asylees and refugees) and trafficking victims. DHS shall grant employment authorization to qualifying T visa aliens (victims of trafficking in persons) and U visa aliens (children who have been granted special immigrant status as a victim of criminal activity). The number of U visas is increased.

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

Refugee Protection Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA)

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 (4)

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).
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
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 Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s3241.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s3241 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114