H.R. 1646: Certainty in Enforcement Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-03-21 · Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-03-21 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-7] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. 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

Certainty in Enforcement Act of 2017

Plain summary

Certainty in Enforcement Act of 2017 This bill amends equal employment opportunity requirements under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to deem an employer's, labor organization's, employment agency's, or joint labor management committee's consideration or use of credit or criminal records or information, as mandated by federal, state, or local law, to be job related and consistent with business necessity. The use of credit or criminal records shall not be the basis of liability under any theory of disparate impact. (Currently, an unlawful employment practice based on disparate impact is established if a complaining party demonstrates that a respondent uses a particular employment practice that causes a disparate impact on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and the respondent fails to demonstrate that the challenged practice is job related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity.)

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

Certainty in Enforcement Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-7] · 5 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard Hudson (R-NC), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-7] reported raising $2.2 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.

Words on this page, explained (1)

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).

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-115hr1646.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr1646 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115