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S. 1208: Strengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act

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S. 1208: Strengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-05-23 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Held at the desk.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-05-23 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Held at the desk. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

Strengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on October 16, 2017. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Strengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act (Sec. 3) This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide for an option under which a person to whom a document is sent under the Secure Mail Initiative may elect to have the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) use the Hold for Pickup service or the Signature Confirmation service in delivering the document. DHS shall require payment of a fee for such services, which shall be deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account and used to cover DHS and USPS costs of providing such services. The USPS: (1) may promulgate regulations that minimize such costs and do not require it to incur additional expenses that are not recoverable, and (2) shall notify DHS of any changes to such services. If DHS determines that substantially similar services offered by a private carrier would provide better service and value than the USPS services, it may discontinue use of the USPS services and enter into a contract with the private carrier. (Sec. 4) DHS must report to Congress within two years of this bill's enactment describing the implementation of requirements under this bill, the fee imposed, and the number of times during the previous year that a person used a service under this bill.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended), 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

Strengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended)

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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. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1208, Strengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act (2017-09-26)

Cosponsors on this site

Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)

Agencies named in this bill

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

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)
Ballot initiative
A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
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).
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

Record fed-us-cong115-s1208 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115