PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

S.Res. 56: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should remain a global leader in welcoming and providing refuge to refugees and asylum seekers and that no person should be banned from entering the United States because of their nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender.

Before you vote › Federal bills

S.Res. 56: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should remain a global leader in welcoming and providing refuge to refugees and asylum seekers and that no person should be banned from entering the United States because of their nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender.

115th Congress · introduced 2017-02-07 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S871; Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S871-872)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-02-07 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S871; Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S871-872) 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

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should remain a global leader in welcoming and providing refuge to refugees and asylum seekers and that no person should be banned from entering the United States because of their nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender.

Plain summary

Declares that Executive Order 13769, entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," undermines the national interest of the United States. Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants from seven countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States. Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States should remain a global leader in welcoming and providing refuge to refugees and asylum seekers; and (2) no person should be banned from entering the United States because of their nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

A Yea supports adopting this resolution.

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

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should remain a global leader in welcoming and providing refuge to refugees and asylum seekers and that no person should be banned from entering the United States because of their nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] · 30 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

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 (2)
Resolution
A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.
Roll-call vote
A vote where each member's position is recorded by name, so the public can see how every member voted. "Yea" means yes, "Nay" means no, "Present" means the member was there but did not take a side.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-sres56 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115