H.R. 4155: Funding Attorneys for Indigent Removal (FAIR) Proceedings Act

116th Congress · introduced 2019-08-02 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-08-02 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. McEachin, A. Donald [D-VA-4] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. 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

Funding Attorneys for Indigent Removal (FAIR) Proceedings Act

Plain summary

Funding Attorneys for Indigent Removal (FAIR) Proceedings Act This bill expands access to counsel for aliens in immigration proceedings and provides for protections related to such proceedings. An alien shall have the privilege of being represented by counsel in any immigration proceeding, whereas currently this privilege is statutorily provided for only in removal proceedings. Similarly, the Department of Justice (DOJ) may provide counsel at government expense to aliens in any immigration proceeding, whereas currently DOJ is statutorily authorized to provide counsel to aliens only in removal proceedings and at no expense to the government. Under this bill, DOJ shall provide counsel to children and vulnerable individuals in such proceedings, at government expense if necessary. If DOJ fails to do so, certain limits on filing a motion to reopen removal proceedings (such as the time limit for filing) shall not apply, and the alien's removal shall be stayed upon the motion's filing. The bill establishes the Immigration Counsel Account and a surcharge on various immigration fees. The surcharge shall be deposited into the account to be used to provide counsel under this bill. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall provide each alien, generally at the beginning of proceedings, a complete copy of the alien's case file in DHS possession, unless the alien waives this right in writing. Failure to provide such documents shall delay the alien's removal proceeding. DHS shall facilitate for all detained aliens access to counsel and programs that inform such aliens of their immigration-related rights and obligations.

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

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Funding Attorneys for Indigent Removal (FAIR) Proceedings Act

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. McEachin, A. Donald [D-VA-4] · 41 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), André Carson (D-IN), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Darren Soto (D-FL), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Adam Smith (D-WA), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Marc A. Veasey (D-TX), Diana DeGette (D-CO)

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).
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.
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-116hr4155.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr4155 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116