H.R. 8428: Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2020

116th Congress · introduced 2020-09-29 · Immigration · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-09-29 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. 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

Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2020

Plain summary

Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2020 This bill provides for temporary protected status (TPS) and refugee status for qualifying Hong Kong residents and contains other immigration-related provisions. Hong Kong shall be treated as a TPS-designated country for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment. (Qualifying nationals of a TPS-designated country may not be removed from the United States and shall have employment authorization while the designation is in effect.) Furthermore, Hong Kong shall be treated as separate from China for the purposes of various numerical limitations on immigrant visas. (Hong Kong is part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system.) The bill also establishes Priority Hong Kong Resident status for qualified individuals. To obtain such status, an individual must meet certain requirements, such as having resided in Hong Kong for at least ten years as of the day of this bill's enactment and not having citizenship in any jurisdiction other than China, Hong Kong, or Macau. For the purposes of seeking refugee status or asylum, a Priority Hong Kong Resident (and certain family members of such an individual) may establish that the individual has a well-founded fear of persecution if the individual asserts such fear and (1) had a significant role in an organization that supported the 2019 or 2020 protests related to China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy or the Hong Kong National Security Law enacted in 2020; or (2) was arrested, charged, detained, or convicted for participating in the nonviolent exercise of certain rights.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed 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

Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2020

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House)

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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: Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7] · 23 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: CBO’s Estimate of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of H.R. 8428, Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2020 (2020-11-24); CBO cost estimate: Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of H.R. 8428, Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2020 (2020-11-24)

Cosponsors on this site

Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ami Bera (D-CA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ro Khanna (D-CA)

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).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
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 (Passed House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr8428.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr8428 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116