H.R. 8708: American Families United Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-10-30 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-10-30 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] · 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 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

American Families United Act

Plain summary

American Families United Act This bill limits what constitutes a conviction for immigration purposes and contains other related provisions. (A conviction can in certain instances be grounds for denying an individual immigration benefits.) Under this bill, certain judgments of guilt, such as one that has been deferred, expunged, or invalidated, shall not be considered a conviction for immigration purposes. An order of probation without an entry of judgment shall also not count as a conviction. Similarly, a pardon shall render the underlying conviction null for immigration purposes. Furthermore, for immigration purposes, a term of imprisonment shall only include the actual period of incarceration ordered by a court. If a term of imprisonment is suspended for any length, the suspended time shall not be considered as part of the term of imprisonment. (An individual may be denied certain immigration benefits if the individual has been convicted for a crime with a certain term of imprisonment.) The bill also provides statutory authority for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to, in certain instances, exercise discretion when enforcing immigration laws, such as waiving one or more grounds of inadmissibility or declining to order an alien removed. Such discretion may only be exercised on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian purposes or to preserve family unity and is subject to other limitations.

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

American Families United Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in 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. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Darren Soto (D-FL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] reported raising $1.1 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 (3)

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).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

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-116hr8708.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr8708 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116