S. 388: Families, Not Facilities Act of 2019
Before you vote › Federal bills
S. 388: Families, Not Facilities Act of 2019
116th Congress · introduced 2019-02-07 · Immigration · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2019-02-07 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: 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.
Official title
Families, Not Facilities Act of 2019
Plain summary
Families, Not Facilities Act of 2019 This bill amends provisions related to the safety of minor aliens that enter the United States unaccompanied by a guardian. When placing an unaccompanied alien child with a proposed custodian, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall not consider the custodian's immigration status. DHS shall not use certain information obtained for placing a child with a custodian to apprehend, detain, or deport certain individuals, including the child, proposed sponsor, or a person living with the sponsor. The Office of Refugee Settlement shall provide services for unaccompanied alien children after they have been released, to help them transition into their communities and to connect them with legal representation. Money appropriated to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for FY2019 shall be redirected to fund such services. Other money appropriated for ICE shall be redirected to various programs to investigate and prevent child trafficking. This bill also establishes the Office of Refugee Resettlement Advisory Committee on Shelters for Unaccompanied Alien Children. The advisory committee may conduct unannounced inspections of Office of Refugee Settlement shelters that hold unaccompanied alien children and shall issue reports on its investigations and recommendations regarding the shelters.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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
Families, Not Facilities Act of 2019
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. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA] · 11 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
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)
- Appropriation
- Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
- 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.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s388.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>
Record fed-us-cong116-s388 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116