S. 4631: Hong Kong Refugee Protection Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-09-21 · Immigration · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-09-21 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] · 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.

What does this mean?

Official title

Hong Kong Refugee Protection Act

Plain summary

Hong Kong Refugee Protection Act This bill removes statutory authority for the President to allow the admission of more than 50,000 refugees in a fiscal year for humanitarian concerns or national interest considerations and suspends the diversity visa program through FY2025. (The program makes immigrant visas available to aliens from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.) The bill also provides certain Hong Kong residents with priority refugee status or special visas. An individual and certain family members shall have priority refugee status if the individual (1) is a Hong Kong resident who suffered persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution as a result of peaceful political activity; or (2) has been formally charged, detained, or convicted for certain peaceful actions. The general presumption that an alien is seeking immigrant status shall not apply to certain Hong Kong residents (generally, those who participated in pro-democracy protests in 2019 and 2020) seeking asylum. (Typically, an alien seeking admission as a nonimmigrant must establish that the alien does not intend to immigrate to the United States.) The Department of Homeland Security shall admit up to 30,000 eligible Hong Kong residents as immigrants using a points system each year through FY2025. Points shall be awarded to an individual based on various characteristics including age, educational attainment, commitment to invest certain amounts in the United States, and salary. Every six months, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall invite the individuals with the highest point totals to apply for admission.

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

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Hong Kong Refugee Protection Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] reported raising $7.1 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 (4)

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).
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
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 Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s4631.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s4631 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116