H.R. 4276 · 117th Congress
Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2021
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
MalinowskiSponsor27 cosponsors · 14 D, 13 R
D
Allred
AB
D
Bera
GC
D
Connolly
DC
D
Cicilline
LC
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Cheney
DC
R
Crenshaw
RD
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Davis
BF
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Fitzpatrick
AG
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Gonzalez
AK
R
Kinzinger
RK
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Khanna
AK
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Kim
YK
R
Kim
AL
D
Lowenthal
JM
D
McGovern
GM
D
Meeks
BM
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Moore
DP
D
Phillips
KP
D
Porter
JR
D
Raskin
MS
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Steel
CS
R
Stewart
TS
D
Suozzi
CT
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Tenney
VT
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Taylor
JW
R
Wilson
AS
D
Schiff26 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill provides for temporary protected status (TPS) for qualifying Hong Kong residents and contains other immigration-related provisions.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Jun 30, 2021
Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2021
This bill provides for temporary protected status (TPS) for qualifying Hong Kong residents and contains other immigration-related provisions.
Hong Kong shall be treated as a TPS-designated territory for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment. (Qualifying nationals of a TPS-designated territory or 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. (In the treaty that transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to China, China pledged that Hong Kong "will enjoy a high degree of autonomy.")
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 seeking refugee status or asylum, a Priority Hong Kong Resident may establish a well-founded fear of persecution based on various factors, such as fear based on the individual's significant role in certain protests against China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of State may provide special immigrant status to an eligible Priority Hong Kong Resident with a bachelor's or graduate degree if DHS determines that doing so would provide a significant benefit to the United States.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2021
Latest action (Nov 1, 2022): Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
Policy area: Immigration · Origin: House · Introduced: Jun 30, 2021
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.