1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Accountability for Migrant Deaths Act of 2019”.
Accountability for Migrant Deaths Act of 2019
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to notify Congress of each foreign national who dies in the custody of the Secretary, and for other purposes.
2. Congressional notification of foreign national deaths in custody
Not later than 24 hours after a foreign national dies while in the custody of the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the appropriate Secretary shall notify Congress of such death, which notification shall include a description of the circumstances of such death.
3. Limitation on the assertion of Executive privilege
The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services may not assert Executive privilege with respect to testimony before a committee of the House of Representatives or of the Senate related to a death described in section 2.
4. Committee hearings on foreign national deaths in custody required in the House
Amendment to the Rules of the House of Representatives— Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following new clause:
Exercise of rulemaking power— The provisions of this section are enacted by the Congress—
as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives, and as such they shall be considered as part of the rules of the House, and such rules shall supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
with full recognition of the constitutional right of the House of Representatives to change such rules at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House.
5. Foreign national
In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the term “foreign national” means any individual other than an individual—
who is a citizen of the United States; or
though not a citizen of the United States, who owes permanent allegiance to the United States.