United States 115th Congress Status: Died Bipartisan · 8 R · 2 D cosponsors

HR 170 — Protect and Grow American Jobs Act

Last action — Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. Died in session

This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Protect and Grow American Jobs Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the definition of "exempt H-1B nonimmigrant" to eliminate the masters or higher degree requirement and raise the annual salary threshold requirement from $60,000 to $100,000. (An exempt H-1B nonimmigrant is a nonimmigrant H-1B [specialty occupation] worker meeting certain criteria whom an H-1B dependent employer may hire without having to satisfy certain otherwise applicable H-1B hiring criteria. An H-1B dependent employer is generally one whose H-1B workers comprise 15% or more of the employer's total workforce, with different thresholds applying to smaller employers.) The bill requires an inflation adjustment to the salary threshold every third fiscal year.

Bill Text

Sections of law this bill changes

1 section in 1 law

From the bill's own amending language, matched to the official United States Code (current through Public Law 119-124).

Immigration and nationality · 8 U.S.C. ch. 12 1 section
  • § 1182 Inadmissible aliens Amends

    8 U.S.C. § 1182 — at 1182(n)(3)(B)

    The law today

    (a) Classes of aliens ineligible for visas or admission Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, aliens who are inadmissible under the following paragraphs are ineligible to receive visas and ineligible to be admitted to the United States: (1) Health-related grounds (A) In general Any alien— (i) who is determined (in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) to have a communicable disease of public health significance; 1 (ii) except as provided in subparagraph (C), who seeks admission as an immigrant, or who seeks adjustment of status to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, and who has failed to present documentation of having received vaccination against vaccine-preventable diseases, which shall include at least the following diseases: mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, influenza type B and hepatitis B, and any other vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, (iii) who is determined (in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Attorney General)— (I) to have a physical or mental disorder and behavior associated with the disorder that may pose, or has posed, a threat to the property, safety, or welfare of the alien or others, or (II) to have had a physical or mental disorder and a history of behavior associated with the disorder, which behavior has posed a threat to the property, safety, or welfare of the alien or others and which behavior is likely to recur or to lead to other harmful behavior, or (iv) who is determined (in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) to be a drug abuser or addict, is inadmissible. (B) Waiver authorized For provision authorizing waiver of certain clauses of subparagraph (A), see subsection (g). (C) Exception from immunization requirement for adopted children 10 years of age or younger Clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) shall not apply to a child who— (i) is 10 years of age or younger, (ii) is described in subparagraph (F) or (G) of section 1101(b)(1) of this title; 1 and (iii) is seeking an immigrant visa as an immediate relative under section 1151(b) of this title, if, prior to the admission of the child, an adoptive parent or prospective adoptive parent of the child, who has sponsored the child for admission as an immediate relative, has executed an affidavit stating that the parent is aware of the provisions of subparagraph (A)(ii) and will ensure that, within 30 days of the child’s admission, or at the earliest time that is medically appropriate, the child will receive the vaccinations identified in such subparagraph. (2) Criminal and related grounds (A) Conviction of certain crimes (i) In general Except as provided in clause (ii), any alien convicted of, or who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts which constitute the essential elements of— (I) a crime involving moral turpitude (other than a purely political offense) or an attempt or conspiracy to commit such a crime, or (II) a violation of (or a conspiracy or attempt to violate) any law or regulation of a State, the United States, or a foreign country relating to a controlled substance (as defined in section 802 of title 21),  is inadmissible. (ii) Exception Clause (i)(I) shall not apply to an alien who committed only one crime if— (I) the crime was committed when the alien was under 18 years of age, and the crime was committed (and the alien released from any confinement to a prison or correctional institution imposed for the crime) more than 5 years before the date of application for a visa or other documentation and the date of application for admission to the United States, or (II) the maximum penalty possible for the crime of which the alien was convicted (or which the alien admits having committed or of which the acts ...

    322 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill modifies the definition of 'exempt H-1B nonimmigrant' by adjusting wage requirements and establishing an indexing mechanism based on the Consumer Price Index.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1182(n)(3)(B)

    the term `exempt H-1B nonimmigrant' means an H-1B nonimmigrant who receives wages (including cash bonuses) at an annual rate equal to the greater of $60,000 or the applicable adjusted amount under clause (iii); → the term `exempt H-1B nonimmigrant' means an H-1B nonimmigrant who receives wages (including cash bonuses) at an annual rate equal to at least the greater of $100,000 or the applicable adjusted amount under clause (iii);

    This change raises the minimum wage requirement for exempt H-1B nonimmigrants from $60,000 to $100,000.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1182(n)(3)(B)

    . → ; and

    This change modifies the grammatical structure to facilitate the addition of new clauses.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1182(n)(3)(B)

    the amount described in clause (i) (as of the last increase to such amount) shall be increased, effective for the third fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this clause and for every third fiscal year thereafter, by the percentage (if any) by which the Consumer Price Index for the month of June preceding the date on which such increase takes effect exceeds the Consumer Price Index for the same month of the third preceding calendar year.

    This creates a mechanism for automatically adjusting the minimum wage requirement based on inflation every three years.

Action History

  1. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  2. Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

  3. Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

  4. Introduced in House

  5. Introduced in House

  6. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 9 co-sponsors · 537 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (9)

Not signed on (537)

537 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

immigration labor
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 170 do?
Protect and Grow American Jobs Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the definition of "exempt H-1B nonimmigrant" to eliminate the masters or higher degree requirement and raise the annual salary threshold requirement from $60,000 to $100,000. (An exempt H-1B nonimmigrant is a nonimmigrant H-1B [specialty occupation] worker meeting certain criteria whom an H-1B dependent employer may hire without having to satisfy certain otherwise applicable H-1B hiring criteria. An H-1B dependent employer is generally one whose H-1B workers comprise 15% or more of the employer's total workforce, with different thresholds applying to smaller employers.) The bill requires an inflation adjustment to the salary threshold every third fiscal year.
Who sponsors HR 170?
HR 170 is sponsored by Peters, Scott H. (Democratic), Hunter, Duncan D. (Republican), Farenthold, Blake (Republican), Labrador, Raul R. (Republican), Smith, Lamar (Republican), Polis, Jared (Democratic), Bishop, Mike (Republican), LaMalfa, Doug (Republican), Comstock, Barbara (Republican), and Issa, Darrell (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 170?
This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 170?
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