United States 118th Congress Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

HR 6980 — DOCTORS Act

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 118th 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This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis.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

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the reallocation of unused waivers of the foreign residency requirement for certain J-visa holders.

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 119-121).

Immigration and nationality · 8 U.S.C. ch. 12 1 section
  • § 1184 Admission of nonimmigrants Amends

    8 U.S.C. § 1184 — at 1184(l)

    The law today

    (a) Regulations (1) The admission to the United States of any alien as a nonimmigrant shall be for such time and under such conditions as the Attorney General may by regulations prescribe, including when he deems necessary the giving of a bond with sufficient surety in such sum and containing such conditions as the Attorney General shall prescribe, to insure that at the expiration of such time or upon failure to maintain the status under which he was admitted, or to maintain any status subsequently acquired under section 1258 of this title, such alien will depart from the United States. No alien admitted to Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands without a visa pursuant to section 1182(l) of this title may be authorized to enter or stay in the United States other than in Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or to remain in Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for a period exceeding 45 days from date of admission to Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. No alien admitted to the United States without a visa pursuant to section 1187 of this title may be authorized to remain in the United States as a nonimmigrant visitor for a period exceeding 90 days from the date of admission. (2) (A) The period of authorized status as a nonimmigrant described in section 1101(a)(15)(O) of this title shall be for such period as the Attorney General may specify in order to provide for the event (or events) for which the nonimmigrant is admitted. (B) The period of authorized status as a nonimmigrant described in section 1101(a)(15)(P) of this title shall be for such period as the Attorney General may specify in order to provide for the competition, event, or performance for which the nonimmigrant is admitted. In the case of nonimmigrants admitted as individual athletes under section 1101(a)(15)(P) of this title, the period of authorized status may be for an initial period (not to exceed 5 years) during which the nonimmigrant will perform as an athlete and such period may be extended by the Attorney General for an additional period of up to 5 years. (b) Presumption of status; written waiver Every alien (other than a nonimmigrant described in subparagraph (L) or (V) of section 1101(a)(15) of this title, and other than a nonimmigrant described in any provision of section 1101(a)(15)(H)(i) of this title except subclause (b1) of such section) shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for a visa, and the immigration officers, at the time of application for admission, that he is entitled to a nonimmigrant status under section 1101(a)(15) of this title. An alien who is an officer or employee of any foreign government or of any international organization entitled to enjoy privileges, exemptions, and immunities under the International Organizations Immunities Act [22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.], or an alien who is the attendant, servant, employee, or member of the immediate family of any such alien shall not be entitled to apply for or receive an immigrant visa, or to enter the United States as an immigrant unless he executes a written waiver in the same form and substance as is prescribed by section 1257(b) of this title. (c) Petition of importing employer (1) The question of importing any alien as a nonimmigrant under subparagraph (H), (L), (O), or (P)(i) of section 1101(a)(15) of this title (excluding nonimmigrants under section 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b1) of this title) in any specific case or specific cases shall be determined by the Attorney General, after consultation with appropriate agencies of the Government, upon petition of the importing employer. Such petition, shall be made and approved before the visa is granted. The petition shall be in such form and contain such information as the Attorney General shall prescribe. The approval of such a petition shall not, of itself, be construed as establi...

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

Also cites: 42 U.S.C. § 295p

How this bill changes current law

7 changes Share ↗

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

The bill introduces a reallocation process for unused J-visa waivers, enhancing their distribution among state agencies.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)

    (4)(A) Beginning on September 30, 2025, and every September 30 thereafter, each State agency that received a waiver under section 212(e) during the fiscal year that ends on that date shall report to the Secretary of State the total number of such waivers that the State agency did not use during such fiscal year.

    This establishes a requirement for state agencies to report unused J-visa waivers.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)

    (B)(i) For fiscal year 2025, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary of State shall-- (I) calculate the total number of unused waivers reported by all State agencies under subparagraph (A); and (II) subject to clause (ii), reallocate such waivers for equal distribution among eligible State agencies for use during the subsequent fiscal year as waivers subject to paragraph (1)(D)(ii) (referred to in this paragraph as `supplemental waivers').

    This mandates the Secretary of State to redistribute unused waivers to eligible agencies.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)

    (ii) In accordance with the 3-year commitment required under paragraph (1)(D), the number of supplemental waivers to be redistributed for use during a subsequent fiscal year shall be the total number of unused waivers described in clause (i)(I) divided by three.

    This specifies how many waivers can be reallocated annually based on a three-year commitment.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)

    (C) In reallocating waivers under subparagraph (B), on January 1, 2025, and every January 1 thereafter, the Secretary of State shall inform each eligible State agency of-- (i) the number of supplemental waivers available to the State agency for the subsequent fiscal year; and (ii) the manner in which the supplemental waivers will be distributed.

    This requires the Secretary of State to communicate the available waivers to state agencies annually.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)

    (D) If the number of supplemental waivers distributed under this paragraph in a fiscal year is less than the total number of supplemental waivers available for distribution in the fiscal year, the difference between the number distributed and the number available for distribution shall be added to the total number of supplemental waivers available for distribution in the subsequent fiscal year.

    This ensures any unused waivers are carried over to the following year for redistribution.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)

    (E) Ten percent of supplemental waivers distributed in a fiscal year shall be used to support positions in 1 or more facilities that serve patients who reside in medically underserved communities (as defined in section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p).

    This allocates a portion of waivers specifically to support health positions in underserved areas.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)

    (F) In this paragraph, the term `eligible State agency' means a State agency that, in the preceding fiscal year, used not fewer than 30 waivers under section 212(e).

    This defines which state agencies are eligible for reallocated waivers based on their prior usage.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 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 healthcare
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 6980 do?
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the reallocation of unused waivers of the foreign residency requirement for certain J-visa holders.
Who sponsors HR 6980?
HR 6980 is sponsored by Nehls, Troy E. (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 6980?
This bill died with 118th 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 6980?
Track HR 6980 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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