119-hr696

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 696 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 696

 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform temporary 
 protected status, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 23, 2025

Mr. Nehls (for himself, Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Biggs of Arizona, 
and Mr. Van Drew) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
 the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on 
Homeland Security, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period 
 to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
 committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform temporary 
 protected status, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``End Unaccountable Amnesty Act''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS.

    (a) Power To Designate a Foreign State.--

Section 244

    (b) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a

    (b) ) is amended--

    (1) by striking paragraphs

    (1) ,

    (2) , and

    (3) and inserting 
 the following:
 ``

    (1) Initial designation.--For purposes of this section, a 
 foreign state may be designated upon the enactment of an Act 
 that satisfies the following requirements:
 ``
        (A) The Act shall contain a 

=== finding ===
-
 ``
            (i) that there is an ongoing armed 
 conflict within the state and, due to such 
 conflict, requiring the return of aliens who 
 are nationals of that state (or to the part of 
 the state) would pose a serious threat to their 
 personal safety;
 ``
            (ii) that--
 ``
            (I) there has been an earthquake, 
 flood, drought, epidemic, or other 
 immediately life-threatening 
 environmental disaster in the state 
 resulting in a substantial, but 
 temporary, disruption of living 
 conditions in the area affected;
 ``
            (II) the foreign state is unable, 
 temporarily, to handle adequately the 
 return to the state of aliens who are 
 nationals of the state; and
 ``
            (III) the foreign state 
 officially has requested designation 
 under this subparagraph; or
 ``
            (iii) that there exist extraordinary and 
 temporary conditions in the foreign state that 
 prevent aliens who are nationals of the state 
 from returning to the state in safety and that 
 permitting the aliens to remain temporarily in 
 the United States is not contrary to the 
 national interest of the United States.
 ``
        (B) The Act shall include--
 ``
            (i) an estimate of the number of 
 nationals of the foreign state who are (or 
 within the effective period of the designation 
 are likely to become) eligible for temporary 
 protected status under this section;
 ``
            (ii) such nationals' immigration status 
 in the United States; and
 ``
            (iii) a time period for the effectiveness 
 of the designation that is not greater than 12 
 months.
 ``

    (2) Termination.--
 ``
        (A) Timely termination.--If an initial 
 designation of a foreign state is not extended under 
 paragraph

    (3) , the initial designation shall terminate 
 at the end of the time period described in paragraph

    (1)
        (B)
            (iii) .
 ``
        (B) Early termination.--For purposes of this 
 section, the designation of a foreign state shall be 
 terminated upon the enactment of an Act that contains a 
 finding that the foreign state (or part of such foreign 
 state) no longer meets the conditions for designation 
 under paragraph

    (1)
        (A) .
 ``

    (3) Extension.--For purposes of this section, the time 
 period for the effectiveness of the designation of a foreign 
 state may be extended upon the enactment of an Act that 
 includes--
 ``
        (A) a finding that the conditions for designation 
 under paragraph

    (1)
        (A) continue to be met; and
 ``
        (B) a time period for the effectiveness of the 
 extension that is not greater than 12 months.''; and

    (2) in paragraph

    (5)
        (A) , by striking ``of the Attorney 
 General'' and inserting ``made in any Act''.

    (b) Aliens Lacking Lawful Immigration Status.--

Section 244
            (c) (2)
        (B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a
            (c) (2)
        (B) ) is 
amended--

    (1) in clause
            (i) , by striking ``, or'' at the end and 
 inserting a semicolon;

    (2) in clause
            (ii) , by striking the period at the end and 
 inserting ``; or''; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (iii) the alien lacks a lawful 
 immigration status.''.
            (c) Conforming Amendments.--

Section 244 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a et seq.) is amended--

    (1) in subsection
            (d) (3) , by striking ``If the Attorney 
 General terminates the designation of a foreign state (or part 
 of such foreign state) under subsection

    (b)

    (3)
        (B) '' and 
 inserting ``If the designation of a foreign state (or part of 
 such foreign state) is terminated under 

section 244

    (b)

    (2) ''; 
 and

    (2) in subsection
            (i) (1) --
        (A) in subparagraph
        (A) , by striking the comma at 
 the end and adding ``; and'';
        (B) in subparagraph
        (B) , by striking ``, and'' at 
 the end and inserting a period; and
            (C) by striking subparagraph
            (C) .
            (d) Technical Corrections.--

Section 244 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a), as amended by subsections

    (a) and

    (b) of this section, is further amended by striking ``Attorney General'' 
each place it appears and inserting ``Secretary of Homeland Security''.

SEC. 3. UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHILDREN.

    (a) Repatriation of Unaccompanied Alien Children.--

    (1) In general.--

Section 235 of the William Wilberforce 
 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 
 U.S.C. 1232) is amended--
        (A) in subsection

    (a) --
            (i) in paragraph

    (2) --
            (I) by amending the heading to read 
 as follows: ``Rules for unaccompanied 
 alien children.--'';
            (II) in subparagraph
        (A) --

    (aa) in the matter 
 preceding clause
            (i) , by 
 striking ``who is a national or 
 habitual resident of a country 
 that is contiguous with the 
 United States'';

    (bb) in clause
            (i) , by 
 inserting ``and'' at the end;
            (cc) in clause
            (ii) , by 
 striking ``; and'' and 
 inserting a period; and
            (dd) by striking clause
            (iii) ; and
            (III) in subparagraph
        (B) --

    (aa) in the matter 
 preceding clause
            (i) , by 
 striking ``(8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
 seq.) may--'' and inserting 
 ``(8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.)--'';

    (bb) in clause
            (i) , by 
 inserting before ``permit such 
 child to withdraw'' the 
 following: ``may''; and
            (cc) in clause
            (ii) , by 
 inserting before ``return such 
 child'' the following: 
 ``shall''; and
            (ii) in paragraph

    (5)
            (D) --
            (I) in the matter preceding clause
            (i) , by striking ``, except for an 
 unaccompanied alien child from a 
 contiguous country subject to 
 exceptions under subsection

    (a)

    (2) ,'' 
 and inserting ``who does not meet the 
 criteria listed in paragraph

    (2)
        (A) ''; 
 and
            (II) in clause
            (i) , by inserting 
 before the semicolon at the end the 
 following: ``, which shall include a 
 hearing before an immigration judge not 
 later than 14 days after being screened 
 under paragraph

    (4) '';
        (B) in subsection

    (b) --
            (i) in paragraph

    (2) --
            (I) in subparagraph
        (A) , by 
 inserting before the semicolon the 
 following: ``believed not to meet the 
 criteria listed in subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) ''; and
            (II) in subparagraph
        (B) , by 
 inserting before the period the 
 following: ``and does not meet the 
 criteria listed in subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) ''; and
            (ii) in paragraph

    (3) , by striking ``an 
 unaccompanied alien child in custody shall'' 
 and all that follows, and inserting the 
 following: ``an unaccompanied alien child in 
 custody--
 ``
        (A) in the case of a child who does not meet the 
 criteria listed in subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) , shall transfer 
 the custody of such child to the Secretary of Health 
 and Human Services not later than 30 days after 
 determining that such child is an unaccompanied alien 
 child who does not meet such criteria; or
 ``
        (B) in the case of a child who meets the criteria 
 listed in subsection

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) , may transfer the 
 custody of such child to the Secretary of Health and 
 Human Services after determining that such child is an 
 unaccompanied alien child who meets such criteria.''; 
 and
            (C) in subsection
            (c) --
            (i) in paragraph

    (3) , by inserting at the 
 end the following:
 ``
            (D) Information about individuals with whom 
 children are placed.--
 ``
            (i) Information to be provided to 
 homeland security.--Before placing a child with 
 an individual, the Secretary of Health and 
 Human Services shall provide to the Secretary 
 of Homeland Security, regarding the individual 
 with whom the child will be placed, information 
 on--
 ``
            (I) the name of the individual;
 ``
            (II) the social security number 
 of the individual;
 ``
            (III) the date of birth of the 
 individual;
 ``
            (IV) the location of the 
 individual's residence where the child 
 will be placed;
 ``
            (V) the immigration status of the 
 individual, if known; and
 ``
            (VI) contact information for the 
 individual.
 ``
            (ii) Activities of the secretary of 
 homeland security.--Not later than 30 days 
 after receiving the information listed in 
 clause
            (i) , the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
 upon determining that an individual with whom a 
 child is placed is unlawfully present in the 
 United States and not in removal proceedings 
 pursuant to chapter 4 of title II of the 
 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1221 
 et seq.), shall initiate such removal 
 proceedings.''; and
            (ii) in paragraph

    (5) --
            (I) by inserting after ``to the 
 greatest extent practicable'' the 
 following: ``(at no expense to the 
 Government)''; and
            (II) by striking ``have counsel to 
 represent them'' and inserting ``have 
 access to counsel to represent them''.

    (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by this section 
 shall apply to any unaccompanied alien child (as such term is 
 defined in 

section 462

    (g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
 (6 U.S.C. 279

    (g) )) apprehended on or after the date that is 30 
 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

    (b) Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for Immigrants Unable To 
Reunite With Either Parent.--

Section 101

    (a)

    (27)
        (J) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101

    (a)

    (27)
        (J) ) is amended--

    (1) in clause
            (i) , by striking ``, and whose reunification 
 with 1 or both of the immigrant's parents is not viable due to 
 abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis found under 
 State law''; and

    (2) in clause
            (iii) --
        (A) in subclause
            (I) , by striking ``and'' at the 
 end;
        (B) in subclause
            (II) , by inserting ``and'' after 
 the semicolon; and
            (C) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (III) an alien may not be granted 
 special immigrant status under this 
 subparagraph if the alien's 
 reunification with any one parent or 
 legal guardian is not precluded by 
 abuse, neglect, abandonment, or any 
 similar cause under State law;''.
            (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to limit the following procedures or practices relating to an 
unaccompanied alien child (as defined in 

section 462

    (g)

    (2) of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279

    (g)

    (2) )):

    (1) Screening of such a child for a credible fear of return 
 to his or her country of origin.

    (2) Screening of such a child to determine whether he or 
 she was a victim of trafficking.

    (3) Department of Health and Human Services policy in 
 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act requiring a 
 home study for such a child if he or she is under 12 years of 
 age.

SEC. 4. REPEAL OF CANCELLATION OF REMOVAL; ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.

    (a) Repeal.--

Section 240A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1229b) is repealed.

    (b) Conforming Amendments.--The Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is amended--

    (1) in 

section 101

    (a) --
        (A) in paragraph

    (13)
            (C) 
            (v) , by striking ``or 
 240A

    (a) ''; and
        (B) in paragraph

    (50) , by striking ``, 
 204

    (a)

    (1)
        (B)
            (ii) 
            (II) (aa) 

    (BB) , or 
 240A

    (b)

    (2)
        (A)
            (i) 
            (III) '' and inserting ``or 
 204

    (a)

    (1)
        (B)
            (ii) 
            (II) (aa) 

    (BB) '';

    (2) by striking 

section 201

    (b)

    (1)
            (D) ;

    (3) in 

section 240--
        (A) in subsection

    (b)

    (7) , by striking ``240A,'';
        (B) in subsection
            (c) (7)
            (C) 
            (iv) 
            (I) , by striking 
 ``clause
            (ii) or
            (iii) of 

section 204

    (a)

    (1)
        (B) , or 
 240A

    (b)

    (2) '' and inserting ``or clause
            (ii) or
            (iii) of 
 

section 204

    (a)

    (1)
        (B) ''; and
            (C) in subsection

    (e) , by striking ``and 

section 240A'';

    (4) in 

section 240B
            (d) --
        (A) in paragraph

    (1)
        (B) , by striking ``240A,''; and
        (B) in paragraph

    (2) --
            (i) by striking ``240A or''; and
            (ii) by striking ``under 

section 240A

    (b)

    (2) , or'';

    (5) in 

section 242

    (a)

    (2)
        (B)
            (i) , by striking ``240A,'';

    (6) by striking 

section 244

    (e) ;

    (7) in 

section 245
            (l) (7) , by striking ``240A

    (b)

    (2) ,'' and

    (8) by striking 

section 504

    (k)

    (3) .

SEC. 5. PROHIBITED IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS FOR AIR TRAVEL.

    (a) Prohibited Identification Documents at Airport Security 
Checkpoints.--The Administrator of the Transportation Security 
Administration may not accept as valid proof of identification a 
prohibited identification document at an airport security checkpoint.

    (b) Prohibition on Operations for Certain Air Carriers.--

    (1) In general.--Chapter 401 of title 49, United States 
 Code, is amended by inserting after 

section 40130 the 
 following:
``

Sec. 40131. Prohibition on operations for air carriers allowing use 
 of prohibited identification documents
 ``An air carrier or foreign air carrier may not operate an aircraft 
in foreign air transportation or land such aircraft at any airport in 
the United States if the air carrier or foreign air carrier allows the 
use of a prohibited identification document (as such term is defined in 

section 5 of the End Executive Branch Amnesty Act of 2025) as 
identification to board such aircraft.''.

    (2) Clerical amendment.--The analysis for chapter 401 of 
 title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the 
 item relating to 

section 40130 the following:

``40131. Prohibition on operations for air carriers allowing use of 
 prohibited identification documents.''.
            (c) === Definition. ===
-In this section, the term ``prohibited 
identification document'' means any of the following:

    (1) The U.S. Customs and Border Protection One Mobile App.

    (2) A Notice to Appear issued by the Department of Homeland 
 Security.

    (3) A Notice to Report issued by the Department of Homeland 
 Security.

SEC. 6. IMMIGRATION PAROLE REFORM.

    (a) In General.--

Section 212
            (d) (5) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182
            (d) (5) ) is amended to read as follows:
 ``

    (5)
        (A) Except as provided in subparagraphs
        (B) and
            (C) and 

section 214

    (f) , the Secretary of Homeland Security, in the 
 discretion of the Secretary, may temporarily parole into the 
 United States any alien applying for admission to the United 
 States who is not present in the United States, under such 
 conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, on a case-by-case 
 basis, and not according to eligibility criteria describing an 
 entire class of potential parole recipients, for urgent 
 humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Parole 
 granted under this subparagraph may not be regarded as an 
 admission of the alien. When the purposes of such parole have 
 been served in the opinion of the Secretary, the alien shall 
 immediately return or be returned to the custody from which the 
 alien was paroled. After such return, the case of the alien 
 shall be dealt with in the same manner as the case of any other 
 applicant for admission to the United States.
 ``
        (B) The Secretary of Homeland Security may grant parole 
 to any alien who--
 ``
            (i) is present in the United States without 
 lawful immigration status;
 ``
            (ii) is the beneficiary of an approved petition 
 under 

section 203

    (a) ;
 ``
            (iii) is not otherwise inadmissible or removable; 
 and
 ``
            (iv) is the spouse or child of a member of the 
 Armed Forces serving on active duty.
 ``
            (C) The Secretary of Homeland Security may grant parole 
 to any alien--
 ``
            (i) who is a national of the Republic of Cuba and 
 is living in the Republic of Cuba;
 ``
            (ii) who is the beneficiary of an approved 
 petition under 

section 203

    (a) ;
 ``
            (iii) for whom an immigrant visa is not 
 immediately available;
 ``
            (iv) who meets all eligibility requirements for 
 an immigrant visa;
 ``
            (v) who is not otherwise inadmissible; and
 ``
            (vi) who is receiving a grant of parole in 
 furtherance of the commitment of the United States to 
 the minimum level of annual legal migration of Cuban 
 nationals to the United States specified in the U.S.-
 Cuba Joint Communique on Migration, done at New York 
 September 9, 1994, and reaffirmed in the Cuba-United 
 States: Joint Statement on Normalization of Migration, 
 Building on the Agreement of September 9, 1994, done at 
 New York May 2, 1995.
 ``
            (D) The Secretary of Homeland Security may grant parole 
 to an alien who is returned to a contiguous country under 
 

section 235

    (b)

    (2)
            (C) to allow the alien to attend the alien's 
 immigration hearing. The grant of parole shall not exceed the 
 time required for the alien to be escorted to, and attend, the 
 alien's immigration hearing scheduled on the same calendar day 
 as the grant, and to immediately thereafter be escorted back to 
 the contiguous country. A grant of parole under this 
 subparagraph shall not be considered for purposes of 
 determining whether the alien is inadmissible under this Act.
 ``
        (E) For purposes of determining an alien's eligibility 
 for parole under subparagraph
        (A) , an urgent humanitarian 
 reason shall be limited to circumstances in which the alien 
 establishes that--
 ``
            (i) 
            (I) the alien has a medical emergency; and
 ``
            (II) (aa) the alien cannot obtain necessary 
 treatment in the foreign state in which the alien is 
 residing; or
 ``

    (bb) the medical emergency is life-threatening 
 and there is insufficient time for the alien to be 
 admitted through the normal visa process;
 ``
            (ii) the alien is the parent or legal guardian of 
 an alien described in clause
            (i) and the alien 
 described in clause
            (i) is a minor;
 ``
            (iii) the alien is needed in the United States in 
 order to donate an organ or other tissue for transplant 
 and there is insufficient time for the alien to be 
 admitted through the normal visa process;
 ``
            (iv) the alien has a close family member in the 
 United States whose death is imminent and the alien 
 could not arrive in the United States in time to see 
 such family member alive if the alien were to be 
 admitted through the normal visa process;
 ``
            (v) the alien is seeking to attend the funeral of 
 a close family member and the alien could not arrive in 
 the United States in time to attend such funeral if the 
 alien were to be admitted through the normal visa 
 process;
 ``
            (vi) the alien is an adopted child with an urgent 
 medical condition who is in the legal custody of the 
 petitioner for a final adoption-related visa and whose 
 medical treatment is required before the expected award 
 of a final adoption-related visa; or
 ``
            (vii) the alien is a lawful applicant for 
 adjustment of status under 

section 245 and is returning 
 to the United States after temporary travel abroad.
 ``
        (F) For purposes of determining an alien's eligibility 
 for parole under subparagraph
        (A) , a significant public benefit 
 may be determined to result from the parole of an alien only 
 if--
 ``
            (i) the alien has assisted (or will assist, 
 whether knowingly or not) the United States Government 
 in a law enforcement matter;
 ``
            (ii) the alien's presence is required by the 
 Government in furtherance of such law enforcement 
 matter; and
 ``
            (iii) the alien is inadmissible, does not satisfy 
 the eligibility requirements for admission as a 
 nonimmigrant, or there is insufficient time for the 
 alien to be admitted through the normal visa process.
 ``
        (G) For purposes of determining an alien's eligibility 
 for parole under subparagraph
        (A) , the term `case-by-case 
 basis' means that the facts in each individual case are 
 considered and parole is not granted based on membership in a 
 defined class of aliens to be granted parole. The fact that 
 aliens are considered for or granted parole one-by-one and not 
 as a group is not sufficient to establish that the parole 
 decision is made on a `case-by-case basis'.
 ``
        (H) The Secretary of Homeland Security may not use the 
 parole authority under this paragraph to parole an alien into 
 the United States for any reason or purpose other than those 
 described in subparagraphs
        (B) ,
            (C) ,
            (D) ,
        (E) , and
        (F) .
 ``
            (I) An alien granted parole may not accept employment, 
 except that an alien granted parole pursuant to subparagraph
        (B) or
            (C) is authorized to accept employment for the duration 
 of the parole, as evidenced by an employment authorization 
 document issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
 ``
        (J) Parole granted after a departure from the United 
 States shall not be regarded as an admission of the alien. An 
 alien granted parole, whether as an initial grant of parole or 
 parole upon reentry into the United States, is not eligible to 
 adjust status to lawful permanent residence or for any other 
 immigration benefit if the immigration status the alien had at 
 the time of departure did not authorize the alien to adjust 
 status or to be eligible for such benefit.
 ``
        (K)
            (i) Except as provided in clauses
            (ii) and
            (iii) , 
 parole shall be granted to an alien under this paragraph for 
 the shorter of--
 ``
            (I) a period of sufficient length to accomplish 
 the activity described in subparagraph
            (D) ,
        (E) , or
        (F) for which the alien was granted parole; or
 ``
            (II) 1 year.
 ``
            (ii) Grants of parole pursuant to subparagraph
        (A) may be 
 extended once, in the discretion of the Secretary, for an 
 additional period that is the shorter of--
 ``
            (I) the period that is necessary to accomplish 
 the activity described in subparagraph
        (E) or
        (F) for 
 which the alien was granted parole; or
 ``
            (II) 1 year.
 ``
            (iii) Aliens who have a pending application to adjust 
 status to permanent residence under 

section 245 may request 
 extensions of parole under this paragraph, in 1-year 
 increments, until the application for adjustment has been 
 adjudicated. Such parole shall terminate immediately upon the 
 denial of such adjustment application.
 ``
            (L) The total number of aliens granted parole under this 
 paragraph during any fiscal year may not exceed 1,000.
 ``
            (M) Not later than 90 days after the last day of each 
 fiscal year, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to 
 the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee 
 on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and make 
 available to the public, a report--
 ``
            (i) identifying the total number of aliens 
 paroled into the United States under this paragraph 
 during the previous fiscal year; and
 ``
            (ii) containing information and data regarding 
 all aliens paroled during such fiscal year, including--
 ``
            (I) the duration of parole;
 ``
            (II) the type of parole; and
 ``
            (III) the current status of the aliens so 
 paroled.''.

    (b) Implementation.--

    (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph

    (2) , this 
 section and the amendments made by this section shall take 
 effect on the date that is 30 days after the date of the 
 enactment of this Act.

    (2) Exceptions.--Notwithstanding paragraph

    (1) , each of the 
 following exceptions apply:
        (A) Any application for parole or advance parole 
 filed by an alien before the date of the enactment of 
 this Act shall be adjudicated under the law that was in 
 effect on the date on which the application was 
 properly filed and any approved advance parole shall 
 remain valid under the law that was in effect on the 
 date on which the advance parole was approved.
        (B) Section 212
            (d) (5)
        (J) of the Immigration and 
 Nationality Act, as added by subsection

    (a) , shall take 
 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (C) Aliens who were paroled into the United States 
 pursuant to 

section 212
            (d) (5)
        (A) of the Immigration and 
 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182
            (d) (5)
        (A) ) before January 
 1, 2023, shall continue to be subject to the terms of 
 parole that were in effect on the date on which their 
 respective parole was approved.
            (c) Cause of Action.--Any person, State, or local government that 
experiences financial harm in excess of $1,000 due to a failure of the 
Federal Government to lawfully apply the provisions of this section or 
the amendments made by this section shall have standing to bring a 
civil action against the Federal Government in an appropriate district 
court of the United States for appropriate relief.
            (d) Severability.--If any provision of this section or any 
amendment by this section, or the application of such provision or 
amendment to any person or circumstance, is held to be 
unconstitutional, the remainder of this section and the application of 
such provision or amendment to any other person or circumstance shall 
not be affected.
 <all>