With support for “queen-of-the-hill” rule, Denham-Hurd Dreamer bill edges closer to House floor

Four bills offering legislative solutions to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy have gained enough bipartisan support to advance to the floor of the U.S. House for debate under the so-called “queen-of-the-hill” rule, an effort spearheaded by U.S. Reps. Jeff Denham (R-CA) and Will Hurd (R-TX).

Joined by U.S. Reps. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Denham and Hurd announced on April 18 that 240 bipartisan cosponsors supported using the rule to advance legislation to help Dreamers, individuals who were brought to the United States without documents as children. Under the queen-of-the-hill rule, the bill that receives the highest number of votes above the mandatory majority-vote threshold would pass the House and move to the Senate for consideration, according to the lawmakers’ offices.

Rep. Denham lead sponsored the measure to invoke the rule, H.Res. 774, on March 13, and the support from 190 Democrats and 50 Republicans far exceeds the 218 votes needed to approve the measure in the House, a written statement from the offices of the congressmen said.

The Uniting and Securing America (USA) Act of 2018, H.R. 4796, which Reps. Denham and Hurd introduced on Jan. 16 with Reps. Aguilar and Lujan Grisham, would advance to the House floor under the rule. H.R. 4796 would provide recipients of DACA protections, or Dreamers, pathways to earn permanent U.S. resident status by meeting educational, military or employment conditions.

“We cannot avoid action any longer,” said Rep. Hurd, whose congressional district spans 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. “We must secure our border and create a permanent legislative fix for DACA recipients. I am proud to continue my bipartisan work to advance the narrowly focused USA Act through the queen-of-the-hill rule offered by Rep. Denham. The support of so many Republicans and Democrats proves that we can solve these problems in a bipartisan way.”

H.R. 4796 also outlines a comprehensive plan to secure the southern border. Security requirements for technology would be enhanced and physical barriers would be constructed where needed. Additionally, more immigration judges would be added to address the current backlog in immigration courts.

“It’s time that Congress does its job and moves forward with one unified, bipartisan strategy for our Dreamers,” Rep. Denham said. “We have the support for an open debate and a vote; no more excuses, no more delays.”

Rep. Aguilar noted it has been more than seven months since President Donald Trump announced that the DACA program would end.

“Despite multiple bipartisan attempts to solve this problem and create long-term certainty for Dreamers with bills like the USA Act, we still have not been allowed to take a vote on the House floor,” Rep. Aguilar said. “I’m proud to support this rule because it would truly let the House work its will and give Dreamers the vote on a pathway to citizenship that they deserve.”

Other DACA measures under the rule that would be allowed to proceed to a vote include the Securing America’s Future Act of 2018, H.R. 4760, introduced by U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), who serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. A plan from the House Republican leadership and the Dream Act of 2017 from lead sponsor U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), H.R. 3440, are the two other measures.

Neil Bradley, the executive vice president and chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, voiced support for efforts of Reps. Hurd, Denham, Aguilar and Lujan Grisham to push a “long-overdue” immigration debate in the House. “We hope their work on House Resolution 774 leads to a serious debate on bipartisan legislation that addresses the plight of Dreamers and implements much-needed improvements to our nation’s border security efforts.”

Jeremy Robbins, the executive director of New American Economy, said people want their leaders to lead on immigration reform. “A deal to secure the border and protect Dreamers makes sense to both sides of the aisle, and we applaud Rep. Denham for taking the initiative and creating a path through the gridlock,” Robbins said.