H.R. 7946 · 117th Congress

Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022

Introduced on Jun 3, 2022 by Mark Takano (D-CA-41). 36 cosponsors, all from the sponsor's party. Latest action (Dec 7, 2022): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Jun 3, 2022
Cosponsors
36
0 from the other party
Policy area
Immigration
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To provide benefits for noncitizen members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Administrative law and regulatory procedures
  • Advisory bodies
  • Armed Forces and National Security
  • Citizenship and naturalization
  • Computers and information technology
  • Congressional oversight
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Employment and training programs
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Immigration status and procedures
  • Military personnel and dependents

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Dec 6, 2022). Public domain.

Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022

This bill addresses immigration-related issues pertaining to noncitizen (or non-U.S. national) military veterans, including by authorizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide lawful permanent resident status to a veteran subject to removal.

If a noncitizen veteran appears to be eligible for lawful permanent resident status under this bill, that veteran must receive a reasonable opportunity to apply for such status and may not be removed until there is a final administrative decision on the veteran's eligibility.

For the purposes of providing such status under this bill, DHS may waive any applicable grounds of inadmissibility, except for certain crime- or security-related grounds.

The bill also extends certain deadlines relating to obtaining citizenship after serving in the Armed Forces.

DHS must create a system for identifying noncitizens who are or may be veterans. Before initiating removal proceedings against a noncitizen, DHS must attempt to determine whether the noncitizen is a veteran. DHS must ensure that veteran status is considered in immigration proceedings.

The bill also requires U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Defense to take certain actions to facilitate opportunities for military recruits and veterans to obtain U.S. citizenship, such as by training Judge Advocate General Corps members to act as liaisons between the Armed Forces and USCIS on servicemember citizenship applications.

The bill also establishes the Military Family Immigration Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on cases involving the removal of a servicemember, veteran, or certain family members of a servicemember or veteran. Such an individual may not be removed until the committee has provided a recommendation to DHS about the individual's case, unless the individual is inadmissible due to a conviction for an aggravated felony.

The bill also waives certain grounds of inadmissibility (e.g., being unlawfully present in the United States) for certain noncitizens applying for lawful permanent resident status as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen who has served at least two years in the Armed Forces.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Mark TakanoD-CA-41Sponsor

Democrats · 36

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Agreeing to the Amendment
    Dec 6, 2022· House· Amendments· Agreed to 213–207
  2. On Passage
    Dec 6, 2022· House· Passage· Passed 220–208

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Jun 3, 2022Introduced in House
  2. Jun 3, 2022Introduced in House
  3. Jun 3, 2022 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and Armed Services, 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.
  4. Jun 3, 2022 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and Armed Services, 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.
  5. Jun 3, 2022 · HouseReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and Armed Services, 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.
  6. Jul 27, 2022 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  7. Jul 27, 2022 · HouseOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 16.
  8. Nov 15, 2022Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 117-558, Part I.
  9. Nov 15, 2022 · HouseReported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 117-558, Part I.
  10. Nov 15, 2022Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged.
  11. Nov 15, 2022 · HouseCommittee on Veterans' Affairs discharged.
  12. Nov 15, 2022Committee on Armed Services discharged.
  13. Nov 15, 2022 · HouseCommittee on Armed Services discharged.
  14. Nov 15, 2022 · HousePlaced on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 400.
  15. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1508 Reported to House. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 3648, under a structured rule and H.R. 7946, under a structured rule. The resolution waives the requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII for a two-thirds vote to consider a report from the Committee on Rules on the same day it is presented to the House with respect to any resolution reported through the remainder of the 117th Congress.
  16. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseRule H. Res. 1508 passed House.
  17. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1508. (consideration: CR H8763-8773; text: CR H8763-8765)
  18. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseThe resolution provides consideration of H.R. 3648, under a structured rule and H.R. 7946, under a structured rule. The resolution waives the requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII for a two-thirds vote to consider a report from the Committee on Rules on the same day it is presented to the House with respect to any resolution reported through the remainder of the 117th Congress.
  19. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 7946.
  20. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1508, the House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Vicente Gonzalez amendment no. 1.
  21. Dec 6, 2022Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 208 (Roll no. 503).House · Roll call 503
  22. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 208 (Roll no. 503).House · Roll call 503
  23. Dec 6, 2022 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  24. Dec 7, 2022 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LIFE INSURERS1 report
    $1M reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2023.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 5, 2026 · loaded Oct 5, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.