NEGATIVE Immigration 119th Congress

H.R.4371 Kayla Hamilton Act

Kayla Hamilton Act — expands detention and enforcement for unaccompanied minors and immigration violations (119th Congress)

View on Congress.gov

Legal & Constitutional Grounding

The Flores Settlement requires children be held in the least restrictive setting and released promptly.

5th Amendment, Due Process Clause — prolonged government custody of children without adequate sponsor placement options raises due process concerns

Flores Settlement Agreement (1997) — binding consent decree requiring children be held in least restrictive setting and released within 3-5 days to appropriate adults
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art. 37(b) — detention of children shall be a measure of last resort for the shortest appropriate period

Bill activity

Introduced Jul 14, 2025 by Russell Fry (R-SC) with 2 original cosponsors. Passed the House Dec 16, 2025, 225-201.

Reached the House floor after the House Committee on the Judiciary reported it (H. Rept. 119-345), under a special rule from the Rules Committee (H.Res.951).

Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY-18) is not listed among the cosponsors of this bill. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY-18) voted nay on the House roll call counted in grades (roll no. 340, Dec 16, 2025).

IntroducedJul 14, 2025
Passed HouseDec 16, 2025
Passed Senate
To President
Became Law

Latest action Dec 17, 2025: Received in the Senate.

2 original cosponsors:

Barry Moore (R-AL)
Troy E. Nehls (R-TX)

Cosponsorship closed Oct 17, 2025 (119th Congress): the House Judiciary Committee reported the bill.

Activity log

Source: Congress.gov actions

July 2025
Jul 14
Introduced in House
Jul 14
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Jul 14
2 original cosponsors on the day of introduction
- Barry Moore R-AL, original
- Troy E. Nehls R-TX, original
September 2025
Sep 10
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session HeldHouse
Sep 10
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 16 - 13.House
October 2025
Oct 17
Reported (Amended) by the House Committee on the Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-345.
Oct 17
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 297.House
December 2025
Dec 16
House floor day: vote on the rule (H.Res.951), motion to recommit, passage (15 steps)
1. 9:59 amRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 951 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4776, H.R. 1366, H.R. 845, H.R. 3616, H.R. 3632 and H.R. 4371. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4776, under a...
2. 2:00 pmOn ordering the previous question Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 215 - 207 (Roll no. 337).
3. 2:32 pmPassed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 215 - 209 (Roll no. 338).
4. 2:32 pmRule H. Res. 951 passed House.
5. 2:35 pmConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 951.
6. 2:35 pmRule provides for consideration of H.R. 4776, H.R. 1366, H.R. 845, H.R. 3616, H.R. 3632 and H.R. 4371. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4776, under a structured rule and H.R. 1366, H.R. 845, H.R. 3616, H.R....
7. 2:36 pmDEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 4371.
8. 3:23 pmThe previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
9. 3:24 pmMs. Stansbury moved to recommit to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
10. 3:24 pmThe previous question on the motion to recommit was ordered pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX.
11. 3:24 pmPOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate H.R. 4371, the Chair put the question on motion to recommit and announced that the ayes had prevailed. Ms. Stansbury demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed...
12. 4:15 pmConsidered as unfinished business.
13. 4:47 pmOn motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 208 - 218 (Roll no. 339).
14. 4:53 pmOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 225 - 201 (Roll no. 340). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H5921-5922)
15. 4:53 pmThe title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
Dec 16
House vote: Passage of the billCounted in grades
Passed, 225-201
Of 2 cosponsors: 2 voted yea, 0 voted nay.
Member breakdown · Official House roll call 340
Dec 16
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.House
Dec 17
Received in the Senate.

Votes on this bill

4 votes: 4 recorded roll calls and 0 decided without a recorded vote, 0 of them on amendments. Votes counted in grades are marked.

Dec 16, 20252:00 pmHouseVote to end debate on the rule (ordering the previous question)
H.Res.951On ordering the previous question Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 215 - 207 (Roll no. 337).Agreed to215-207Nay

Party	Yea	Nay	Not voting
Democratic	0	207	6
Republican	215	0	5
Independent	0	0	0
Total	215	207	11

Official House roll call

Dec 16, 20252:32 pmHouseVote on the rule (H.Res.951)On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 215 - 209 (Roll no. 338).Agreed to215-209Nay

Party	Yea	Nay	Not voting
Democratic	0	207	6
Republican	215	2	3
Independent	0	0	0
Total	215	209	9

Official House roll call

Dec 16, 20254:47 pmHouseMotion to recommit (send the bill back to committee)On motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 208 - 218 (Roll no. 339).Failed208-218Yea

Party	Yea	Nay	Not voting
Democratic	208	0	5
Republican	0	218	2
Independent	0	0	0
Total	208	218	7

Official House roll call

Dec 16, 20254:53 pmHousePassage of the billCounted in gradesOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 225 - 201 (Roll no. 340). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H5921-5922)Passed225-201Nay

Counted in grades

Of 2 cosponsors: 2 voted yea, 0 voted nay. Question voted on: Passage of the bill

Party	Yea	Nay	Not voting
Democratic	7	201	5
Republican	218	0	2
Independent	0	0	0
Total	225	201	7

Official House roll call

Amendments

1 amendment: 1 agreed to.

Agreed to (1)

H.Amdt.135Dec 16
Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 951, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary is considered adopted.Without a recorded vote

Who Lobbied on This Bill

$110K combined quarterly activity

3 lobbying firms

4 clients represented

2025-fourth_quarter filing period

Policy Areas Covered

Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Immigration

Government Entities Lobbied

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SENATE

Who Hired the Lobbyists

CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY (CLASP)
MOVEON.ORG CIVIC ACTION 501(c)(4) organization which focuses on nonpartisan education and advocacy on natl. issues
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION Protecting civil liberties
COMMUNITY CHANGE ACTION Economic justice, immigration reform, retirement security and affordable housing.

Source: Senate LDA filings · Dollar figures are combined quarterly totals for all lobbying by each firm, not bill-specific spend.

Expands detention and restricts placement options for unaccompanied migrant minors. The bill prohibits placement with sponsors who lack legal status, increasing the risk of prolonged government custody for vulnerable children.