Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act
Public Law 116-133 · H.R. 4803 · 116th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Mar 26, 2020 · Immigration
Sponsor: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10)
Cosponsors (13): Rep. Doug Collins, Rep. Adam Smith,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act
This bill establishes that a foreign-born child of a U.S. citizen member of the Armed Forces or government employee may automatically acquire U.S. citizenship even if the child is not residing in the United States.
Currently, a foreign-born child automatically acquires U.S. citizenship if the child (1) has at least one parent who is a citizen, (2) is less than 18 years old, and (3) is residing in the United States in the citizen parent's legal and physical custody pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence. Under this bill, the third requirement is fulfilled if a foreign-born child is (1) living in the legal and physical custody of the citizen Armed Services member or government employee who has been stationed abroad (or the accompanying spouse of such a citizen), and (2) lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 2679Related bill
Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.
- Mar 26, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-133.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Mar 16, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Mar 9, 2020FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Mar 5, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 4, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Dec 3, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4803.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Nadler moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Nov 15, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Oct 23, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.