H.R. 3987: No Community Development Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities Act

This bill, titled the No Community Development Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities Act, proposes to deny community development block grants to jurisdictions designated as "sanctuary jurisdictions." Here’s a breakdown of what this means:

Definition of Sanctuary Jurisdictions

A sanctuary jurisdiction is defined in the bill as any state or local government that:

• Has laws or policies that restrict the sharing of information about individuals’ citizenship or immigration status with federal, state, or local authorities, or
• Fails to comply with requests from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the detention or notification about individuals based on their immigration status.

However, there is an exception: if a government entity does not share information or comply with requests from federal authorities for individuals who report being victims or witnesses of crimes, it will not be classified as a sanctuary jurisdiction solely for that reason.

Impact on Community Development Block Grants

The bill also amends the existing law governing community development block grants by adding criteria that grant applicants must meet. Specifically:

• Entities applying for these grants cannot be classified as sanctuary jurisdictions at any point during the time they are receiving funding.

Legislative Action

The bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and has been referred to the Committee on Financial Services for further consideration and discussion.

Goals of the Bill

The overall objective of the bill is to ensure that jurisdictions that adopt policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement do not receive federal funding through community development block grants. This aims to encourage compliance with federal immigration laws and discourage sanctuary policies at the state and local levels.

Relevant Companies

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