# H.R. 4371 (119th): Kayla Hamilton Act

Kayla Hamilton Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider additional information when it makes placement determinations for unaccompanied alien children in its custody. Under federal law, an unaccompanied alien child is a minor with no lawful immigration status and no parent or legal guardian in the United States to provide care and physical custody. Current law requires HHS to (1) place a child in the least restrictive setting that is in the child's best interest, and (2) assess the safety and suitability of a sponsor prior to placing a child with that sponsor. In determining the least restrictive setting, this bill requires (currently, permits) HHS to consider the child's danger to self, danger to the community, and flight risk. Additionally, the bill requires placement in a secure facility in the case of a child who is 13 years of age or older and has gang-related markings or tattoos or a history of gang-related arrests or criminal conduct. In assessing the safety and suitability of a sponsor, this bill requires HHS to collect and provide to the Department of Homeland Security information about all adult residents of the household, including name, date of birth, Social Security number, immigration status, contact information, and the results of all background and criminal records checks. The bill also prohibits HHS from placing a child with a sponsor who is unlawfully present in the United States.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: child_welfare. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: detention_placement. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: family_policy. Category: children. Lane tag: command.
Lane: immigration. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: procedural. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: sponsor_screening. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 339: On Motion to Recommit. Vote type: recommit.
Roll 340: On Passage. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill combines a legitimate child-protection goal (screening for danger, flight risk, and sponsor safety) with real concerns: mandatory secure placement based partly on tattoos or markings, and broad disclosure of household members' personal and immigration information to DHS, which may deter sponsors and extend enforcement into family homes. It does not directly advance a clear moral evil such as abuse or corruption of children, nor does it plainly restrain one, so the classification is mixed.
Theological note: Scripture gives strong weight to the protection of vulnerable children and sojourners (for example, Exodus 22:21-22 and Deuteronomy 10:18-19), and the state has a real duty to guard minors from danger, including gang exploitation. The measure also raises issues of household privacy, the dignity of families who host children, and proportionate treatment of minors in custody, which call for prudential weighing under general equity rather than a settled moral verdict.

## Recorded votes

Roll 339: On Motion to Recommit. Yea 208 · Nay 218 · Other 7.
Roll 340: On Passage. Yea 225 · Nay 201 · Other 7.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-4371-119/