# 119-s-3054: Kayla Hamilton Act 119-s-3054, Kayla Hamilton Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX); status introduced (as of 2026-07-26). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3054 - As of: 2026-07-26 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-3054 - Congress: 119 - Title: Kayla Hamilton Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-10-23 - Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX) - Cosponsors: 13 - Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement - Touches household money: no - Last recorded action: 2026-07-26 ## Summary **Tightened placement and vetting rules for unaccompanied alien children.** The Kayla Hamilton Act would amend existing child placement laws to require coordinated, risk‑based decisions, stronger background checks, and closer information sharing across agencies. - Families and children: Establishes a “Safe and Secure Placements” framework that would require the Department of Health and Human Services to consult with Homeland Security and the Justice Department before any placement, screen for gang indicators, and obtain criminal records for unaccompanied children age 12 and older to assess flight risk and danger to self or others. - Sponsors and households: Before placement, HHS would have to provide DHS detailed information about the sponsor and every adult resident including name, Social Security number or ITIN, dates of birth, address, immigration status, contact details, and results of background checks such as the national sex offender registry and fingerprint‑based criminal history checks. - Agencies and public safety: The bill would allow secure placements through immigration proceedings for children deemed flight risks or dangers and would bar placement with individuals who have specified serious criminal histories while giving the Attorney General authority to designate other disqualifying offenses. ## Cosponsors (13) - Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] (R-SC), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL] (R-AL), 2025-10-23T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-10-27T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Graham, Darline [R-SC] (R-SC), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - ORR must follow TVPRA and favor least restrictive: benefit, low. This bill would require the Office of Refugee Resettlement to make placement decisions using the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act placement rules. It would also require HHS to promptly place a child in the least restrictive setting that is in the child's best interest unless a lis… - Screening and secure placement for ages 12 and up: mixed, low. This bill would require HHS to screen children age 12 and older for gang activity and to contact the child's consulate for arrest and conviction records. It would allow placing a child 12 or older in a secure facility during immigration proceedings if the child is a flight risk, dangerous, or has c… - Stricter sponsor checks and data sharing: mixed, low. This bill would require HHS to give DHS detailed identifying information for any prospective sponsor and every adult household resident before a placement. It would require sex-offender registry checks, public-records checks, and national fingerprint-based criminal checks. The bill would also bar p… - When rules take effect and exemptions: mixed, low. This bill would make its placement and custody rules effective on the date of enactment and apply them to pending and future cases. It would also let DHS, HHS, State, and the Attorney General skip normal Paperwork Reduction Act or Administrative Procedure Act steps if the officials decide those ste… ## Related bills - 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 - 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act - 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025 - 119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act - 119-s-9: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 - 119-s-65: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-s-3054 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3054) ## Related - [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071) - [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401) - [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186) - [119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-6) - [119-s-9: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-9) - [119-s-65: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-65) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3054 (as of 2026-07-26).