HB1037, titled the Voter Eligibility Verification Act of 2025, would amend federal immigration law to require the Department of Homeland Security to respond more quickly to state requests for information about an individual’s citizenship or immigration status. Specifically, it would change Section 642(c) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to require DHS to provide the requested verification or status information, including immigration status for individuals on a list of potential voters, within 15 days of a request from a state Attorney General or Secretary of State.
The bill is aimed at helping states verify voter eligibility by obtaining citizenship-status information from DHS more promptly. It would not create a new voter registration system, but it would strengthen the obligation on DHS to share status information with state election officials and attorneys general when they are reviewing potential voters. In practical terms, the bill could affect state election administration, voter-roll review, and intergovernmental information-sharing procedures related to citizenship verification.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend 8 U.S.C. 1373(c) to impose a specific 15-day deadline on DHS for responding to qualifying state requests for immigration or citizenship status information. This would expand and clarify the federal government’s duty to provide status verification to state Attorneys General and Secretaries of State, particularly for use in voter eligibility checks. The measure could affect DHS administrative processes, state election officials, and state efforts to identify noncitizens on voter lists.
Sentiment
There is limited recorded discussion or voting history for the bill, so sentiment must be inferred primarily from its sponsorship and purpose. The bill appears to have support from lawmakers focused on election integrity and stricter voter eligibility verification, as reflected by its title and the group of Republican sponsors. No committee transcript or vote data is available here to show broader bipartisan support or opposition.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely to be whether the bill is an appropriate and effective tool for election security or an unnecessary expansion of state access to federal immigration data. Supporters are likely to argue that states need timely citizenship information to maintain accurate voter rolls and prevent ineligible voting. Opponents may raise concerns about privacy, federal-state data sharing, the reliability of immigration-status databases, and the potential for the measure to burden DHS or be used in ways that could chill lawful voter participation.