An immigration enforcement law inspired by the death of an Iowa woman last year took a major step toward passage Thursday.

Sarah’s Law — named in honor of Sarah Root, the Council Bluffs woman who was killed in January 2016 in a car accident involving an undocumented immigrant — was included in a larger immigration bill that passed the U.S. House.

It now moves to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

The measure requires federal immigration authorities to take into custody an undocumented immigrant who has been charged with a crime resulting in death or serious injury. In the Root case, the immigrant charged in her death was released on bail and fled before he could be prosecuted.

The proposal has been championed by Republican lawmakers in Iowa and Nebraska over the last year, emerging as a potent issue in the 2016 campaign.

President Donald Trump has raised the case as indicative of the need for tougher immigration laws and stronger enforcement, including during visits to Iowa and in his speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination last summer.

Iowa U.S. Reps. Steve King and David Young, whose district includes Council Bluffs, have sponsored and supported various versions of the law over the last year, culminating in the provision that was included in the broader No Sanctuary for Criminals Act passed Thursday.

Iowa’s U.S. senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, have also been supportive.

“While we cannot bring Sarah back, including Sarah’s Law language in this legislation is a positive step in making sure this type of tragedy never happens again,” Young said in a statement. “I will continue to do what I can as a lawmaker to honor her memory and work to prevent senseless tragedies like this in the future.”

King cheered the bill’s passage on Thursday in a column published by the Breitbart website.

“By passing 'Sarah’s Law,' a law I wrote in honor of Iowan Sarah Root, the House has enhanced the government’s ability to keep dangerous illegal aliens locked up and off of our streets,” King wrote.

Root’s mother, Michelle, was in the House Gallery at the U.S. Capitol as the bill was debated and approved.