Title II: Program Improvements - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant program privileges to countries that extend reciprocal program privileges either directly with the United States or in conjunction with a designated program participant country and have a common immigration admissions area with such country.
(Sec. 202) Establishes deadlines for: (1) participating countries to have a machine readable passport program; and (2) alien visitors to have such passports. Requires such programs and passports to meet the international standard for machine readability.
(Sec. 203) Requires periodic written evaluations of a participating country's effect on U.S. law enforcement and security interests.
[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2367 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2367
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make improvements to,
and permanently authorize, the visa waiver pilot program under that
Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 5, 2000
Mr. Abraham (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Leahy, Mr. DeWine, Mr.
Jeffords, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Graham, and Mr. Inouye) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make improvements to,
and permanently authorize, the visa waiver pilot program under that
Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Travel, Tourism, and Jobs
Preservation Act''.
TITLE I--PERMANENT PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION
SEC. 101. ELIMINATION OF PILOT PROGRAM STATUS.
(a) In General.--Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1187) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``pilot'';
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking
``Pilot'';
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ``pilot'' both places it appears;
(C) in paragraph (1), by striking ``pilot program
(as defined in subsection (e))'' and inserting
``program'';
(3) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``pilot'';
(4) in subsection (c)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking
``Pilot'';
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``pilot'';
(C) in paragraph (2)--
(i) by striking ``subsection (g)'' and
inserting ``subsection (f)''; and
(ii) by striking ``pilot'';
(D) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by striking ``(within the pilot program
period)'';
(ii) in subparagraph (A), in the matter
preceding clause (i), by striking ``pilot''
both places it appears;
(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking
``pilot'';
(5) in subsection (e)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by
striking ``pilot'';
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``pilot'';
(6) by striking subsection (f) and redesignating subsection
(g) as subsection (f); and
(7) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``pilot'';
(B) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ``pilot'';
(C) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``pilot'' both
places it appears;
(D) in paragraph (3), by striking ``pilot''; and
(E) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ``pilot''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Clause (iv) of section 212(a)(7)(B) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(7)(B)(iv)) is
amended--
(1) in the clause heading, by striking ``pilot''; and
(2) by striking ``pilot''.
TITLE II--PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS
SEC. 201. EXTENSION OF RECIPROCAL PRIVILEGES.
Section 217(a)(2)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1187(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ``, either on its own or
in conjunction with one or more other countries that are designated
under subparagraph (B) and that have established with the country a
common area for immigration admissions,'' after ``to extend)''.
SEC. 202. MACHINE READABLE PASSPORT PROGRAM.
(a) Requirement of Alien.--
(1) Machine readable passport.--Section 217(a) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(a)) is amended--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (7) as
paragraphs (4) through (8), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Machine readable passport.--The alien at the time of
application for admission is in possession of a valid unexpired
machine-readable passport that satisfies the internationally
accepted standard for machine readability.''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)(B)
shall apply to applications for admission that are made on or
after October 1, 2008.
(b) Requirement of Country.--Section 217(c)(2)(B) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(c)(2)(B)) is amended to
read as follows:
``(B) Machine readable passport program.--
``(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii),
the government of the country certifies that it
issues to its citizens machine-readable
passports that satisfy the international
accepted standard for machine readability.
``(ii) Deadline for compliance for certain
countries.--In the case of a country designated
as a program country under this subsection
prior to May 1, 2000, as a condition on the
continuation of that designation, the country--
``(I) shall certify not later than
October 1, 2001, that it has a program
to issue machine-readable passports to
its citizens not later than October 1,
2003; and
``(II) shall satisfy the
requirement in clause (i) not later
than October 1, 2003.''.
SEC. 203. EVALUATION OF EFFECT OF COUNTRY'S PARTICIPATION ON LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY.
(a) Initial Designation.--Section 217(c)(2)(C) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(c)(2)(C)) is amended to read as
follows:
``(C) Law enforcement and national security
interests.--The Attorney General, in consultation with
the Secretary of State--
``(i) evaluates the effect that the
country's designation would have on the law
enforcement and national security interests of
the United States (including the interest in
enforcement of the immigration laws of the
United States);
``(ii) determines that such interests would
not be compromised by the designation of the
country; and
``(iii) submits a written report to the
Committee on the Judiciary of the United States
House of Representatives and of the Senate
regarding the country's qualification for
designation that includes an explanation of
such determination.''.
(b) Continuation of Designation.--Section 217(c) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(c)) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(5) Written reports on continuation qualifications;
designation rescissions.--
``(A) Periodic evaluations.--The Attorney General,
in consultation with the Secretary of State,
periodically (but not less than once every 5 years)--
``(i) shall evaluate the effect of each
program country's continued designation on the
law enforcement and national security interests
of the United States (including the interest in
enforcement of the immigration laws of the
United States);
``(ii) shall determine whether any such
designation ought to be continued or rescinded
under subsection (d); and
``(iii) shall submit a written report to
the Committee on the Judiciary of the United
States House of Representatives and of the
Senate regarding the continuation or rescission
of the country's designation that includes an
explanation of such determination and the
effects described in clause (i).
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2248-2249)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported to Senate by Senator Hatch without amendment. Without written report.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported to Senate by Senator Hatch without amendment. Without written report.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 511.
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