Syrian Refugee Verification and Safety Act
This bill declares that: (1) no alien who is a refugee because of the conflict in Syria (covered alien) may be admitted to the United States as a refugee, (2) no funds may be expended to process refugee applications for covered aliens, and (3) no funds may be expended by the Department of State or the Department of Health and Human Services to resettle covered aliens in the United States.
These restrictions shall remain in effect until 30 days after the President certifies to Congress regarding:
This certification: (1) may not be submitted to Congress before 270 days, and (2) shall not have any effect if Congress enacts into law a joint resolution of disapproval within 15 days.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4048 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4048
To suspend the admission and resettlement of aliens seeking refugee
status because of the conflict in Syria until adequate protocols are
established to protect the national security of the United States and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 17, 2015
Mr. Graves of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Boustany, Mr. Abraham, and
Mr. Fleming) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Select Committee on
Intelligence (Permanent Select), Rules, and Foreign Affairs, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To suspend the admission and resettlement of aliens seeking refugee
status because of the conflict in Syria until adequate protocols are
established to protect the national security of the United States and
for other purposes.
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 ``Syrian Refugee Verification and
Safety Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the following:
(A) The Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee
on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
(B) The Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee
on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security,
and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of
the House of Representatives.
(2) Appropriate officials.--The term ``appropriate
officials'' means each of the following:
(A) The Secretary of Homeland Security.
(B) The Secretary of State.
(C) The Director of National Intelligence.
(D) The Director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
(3) Covered alien.--The term ``covered alien'' means an
alien who is a refugee (as that term is defined in section
101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)(42)) because of the conflict in Syria.
SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF ADMISSION OF REFUGEES FROM THE CONFLICT IN SYRIA.
(a) Suspension of Admissions.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law--
(A) no covered alien may be admitted to the United
States as a refugee under section 207 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) or any
other provision of law;
(B) no funds may be expended to process
applications for covered aliens to be admitted as
refugees; and
(C) no funds may be expended by the Secretary of
State or the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
resettle covered aliens in the United States.
(2) Effective period.--Subject to subsection (f), paragraph
(1) shall be in effect until the date that is 30 days after the
date that the President submits to the appropriate committees
of Congress a certification that the provisions of subsections
(b) through (e) of this section have been carried out.
(3) Minimum review period.--The President may not submit
the certification referred to in paragraph (2) until after the
date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act to ensure there is adequate time to conduct the necessary
evaluation of trends, analysis, and intelligence, and to
otherwise obtain the necessary information to review the
intelligence and security structures required to make the
certifications and submissions required by this section.
(b) Improved Protocols and Coordination.--Each appropriate official
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a certification
that includes the following:
(1) A description of the protocols in place and efforts to
enhance protocols to properly adjudicate whether a covered
alien is admissible to the United States and to resettle
covered aliens in the United States, including a description
of--
(A) all security-related requirements and any
enhanced security requirements;
(B) how such protocols are adequate to protect the
national security of the United States; and
(C) how such protocols will ensure coordination
with Federal, State, and local law enforcement
officials in areas where covered aliens will reside.
(2) A cost assessment of the costs related to the admission
of covered aliens as refugees and resettlement of covered
aliens in the United States, including potential costs to
individual States.
(3) A description of the enhanced interagency coordination
occurring to effectively implement such protocols.
(4) A statement acknowledging that every covered alien
entering the United States as a refugee is required to go
through the full enhanced vetting process, as described in this
section and carried out by the United States Government.
(c) Evaluation and Review by Inspector General of the Intelligence
Community.--The Inspector General of the Intelligence Community shall
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a comprehensive
evaluation and review of the protocols and coordination referred to in
subsection (b).
(d) Update of Congressional Presentation Document From Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration.--
(1) Requirement.--The Secretary of State shall submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress an updated Congressional
Presentation Document of the Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration for Fiscal Year 2016 that reflects security or
other risks posed by covered aliens.
(2) Contents.--The update required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) An assessment of whether the Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration, the Department of
Homeland Security, and law enforcement and intelligence
agencies are successfully protecting the refugee
admissions program from infiltration by aliens who pose
national security threats to the United States related
to the violent extremist organization that calls itself
the Islamic State (also known as ``ISIS'').
(B) The identify of the aliens admitted to the
United States as refugees since 2001 who subsequently
engaged in criminal or terrorist conduct.
(e) Briefing to Congress.--The Secretary of State shall provide a
briefing to the appropriate congressional committees on the increase in
covered aliens seeking to be admitted as refugees, including whether
any covered alien seeking to be admitted as a refugee had, or there was
reason to believe may have, engaged in terrorist conduct regardless of
whether such conduct was linked to the conflict in Syria or to the
violent extremist organization that calls itself the Islamic State
(also known as ``ISIS'').
(f) Joint Resolution of Disapproval.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
this section, a certification described in subsection (a) shall
not have any effect if, within 15 calendar days after the date
on which Congress receives the certification, there is enacted
into law a joint resolution disapproving the certification.
(2) Contents of joint resolution.--For the purpose of this
subsection, the term ``joint resolution'' means only a joint
resolution--
(A) that is introduced not later than 3 calendar
days after the date on which a certification described
in subsection (a) is received by Congress;
(B) which does not have a preamble;
(C) the title of which is as follows: ``Joint
resolution disapproving the certification of the
President described in section 3(a) of the Syrian
Refugee Verification and Safety Act''; and
(D) the matter after the resolving clause of which
is as follows: ``That Congress disapproves the
certification of the President described in section
3(a) of the Syrian Refugee Verification and Safety
Act.''.
(3) Fast track consideration in house of representatives.--
(A) Reconvening.--Upon receipt of a certification
described in subsection (a), the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, if the House of Representatives
would otherwise be adjourned, shall notify the Members
of the House that, pursuant to this subsection, the
House shall convene not later than the second calendar
day after receipt of such certification.
(B) Reporting and discharge.--Any committee of the
House of Representatives to which a joint resolution
described in paragraph (2) is referred shall report it
to the House not later than 5 calendar days after the
date of receipt of the certification described in
subsection (a). If a committee fails to report the
joint resolution within that period, the committee
shall be discharged from further consideration of the
joint resolution and the joint resolution shall be
referred to the appropriate calendar.
(C) Proceeding to consideration.--After each
committee authorized to consider a joint resolution
reports it to the House or has been discharged from its
consideration, it shall be in order, not later than the
sixth day after Congress receives the certification
described in subsection (a), to move to proceed to
consider the joint resolution in the House. All points
of order against the motion are waived. Such a motion
shall not be in order after the House has disposed of a
motion to proceed on the joint resolution. The previous
question shall be considered as ordered on the motion
to its adoption without intervening motion. The motion
shall not be debatable. A motion to reconsider the vote
by which the motion is disposed of shall not be in
order.
(D) Consideration.--The joint resolution shall be
considered as read. All points of order against the
joint resolution and against its consideration are
waived. The previous question shall be considered as
ordered on the joint resolution to its passage without
intervening motion except two hours of debate equally
divided and controlled by the proponent and an
opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote on passage of
the joint resolution shall not be in order.
(4) Fast track consideration in senate.--
(A) Reconvening.--Upon receipt of a certification
described in subsection (a), if the Senate has
adjourned or recessed for more than 2 days, the
majority leader of the Senate, after consultation with
the minority leader of the Senate, shall notify the
Members of the Senate that, pursuant to this
subsection, the Senate shall convene not later than the
second calendar day after receipt of the certification.
(B) Placement on calendar.--Upon introduction in
the Senate, the joint resolution shall be placed
immediately on the calendar.
(C) Floor consideration.--
(i) In general.--Notwithstanding Rule XXII
of the Standing Rules of the Senate, it is in
order at any time during the period beginning
on the 4th day after the date on which Congress
receives a certification described in
subsection (a) and ending on the 6th day after
the date on which Congress receives a
certification described in subsection (a) (even
though a previous motion to the same effect has
been disagreed to) to move to proceed to the
consideration of the joint resolution, and all
points of order against the joint resolution
(and against consideration of the joint
resolution) are waived. The motion to proceed
is not debatable. The motion is not subject to
a motion to postpone. A motion to reconsider
the vote by which the motion is agreed to or
disagreed to shall not be in order. If a motion
to proceed to the consideration of the
resolution is agreed to, the joint resolution
shall remain the unfinished business until
disposed of.
(D) Debate.--Debate on the joint resolution, and on
all debatable motions and appeals in connection
therewith, shall be limited to not more than 10 hours,
which shall be divided equally between the majority and
minority leaders or their designees. A motion further
to limit debate is in order and not debatable. An
amendment to, or a motion to postpone, or a motion to
proceed to the consideration of other business, or a
motion to recommit the joint resolution is not in
order.
(E) Vote on passage.--The vote on passage shall
occur immediately following the conclusion of the
debate on a joint resolution, and a single quorum call
at the conclusion of the debate if requested in
accordance with the rules of the Senate.
(F) Rulings of the chair on procedure.--Appeals
from the decisions of the Chair relating to the
application of the rules of the Senate, as the case may
be, to the procedure relating to a joint resolution
shall be decided without debate.
(5) Rules relating to senate and house of
representatives.--
(A) Coordination with action by other house.--If,
before the passage by one House of a joint resolution
of that House, that House receives from the other House
a joint resolution, then the following procedures shall
apply:
(i) The joint resolution of the other House
shall not be referred to a committee.
(ii) With respect to a joint resolution of
the House receiving the resolution--
(I) the procedure in that House
shall be the same as if no joint
resolution had been received from the
other House; but
(II) the vote on passage shall be
on the joint resolution of the other
House.
(B) Treatment of joint resolution of other house.--
If one House fails to introduce or consider a joint
resolution under this subsection, the joint resolution
of the other House shall be entitled to expedited floor
procedures under this subsection.
(C) Treatment of companion measures.--If, following
passage of the joint resolution in the Senate, the
Senate then receives the companion measure from the
House of Representatives, the companion measure shall
not be debatable.
(D) Veto debate and duration.--If the President
vetoes the joint resolution, debate on a veto message
in the Senate under this subsection shall be 1 hour
equally divided between the majority and minority
leaders or their designees.
(6) Rules of house of representatives and senate.--This
paragraph and paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) are enacted by
Congress--
(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the
Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, and
as such it is deemed a part of the rules of each House,
respectively, but applicable only with respect to the
procedure to be followed in that House in the case of a
joint resolution, and it supersedes other rules only to
the extent that it is inconsistent with such rules; and
(B) with full recognition of the constitutional
right of either House to change the rules (so far as
relating to the procedure of that House) at any time,
in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the
case of any other rule of that House.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), Rules, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), Rules, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), Rules, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), Rules, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select), Rules, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.