[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 719 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 719

   To expedite the naturalization of aliens who served with special 
                        guerrilla units in Laos.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 8, 1997

 Mr. Wellstone introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To expedite the naturalization of aliens who served with special 
                        guerrilla units in Laos.

    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 ``Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act 
of 1997''.

SEC. 2. WAIVER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN ALIENS WHO 
              SERVED WITH SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS IN LAOS.

    The requirement of paragraph (1) of section 312(a) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1423(a)) shall not apply to 
the naturalization of any person who--
            (1) served with a special guerrilla unit operating from a 
        base in Laos in support of the United States at any time during 
        the period beginning February 28, 1961, and ending September 
        18, 1978, or
            (2) is the spouse or widow of a person described in 
        paragraph (1).

SEC. 3. NATURALIZATION THROUGH SERVICE IN A SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNIT IN 
              LAOS.

    (a) In General.--The first sentence of subsection (a) and 
subsection (b) (other than paragraph (3)) of section 329 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1440) shall apply to an alien 
who served with a special guerrilla unit operating from a base in Laos 
in support of the United States at any time during the period beginning 
February 28, 1961, and ending September 18, 1978, in the same manner as 
they apply to an alien who has served honorably in an active-duty 
status in the military forces of the United States during the period of 
the Vietnam hostilities.
    (b) Proof.--The Immigration and Naturalization Service shall verify 
an alien's service with a guerrilla unit described in subsection (a) 
through--
            (1) review of refugee processing documentation for the 
        alien,
            (2) the affidavit of the alien's superior officer,
            (3) original documents,
            (4) two affidavits from persons who were also serving with 
        such a special guerrilla unit and who personally knew of the 
        alien's service, or
            (5) other appropriate proof.
The Service shall liberally construe the provisions of this subsection 
to take into account the difficulties inherent in proving service in 
such a guerrilla unit.
                                 <all>