[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1896 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1896

   To designate the Republic of Korea as a visa waiver pilot program 
    country for one year under the Immigration and Nationality Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 20, 1999

   Mr. Gary Miller of California (for himself, Mr. Hall of Ohio, Mr. 
 Jefferson, Mr. Ehrlich, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Frank of 
 Massachusetts, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the following 
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To designate the Republic of Korea as a visa waiver pilot program 
    country for one year under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Republic of Korea and the United States have close 
        historical and military ties.
            (2) The Republic of Korea has been designated as a major 
        non-NATO ally.
            (3) The Republic of Korea is the ninth largest trading 
        partner of the United States.
            (4) There is increasing demand by citizens of the Republic 
        of Korea to visit the United States, with an increased demand 
        for nonimmigrant visas from a 1982 total of 800 to a 1995 total 
        of over 2,000 applications per day.
            (5) During calendar year 1995, a total of 592,000 Korean 
        citizens visited the United States, an increase of 19 percent 
        over calendar year 1994.
            (6) According to the United States Department of Commerce, 
        overall tourism dollars spent in the United States by tourists 
        from the Republic of Korea exceeded $680,000,000 in fiscal year 
        1993.
            (7) According to the United States Census Bureau, in 1995 
        the United States exported goods valued at $25,379,874,000 to 
        the Republic of Korea, and imported goods valued at 
        $24,183,941,000 from the Republic of Korea, a trade surplus of 
        nearly $1,200,000,000.
            (8) Currently all potential Republic of Korea travelers 
        seeking to obtain a travel visa to the United States must apply 
        at the United States Embassy in Seoul, regardless of their 
        place of residence in the Republic of Korea.
            (9) The United States consular affairs office at the United 
        States Embassy in Seoul has not been able to meet the growing 
        demand for nonimmigrant visas to the United States due to lack 
        of space and personnel, resulting in unnecessary delays, 
        frustration, and loss of economic opportunity for the United 
        States.
            (10) During the past several years numerous press reports 
        and media stories have centered around the growing 
        dissatisfaction of the South Korean people in relation to such 
        delays and the lack of adequate protection against the natural 
        elements.
            (11) The Republic of Korea has a unique place of importance 
        with respect to the United States under the provisions of the 
        United States-North Korea Agreed Framework.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA AS A VISA WAIVER PILOT 
              PROGRAM COUNTRY.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
beginning 60 days after date of enactment of this Act, the Republic of 
Korea shall be designated for one year as a visa waiver pilot program 
country for the purposes of section 217 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act.
    (b) Authority To Designate.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the requirements for designation of a country under section 217 of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act shall not apply to any designation 
of the Republic of Korea as a visa waiver pilot program country under 
such section.
    (c) Report Requirements.--No later than one year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General 
shall compile and submit to Congress a report evaluating the visa 
waiver pilot program country designation under subsection (a) and the 
qualifications of the Republic of Korea for designation under the 
provisions of section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
                                 <all>