[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>