[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4412 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4412

 To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to consolidate existing 
      U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services databases into a 
 comprehensive database that allows real-time access to data, in order 
 to improve customer service and enhance national security and public 
                    safety, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2005

  Mr. McHenry (for himself, Mr. Jindal, Mr. Issa, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. 
Kline, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. Brady of Texas, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Bartlett of 
    Maryland, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. McCaul of Texas, Mr. Feeney, Mr. 
 Shadegg, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Gingrey, and Mr. Gutknecht) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to consolidate existing 
      U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services databases into a 
 comprehensive database that allows real-time access to data, in order 
 to improve customer service and enhance national security and public 
                    safety, 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 ``Comprehensive Immigration Data And 
Technology Accountability Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. CONSOLIDATION OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES 
              DATABASES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
consolidate existing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 
databases into a comprehensive database that allows all authorized 
users real-time access to data, in order to improve customer service 
and enhance national security and public safety.
    (b) Databases Included.--The databases to be included in such 
consolidation are as follows:
            (1) The Computer Linked Application Information Management 
        Systems (CLAIMS), versions 3 and 4.
            (2) The National Tracking File Systems (NTFS).
            (3) The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements 
        (SAVE).
            (4) Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS).
            (5) Treasury Enforcement Communications System II/NIIS 
        (TECSII/NIIS).
            (6) Any other system the Secretary determines to be 
        appropriate.
    (c) Interoperability.--The comprehensive database described in 
subsection (a) shall facilitate real-time data exchange with all other 
databases of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of 
State, Federal law enforcement agencies (as defined in section 2 of the 
Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 (8 U.S.C. 
1701), and the intelligence community (as so defined) relevant to all 
aspects of alien screening, including databases used for visa issuance 
and those used for determinations of admissibility and deportability. 
    (d) Biometric and Linguistic Capabilities.--The comprehensive 
database described in subsection (a) shall incorporate full biometric 
and linguistic capabilities to prevent fraud and to verify the identity 
and immigration status of aliens in the absence of documentation.
    (e) Design and Maintenance Responsibilities.--The Secretary, acting 
through the Under Secretary for Management, shall be responsible for 
the design and maintenance of the comprehensive database described in 
subsection (a). Such database shall be annually evaluated by the 
Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman.
    (f) Deadlines.--
            (1) Platform identification.--By not later than 6 months 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
        shall identify a commercially or publicly available system 
        platform suitable for the comprehensive database described in 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Data transfer.--By not later than 12 months after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary--
                    (A) shall merge the data from the databases 
                described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection 
                (b) into the comprehensive database described in 
                subsection (a); and
                    (B) shall ensure that all new information is 
                entered into the comprehensive database in lieu of the 
                databases described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of 
                subsection (b).
            (3) Replacement.--By not later than 18 months after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure 
        that the databases described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of 
        subsection (b) are completely phased out and the comprehensive 
        database described in subsection (a) is fully operational.
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