II 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2165 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 21, 2005 Ms. Mikulski (for herself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Sarbanes) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To assist members of the Armed Forces in obtaining United States citizenship, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act.

2.

Waiver of requirement for fingerprints for members of the Armed Forces

Notwithstanding any other provision of law or any regulation, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall use the fingerprints provided by an individual at the time the individual enlists in the Armed Forces to satisfy any requirement for fingerprints as part of an application for naturalization if the individual— (1)may be naturalized pursuant to section 328 or 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1439 or 1440); (2)was fingerprinted in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Defense at the time the individual enlisted in the Armed Forces; and (3)submits an application for naturalization not later than 12 months after the date the individual enlisted in the Armed Forces.

3.

Provision of information on naturalization to members of the Armed Forces

(a)

Citizenship Advocate

The Secretary of Defense shall establish the position of Citizenship Advocate at each Military Entry Processing Station to provide information and assistance related to the naturalization process to members of the Armed Forces. An individual serving as a Citizenship Advocate may be a civilian. (b)

Written materials

The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that written information describing the naturalization process for members of the Armed Forces is provided to each individual who is not a citizen of the United States at the time that the individual enlists in the Armed Forces. (c)

Telephone hot line

The Secretary of Homeland Security shall— (1)establish a dedicated toll free telephone service available only to members of the Armed Forces and the families of such members to provide information related to naturalization pursuant to section 328 or 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1439 or 1440), including the status of an application for such naturalization; (2)ensure that the telephone service required by paragraph (1) is operated by employees of the Department of Homeland Security who— (A)have received specialized training on the naturalization process for members of the Armed Forces and the families of such members; and (B)are physically located in the same unit as the military processing unit that adjudicates applications for naturalization pursuant to such section 328 or 329; and (3)implement a quality control program to monitor, on a regular basis, the accuracy and quality of information provided by the employees who operate the telephone service required by paragraph (1), including the breadth of the knowledge related to the naturalization process of such employees.

4.

Provision of information on naturalization to the public

Not later than 30 days after the date that a modification to any law or regulation related to the naturalization process becomes effective, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall update the appropriate application form for naturalization, the instructions and guidebook for obtaining naturalization, and the Internet website maintained by the Secretary of Homeland Security to reflect such modification.

5.

Reports

(a)

Adjudication process

Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the entire process for the adjudication of an application for naturalization filed pursuant to section 328 or 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1439 or 1440), including the process that begins at the time the application is mailed to, or received by, the Secretary of Homeland Security, regardless of whether the Secretary determines that such application is complete, through the final disposition of such application. Such report shall include a description of— (1)the methods of the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense to prepare, handle, and adjudicate such applications; (2)the effectiveness of the chain of authority, supervision, and training of employees of the Government or of other entities, including contract employees, who have any role in such process or adjudication; and (3)the ability of the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense to use technology to facilitate or accomplish any aspect of such process or adjudication. (b)

Implementation

(1)

Study

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on the implementation of this Act by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense, including studying any technology that may be used to improve the efficiency of the naturalization process for members of the Armed Forces. (2)

Report

Not later than 180 days after the date that the Comptroller General submits the report required by subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the study required by paragraph (1). The report shall include any recommendations of the Comptroller General for improving the implementation of this Act by the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary of Defense. (c)

Appropriate congressional committees defined

In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means— (1)the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and (2)the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.