[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3824 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3824

   To provide assistance to Iraqi nationals who supported the United 
                    States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 12, 2007

    Mr. Israel (for himself, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Hastings of Florida) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services and 
  Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide assistance to Iraqi nationals who supported the United 
                    States, 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 ``Relocation Empowerment and Placement 
Assistance for Iraqi Refugees Act of 2007'' or the ``REPAIR Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States has relied on Iraqi nationals who 
        have risked their lives and worked diligently side by side with 
        United States and coalition forces.
            (2) The United States is grateful to these individuals for 
        the risks they took in assisting the United States and 
        coalition forces.
            (3) Many of these Iraqi nationals desire to come to the 
        United States to seek protection from threats they face at home 
        because of the work they did for the United States.
            (4) Special immigrant status is available in limited 
        numbers to Iraqi nationals who have worked directly for the 
        United States Armed Forces as translators.
            (5) Special immigrant status allows translators and their 
        immediate families to gain admission to the United States, 
        apply for permanent residency, and eventually acquire United 
        States citizenship.
            (6) Special immigrant status is not available, however, to 
        those individuals who otherwise assisted United States efforts 
        but who were not translators, including cooks, drivers, guides, 
        security personnel, and mechanics.
            (7) Currently, an individual who applies for special 
        immigrant status for service as a translator is required to 
        file form I-360 with the Nebraska Service Center (NSC) of 
        United States Citizenship and Immigration Services for 
        adjudication at a United States diplomatic or consular post 
        outside of Iraq. The filing fee for the I-360 form is $375.
            (8) Iraqis are being forced to leave Iraq and travel 
        through potentially hostile territory to obtain special 
        immigrant status and visas.
            (9) To apply for special immigrant status, an applicant 
        must provide a copy of the applicant's passport or birth 
        certificate showing the applicant is a national of Iraq, 
        provide proof from the United States Armed Forces or United 
        States Chief of Mission in Iraq that the applicant worked as a 
        translator for the Armed Forces at least 12 months, pass a 
        background check and screening by the Armed Forces or the Chief 
        of Mission, provide a letter of recommendation from the Chief 
        of Mission, a general, or a flag officer, and provide a copy of 
        the front and back of the applicant's Arrival Departure Record 
        (Form I-94) if the applicant applies in the United States for 
        such status.

SEC. 3. STATEMENTS OF POLICY.

    The following shall be the policies of the United States:
            (1) To waive any filing or administrative fees in 
        connection with applications for special immigrant status for 
        those brave and committed Iraqi nationals who have risked their 
        lives to assist the United States Armed Forces as translators.
            (2) To allow Iraqis to apply for special immigrant status 
        and visas in Iraq at the United States Embassy in Baghdad and 
        at the United States Consulate in Irbil.
            (3) To allow Iraqis working in any capacity with the Armed 
        Forces to apply for special immigrant status and visas for 
        admission to the United States in the same manner that Iraqi 
        translators currently can.
            (4) To broaden domestic relocation assistance to Iraqis to 
        include housing credits, cultural counseling, meetings with 
        social workers, and advice on how to work with schools and 
        employment systems.

SEC. 4. PROVISIONS RELATING TO SPECIAL IMMIGRANT STATUS FOR IRAQI 
              ALLIES OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Waiver of Fees; Provision of Documentation.--Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law or any regulation, an alien described in 
subsection (b) of section 1059 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109-163; 8 U.S.C. 1101 note), as 
amended by this section, shall not be charged any filing, 
administrative, or application fee in connection with an application 
for, or issuance of, special immigrant status and visa under such 
section. The Secretary of State shall ensure that aliens described in 
such subsection who are provided special immigrant status are provided 
with the appropriate documentation to enter the United States.
    (b) Other Service Acceptable.--Section 1059(b)(1)(B) of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``or with a United States contractor,'' 
        before ``as a translator''; and
            (2) by inserting after ``interpreter'' the following: ``or 
        in any other capacity''.
    (c) Additional Military Officers Entitled To Recommend Nationals of 
Iraq or Afghanistan for Special Immigrant Status.--Section 
1059(b)(1)(C) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2006 is amended by striking ``a general or flag officer'' and inserting 
``an officer serving in or having the grade of O-6 or higher''.
    (d) Processing for Certain Iraqis.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the Secretary of State shall make every effort to 
ensure that aliens applying for special immigrant status and visas, and 
aliens applying for refugee status and visas, may apply and interview 
for admission to the United States as special immigrants or as 
refugees, as the case may be, within Iraq in Baghdad and in Irbil 
through in-country processing mechanisms, including mailing 
applications to off-site locations.
    (e) Waiver of Numerical Limitations.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, including subsection (c) of section 1059 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, aliens 
provided special immigrant status and visas under such section shall 
not be counted against any numerical limitation under sections 201(d), 
202(a), or 203(b)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1151(d), 1152(a), and 1153(b)(4)).

SEC. 5. PROGRAM AT THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
State shall jointly establish and operate a program to offer employment 
to relocated Iraqi special immigrants as translators, interpreters, and 
cultural awareness instructors within the agencies of Federal 
Government.
    (b) Funding.--The program established under subsection (a) shall be 
funded from the annual general operating budget of the Department of 
Defense.
    (c) Rule of Construction Regarding Access to Classified 
Information.--Nothing in this section may be construed as affecting in 
any manner practices and procedures regarding the handling of or access 
to classified information.
    (d) Information Sharing.--The Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of State shall work with nongovernmental organizations to 
ensure that Iraqi special immigrants are informed of the program 
established under subsection (a).
    (e) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date 
        determined under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense and 
        the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees a report on the status of the program 
        established under such subsection and the number of full-time 
        employees of the Federal Government created under such program.
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
        means the following:
                    (A) In the House of Representatives:
                            (i) The Committee on Foreign Affairs.
                            (ii) The Committee on Homeland Security.
                            (iii) The Committee on the Judiciary.
                            (iv) The Committee on Appropriations.
                    (B) In the Senate:
                            (i) The Committee on Foreign Relations.
                            (ii) The Committee on Homeland Security and 
                        Governmental Affairs.
                            (iii) The Committee on the Judiciary.
                            (iv) The Committee on Appropriations.

SEC. 6. SERVICES UPON ARRIVAL.

    (a) In General.--Aliens provided special immigrant status and visas 
pursuant to section 4 shall be eligible for the same resettlement 
assistance, programs, and benefits as refugees admitted under section 
207 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1157). The 
Secretary of of Health and Human Services, in cooperation with the 
Secretary of State, shall work with nongovernmental organizations to 
provide such assistance, programs, and benefits and ensure that such 
aliens are referred to refugee resettlement agencies.
    (b) Computer Literacy and Vocational Training.--The Secretary of 
State shall utilize existing programs of the Department of State and 
contracts between the Department and nongovernmental organizations to 
make available computer literacy programs and vocational training 
programs to aliens provided special immigrant status pursuant to 
section 4.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed as requiring the cooperation of nongovernmental 
organizations.

SEC. 7. TRAINING AT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State shall establish a program in the Department 
of State to provide instruction in English as a second language, 
vocational training, computer training, employment services, and 
certain counseling services for Iraqis admitted to the United States as 
special immigrants.

SEC. 8. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the United States should provide 
an orientation into life in the United States for Iraqi special 
immigrants under this Act who are newly admitted to the United States 
and should make all reasonable efforts to provide temporary safe haven 
for aliens described in section 4 who are applying for special 
immigrant status and visas if such aliens are in imminent danger in 
Iraq.
                                 <all>