[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1372 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1372

                For the relief of Vicente Beltran Luna.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2009

 Mr. Gonzalez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                For the relief of Vicente Beltran Luna.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Vicente Beltran Luna, at the age of 25, came to the 
        United States from San Miguel Allende, Mexico, and began work 
        for a dairy in Floresville, Texas, in August 1998.
            (2) Vicente Beltran Luna and five other individuals lived 
        in a shed at the dairy that formerly housed chickens and dogs.
            (3) On March 16, 2000, as Vicente Beltran Luna was removing 
        his belongings from the shed, where living conditions were 
        deplorable, an explosion and fire erupted from methane fumes 
        that leaked from a septic tank pipe.
            (4) Vicente Beltran Luna suffered third-degree burns over 
        fifty-five percent of his body, which has required numerous 
        painful surgeries, skin grafts, corrective eyelid surgery, and 
        the amputation of all but three fingers.
            (5) Vicente Beltran Luna still needs to receive extensive 
        surgeries and rehabilitation.
            (6) In a legal settlement with the dairy, Vicente Beltran 
        Luna was awarded sufficient funds to ensure his financial 
        solvency for the remainder of his life.
            (7) Granting Vicente Beltran Luna permanent legal residency 
        in the United States would allow him to receive the follow-up 
        medical attention that he continues to need, without imposing 
        any financial burden on the taxpayer.

SEC. 2. PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS FOR VICENTE BELTRAN LUNA.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of section 
201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Vicente Beltran Luna shall 
be eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of 
status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence 
upon filing an application for issuance of an immigrant visa under 
section 204 of such Act or for adjustment of status to lawful permanent 
resident.
    (b) Adjustment of Status.--If Vicente Beltran Luna enters the 
United States before the filing deadline specified in subsection (c), 
he shall be considered to have entered and remained lawfully and shall, 
if otherwise eligible, be eligible for adjustment of status under 
section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act as of the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Deadline for Application and Payment of Fees.--Subsections (a) 
and (b) shall apply only if the application for issuance of an 
immigrant visa or the application for adjustment of status is filed 
with appropriate fees within 2 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
    (d) Reduction of Immigrant Visa Number.--Upon the granting of an 
immigrant visa or permanent residence to Vicente Beltran Luna, the 
Secretary of State shall instruct the proper officer to reduce by 1, 
during the current or next following fiscal year, the total number of 
immigrant visas that are made available to natives of the country of 
the alien's birth under section 203(a) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act or, if applicable, the total number of immigrant visas 
that are made available to natives of the country of the alien's birth 
under section 202(e) of such Act.
    (e) Denial of Preferential Immigration Treatment for Certain 
Relatives.--The natural parents, brothers, and sisters of Vicente 
Beltran Luna shall not, by virtue of such relationship, be accorded any 
right, privilege, or status under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
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