[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2284 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2284

  To suspend the admission and resettlement of aliens seeking refugee 
 status because of the conflict in Syria until adequate protocols are 
 established to protect the national security of the United States and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 17, 2015

Mr. Vitter (for himself, Mr. Lee, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Cassidy, 
 and Mr. Barrasso) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
             and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To suspend the admission and resettlement of aliens seeking refugee 
 status because of the conflict in Syria until adequate protocols are 
 established to protect the national security of 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 ``Syrian Refugee Verification and 
Safety Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the following:
                    (A) The Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee 
                on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland 
                Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Select 
                Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
                    (B) The Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee 
                on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, 
                and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of 
                the House of Representatives.
            (2) Appropriate officials.--The term ``appropriate 
        officials'' means each of the following:
                    (A) The Secretary of Homeland Security.
                    (B) The Secretary of State.
                    (C) The Director of National Intelligence.
                    (D) The Director of the Federal Bureau of 
                Investigation.
            (3) Covered alien.--The term ``covered alien'' means an 
        alien who is a refugee (as that term is defined in section 
        101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
        1101(a)(42)) because of the conflict in Syria.

SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF ADMISSION OF REFUGEES FROM THE CONFLICT IN SYRIA.

    (a) Suspension of Admissions.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law--
                    (A) no covered alien may be admitted to the United 
                States as a refugee under section 207 of the 
                Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) or any 
                other provision of law;
                    (B) no funds may be expended to process 
                applications for covered aliens to be admitted as 
                refugees; and
                    (C) no funds may be expended by the Secretary of 
                State or the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
                resettle covered aliens in the United States.
            (2) Effective period.--Subject to subsection (f), paragraph 
        (1) shall be in effect until the date that is 30 days after the 
        date that the President submits to the appropriate committees 
        of Congress a certification that the provisions of subsections 
        (b) through (e) of this section have been carried out.
            (3) Minimum review period.--The President may not submit 
        the certification referred to in paragraph (2) until after the 
        date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this 
        Act to ensure there is adequate time to conduct the necessary 
        evaluation of trends, analysis, and intelligence, and to 
        otherwise obtain the necessary information to review the 
        intelligence and security structures required to make the 
        certifications and submissions required by this section.
    (b) Improved Protocols and Coordination.--Each appropriate official 
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a certification 
that includes the following:
            (1) A description of the protocols in place and efforts to 
        enhance protocols to properly adjudicate whether a covered 
        alien is admissible to the United States and to resettle 
        covered aliens in the United States, including a description 
        of--
                    (A) all security-related requirements and any 
                enhanced security requirements;
                    (B) how such protocols are adequate to protect the 
                national security of the United States; and
                    (C) how such protocols will ensure coordination 
                with Federal, State, and local law enforcement 
                officials in areas where covered aliens will reside.
            (2) A cost assessment of the costs related to the admission 
        of covered aliens as refugees and resettlement of covered 
        aliens in the United States, including potential costs to 
        individual States.
            (3) A description of the enhanced interagency coordination 
        occurring to effectively implement such protocols.
            (4) A statement acknowledging that every covered alien 
        entering the United States as a refugee is required to go 
        through a full enhanced vetting process, as described in this 
        section and carried out by the United States Government.
    (c) Evaluation and Review by Inspector General of the Intelligence 
Community.--The Inspector General of the Intelligence Community shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a comprehensive 
evaluation and review of the protocols and coordination referred to in 
subsection (b).
    (d) Update of Congressional Presentation Document From Bureau of 
Population, Refugees, and Migration.--
            (1) Requirement.--The Secretary of State shall submit to 
        the appropriate committees of Congress an updated Congressional 
        Presentation Document of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, 
        and Migration for Fiscal Year 2016 that reflects security or 
        other risks posed by covered aliens.
            (2) Contents.--The update required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) An assessment of whether the Bureau of 
                Population, Refugees, and Migration, the Department of 
                Homeland Security, and law enforcement and intelligence 
                agencies are successfully protecting the refugee 
                admissions program from infiltration by aliens who pose 
                national security threats to the United States related 
                to the violent extremist organization that calls itself 
                the Islamic State (also known as ``ISIS'').
                    (B) The identity of the aliens admitted to the 
                United States as refugees since 2001 who subsequently 
                engaged in criminal or terrorist conduct.
    (e) Briefing to Congress.--The Secretary of State shall provide a 
briefing to the appropriate congressional committees on the increase in 
covered aliens seeking to be admitted as refugees, including whether 
any covered alien seeking to be admitted as a refugee had, or there was 
reason to believe may have, engaged in terrorist conduct regardless of 
whether such conduct was linked to the conflict in Syria or to the 
violent extremist organization that calls itself the Islamic State 
(also known as ``ISIS'').
    (f) Joint Resolution of Disapproval.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        this section, a certification described in subsection (a) shall 
        not have any effect if, within 15 calendar days after the date 
        on which Congress receives the certification, there is enacted 
        into law a joint resolution disapproving the certification.
            (2) Contents of joint resolution.--For the purpose of this 
        subsection, the term ``joint resolution'' means only a joint 
        resolution--
                    (A) that is introduced not later than 3 calendar 
                days after the date on which a certification described 
                in subsection (a) is received by Congress;
                    (B) which does not have a preamble;
                    (C) the title of which is as follows: ``Joint 
                resolution disapproving the certification of the 
                President described in section 3(a) of the Syrian 
                Refugee Verification and Safety Act''; and
                    (D) the matter after the resolving clause of which 
                is as follows: ``That Congress disapproves the 
                certification of the President described in section 
                3(a) of the Syrian Refugee Verification and Safety 
                Act.''.
            (3) Fast track consideration in house of representatives.--
                    (A) Reconvening.--Upon receipt of a certification 
                described in subsection (a), the Speaker of the House 
                of Representatives, if the House of Representatives 
                would otherwise be adjourned, shall notify the Members 
                of the House that, pursuant to this subsection, the 
                House shall convene not later than the second calendar 
                day after receipt of such certification.
                    (B) Reporting and discharge.--Any committee of the 
                House of Representatives to which a joint resolution 
                described in paragraph (2) is referred shall report it 
                to the House not later than 5 calendar days after the 
                date of receipt of the certification described in 
                subsection (a). If a committee fails to report the 
                joint resolution within that period, the committee 
                shall be discharged from further consideration of the 
                joint resolution and the joint resolution shall be 
                referred to the appropriate calendar.
                    (C) Proceeding to consideration.--After each 
                committee authorized to consider a joint resolution 
                reports it to the House or has been discharged from its 
                consideration, it shall be in order, not later than the 
                sixth day after Congress receives the certification 
                described in subsection (a), to move to proceed to 
                consider the joint resolution in the House. All points 
                of order against the motion are waived. Such a motion 
                shall not be in order after the House has disposed of a 
                motion to proceed on the joint resolution. The previous 
                question shall be considered as ordered on the motion 
                to its adoption without intervening motion. The motion 
                shall not be debatable. A motion to reconsider the vote 
                by which the motion is disposed of shall not be in 
                order.
                    (D) Consideration.--The joint resolution shall be 
                considered as read. All points of order against the 
                joint resolution and against its consideration are 
                waived. The previous question shall be considered as 
                ordered on the joint resolution to its passage without 
                intervening motion except two hours of debate equally 
                divided and controlled by the proponent and an 
                opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote on passage of 
                the joint resolution shall not be in order.
            (4) Fast track consideration in senate.--
                    (A) Reconvening.--Upon receipt of a certification 
                described in subsection (a), if the Senate has 
                adjourned or recessed for more than 2 days, the 
                majority leader of the Senate, after consultation with 
                the minority leader of the Senate, shall notify the 
                Members of the Senate that, pursuant to this 
                subsection, the Senate shall convene not later than the 
                second calendar day after receipt of the certification.
                    (B) Placement on calendar.--Upon introduction in 
                the Senate, the joint resolution shall be placed 
                immediately on the calendar.
                    (C) Floor consideration.--
                            (i) In general.--Notwithstanding Rule XXII 
                        of the Standing Rules of the Senate, it is in 
                        order at any time during the period beginning 
                        on the 4th day after the date on which Congress 
                        receives a certification described in 
                        subsection (a) and ending on the 6th day after 
                        the date on which Congress receives a 
                        certification described in subsection (a) (even 
                        though a previous motion to the same effect has 
                        been disagreed to) to move to proceed to the 
                        consideration of the joint resolution, and all 
                        points of order against the joint resolution 
                        (and against consideration of the joint 
                        resolution) are waived. The motion to proceed 
                        is not debatable. The motion is not subject to 
                        a motion to postpone. A motion to reconsider 
                        the vote by which the motion is agreed to or 
                        disagreed to shall not be in order. If a motion 
                        to proceed to the consideration of the 
                        resolution is agreed to, the joint resolution 
                        shall remain the unfinished business until 
                        disposed of.
                    (D) Debate.--Debate on the joint resolution, and on 
                all debatable motions and appeals in connection 
                therewith, shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, 
                which shall be divided equally between the majority and 
                minority leaders or their designees. A motion further 
                to limit debate is in order and not debatable. An 
                amendment to, or a motion to postpone, or a motion to 
                proceed to the consideration of other business, or a 
                motion to recommit the joint resolution is not in 
                order.
                    (E) Vote on passage.--The vote on passage shall 
                occur immediately following the conclusion of the 
                debate on a joint resolution, and a single quorum call 
                at the conclusion of the debate if requested in 
                accordance with the rules of the Senate.
                    (F) Rulings of the chair on procedure.--Appeals 
                from the decisions of the Chair relating to the 
                application of the rules of the Senate, as the case may 
                be, to the procedure relating to a joint resolution 
                shall be decided without debate.
            (5) Rules relating to senate and house of 
        representatives.--
                    (A) Coordination with action by other house.--If, 
                before the passage by one House of a joint resolution 
                of that House, that House receives from the other House 
                a joint resolution, then the following procedures shall 
                apply:
                            (i) The joint resolution of the other House 
                        shall not be referred to a committee.
                            (ii) With respect to a joint resolution of 
                        the House receiving the resolution--
                                    (I) the procedure in that House 
                                shall be the same as if no joint 
                                resolution had been received from the 
                                other House; but
                                    (II) the vote on passage shall be 
                                on the joint resolution of the other 
                                House.
                    (B) Treatment of joint resolution of other house.--
                If one House fails to introduce or consider a joint 
                resolution under this subsection, the joint resolution 
                of the other House shall be entitled to expedited floor 
                procedures under this subsection.
                    (C) Treatment of companion measures.--If, following 
                passage of the joint resolution in the Senate, the 
                Senate then receives the companion measure from the 
                House of Representatives, the companion measure shall 
                not be debatable.
                    (D) Veto debate and duration.--If the President 
                vetoes the joint resolution, debate on a veto message 
                in the Senate under this subsection shall be 1 hour 
                equally divided between the majority and minority 
                leaders or their designees.
            (6) Rules of house of representatives and senate.--This 
        paragraph and paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) are enacted by 
        Congress--
                    (A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the 
                Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, and 
                as such it is deemed a part of the rules of each House, 
                respectively, but applicable only with respect to the 
                procedure to be followed in that House in the case of a 
                joint resolution, and it supersedes other rules only to 
                the extent that it is inconsistent with such rules; and
                    (B) with full recognition of the constitutional 
                right of either House to change the rules (so far as 
                relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, 
                in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the 
                case of any other rule of that House.
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