[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 79 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 79
To impose a fine with respect to international remittance transfers if
the sender is unable to verify legal status in the United States, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 7, 2015
Mr. Vitter introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To impose a fine with respect to international remittance transfers if
the sender is unable to verify legal status in 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 ``Remittance Status Verification Act
of 2015''.
SEC. 2. STATUS VERIFICATION FOR REMITTANCE TRANSFERS.
Section 919 of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (relating to
remittance transfers) (15 U.S.C. 1693o-1) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
``(g) Status Verification of Sender.--
``(1) Request for proof of status.--
``(A) In general.--Each remittance transfer
provider shall request from each sender of a remittance
transfer, the recipient of which is located in any
country other than the United States, proof of the
status of that sender under the immigration laws, prior
to the initiation of the remittance transfer.
``(B) Acceptable documentation.--Acceptable
documentation of the status of the sender under this
paragraph--
``(i) shall be, in any State that requires
proof of legal residence--
``(I) a State-issued driver's
license or Federal passport; or
``(II) the same documentation as
required by the State for proof of
identity for the issuance of a driver's
license, or as required for a passport;
``(ii) shall be, in any State that does not
require proof of legal residence, such
documentation as the Bureau shall require, by
rule; and
``(iii) does not include any matricula
consular card.
``(2) Fine for noncompliance.--Each remittance transfer
provider shall impose on any sender who is unable to provide
the proof of status requested under paragraph (1) at the time
of transfer, a fine equal to 7 percent of the United States
dollar amount to be transferred (excluding any fees or other
charges imposed by the remittance transfer provider).
``(3) Submission of fines to bureau.--All fines imposed and
collected by a remittance transfer provider under paragraph (2)
shall be submitted to the Bureau, in such form and in such
manner as the Bureau shall establish, by rule.
``(4) Administrative and enforcement costs.--The Bureau
shall use fines submitted under paragraph (3) to pay the
administrative and enforcement costs to the Bureau in carrying
out this subsection.
``(5) Use of fines for border protection.--Amounts from the
collection of fines under this subsection that remain available
after the payment of expenses described in paragraph (4), shall
be transferred by the Bureau to the Treasury, to be used to pay
expenses relating to United States Customs and Border
Protection for border security fencing, infrastructure, and
technology.
``(6) Definition relating to immigration status.--In this
subsection, the term `immigration laws' has the same meaning as
in section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1101(a)).''.
SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT REGARDING REMITTANCE TRANSFER PROCESSING FINES
AND IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM.
(a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct a study to determine the effects of the enactment of section
919(g) of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, as amended by this Act.
(b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Financial Services of the House of Representatives a report on the
results of the study conducted under paragraph (1) that includes--
(1) an analysis of the costs and benefits of complying with
section 919(g) of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, as amended
by this Act; and
(2) recommendations about whether the fines imposed under
that section 919(g) should be extended or increased.
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