[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1474 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1474

 To amend the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to make 4,000 visas 
available for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 15, 2019

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Gardner, Mr. 
  Reed, Mr. Kaine, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to make 4,000 visas 
available for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, 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 ``Afghan Allies Protection Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISAS FOR AFGHAN ALLIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 602(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Afghan Allies 
Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended, in the matter 
preceding subclause (I), by inserting ``for the first time'' after 
``submitting a petition''.
    (b) Numerical Limitations.--Section 602(b)(3) of the Afghan Allies 
Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended--
            (1) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Fiscal year 2019.--
                            ``(i) In general.--In addition to any 
                        unused balance under subparagraph (F), for 
                        fiscal year 2019, not more than 4,000 principal 
                        aliens may be granted special immigrant status 
                        under this subsection.
                            ``(ii) Period of employment.--For purposes 
                        of this subparagraph, the period of employment 
                        referred to in paragraph (2)(A)(ii) shall end 
                        not later than December 31, 2021.
                            ``(iii) Application.--For purposes of this 
                        subparagraph, not later than December 31, 2021, 
                        a principal alien seeking special immigrant 
                        status under this subsection shall submit an 
                        application to the Chief of Mission.'';
            (2) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(C) Carry forward.--If the numerical limitation 
                described in subparagraph (A)(i) is not reached for 
                fiscal year 2019, the numerical limitation for each 
                subsequent fiscal year shall be established at a number 
                equal to the difference between--
                            ``(i) the numerical limitation described in 
                        subparagraph (A)(i); and
                            ``(ii) the number of principal aliens 
                        granted special immigrant status under this 
                        subsection during each fiscal year beginning in 
                        fiscal year 2019.'';
            (3) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``notwithstanding the 
        provisions of paragraph (C),''; and
            (4) in subparagraph (F)--
                    (A) in the subparagraph heading, by striking 
                ``2015, 2016, and 2017'' and inserting ``2015 through 
                2020'';
                    (B) in clause (i), by striking ``December 31, 
                2020'' and inserting ``December 31, 2021;'';
                    (C) in clause (ii), by striking ``December 31, 
                2020'' and inserting ``December 31, 2021;'';
                    (D) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iii) as 
                subclauses (I) through (III), respectively, and 
                indenting appropriately;
                    (E) in the matter preceding subclause (I), as so 
                redesignated, in the second sentence, by striking ``For 
                purposes'' and inserting the following:
                            ``(ii) Requirements.--For purposes'';
                    (F) in the matter preceding clause (ii), as so 
                designated--
                            (i) by striking ``exhausted,,'' and 
                        inserting ``exhausted,'';
                            (ii) by striking ``18,500'' and inserting 
                        ``22,500''; and
                            (iii) by striking ``In addition'' and 
                        inserting the following:
                            ``(i) In general.--In addition''; and
                    (G) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iii) Unused visas.--Any unused balance 
                        under this subparagraph shall be added to the 
                        number under subparagraph (A)(i) for use in 
                        fiscal year 2019.''.
    (c) Conversion of Petitions.--Section 2 of Public Law 110-242 (8 
U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting 
the following:
    ``(b) Duration.--The authority under subsection (a) shall expire on 
the date on which the numerical limitation specified under section 1244 
of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public 
Law 110-181; 8 U.S.C. 1157 note) is reached.''.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Department of State 
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that 
evaluates the obstacles to effective protection of Afghan and Iraqi 
allies through the special immigrant visa programs and makes 
recommendations for improvements in future programs.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The report under subsection (a) shall 
include information relating to--
            (1) the hiring of locally employed staff and contractors;
            (2) documenting the identity and employment of locally 
        employed staff and contractors of the United States Government, 
        including the possibility of establishing a central database of 
        employees of the United States Government and its contractors;
            (3) the protection and safety of employees of locally 
        employed staff and contractors;
            (4) means of expediting processing at all stages of the 
        process for applicants, including consideration of reducing 
        required forms;
            (5) appropriate staffing levels for expedited processing 
        domestically and abroad;
            (6) the effect of uncertainty of visa availability on visa 
        processing;
            (7) the cost and availability of medical examinations; and
            (8) means to reduce delays in interagency processing and 
        security checks.
    (c) Consultation.--
            (1) In general.--In preparing the report under subsection 
        (a), the Inspector General shall consult with--
                    (A) the Department of State, Bureau of Consular 
                Affairs, Visa Office;
                    (B) the Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern 
                Affairs and South and Central Asian Affairs, Executive 
                Office;
                    (C) the United States embassy in Kabul, 
                Afghanistan, Consular Section;
                    (D) the United States embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, 
                Consular Section;
                    (E) the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. 
                Citizenship and Immigration Services;
                    (F) the Department of Defense;
                    (G) the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and
                    (H) nongovernmental organizations providing legal 
                aid in the special immigrant visa application process.
            (2) Consultation with current and former employees.--To the 
        maximum extent practicable, the Inspector General shall consult 
        with current and former employees of the offices described in 
        paragraph (1).
    (d) Form.--The report under subsection (a) shall be submitted in 
unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
    (e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
            (1) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, and the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
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