[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1926 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1926

  To amend the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to make Uruguay 
 eligible for designation as a beneficiary country under that Act, to 
   include Uruguay in the list of foreign states whose nationals are 
      eligible for admission into the United States as E1 and E2 
 nonimmigrants if nationals of the United States are treated similarly 
     by the Government of Uruguay, and to require a report on the 
   eligibility of Uruguay for the visa waiver program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 12, 2023

 Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Hagerty, and Mr. Kaine) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to make Uruguay 
 eligible for designation as a beneficiary country under that Act, to 
   include Uruguay in the list of foreign states whose nationals are 
      eligible for admission into the United States as E1 and E2 
 nonimmigrants if nationals of the United States are treated similarly 
     by the Government of Uruguay, and to require a report on the 
   eligibility of Uruguay for the visa waiver 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 ``United States-Uruguay Economic 
Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF URUGUAY FOR DESIGNATION AS A BENEFICIARY COUNTRY 
              UNDER CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT.

    Section 212(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 
U.S.C. 2702(b)) is amended by inserting after ``Turks and Caicos 
Islands'' the following new item:
``Uruguay''.

SEC. 3. NONIMMIGRANT TRADERS AND INVESTORS.

    For purposes of clauses (i) and (ii) of section 101(a)(15)(E) of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)), Uruguay 
shall be considered to be a foreign state described in such section if 
the Government of Uruguay provides similar nonimmigrant status to 
nationals of the United States.

SEC. 4. VISA WAIVER PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of 
State, should conduct a review as to whether Uruguay meets the 
eligibility criteria for designation as a program country for purposes 
of the visa waiver program under section 217 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187).
    (b) Visa Waiver Program Eligibility.--Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit to 
Congress a report that includes--
            (1) an assessment as to whether Uruguay meets the 
        eligibility criteria for designation as a program country for 
        purposes of the visa waiver program under section 217 of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187); and
            (2) in the case of such an assessment that Uruguay does not 
        meet such eligibility criteria, a description of the actions 
        required of Uruguay in order to meet such criteria.
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