[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 92 (Thursday, June 26, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6507-S6508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED:
  S. 974. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to modify 
the qualifications for a country to be designated as a visa waiver 
pilot program country; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


                    visa waiver program legislation

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, for the past 9 years the visa waiver pilot 
program has been a resounding success. Today, citizens from twenty-five 
countries are able to travel to the United States without the burden of 
obtaining a visa from a U.S. embassy before leaving home. Because the 
program makes travel so much easier, business has boomed, tourism has 
soared, and family members have been able to be with each other on 
occasions when it mattered. Cutting the bureaucratic red tape has 
strengthened our economic and cultural ties with participating 
countries. In addition, streamlining this administrative process has 
enabled the State Department to use its resources more efficiently and 
effectively, saving the American taxpayers thousands of dollars.
  Today, I am introducing a bill which will extend the privilege of the 
visa waiver program to additional countries with strong ties to our 
Nation. This legislation will slightly modify the criteria that a 
country must meet in order to participate in the program. Under these 
modifications, one country which will gain admittance to the visa 
waiver program is Portugal. Portugal is one of only two members of the 
European Union which is not included in the visa waiver program. It is 
time for that inequity to be corrected.
  The Portuguese were some of the earliest explorers and settlers of 
the United States and they have been contributing to our country ever 
since. Over one million U.S. citizens claim Portuguese descent and 
there are thriving Portuguese communities from New England to Hawaii. 
We owe these members of our American community the opportunity to see 
family members who live in Portugal when they need them, without the 
worry and hassle of obtaining a visa.
  Inclusion in the visa waiver program will promote the economic 
exchange

[[Page S6508]]

between Portugal and the United States. Portugal is a valued trading 
partner and if members of the business community are able to travel to 
the U.S. without delaying to obtain a business, their contributions to 
this country will only increase. At a time when the U.S. economy is the 
wonder of the world and our market is truly global, our country should 
seek out and facilitate additional economic opportunities.
  In 1974, the citizens of Portugal overthrew a dictatorship and 
established a democracy. Their brave actions began a wave of 
democratization that spread across the world and is still reverberating 
today. No other country reflects the principles of the United States 
better than Portugal. We should do everything possible to lower the 
barriers and strengthen the exchange between our two countries. 
Including Portugal in the visa waiver program is an important first 
step in this process.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of this 
legislation be included in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 974

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

     SECTION 1. QUALIFICATIONS FOR DESIGNATION AS PILOT PROGRAM 
                   COUNTRY.

       Section 217(c)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1187(c)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(2) Qualifications.--Except as provided in subsection 
     (g), a country may not be designated as a pilot program 
     country unless the following requirements are met:
       ``(A) Low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate.--Either--
       ``(i) the average number of refusals of nonimmigrant 
     visitor visas for nationals of that country during--
       ``(I) the two previous full fiscal years was less than 2.0 
     percent of the total number of nonimmigrant visitor visas for 
     nationals of that country which were granted or refused 
     during those years; and
       ``(II) either of such two previous full fiscal years was 
     less than 2.5 percent of the total number of nonimmigrant 
     visitor visas for nationals of that country which were 
     granted or refused during that year; or
       ``(ii) such refusal rate for nationals of that country 
     during--
       ``(I) the previous full fiscal year was less than 3.5 
     percent; and
       ``(II) the two previous full fiscal years was at least 50 
     percent less than such refusal rate during fiscal year 1994.
       ``(B) Machine readable passport program.--The government of 
     the country certifies that it has or is in the process of 
     developing a program to issue machine-readable passports to 
     its citizens.
       ``(C) Law enforcement interests.--The Attorney General 
     determines that the United States law enforcement interests 
     would not be compromised by the designation of the 
     country.''.

                          ____________________