[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 135 (Thursday, October 1, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H9204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXTENDING DATE BY WHICH AUTOMATED ENTRY-EXIT CONTROL SYSTEM MUST BE 
                               DEVELOPED

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of 
the bill (H.R. 4658) to extend the date by which an automated entry-
exit control system must be developed, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 4658

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

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF DATE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AUTOMATED 
                   ENTRY-EXIT CONTROL SYSTEM.

       Section 110 of division C of Public Law 104-208 is amended 
     by striking ``2 years after the date of enactment of this 
     Act'' and inserting ``October 15, 1998''.

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced H.R. 4658, which 
briefly extends the deadline for implementing Section 110(a) of the 
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
  Section 110(a) of the 1996 Act required that the Attorney General 
establish an automated entry-exit control system for all aliens at all 
ports of entry--land, air and sea--``no later than two years after the 
date of enactment'' of the 1996 Act. Since the 1996 Act was enacted on 
September 30, 1996, the two year deadline for implementation is now.
  The Immigration and Naturalization Service has indicated that it 
needs more time to implement a control system at the land and sea 
ports.
  As a result, the House of Representatives passed the Solomon bill, 
H.R. 2920, by a vote of 325 to 90 on November 10, 1997. This bill 
extends the deadline for implementing Section 110 on land borders to 
October 1, 1999, and requires that the system ``not significantly 
disrupt trade, tourism, or other legitimate cross-border traffic at 
land border points of entry.''
  The Senate passed a different version of H.R. 2920. The Senate 
version does not require the implementation of Section 110 at the land 
and sea ports. Rather, it merely requires that the Attorney General 
conduct a 2 year study on the feasibility and cost of developing and 
implementing an automated entry-exit control system at land and 
seaports. The report only requires that the INS estimate how long it 
will take to implement Section 110 but does not require implementation.
  The Senate also inserted a provision into the Commerce, Justice, 
State (CJS) appropriations bill that would repeal Section 110.
  We know that the deadline for implementation is upon us. However, due 
to other issues that have arisen in recent weeks, the House and Senate 
have not yet reached an agreement on how to amend Section 110.
  This bill prohibits the Attorney General from implementing Section 
110(a) before October 15, 1998. This brief two-week extension will 
allow the House and the Senate enough time to come up with a compromise 
on this issue.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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