[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 87 (Friday, June 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7266-S7267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. Burns, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Graham, 
        and Mr. Inouye):
  S. 1242. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make 
permanent the visa waiver program for certain visitors to the United 
States; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


                        the visa waiver program

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, today I am introducing a bill to amend the 
Immigration and Nationality Act to make permanent the visa waiver 
program for certain visitors to the United States.
  The visa waiver program has been an unprecedented success in reducing 
barriers to travel and tourism to and from the United States. The 
program allows a citizen of a participating country to forego visa 
application at a U.S. consulate abroad, and allows them to travel to 
the U.S. for business or pleasure and make application for entry 
directly to the INS at a port of entry. To use this privilege, an 
applicant agrees to waive rights to challenge the decision of the INS 
inspector, and agrees to depart the U.S. within 90 days. More than 10 
million visitors used the visa waiver program in fiscal year 1995. This 
represents 76 percent of the total number of non-immigrant entries by 
citizens of visa waiver countries. Visitors entering under the visa 
waiver program accounted for just under 50 percent of all temporary 
business and tourist entries.
  In the ten years since the implementation of the visa waiver program, 
international visitors have become accustomed to the program's 
requirements, and use it routinely. The program has effectively served 
the purpose for which it was designed, to facilitate the efficient flow 
of low-risk foreign tourists and business travelers. Simultaneously, 
the program has afforded Department of State consular officers more 
time to focus efforts on individuals who visit the U.S. for other 
purposes, such as employment or study, or those who intend to remain in 
the U.S. for extended periods. Further, it has allowed the Department 
of State to drastically reduce its consular staff at low-risk 
locations, and strengthen efforts in high risk locations. Yet, all this 
pales in comparison to the real benefit of the visa waiver program, 
that of expanded foreign travel and tourism to the U.S. Put simply, the 
U.S. needs this program to remain competitive with the many other 
nations around the globe who are competing for the finite pool of 
business travelers and tourists.
  In 1996, the World Tourism Organization reported that the United 
States was the second most popular international tourist destination 
and the number one location for tourism expenditures. Of the 44.8 
million arrivals that year, 12.4 million entered under the visa waiver 
program. International tourism in the U.S. is a $65 billion enterprise 
which boosts the economies of many local communities.
  In my home state of Hawaii, tourism is an $11 billion indusry which 
generates about one-quarter of the state's tax revenue and one-third of 
its jobs. It is estimated that 80 percent of all international visitors 
arriving at Honolulu International Airport arrive under the visa waiver 
program. We know that the visa waiver program has been very successful 
because it provides a big boost for Japanese visitors to travel to 
Hawaii. Our long-term goal for a permanent visa waiver program would be 
to expand participation of the program in the Asia-Pacific region. 
Currently, most of the 26 eligible countries are in Europe. Only four 
of these countries are in the Asia-Pacific region--Australia, Japan, 
Brunei, and New Zealand. We hope that South Korea and China will be 
future participants in an expanded program.

  While the pilot program has been extended periodically since its 
inception,

[[Page S7267]]

its unqualified success justifies a permanent program. Further, because 
the program's life has at times been uncertain and somewhat 
unpredictable, particularly at times when an authorization is about to 
expire, any real or perceived lapse in the program causes needless 
turmoil and uncertainty among the industry and government both here and 
abroad and, most important, the traveling public. In the ten years 
since it commenced, the benefit of the program has been clearly proven, 
and the need for it to remain a pilot program has ceased. To sunset the 
program in April 2000 or in the future would require a reinvestment of 
significant capital, both human and otherwise. In addition, because the 
visa waiver program is based on reciprocity, any termination or 
restriction of the program would likely result in a substantial 
backlash by other participating nations against U.S. citizens traveling 
abroad, resulting in more entry burdens for U.S. citizens when they 
attempt to enter other visa waiver countries.
  Visa waiver participants, by their very definition, are low-risk 
travelers. There is no data which indicates that visa waiver travelers 
stay longer than permitted otherwise violate the terms of their 
admission in any greater numbers than any other population of the 
traveling public. Another important benefit of the visa waiver program 
is the standardization of passports and machine readable documentation, 
which is used as an inducement for acceptance of a country into the 
program. The ability to read a document by machine has greatly 
increased the efficiency of the Federal inspection service process.
  I can say without reservation that this program is a resounding 
success. It has bolstered the U.S. economy through the expedited 
admission of millions of legitimate short-term visitors for business, 
allowing for the negotiation of contracts for the provision of American 
goods and services to the world. It has provided a welcome boost to the 
U.S. tourism industry, which employs thousands of American citizens, 
through the visa-free admission of millions of foreign tourists. We 
must support permanent reauthorization of this highly effective 
program. The visa waiver program is not just a win-win situation, it is 
a win for business, a win for tourism, and a win for effective 
management of the Department of State.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1242

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

     SECTION 1. PERMANENT VISA WAIVER PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN 
                   VISITORS.

       Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1187) is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by striking ``PILOT'';
       (2) in the caption for subsection (a)(2), by striking 
     ``PILOT'' and inserting ``VISA WAIVER'';
       (3) in the caption for subsection (c) by striking ``Pilot'' 
     and inserting ``Visa Waiver'';
       (4) by striking ``pilot'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``visa waiver'';
       (5) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``during the pilot 
     program period (as defined in subsection (e))'';
       (6) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ``(within the pilot 
     program period)'';
       (7) by striking subsection (f); and
       (8) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (f).
                                 ______