[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 7, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE CITIZENSHIP PROMOTION ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 7, 2007

  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce the 
introduction of my bill, the Citizenship Promotion Act of 2007. The 
goal of the legislation is to minimize the obstacles that legal 
immigrants face on the road to becoming U.S. citizens.
  During my 15 years in Congress, I have made citizenship and 
immigration issues the cornerstone of my work here. In my district, we 
have created innovative naturalization workshops that have become a 
national model for legislators around the nation. I am proud to say 
that these workshops have helped more than 40,000 Chicago-area 
immigrants to become U.S. citizens.
  But there is much more to these workshops than numbers. There is 
something special, something amazing, about seeing the pride, the 
promise, and the confidence on a person's face after they have 
completed the citizenship application process. Men and women who take 
the oath of citizenship are committed to the responsibilities of being 
American citizens and are equally dedicated to making the most of 
America's opportunities.
  They have done everything right. They work hard and play by the 
rules. Yet, this Administration continues to put citizenship out of 
reach for many hard working individuals by proposing unrealistic and 
punitive fees to complete the citizenship process.
  And the proposed fee hikes, which were announced a few weeks ago, are 
a glaring example of the government imposing a higher price on its 
customers, while continuing to offer inadequate, inefficient and 
ineffective service.
  That would never fly in the business world, and it shouldn't when it 
comes to providing government services.
  Prospective citizens are not asking for a free ride--they never have. 
They are simply asking for fairness, and for a broken bureaucracy, with 
an unacceptable backlog, to stop trying to fix its failures, and its 
inefficiencies, on the backs of low-income working families.
  In recent years, USCIS has increasingly burdened prospective citizens 
with indirect costs not related to the application process. The 
legislation I am introducing today would help reverse that trend in a 
way that makes sense for prospective citizens and for the agency.
  It would freeze fees at their current rates until we can conduct 
proper oversight and thoroughly review the proposed fee structure.
  It would also ensure that indirect costs, those not associated with 
the application process, can be funded through the appropriations 
process and not through increased filing fees. The legislation would 
also help ensure that the citizenship test is administered fairly--and 
justly--and that people aren't deterred from pursuing the process 
because of electronic filing barriers.
  In addition, the legislation would set up the New Americans 
Initiative. This would establish a grant program to fund the work of 
community-based organizations to promote and increase citizenship 
opportunities through application assistance, outreach and community 
education, and English and citizenship classes. We have seen a version 
of this project thrive in Illinois under the leadership of Governor 
Blagojevich and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee 
Rights.
  Madam Speaker, let me close with this point. President Theodore 
Roosevelt once said: ``Americanism is a question of principle, of 
purpose, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace or 
creed or line of descent.''
  Let's work to ensure that those who possess the principle, the 
purpose, the idealism and the character of America can earn the chance 
to achieve the American Dream. And let's ensure that they are not 
priced out of the process.
  Let's work to ensure that they can continue to build and better our 
great nation, as immigrants have done for generations. Let's work to 
ensure that hard working men and women can fully share in the rights 
that citizens enjoy and can also help shoulder the enormous 
responsibilities that come with this incredible opportunity.

                          ____________________