[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 154 (Friday, September 26, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9668-S9669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH:
  S. 3606. A bill to extend the special immigrant nonminister religious 
worker program and for other purposes, considered and passed.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Special 
Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker Program Act, S. 3606, which 
would extend the Special Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker Visa 
Program until March 6, 2009.
  The program provides for up to 5,000 special Immigrant visas per year 
which religious denominations or organizations in the United States can 
use to sponsor foreign nationals to perform religious service in our 
country. Since its initial enactment in 1990, the Special Immigrant 
Non-Minister Religious Worker Visa Program has been extended four 
times. Yet some seem quick to discount the importance of the program. I 
point out that the continuing resolution passed by the House of 
Representatives did not include language to extend the Special 
Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker Visa Program.
  Among the important tasks nonminister religious workers perform are: 
providing human services to the most needy, including shelter and 
nutrition; caring for and ministering to the sick, aged, and dying; 
working with adolescents and young adults; assisting religious leaders 
as they lead their congregations and communities in worship; counseling 
those who have suffered severe trauma and/or hardship; supporting 
families, particularly when they are in crisis; offering religious 
instruction, especially to new members of the religious denomination; 
and, helping refugees and immigrants in the United States adjust to a 
new way of life.
  To ensure that this program is not abused by fraud or other measures, 
the proposed legislation requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
issue final regulations to eliminate or reduce fraud in the program 
before it goes into

[[Page S9669]]

effect. Additionally, the legislation requires the inspector general of 
the Department of Homeland Security to submit to Congress a report on 
the effectiveness of the aforementioned regulations.
  I note that there are several religious organizations that support 
passage of my legislation, including The Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints, the American Jewish Committee, the Agudath Israel of 
America, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., the Church 
Communities International, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, 
the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee 
Service, the Mennonite Central Committee, the United States National 
Association of Evangelicals, the National Spiritual Assembly of the 
Bahai of the United States, The Church of Scientology International, 
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, MA, the United Methodist 
Church, the General Board of Church and Society, the World Relief, and 
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
  There is no doubt that our country's religious organizations face 
sometimes insurmountable obstacles in using traditional employment 
immigration categories to fit their unique situations. Fortunately, the 
Non-Minister Religious Worker Visa Program allows our country's 
religious denominations to continue uninterrupted in their call to 
serve and provide support to those who are in the greatest need. I 
commend their service and hope they know how much I respect their work.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
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