[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 155 (Monday, October 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6590-S6591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SSI EXTENSION FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED REFUGEES ACT OF 2011

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1721, introduced earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1721) to amend section 402 of the Personal 
     Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
     1996 to extend the eligibility period for supplemental 
     security income benefits for refugees, asylees, and certain 
     other humanitarian immigrants, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read the third time, that a budgetary pay-go statement be printed, and 
that the Senate proceed to a vote on passage of the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, this is the Statement of Budgetary Effects 
of PAYGO Legislation for S. 1721.

       Total Budgetary Effects of S. 1721 for the 5-year Statutory 
     PAYGO Scorecard: net decrease in the deficit of $24 million.
       Total Budgetary Effects of S. 1721 for the 10-year 
     Statutory PAYGO Scorecard: net decrease in the deficit of $24 
     million.
       Also submitted for the Record as part of this statement is 
     a table prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, which 
     provides additional information on the budgetary effects of 
     this act.

  The information follows.

[[Page S6591]]


           CBO ESTIMATE OF THE STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO EFFECTS FOR THE SSI EXTENSION FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED REFUGEES ACT OF 2011 (GAI11269)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020     2021   2012-2016  2012-2021
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       NET INCREASE OF DECREASE (-) IN THE DEFICIT
 
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Impact..........       36      -60        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0       -24        -24
Memorandum:
    Changes in Outlays..................       36        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        36         36
    Changes in Revenues.................        0       60        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        60         60
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act would extend refugees' and certain other aliens' eligibility for Supplemental Security
  Income (SSI) from seven years to nine years (and while a naturalization application is pending) during fiscal year 2012. The bill also would levy a
  $30 fee on any petition for a Diversity Visa that is filed before October 1, 2013. CBO expects that the legislation would not be implemented in time
  to affect the October 2011 registration period for the Diversity Visa Program, so only petitions filed during the October 2012 registration period
  would be subject to the $30 fee.
Source: Congressional Budget Office.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on passage of the bill.
  The bill was passed, as follows:

                                S. 1721

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``SSI Extension for Elderly 
     and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF ELIGIBILITY PERIOD FOR SSI BENEFITS FOR 
                   CERTAIN RECIPIENTS.

       (a) In General.--Section 402(a)(2)(M) of the Personal 
     Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
     1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)(2)(M)) is amended--
       (1) in clause (i)(I), by striking ``fiscal years 2009 
     through 2011'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2009 through 
     2012''; and
       (2) in clause (ii), by striking ``fiscal years 2009 through 
     2011'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2009 through 2012''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 402(a)(2)(M) of such Act 
     is amended, in the subparagraph heading, by striking 
     ``through fiscal year 2011''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect on October 1, 2011.

     SEC. 3. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PETITION FEE.

       (a) Requirement for Fee.--Section 204(a)(1)(I) of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(I)) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(iv) Each petition filed under this subparagraph shall 
     include a petition fee in the amount of $30.''.
       (b) Deposit of Fee.--All fees collected pursuant to clause 
     (iv) of section 204(a)(1)(I) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(I)), as added by 
     subsection (a), shall not be available for obligation and 
     shall be deposited, in their entirety, in the general fund of 
     the Treasury.
       (c) Sunset of Fees.--The fees collected pursuant to clause 
     (iv) of section 204(a)(1)(I) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(I)), as added by 
     subsection (a), shall apply only to petitions filed before 
     October 1, 2013.

     SEC. 4. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion 
to reconsider be laid upon the table and that any statements related to 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I will speak for a minute on the bill we 
have just passed. This is a bill that I introduced a couple weeks ago 
along with Senators Leahy, Gillibrand, Menendez, Franken, and 
Klobuchar. I thank them. It is called the SSI Extension for Elderly and 
Disabled Refugees Act of 2011.
  The Senate just passed this bill. I believe that is because it is a 
truly worthy piece of legislation. It accomplishes three incredibly 
important objectives at the same time. First, the bill ensures that 
approximately 5,600 disabled refugees will not lose their life-
sustaining benefits that are their only safety net protecting them from 
homelessness, illness, and other effects of extreme poverty.
  Many of these disabled refugees are people who have aided American 
troops overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and risked their lives for the 
American cause. Others are victims of torture and human trafficking.

  The bill continues the Bush administration policy of making sure this 
vulnerable group does not lose its only lifeline to stay afloat. But 
unlike past legislation, the second fact about the bill is it is fully 
paid for. It is paid for by imposing a $30 fee on individuals applying 
for the diversity visa lottery program. Each year, hundreds of 
thousands of people apply to be one of the 50,000 selected to enter the 
United States. This program has had great success enriching the 
American economy with immigrant businesses from countries that are not 
traditionally represented in our immigrant pool. The one problem with 
the program is that applying for a lottery ticket is free, and 
consequently the program has recently been compromised by third parties 
fraudulently filing applications for monetary gain. The State 
Department has told me by charging a $30 fee to apply, we will 
completely eliminate this misconduct.
  Finally, the third positive aspect of this bill is by setting the fee 
at $30, the Congressional Budget Office--our nonpartisan budget 
scorekeeper--projects we will actually reduce the deficit by $24 
million.
  In short, this bill hits the trifecta. It helps a very small and 
targeted group of the most vulnerable and needy disabled individuals we 
traditionally have helped, including many who helped us--helped our 
troops--in both Afghanistan and Iraq and have come here on the refugee 
program. Second, it eliminates the misconduct in the diversity visa 
program, because once the $30 fee is imposed, the gamesmanship of those 
who are gaming the system to make money will disappear. And finally, it 
reduces the Federal deficit by $24 million.
  Because this bill is a win, win, win for all sides, I ask my 
colleagues in the House take up and pass the bill immediately. The 
benefit for the folks we are talking about expired on October 1. If the 
House does not act soon, we will not be able to undo the irreparable 
harm that will soon be done to these most vulnerable of individuals 
when they begin missing checks.
  Again I want to thank my cosponsors, and particularly Senators Leahy 
and Grassley, chairman and ranking member of the relevant Judiciary 
Committee, as well as Senators Baucus and Hatch of the Finance 
Committee, and Senators Cornyn and Sessions of the Budget Committee, 
and Senator Cornyn, who is my ranking member on the Immigration 
Subcommittee, for allowing this bill to pass.
  I also thank Senator Coburn for working with me to improve this bill. 
And, last but not least, I thank Senator Paul, who worked with me over 
the last 2 weeks to address his concerns in a manner we both think will 
allow us to get more information to make the refugee program safer and 
more efficient.
  We will soon be doing something very good by passing this bill, by 
getting it signed into law, and I hope the House will move quickly and 
decisively to see that happens as quickly as possible.
  With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.

                          ____________________