[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 144 (Thursday, September 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5071-S5072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 848. Ms. DUCKWORTH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed

[[Page S5072]]

by her to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal 
year 2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for 
military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of 
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, 
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. ESTABLISHMENT AND USE OF NATURALIZATION OFFICES AT 
                   INITIAL MILITARY TRAINING SITES.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Naturalization At Training Sites Act of 2017'' or the 
     ``NATS Act''.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section, the term ``Secretary 
     concerned'' has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) 
     of title 10, United States Code.
       (c) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, and the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast 
     Guard, shall establish a naturalization office at each 
     initial military training site of the Armed Forces under the 
     jurisdiction of the respective Secretary.
       (d) Outreach.--In coordination with the Under Secretary of 
     Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of U.S. 
     Citizenship and Immigration Services, each Secretary 
     concerned shall, to the maximum extent practicable--
       (1) identify each member of the Armed Forces overseen by 
     such Secretary who is not a citizen of the United States; and
       (2) inform each noncitizen member of the Armed Forces 
     overseen by such Secretary about--
       (A) the existence of a naturalization office at each 
     initial military training site;
       (B) the continuous availability of each naturalization 
     office throughout the career of a member of the Armed Forces 
     to--
       (i) evaluate the extent to which a noncitizen member of the 
     Armed Forces is eligible to become a naturalized citizen; and
       (ii) assess the suitability for citizenship of a noncitizen 
     member of the Armed Forces;
       (C) each potential pathway to citizenship;
       (D) each service a naturalization office provides;
       (E) the required length of service to obtain citizenship 
     during--
       (i) peacetime; and
       (ii) a period of hostility; and
       (F) the application process for citizenship, including--
       (i) details of the application process;
       (ii) required application materials;
       (iii) requirements for a naturalization interview; and
       (iv) any other information required to become a citizen 
     under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
     seq.).
       (e) Timing.--Each Secretary concerned shall complete the 
     notifications required under subsection (d)--
       (1) during every stage of basic training;
       (2) during training for any military occupational 
     specialty;
       (3) at each school of professional military education;
       (4) upon each transfer of a duty station; and
       (5) at any other time determined appropriate by the 
     Secretary concerned.
       (f) Trained Personnel.--
       (1) Availability.--Each Secretary concerned shall retain 
     trained personnel at a naturalization office at every initial 
     military training site to provide appropriate services to 
     every member of the Armed Forces who is not a citizen of the 
     United States.
       (2) Training.--All personnel retained under paragraph (1) 
     shall be familiar with--
       (A) the special provisions of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) authorizing the 
     expedited application and naturalization process for current 
     members of the Armed Forces and veterans;
       (B) the application process for naturalization and 
     associated application materials; and
       (C) the naturalization process administered by U.S. 
     Citizenship and Immigration Services.
       (g) Assignment Preference.--The Secretary concerned, to the 
     extent practicable, shall assign each new member of the Armed 
     Forces who is not a citizen of the United States to an 
     initial military training site that has a naturalization 
     office.
       (h) Reporting Requirement.--The Director of U.S. 
     Citizenship and Immigration Services shall annually publish, 
     on a publicly accessible website--
       (1) the number of members of the Armed Forces who became 
     naturalized United States citizens during the most recent 
     year for which data is available, categorized by country in 
     which the naturalization ceremony took place;
       (2) the number of Armed Forces member's children who became 
     naturalized United States citizens during the most recent 
     year for which data is available, categorized by country in 
     which the naturalization ceremony took place; and
       (3) the number of Armed Forces member's spouses who became 
     naturalized United States citizens during the most recent 
     year for which data is available, categorized by country in 
     which the naturalization ceremony took place.
       (i) Rulemaking.--Each Secretary concerned shall prescribe, 
     by regulation, a definition of the term ``initial military 
     training site'' for purposes of this section.
                                 ______