[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 30 (Thursday, February 15, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2022. Mr. MORAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill H.R. 2579, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
to allow the premium tax credit with respect to unsubsidized COBRA
continuation coverage; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. MODIFICATION OF PER COUNTRY NUMERICAL LIMITATION FOR
EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISAS.
(a) In General.--Section 202(a)(2) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2)) is amended--
(1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``and employment-
based'';
(2) by striking ``(3), (4), and (5),'' and inserting ``(3)
and (4),'';
(3) by striking ``subsections (a) and (b) of section 203''
and inserting ``section 203(a)'';
(4) by striking ``7'' and inserting ``15''; and
(5) by striking ``such subsections'' and inserting ``such
section''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 202 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1152) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``both subsections (a)
and (b) of section 203'' and inserting ``section 203(a)'';
and
(B) by striking paragraph (5); and
(2) by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:
``(e) Special Rules for Countries at Ceiling.--If the total
number of immigrant visas made available under section 203(a)
to natives of any single foreign state or dependent area will
exceed the numerical limitation specified in subsection
(a)(2) in any fiscal year, in determining the allotment of
immigrant visa numbers to natives under section 203(a), visa
numbers with respect to natives of that state or area shall
be allocated (to the extent practicable and otherwise
consistent with this section and section 203) in a manner so
that, except as provided in subsection (a)(4), the proportion
of the visa numbers made available under each of paragraphs
(1) through (4) of section 203(a) is equal to the ratio of
the total number of visas made available under the respective
paragraph to the total number of visas made available under
section 203(a).''.
(c) Country-Specific Offset.--Section 2 of the Chinese
Student Protection Act of 1992 (8 U.S.C. 1255 note) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``subsection (e))'' and
inserting ``subsection (d))''; and
(2) by striking subsection (d) and redesignating subsection
(e) as subsection (d).
(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect on September 30, 2018, and shall apply to
fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 2019.
(e) Transition Rules for Employment-based Immigrants.--
(1) In general.--Subject to of this subsection and
notwithstanding title II of the Immigration and Nationality
Act (8 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.), the following rules shall apply:
(A) For fiscal year 2019, 15 percent of the immigrant visas
made available under each of paragraphs (2) and (3) of
section 203(b) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)) shall be
allotted to immigrants who are natives of a foreign state or
dependent area that was not one of the 2 states with the
largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining immigrant
visas during fiscal year 2017 under such paragraphs.
(B) For fiscal year 2020, 10 percent of the immigrant visas
made available under each of such paragraphs shall be
allotted to immigrants who are natives of a foreign state or
dependent area that was not one of the 2 states with the
largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining immigrant
visas during fiscal year 2018 under such paragraphs.
(C) For fiscal year 2021, 10 percent of the immigrant visas
made available under each of such paragraphs shall be
allotted to immigrants who are natives of a foreign state or
dependent area that was not one of the 2 states with the
largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining immigrant
visas during fiscal year 2019 under such paragraphs.
(2) Per-country levels.--
(A) Reserved visas.--With respect to the visas reserved
under each of subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1),
the number of such visas made available to natives of any
single foreign state or dependent area in the appropriate
fiscal year may not exceed 25 percent (in the case of a
single foreign state) or 2 percent (in the case of a
dependent area) of the total number of such visas.
(B) Unreserved visas.--With respect to the immigrant visas
made available under each of paragraphs (2) and (3) of
section 203(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1153(b)) and not reserved under paragraph (1), for
each of fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021, not more than 85
percent shall be allotted to immigrants who are natives of
any single foreign state.
(3) Special rule to prevent unused visas.--If, with respect
to fiscal year 2019, 2020, or 2021, the operation of
paragraphs (1) and (2) would prevent the total number of
immigrant visas made available under paragraph (2) or (3) of
section 203(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1153(b)) from being issued, such visas may be issued
during the remainder of such fiscal year without regard to
such paragraphs (1) and (2).
(4) Rules for chargeability.--Section 202(b) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(b)) shall
apply in determining the foreign state to which an alien is
chargeable for purposes of this subsection.
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