[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 373. Mr. MENENDEZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 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 in title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. __. UNITED STATES-URUGUAY PARTNERSHIP.

       (a) Eligibility of Uruguay for Designation as a Beneficiary 
     Country Under Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act.--Section 
     212(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 
     U.S.C. 2702(b)) is amended by inserting after ``Turks and 
     Caicos Islands'' the following new item:
     ``Uruguay''.
       (b) Nonimmigrant Traders and Investors.--For purposes of 
     clauses (i) and (ii) of section 101(a)(15)(E) of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)), 
     Uruguay shall be considered to be a foreign state described 
     in such section if the Government of Uruguay provides similar 
     nonimmigrant status to nationals of the United States.
       (c) Visa Waiver Program Eligibility.--
       (1) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of State, should conduct a review as to whether 
     Uruguay meets the eligibility criteria for designation as a 
     program country for purposes of the visa waiver program under 
     section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1187).
       (2) Visa waiver program eligibility.--Not later than 90 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of State, shall submit to Congress a report that 
     includes--
       (A) an assessment as to whether Uruguay meets the 
     eligibility criteria for designation as a program country for 
     purposes of the visa waiver program under section 217 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187); and
       (B) in the case of such an assessment that Uruguay does not 
     meet such eligibility criteria, a description of the actions 
     required of Uruguay in order to meet such criteria.
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