[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 25173-25174]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   AMENDING AND EXTENDING IRISH PEACE PROCESS CULTURAL AND TRAINING 
                          PROGRAM ACT OF 1998

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from 
the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2655) to amend and extend the Irish 
Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998, with a Senate 
amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The Clerk read the Senate amendment, as follows:

       Senate amendment:
       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     SECTION 1. AMENDMENT AND EXTENSION OF IRISH PEACE PROCESS 
                   CULTURAL AND TRAINING PROGRAM.

       (a) Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program 
     Act.--
       (1) Program participant requirements.--Section 2(a) of the 
     Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 
     (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(5) Program participant requirements.--An alien entering 
     the United States as a participant in the program shall 
     satisfy the following requirements:
       ``(A) The alien shall be a citizen of the United Kingdom or 
     the Republic of Ireland.
       ``(B) The alien shall be between 21 and 35 years of age on 
     the date of departure for the United States.
       ``(C) The alien shall have resided continuously in a 
     designated county for not less than 18 months before such 
     date.
       ``(D) The alien shall have been continuously unemployed for 
     not less than 12 months before such date.
       ``(E) The alien may not have a degree from an institution 
     of higher education.''.
       (2) Extension of program.--Section 2 of the Irish Peace 
     Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 
     1101 note) is amended--
       (A) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``the third program 
     year and for the 4 subsequent years,'' and inserting ``each 
     program year,''; and
       (B) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
       ``(d) Sunset.--
       ``(1) Effective October 1, 2008, the Irish Peace Process 
     Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 is repealed.
       ``(2) Effective October 1, 2008, section 101(a)(15)(Q) of 
     the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(Q)) 
     is amended--
       ``(A) by striking `or' at the end of clause (i);
       ``(B) by striking `(i)' after `(Q)'; and
       ``(C) by striking clause (ii).''.
       (3) Cost-sharing.--Section 2 of the Irish Peace Process 
     Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1101 
     note), as amended by paragraph (2), is further amended--
       (A) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
     (d) and (e), respectively; and
       (B) by inserting after subsection (b), the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(c) Cost-sharing.--The Secretary of State shall verify 
     that the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland continue 
     to pay a reasonable share of the costs of the administration 
     of the cultural and training programs carried out pursuant to 
     this Act.''.
       (4) Technical amendments.--The Irish Peace Process Cultural 
     and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is 
     amended--
       (A) by striking ``Attorney General'' each place such term 
     appears and inserting ``Secretary of Homeland Security''; and
       (B) by striking ``Immigration and Naturalization Service'' 
     each place such term appears and inserting ``Department of 
     Homeland Security''.
       (b) Immigration and Nationality Act.--
       (1) Requirements for nonimmigrant status.--Section 
     101(a)(15)(Q) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(Q)) is amended--
       (A) by striking ``Attorney General'' each place such term 
     appears and inserting ``Secretary of Homeland Security''; and
       (B) in clause (ii)(I)--
       (i) by striking ``35 years of age or younger having a 
     residence'' and inserting ``citizen of the United Kingdom or 
     the Republic of Ireland, 21 to 35 years of age, unemployed 
     for not less than 12 months, and having a residence for not 
     less than 18 months''; and
       (ii) by striking ``36 months)'' and inserting ``24 
     months)''.
       (2) Foreign residence requirement.--Section 212 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182) is amended--
       (A) by redesignating the subsection (p) as added by section 
     1505(f) of Public Law 106-386 (114 Stat. 1526) as subsection 
     (s); and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(t)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), no person 
     admitted under section 101(a)(15)(Q)(ii)(I), or acquiring 
     such status after admission, shall be eligible to apply for 
     nonimmigrant status, an immigrant visa, or permanent 
     residence under this Act until it is established that such 
     person has resided and been physically present in the 
     person's country of nationality or last residence for an 
     aggregate of at least 2 years following departure from the 
     United States.
       ``(2) The Secretary of Homeland Security may waive the 
     requirement of such 2-year foreign residence abroad if the 
     Secretary determines that--
       ``(A) departure from the United States would impose 
     exceptional hardship upon the alien's spouse or child (if 
     such spouse or child is a citizen of the United States or an 
     alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence); or
       ``(B) the admission of the alien is in the public interest 
     or the national interest of the United States.''.

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that the Senate amendment be considered as read and printed in 
the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2655 would extend the Irish 
Peace Process Cultural and Training Program for 2 years, from 2006 to 
2008. It would also modify the provisions of the program to ensure that 
those aliens receiving visas are those the program was designed to 
benefit.
  In 1998, Representative Walsh guided the Irish Peace Process Cultural 
and Training Program Act to enactment. The purpose of the program is to 
allow young adults who live in disadvantaged areas of Northern Ireland 
and designated border counties of Ireland that are

[[Page 25174]]

suffering from sectarian violence and high unemployment to enter the 
United States to develop job skills and conflict resolution abilities 
in a diverse, cooperative, peaceful, and prosperous environment. They 
can then return to their homes better able to contribute toward 
economic regeneration and the Irish peace process. Up to 4,000 
qualifying aliens (and their spouses and minor children) can be 
admitted each year and they can stay in the U.S. for up to 3 years.
  Mr. Walsh's bill, H.R. 2655, would extend the program for another 2 
years, until October 1, 2008. It would also make a number of changes to 
the program to ensure that the aliens granted admission are those truly 
economically disadvantaged young adults the program was designed to 
help. These changes include requirements that program participants not 
have degrees from institutions of higher education, that they be at 
least 21 years of age, that they be nationals of the United Kingdom or 
the Republic of Ireland, that they have been unemployed for at least 
one year and resident in Northern Ireland or the designated border 
counties for at least 18 months.
  The bill would also make changes to the program to help ensure that 
the aliens return to Ireland to foster economic development and peace. 
For instance, it would also require that aliens admitted under the 
program return home for 2 years before they could apply for an 
immigrant visa, permanent residence, or another nonimmigrant visa.
  I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2655.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the original request 
of the gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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