[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




AMENDING SECTION 1059(e) OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2006

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to H.R. 6223.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 6223) to amend section 1059(e) of the National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 to clarify 
     that a period of employment abroad by the Chief of Mission or 
     United States Armed Forces as a translator, interpreter, or 
     in a security-related position in an executive or managerial 
     capacity is to be counted as a period of residence and 
     physical presence in the United States for purposes of 
     qualifying for naturalization, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, in the 111th Congress, I worked closely 
with Senator Lugar on two pieces of legislation to improve our 
immigration laws in small but meaningful ways. My bill, the Refugee 
Opportunity Act, would provide refugees and asylees more opportunity to 
become self-sustaining, productive members of their new American 
communities. Senator Lugar's bill, which I was proud to support, would 
have permitted lawful permanent residents to return, without penalty to 
their citizenship process, to their country of nationality to assist in 
post-conflict or disaster reconstruction efforts. Both of these bills, 
the Refugee Opportunity Act and the Return of Talent Act, were approved 
by the Senate Judiciary Committee in March of 2010. Unfortunately, 
undefined Republican objections stalled the progress for both of these 
bipartisan bills.
  The Refugee Opportunity Act would provide relief from the continuous 
presence requirement in the immigration law for certain refugees and 
asylees. Specifically, the legislation would waive the requirement for 
refugees or asylees who worked overseas, if such presence outside the 
United States was in the service of the United States Government, 
within the refugee or asylee's home country, and within the protection 
of the United States Government. For refugees and asylees, in order to 
adjust from that status to lawful permanent resident status, 1 year of 
continuous presence in the United States is required after arrival. The 
purpose of the Refugee Opportunity Act was to permit refugees and 
asylees in the United States, who often arrive after years of 
persecution or displacement, to take employment opportunities overseas 
in service of their new government without penalty to their immigration 
process. The policy goal was to provide encouragement for refugees and 
asylees to take a step forward on the path to independence and self-
sufficiency while assisting the international efforts of their adopted 
country.
  The legislation that Senator Toomey has introduced, and for which he 
has sought consent in the Senate, would provide this same relief from 
the continuous presence requirement in the immigration law for 
recipients of the Special Immigrant Visa. These visas are available to 
Iraqi and Afghan interpreters or translators who had served the United 
States armed forces overseas. The bill we pass today would remove 
barriers for Special Immigrant Visa holders who, after receipt of such 
a visa, wish to work again for the United States abroad. Like the 
Refugee Opportunity Act, this bill would waive the applicable presence 
requirement that the immigrant must satisfy before adjusting his or her 
status while he or she was outside the United States. In fact, the 
goals of H.R. 6223 are identical to the bill I introduced over 2 years 
ago with Senator Lugar--to encourage new arrivals to America to work on 
behalf of the United States in furthering the goals of our government 
abroad and to remove barriers to such employment and participation.
  Although I am glad that the goals of the Refugee Opportunity Act and 
the ideal that we do right to encourage new Americans to serve their 
adopted government are being promoted in the legislation Senator Toomey 
has sought to pass, I regret that the same cooperation and courtesy we 
give him today was withheld by some of Senator Toomey's fellow 
Republican Senators when Senator Lugar and I asked for consent on our 
legislation to achieve these same goals.
  Mr. REID. I now ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third 
time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and 
any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 6223) was ordered to a third reading, was read the 
third time, and passed.

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