[House Report 105-646]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 2d Session                                                     105-646
_______________________________________________________________________


 
                   FOR THE RELIEF OF BELINDA McGREGOR

                                _______
                                

 June 24, 1998.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Smith of Texas, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1304]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill 
(S. 1304) for the relief of Belinda McGregor, having considered 
the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommend that the bill do pass.

                          purpose and summary

    This bill would deem Belinda McGregor to have been selected 
for a diversity immigrant visa for fiscal year 1998.

                background and need for the legislation

    Belinda McGregor, a citizen of the United Kingdom, filed an 
application for the 1995 Diversity Visa program. Her husband, a 
citizen of Ireland, filed a separate application at the same 
time. As the spouse of an Irish citizen, Ms. McGregor was 
eligible for the diversity program. Ms. McGregor's application 
was among those selected to receive a diversity visa in 1995. 
When the National Visa Center received the application, the 
clerk erroneously assumed that Belinda McGregor was not 
eligible for a visa because of her United Kingdom citizenship, 
and attempted to remedy the problem by replacing Ms. McGregor's 
name in the computer with that of her husband, an Irish 
citizen.
    Mr. McGregor was informed that he had been selected in the 
diversity program, and that additional documents were required. 
He sent the additional documents. When the National Visa Center 
received his completed information, it was discovered that his 
wife's name had been replaced with his and the application was 
placed back in her name. The National Visa Center never 
informed Ms. McGregor that she had been selected and as a 
result she never provided the requisite information before the 
September 1995 deadline. Her visa number was given to another 
applicant.
    Ms. McGregor was unfairly denied the 1995 diversity visa 
due to a series of errors by the National Visa Center. 
Unfortunately, the Center does not have the legal authority to 
rectify its mistake, and a private bill is needed to allow Ms. 
McGregor the visa to which she was entitled in 1995.

                                hearings

    The Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims held 
no hearings on S. 1304.

                        committee consideration

    On June 11, 1998, the Subcommittee on Immigration and 
Claims met in open session and ordered favorably reported the 
bill S. 1304, without amendment by voice vote, a quorum being 
present.
    On July 16, 1998, the Committee on the Judiciary met in 
open session and ordered reported favorably the bill S. 1304 
without amendment by voice vote, a quorum being present.

                      committee oversight findings

    In compliance with clause 2(l)(3)(A) of rule XI of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee reports 
that the findings and recommendations of the Committee, based 
on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

         committee on government reform and oversight findings

    No findings or recommendations of the Committee on 
Government Reform and Oversight were received as referred to in 
clause 2(l)(3)(D) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives.

               new budget authority and tax expenditures

    Clause 2(l)(3)(B) of House rule XI is inapplicable because 
this legislation does not provide new budgetary authority or 
increased tax expenditures.

               congressional budget office cost estimate

    In compliance with clause 2(l)(3)(C) of rule XI of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee sets 
forth, with respect to the bill, S. 1304, the following 
estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 403 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, July 20, 1998.
Hon. Henry J. Hyde,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1304, an act for the 
relief of Belinda McGregor.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark 
Grabowicz.
            Sincerely,
                                              James L. Blum
                                   (For June E. O'Neill, Director).
    Enclosure.

S. 1304--An act for the relief of Belinda McGregor

    S. 1304 would grant permanent residence to Belinda 
McGregor. CBO estimates that enacting this legislation would 
have no significant impact on the federal budget. S. 1304 could 
have a very small effect on fees collected by the Immigration 
and Naturalization Service, which are classified as direct 
spending, so pay-as-you-go procedures would apply.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. 
This estimate was approved by Paul N. Van de Water, Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                   constitutional authority statement

    Pursuant to rule XI, clause 2(l)(4) of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds the authority for 
this legislation in Article 1, Section 1, Clause 8 of the 
Constitution.

                                
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