Naturalization Improvements Act of 1995

Summary: Naturalization Improvements Act of 1995 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that in order to reduce naturalization backlogs the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) should increasingly privatize administration of the oral English and written civics exam. 
Authorizes appropriations for INS naturalization procedure restructuring, including community outreach activities and equipment and technology upgrades.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Naturalization Improvements Act of 
1995''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) According to the Immigration and Naturalization 
        Service, by April 1995, 5,300,000 adults and about 700,000 
        children will be eligible for citizenship. About 3,000,000 
        immigrants who were legalized under the Immigration Reform and 
        Control Act of 1986 will also be eligible for citizenship.
            (2) The Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates 
        that about 338,445 naturalization cases were pending at the end 
        of fiscal year 1994.
            (3) According to the Immigration and Naturalization 
        Service, applications increased 78 percent from October 1994 to 
        January 1995, compared with the same period the year before. 
        The percentage increase in citizenship applications ranged from 
        9 percent in San Antonio to 301 percent in Los Angeles.
            (4) According to the American Immigration Lawyers 
        Association, estimates of the time it takes from filing the 
        citizenship application to being interviewed range from 60 days 
        to over 2 years.
            (5) In addition to the enormous backlog in applications, 
        the following are also included as barriers to successfully 
        completing the citizenship process: lack of outreach and 
        information services available to the eligible population to 
        inform potential applicants about the benefits and legal 
        consequences of becoming a citizen; insufficient information 
        and counseling on the application process itself; and lack of 
        access to English language and citizenship preparation classes.
            (6) The Immigration and Naturalization Service cites lack 
        of English language skills as the primary reason applicants are 
        denied citizenship.
            (7) There is no Federal program that is specifically 
        targeted to the educational needs of immigrants wishing to 
        naturalize.
            (8) President Clinton's fiscal year 1996 budget proposal 
        requests $7,000,000 for Immigration and Naturalization 
        Service's citizenship and relating operating expenses as 
        compared with $1,000,000,000 for border enforcement and 
        assistance to States.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    The following is the sense of the Congress:
            (1) The right of citizenship through naturalization 
        underlies the greatness of our Nation in the same way that 
        citizenship by birth does.
            (2) The rights accorded by the Constitution and the laws of 
        the United States upon citizens and those lawfully in the 
        United States, as well as upon those who are entitled to seek 
        legal status under current law, must not be forsaken, weakened, 
        nor compromised. Reducing rights or services for everyone 
        undermines our sense of responsibility as a democracy.
            (3) Naturalization should become a national priority to 
        ensure that all residents are able to participate fully in the 
        rights and responsibilities that go along with United States 
        citizenship. It is the responsibility of the Federal Government 
        to provide the services necessary for naturalization.
            (4) In order to reduce the backlog of pending United States 
        citizenship applications in Immigration and Naturalization 
        Service offices across the country, the Immigration and 
        Naturalization Service should increasingly privatize the 
        administration of the oral English and written civics exam. The 
        Immigration and Naturalization Service should determine the 
        appropriate agencies experienced in educational testing to 
        assist with this part of the naturalization process.
            (5) In order to privatize the administration of the English 
        oral and written civic exams, the Immigration and 
        Naturalization Service should develop a national standard for 
        each exam. The Immigration and Naturalization Service should 
        then determine what the standard will consist of and how to 
        administer the standard after it has been established.
            (6) The Immigration and Naturalization Service should 
        publicize the opportunity to take the oral English and written 
        civics exams with a private agency authorized by the 
        Immigration and Naturalization Service as an alternative to 
        testing with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The 
        inclusion of private agencies authorized by the Immigration and 
        Naturalization Service to administer the English oral and 
        written civics exams will give applicants the opportunity to 
        complete the naturalization process with greater efficiency.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Immigration and 
Naturalization Service such sums as may be necessary for the following:
            (1) To restructure and streamline Immigration and 
        Naturalization Service procedures to reduce delays in the 
        naturalization process.
            (2) To promote local level, cooperative agreements between 
        the Immigration and Naturalization Service and community 
        organizations and institute administrative reforms to minimize 
        delays and promote outreach to the immigrant community.
            (3) To expand current services to suburbs and target 
        populations with special challenges such as the elderly.
            (4) To continue and expand collaborative arrangements among 
        nonprofit, government, and private sector entities to deliver 
        citizenship services (including outreach and adult education 
        classes) as effectively and efficiently as possible.
            (5) To upgrade equipment and technology used to report on 
        naturalization statistics and the naturalization application 
        process.