I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4048 

To suspend the admission and resettlement of aliens seeking refugee status 

because of the conflict in Syria until adequate protocols are established 

to protect the national security of the United States and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 17, 2015 

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. ABRAHAM, and 

Mr. FLEMING) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Select Committee on 

Intelligence (Permanent Select), Rules, and Foreign Affairs, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To suspend the admission and resettlement of aliens seeking 

refugee status because of the conflict in Syria until adequate protocols are established to protect the national 

security of the United States and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Syrian Refugee 

5 Verification and Safety Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON4 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con5 gress’’ means the following: 

6 (A) The Committee on the Judiciary, the 

7 Committee on Foreign Relations, the Com8 mittee on Homeland Security and Govern9 mental Affairs, and the Select Committee on 

10 Intelligence of the Senate. 

11 (B) The Committee on the Judiciary, the 

12 Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee 

13 on Homeland Security, and the Permanent Se14 lect Committee on Intelligence of the House of 

15 Representatives. 

16 (2) APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS.—The term ‘‘ap17 propriate officials’’ means each of the following: 

18 (A) The Secretary of Homeland Security. 

19 (B) The Secretary of State. 

20 (C) The Director of National Intelligence. 

21 (D) The Director of the Federal Bureau of 

22 Investigation. 

23 (3) COVERED ALIEN.—The term ‘‘covered 

24 alien’’ means an alien who is a refugee (as that term 

25 is defined in section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration 


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1 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42)) because 

2 of the conflict in Syria. 

3 SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF ADMISSION OF REFUGEES FROM 

4 THE CONFLICT IN SYRIA. 

5 (a) SUSPENSION OF ADMISSIONS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

7 provision of law— 

8 (A) no covered alien may be admitted to 

9 the United States as a refugee under section 

10 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

11 U.S.C. 1157) or any other provision of law; 

12 (B) no funds may be expended to process 

13 applications for covered aliens to be admitted as 

14 refugees; and 

15 (C) no funds may be expended by the Sec16 retary of State or the Secretary of Health and 

17 Human Services to resettle covered aliens in the 

18 United States. 

19 (2) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—Subject to subsection 

20 (f), paragraph (1) shall be in effect until the date 

21 that is 30 days after the date that the President 

22 submits to the appropriate committees of Congress 

23 a certification that the provisions of subsections (b) 

24 through (e) of this section have been carried out. 


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1 (3) MINIMUM REVIEW PERIOD.—The President 

2 may not submit the certification referred to in para3 graph (2) until after the date that is 270 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act to ensure there 

5 is adequate time to conduct the necessary evaluation 

6 of trends, analysis, and intelligence, and to otherwise 

7 obtain the necessary information to review the intel8 ligence and security structures required to make the 

9 certifications and submissions required by this sec10 tion. 

11 (b) IMPROVED PROTOCOLS AND COORDINATION.— 

12 Each appropriate official shall submit to the appropriate 

13 committees of Congress a certification that includes the 

14 following: 

15 (1) A description of the protocols in place and 

16 efforts to enhance protocols to properly adjudicate 

17 whether a covered alien is admissible to the United 

18 States and to resettle covered aliens in the United 

19 States, including a description of— 

20 (A) all security-related requirements and 

21 any enhanced security requirements; 

22 (B) how such protocols are adequate to 

23 protect the national security of the United 

24 States; and 


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1 (C) how such protocols will ensure coordi2 nation with Federal, State, and local law en3 forcement officials in areas where covered aliens 

4 will reside. 

5 (2) A cost assessment of the costs related to the 

6 admission of covered aliens as refugees and resettle7 ment of covered aliens in the United States, includ8 ing potential costs to individual States. 

9 (3) A description of the enhanced interagency 

10 coordination occurring to effectively implement such 

11 protocols. 

12 (4) A statement acknowledging that every cov13 ered alien entering the United States as a refugee 

14 is required to go through the full enhanced vetting 

15 process, as described in this section and carried out 

16 by the United States Government. 

17 (c) EVALUATION AND REVIEW BY INSPECTOR GEN18 ERAL OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.—The Inspec19 tor General of the Intelligence Community shall submit 

20 to the appropriate committees of Congress a comprehen21 sive evaluation and review of the protocols and coordina22 tion referred to in subsection (b). 

23 (d) UPDATE OF CONGRESSIONAL PRESENTATION

24 DOCUMENT FROM BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEES, 

25 AND MIGRATION.— 


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1 (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of State 

2 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con3 gress an updated Congressional Presentation Docu4 ment of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and 

5 Migration for Fiscal Year 2016 that reflects security 

6 or other risks posed by covered aliens. 

7 (2) CONTENTS.—The update required by para8 graph (1) shall include the following: 

9 (A) An assessment of whether the Bureau 

10 of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the De11 partment of Homeland Security, and law en12 forcement and intelligence agencies are success13 fully protecting the refugee admissions program 

14 from infiltration by aliens who pose national se15 curity threats to the United States related to 

16 the violent extremist organization that calls 

17 itself the Islamic State (also known as ‘‘ISIS’’). 

18 (B) The identify of the aliens admitted to 

19 the United States as refugees since 2001 who 

20 subsequently engaged in criminal or terrorist 

21 conduct. 

22 (e) BRIEFING TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary of 

23 State shall provide a briefing to the appropriate congres24 sional committees on the increase in covered aliens seeking 

25 to be admitted as refugees, including whether any covered 


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1 alien seeking to be admitted as a refugee had, or there 

2 was reason to believe may have, engaged in terrorist con3 duct regardless of whether such conduct was linked to the 

4 conflict in Syria or to the violent extremist organization 

5 that calls itself the Islamic State (also known as ‘‘ISIS’’). 

6 (f) JOINT RESOLUTION OF DISAPPROVAL.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

8 provision of this section, a certification described in 

9 subsection (a) shall not have any effect if, within 15 

10 calendar days after the date on which Congress re11 ceives the certification, there is enacted into law a 

12 joint resolution disapproving the certification. 

13 (2) CONTENTS OF JOINT RESOLUTION.—For 

14 the purpose of this subsection, the term ‘‘joint reso15 lution’’ means only a joint resolution— 

16 (A) that is introduced not later than 3 cal17 endar days after the date on which a certifi18 cation described in subsection (a) is received by 

19 Congress; 

20 (B) which does not have a preamble; 

21 (C) the title of which is as follows: ‘‘Joint 

22 resolution disapproving the certification of the 

23 President described in section 3(a) of the Syr24 ian Refugee Verification and Safety Act’’; and 


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1 (D) the matter after the resolving clause of 

2 which is as follows: ‘‘That Congress disapproves 

3 the certification of the President described in 

4 section 3(a) of the Syrian Refugee Verification 

5 and Safety Act.’’. 

6 (3) FAST TRACK CONSIDERATION IN HOUSE OF

7 REPRESENTATIVES.— 

8 (A) RECONVENING.—Upon receipt of a 

9 certification described in subsection (a), the 

10 Speaker of the House of Representatives, if the 

11 House of Representatives would otherwise be 

12 adjourned, shall notify the Members of the 

13 House that, pursuant to this subsection, the 

14 House shall convene not later than the second 

15 calendar day after receipt of such certification. 

16 (B) REPORTING AND DISCHARGE.—Any 

17 committee of the House of Representatives to 

18 which a joint resolution described in paragraph 

19 (2) is referred shall report it to the House not 

20 later than 5 calendar days after the date of re21 ceipt of the certification described in subsection 

22 (a). If a committee fails to report the joint reso23 lution within that period, the committee shall be 

24 discharged from further consideration of the 


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1 joint resolution and the joint resolution shall be 

2 referred to the appropriate calendar. 

3 (C) PROCEEDING TO CONSIDERATION.— 

4 After each committee authorized to consider a 

5 joint resolution reports it to the House or has 

6 been discharged from its consideration, it shall 

7 be in order, not later than the sixth day after 

8 Congress receives the certification described in 

9 subsection (a), to move to proceed to consider 

10 the joint resolution in the House. All points of 

11 order against the motion are waived. Such a 

12 motion shall not be in order after the House 

13 has disposed of a motion to proceed on the joint 

14 resolution. The previous question shall be con15 sidered as ordered on the motion to its adoption 

16 without intervening motion. The motion shall 

17 not be debatable. A motion to reconsider the 

18 vote by which the motion is disposed of shall 

19 not be in order. 

20 (D) CONSIDERATION.—The joint resolu21 tion shall be considered as read. All points of 

22 order against the joint resolution and against 

23 its consideration are waived. The previous ques24 tion shall be considered as ordered on the joint 

25 resolution to its passage without intervening 


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1 motion except two hours of debate equally di2 vided and controlled by the proponent and an 

3 opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote on 

4 passage of the joint resolution shall not be in 

5 order. 

6 (4) FAST TRACK CONSIDERATION IN SENATE.— 

7 (A) RECONVENING.—Upon receipt of a 

8 certification described in subsection (a), if the 

9 Senate has adjourned or recessed for more than 

10 2 days, the majority leader of the Senate, after 

11 consultation with the minority leader of the 

12 Senate, shall notify the Members of the Senate 

13 that, pursuant to this subsection, the Senate 

14 shall convene not later than the second calendar 

15 day after receipt of the certification. 

16 (B) PLACEMENT ON CALENDAR.—Upon in17 troduction in the Senate, the joint resolution 

18 shall be placed immediately on the calendar. 

19 (C) FLOOR CONSIDERATION.— 

20 (i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

21 Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the 

22 Senate, it is in order at any time during 

23 the period beginning on the 4th day after 

24 the date on which Congress receives a cer25 tification described in subsection (a) and 


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1 ending on the 6th day after the date on 

2 which Congress receives a certification de3 scribed in subsection (a) (even though a 

4 previous motion to the same effect has 

5 been disagreed to) to move to proceed to 

6 the consideration of the joint resolution, 

7 and all points of order against the joint 

8 resolution (and against consideration of 

9 the joint resolution) are waived. The mo10 tion to proceed is not debatable. The mo11 tion is not subject to a motion to postpone. 

12 A motion to reconsider the vote by which 

13 the motion is agreed to or disagreed to 

14 shall not be in order. If a motion to pro15 ceed to the consideration of the resolution 

16 is agreed to, the joint resolution shall re17 main the unfinished business until dis18 posed of. 

19 (D) DEBATE.—Debate on the joint resolu20 tion, and on all debatable motions and appeals 

21 in connection therewith, shall be limited to not 

22 more than 10 hours, which shall be divided 

23 equally between the majority and minority lead24 ers or their designees. A motion further to limit 

25 debate is in order and not debatable. An 


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1 amendment to, or a motion to postpone, or a 

2 motion to proceed to the consideration of other 

3 business, or a motion to recommit the joint res4 olution is not in order. 

5 (E) VOTE ON PASSAGE.—The vote on pas6 sage shall occur immediately following the con7 clusion of the debate on a joint resolution, and 

8 a single quorum call at the conclusion of the de9 bate if requested in accordance with the rules of 

10 the Senate. 

11 (F) RULINGS OF THE CHAIR ON PROCE12 DURE.—Appeals from the decisions of the Chair 

13 relating to the application of the rules of the 

14 Senate, as the case may be, to the procedure re15 lating to a joint resolution shall be decided 

16 without debate. 

17 (5) RULES RELATING TO SENATE AND HOUSE

18 OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

19 (A) COORDINATION WITH ACTION BY

20 OTHER HOUSE.—If, before the passage by one 

21 House of a joint resolution of that House, that 

22 House receives from the other House a joint 

23 resolution, then the following procedures shall 

24 apply: 


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1 (i) The joint resolution of the other 

2 House shall not be referred to a com3 mittee. 

4 (ii) With respect to a joint resolution 

5 of the House receiving the resolution— 

6 (I) the procedure in that House 

7 shall be the same as if no joint resolu8 tion had been received from the other 

9 House; but 

10 (II) the vote on passage shall be 

11 on the joint resolution of the other 

12 House. 

13 (B) TREATMENT OF JOINT RESOLUTION

14 OF OTHER HOUSE.—If one House fails to intro15 duce or consider a joint resolution under this 

16 subsection, the joint resolution of the other 

17 House shall be entitled to expedited floor proce18 dures under this subsection. 

19 (C) TREATMENT OF COMPANION MEAS20 URES.—If, following passage of the joint resolu21 tion in the Senate, the Senate then receives the 

22 companion measure from the House of Rep23 resentatives, the companion measure shall not 

24 be debatable. 


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1 (D) VETO DEBATE AND DURATION.—If the 

2 President vetoes the joint resolution, debate on 

3 a veto message in the Senate under this sub4 section shall be 1 hour equally divided between 

5 the majority and minority leaders or their des6 ignees. 

7 (6) RULES OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

8 AND SENATE.—This paragraph and paragraphs (3), 

9 (4), and (5) are enacted by Congress— 

10 (A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power 

11 of the Senate and House of Representatives, re12 spectively, and as such it is deemed a part of 

13 the rules of each House, respectively, but appli14 cable only with respect to the procedure to be 

15 followed in that House in the case of a joint 

16 resolution, and it supersedes other rules only to 

17 the extent that it is inconsistent with such 

18 rules; and 

19 (B) with full recognition of the constitu20 tional right of either House to change the rules 

21 (so far as relating to the procedure of that 

22 House) at any time, in the same manner, and 

23 to the same extent as in the case of any other 

24 rule of that House. 

Æ 


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