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[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2655 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2655

   To amend and extend the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training 
                          Program Act of 1998.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2003

       Mr. Walsh (for himself, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Neal of 
 Massachusetts, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Sweeney, Mr. McDermott, Mrs. McCarthy 
of New York, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Quinn, Mr. Mollohan, Mr. Holden, Mr. Smith 
  of New Jersey, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Engel, Mr. Payne, Mr. 
    Frost, and Mr. Duncan) introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
 Committee on International Relations, 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 amend and extend the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training 
                          Program Act of 1998.

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

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT AND EXTENSION OF IRISH PEACE PROCESS CULTURAL AND 
              TRAINING PROGRAM ACT OF 1998.

    (a) Amendment of Program.--
            (1) Section 2(a)(2)(A) of such the Irish Peace Process 
        Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) 
        is amended by adding at the end ``Not more than 20 percent of 
        participants in the program may have a degree from an 
        institution of higher education.''.
            (2) Section 101(a)(15)(Q)(ii)(I) of the Immigration and 
        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(Q)(ii)(I)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``35 years of age or younger having 
                a residence'' and inserting ``21 to 35 years of age, 
                unemployed for not less than 6 months, having resided 
                for not less 6 months''; and
                    (B) by striking ``36 months'' and inserting ``24 
                months''.
            (3) Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
        (8 U.S.C. 1182(e)) is amended by inserting after subsection (p) 
        the following:
    ``(q)(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 an immigrant visa, or for 
permanent residence, or for a nonimmigrant visa under this Act until it 
is established that such person has resided and been physically present 
in the country of nationality or last residence for an aggregate of a 
least one year following departure from the United States.
    ``(2) The Secretary of Homeland Security may waive the requirement 
of such one-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 a lawfully 
        resident alien);
            ``(B) that the alien cannot return to the country of the 
        alien's nationality or last residence because the alien would 
        be subject to persecution on account of race, religion, or 
        political opinion; or
            ``(C) the admission of the alien is in the public interest 
        or the national interest of the United States.''.
    (b) 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--
            (1) in subsection (d)(1) by striking ``2006,'' and 
        inserting ``2008,'';
            (2) in subsection (d)(2) by striking ``2005,'' and 
        inserting ``2011,'';
            (3) in subsection (a)(3) by striking ``the third program 
        year and for the 3 subsequent years,'' and inserting ``each 
        program year''.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Changes.--The Irish Peace Process 
Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public 
Law 105-319) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Attorney General'' each place it appears 
        and inserting ``Secretary of Homeland Security''; and
            (2) by striking ``Immigration and Naturalization Service'' 
        each place it appears and inserting ``Department of Homeland 
        Security''.
                                 <all>
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