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[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1677 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  2d Session
                                S. 1677

 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish the United 
    States Citizenship Promotion Agency within the Immigration and 
            Naturalization Service, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 16, 1996

  Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish the United 
    States Citizenship Promotion Agency within the Immigration and 
            Naturalization Service, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Citizenship Promotion Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) American democracy performs best when the maximum 
        number of people subject to its laws participate in the 
        political process, at all levels of government.
            (2) Citizenship actively exercised will better assure that 
        individuals both assert their rights and fulfill their 
        responsibilities of membership within our political community, 
        thereby benefiting all citizens and residents of the United 
        States.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT.

    Title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act is amended by 
adding at the end the following new chapter:

                   ``CHAPTER 5--CITIZENSHIP PROMOTION

``SEC. 371. DEFINITIONS.

    ``As used in this chapter--
            ``(1) the term `Agency' means the United States Citizenship 
        Promotion Agency; and
            ``(2) the term `Board' means the National Advisory Board on 
        Citizenship established by section 373.

``SEC. 372. THE UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP PROMOTION AGENCY.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the Immigration 
and Naturalization Service an agency to be known as the United States 
Citizenship Promotion Agency.
    ``(b) Mission.--The Agency shall have as its mission the following:
            ``(1) To carry out the functions relating to naturalization 
        arising under chapter 2 of this title.
            ``(2) To assist in the implementation of a comprehensive 
        program of encouraging and assisting eligible immigrants to 
        become naturalized citizens as soon thereafter as they become 
        eligible to do so.
    ``(c) Headed by Associate Commissioner.--
            ``(1) Appointment.--The Agency shall be headed by an 
        Associate Commissioner for Citizenship. Reasonable efforts 
        shall be made to fill the position with a naturalized citizen 
        of the United States.
            ``(2) Compensation.--The position of Associate Commissioner 
        for Citizenship shall be a position in the Senior Executive 
        Service.
    ``(d) Powers.--The Agency is authorized to exercise all necessary 
and appropriate powers and duties to carry out its mission, including 
the authority--
            ``(1) to enter into cooperative agreements with Federal, 
        State, and local governmental entities;
            ``(2) to enter into contracts, subject to the availability 
        of appropriations; and
            ``(3) to make grants to private and nonprofit entities.
    ``(e) Role of Advisory Board.--The Commissioner and the Associate 
Commissioner for Citizenship shall seek the consultation and advice of 
the Board regarding the policies, practices, and procedures used by the 
Agency in fulfillment of its duties.
    ``(f) Termination of Existing Offices and Positions.--(1) There are 
transferred to the Agency all functions being exercised before the date 
of enactment of the Citizenship Promotion Act of 1996 by the Attorney 
General, the Commissioner, or the Service relating to the following:
            ``(A) The naturalization of persons under chapter 2 of this 
        title.
            ``(B) The encouragement and assistance of eligible 
        immigrants to become naturalized citizens.
    ``(2) Upon such date, the Commissioner shall abolish or 
consolidate, as the case may be, any office or position existing before 
such date within the Service that performed functions transferred under 
paragraph (1), if such office or position is not otherwise created by 
statute.
    ``(3) The personnel employed in connection with, and the assets, 
liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of 
appropriations, authorizations, allocations, and other funds employed, 
used, held, arising from, available to, or to be made available in 
connection with the functions transferred under this paragraph (1), 
subject to section 1531 of title 31, United States Code, shall be 
transferred to the Agency.

``SEC. 373. NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD ON CITIZENSHIP.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established the National Advisory 
Board on Citizenship to advise the Associate Commissioner for 
Citizenship, the Attorney General, the President, and Congress 
regarding the carrying out of the Agency's objectives.
    ``(b) Composition.--(1) The Board shall be composed of 9 voting 
members, who shall be appointed by the Attorney General, except as 
otherwise provided, as follows:
            ``(A) One member drawn from among individuals having 
        extensive academic experience in the study of immigration.
            ``(B) Two members drawn from among individuals having been 
        recently naturalized, including at least one who is engaged in 
        nonprofessional employment.
            ``(C) Two members drawn from among individuals having 
        extensive recent experience in counseling and advising resident 
        aliens to become naturalized citizens.
            ``(D) Two members drawn from among individuals who have 
        extensive experience working with the immigrant community.
            ``(E) One member to be appointed by the Committee on the 
        Judiciary of the Senate.
            ``(F) One member to be appointed by the Committee on the 
        Judiciary of the House of Representatives.
    ``(2) The Assistant Secretary of Education for Vocational and Adult 
Education, or his or her designee, shall serve on the Board in a 
nonvoting capacity.
    ``(3) The voting members shall serve staggered terms in a manner to 
be prescribed by the Attorney General.
    ``(4) At the first meeting of the Board each year, the members of 
the Board shall elect a chair and vice chair, who shall serve for a 
term of one year.
    ``(5) The Board shall meet no more frequently than quarterly each 
year to carry out its responsibilities under subsection (c).
    ``(c) Responsibilities.--(1) The Board shall have the general 
responsibility to prepare independent biannual reports relating to the 
administration of policies of the Agency. Such reports may include 
minority reports, if timely submitted.
    ``(2) In the course of carrying out its responsibilities, the Board 
may do the following:
            ``(A) Review the policies, plans, and objectives of the 
        Agency, including the effectiveness thereof, both short- and 
        long-term.
            ``(B) Review programs and policies of other Federal and 
        State agencies under the area of oversight of the Agency, as is 
        necessary, including the effectiveness thereof, both short- and 
        long-term.
            ``(C) Assess the resources and funds for the Agency, and 
        make reports and recommendations to the Commissioner and 
        Congress.
    ``(3) The Board shall give an annual oral report to the Attorney 
General, the Commissioner, and the Associate Commissioner for 
Citizenship.
    ``(d) Administrative Matters.--The Attorney General shall approve 
the budget of the Board. The Attorney General and the Commissioner 
shall provide administrative support, including staffing, to enable the 
Board to fulfill its functions.
    ``(e) Compensation.--While away from their homes or regular places 
of business in the performance of duties for the Board, Board members 
shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed $100 per day and shall be 
allowed reasonable travel expenses.
    ``(f) Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The 
provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall 
apply to the Board, except to the extent that this section establishes 
contrary policies or procedures.

``SEC. 374. NATURALIZATION OUTREACH.

    ``In order to enable the Agency to fulfill its naturalization 
outreach duties, the Agency--
            ``(1) shall seek the assistance of appropriate community 
        groups, private voluntary agencies, and other appropriate 
        organizations; and
            ``(2) may enter into cooperative agreements with, or make 
        grants to, such other governmental, private, and nonprofit 
        entities (including entities that encourage or facilitate 
        community service or are engaged in such service) that it 
        considers useful in carrying out such duties.

``SEC. 375. FEES.

    ``(a) Naturalization Examinations Fee Account.--There is 
established in the general fund of the Treasury of the United States a 
separate account which shall be known as the `Naturalization 
Examinations Fee Account' (hereafter in this section referred to as the 
`Account').
    ``(b) Deposits.--(1) There shall be deposited into the Account the 
following:
            ``(A) All funds in the Immigration Examinations Fee Account 
        that were collected pursuant to section 344(a) before the date 
        of the enactment of the Citizenship Promotion Act of 1996 and 
        that remain available for obligation on such date.
            ``(B) Except as provided in paragraph (2), all fees paid to 
        the Attorney General pursuant to section 344(a) after such 
        date.
    ``(2) Fees paid after such date pursuant to section 344(a) by 
applicants residing in the United States Virgin Islands, and in Guam, 
shall be paid over to the treasury of the Virgin Islands and the 
treasury of Guam, respectively.
    ``(c) Amount of Fees.--The Attorney General shall establish, and 
may revise from time to time, the amount of the fees to be collected 
pursuant to section 344(a) for deposit into the Account. The amount of 
such fees may be set at a level that will ensure the full recovery of 
the costs referred to in subsection (d)(1) and the costs of the 
administration of such fees.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--(1) The Attorney General may use funds in the 
Account to cover the following:
            ``(A) The costs of the Agency in carrying out 
        naturalization functions under chapter 2 of this title.
            ``(B) The costs of the Agency in encouraging and assisting 
        eligible immigrants in becoming naturalized citizens under this 
        chapter, including the facilitation of instruction of 
        immigrants in the English language.
            ``(C) The costs of the Agency in collecting fees for 
        deposit into the Account and in administering the Account.
    ``(2) Amounts in the Account shall remain available until expended.
    ``(e) Annual Financial Statements.--The Attorney General shall 
prepare and submit annually to Congress statements of financial 
condition of the Account, including beginning account balance revenues, 
withdrawals, and ending account balance and projections for the ensuing 
fiscal year.''.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended--
            (1) in section 286 (8 U.S.C. 1356)--
                    (A) in the second proviso of subsection (m), by 
                striking ``and naturalization''; and
                    (B) in subsection (n), by striking ``and 
                naturalization''; and
            (2) in section 332 (8 U.S.C. 1443)--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by inserting after the first 
                sentence the following new sentence: ``The Attorney 
                General shall discharge such provisions through the 
                United States Citizenship Promotion Agency established 
                under chapter 5 of this title.''; and
                    (B) by striking subsection (h).
                                 <all>
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