II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1393 

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to prescribe the binding 

oath or affirmation of renunciation and allegiance required to be naturalized as a citizen of the United States, to encourage and support the 

efforts of prospective citizens of the United States to become citizens, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 15, 2007 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. COCHRAN, and Mr. CORNYN) 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 prescribe 

the binding oath or affirmation of renunciation and allegiance required to be naturalized as a citizen of the 

United States, to encourage and support the efforts of 

prospective citizens of the United States to become citizens, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Strengthening American Citizenship Act of 2007’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—LEARNING ENGLISH 

Sec. 101. English fluency. 

Sec. 102. Savings provision. 

TITLE II—EDUCATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE 

Sec. 201. American citizenship grant program. 

Sec. 202. Funding for the Office of Citizenship. 

Sec. 203. Restriction on use of funds. 

Sec. 204. Reporting requirement. 

TITLE III—CODIFYING THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE 

Sec. 301. Oath or affirmation of renunciation and allegiance. 

TITLE IV—CELEBRATING NEW CITIZENS 

Sec. 401. Establishment of new citizens award program. 

Sec. 402. Naturalization ceremonies. 

3 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.—The term ‘‘Oath 

6 of Allegiance’’ means the binding oath (or affirma7 tion) of allegiance required to be naturalized as a 

8 citizen of the United States, as prescribed in sub9 section (e) of section 337 of the Immigration and 

10 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1448(e)), as added by sec11 tion 301(a)(2). 

12 (2) SECRETARY.—Except as otherwise provided, 

13 the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of Home14 land Security. 


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1 TITLE I—LEARNING ENGLISH 

2 SEC. 101. ENGLISH FLUENCY. 

3 (a) EDUCATION GRANTS.— 

4 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Chief of the Office 

5 of Citizenship of the Department of Homeland Secu6 rity (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Chief’’) 

7 shall establish a grant program to provide grants in 

8 an amount not to exceed $500 to assist lawful per9 manent residents of the United States who declare 

10 an intent to apply for citizenship in the United 

11 States to meet the requirements under section 312 

12 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

13 1423). 

14 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds awarded 

15 under this subsection shall be paid directly to an ac16 credited institution of higher education or other 

17 qualified educational institution (as determined by 

18 the Chief) for tuition, fees, books, and other edu19 cational resources required by a course on the 

20 English language in which the lawful permanent 

21 resident is enrolled. 

22 (3) APPLICATION.—A lawful permanent resi23 dent desiring a grant under this subsection shall 

24 submit an application to the Chief at such time, in 


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1 such manner, and accompanied by such information 

2 as the Chief may reasonably require. 

3 (4) PRIORITY.—If insufficient funds are avail4 able to award grants to all qualified applicants, the 

5 Chief shall give priority based on the financial need 

6 of the applicants. 

7 (5) NOTICE.—The Secretary, upon relevant reg8 istration of a lawful permanent resident with the 

9 Department of Homeland Security, shall notify such 

10 lawful permanent resident of the availability of 

11 grants under this subsection for lawful permanent 

12 residents who declare an intent to apply for United 

13 States citizenship. 

14 (b) FASTER CITIZENSHIP FOR ENGLISH FLUENCY.— 

15 Section 316 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

16 U.S.C. 1427) is amended by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(g) A lawful permanent resident of the United 

19 States who demonstrates English fluency, in accordance 

20 with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Homeland 

21 Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, will 

22 satisfy the residency requirement under subsection (a) 

23 upon the completion of 4 years of continuous legal resi24 dency in the United States.’’. 


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1 SEC. 102. SAVINGS PROVISION. 

2 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to— 

3 (1) modify the English language requirements 

4 for naturalization under section 312(a)(1) of the Im5 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

6 1423(a)(1)); or 

7 (2) influence the naturalization test redesign 

8 process of the Office of Citizenship of the United 

9 States Citizenship and Immigration Services (except 

10 for the requirement under section 301(b)). 

11 TITLE II—EDUCATION ABOUT 

12 THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE 

13 SEC. 201. AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP GRANT PROGRAM. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

15 competitive grant program to provide financial assistance 

16 for— 

17 (1) efforts by entities (including veterans and 

18 patriotic organizations) certified by the Office of 

19 Citizenship of the Department of Homeland Security 

20 to promote the patriotic integration of prospective 

21 citizens into the American way of life by providing 

22 civics, history, and English as a second language 

23 courses, with a specific emphasis on attachment to 

24 principles of the Constitution of the United States, 

25 the heroes of American history (including military 


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1 heroes), and the meaning of the Oath of Allegiance; 

2 and 

3 (2) other activities approved by the Secretary to 

4 promote the patriotic integration of prospective citi5 zens and the implementation of the Immigration and 

6 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), including 

7 grants— 

8 (A) to promote an understanding of the 

9 form of government and history of the United 

10 States; and 

11 (B) to promote an attachment to the prin12 ciples of the Constitution of the United States 

13 and the well being and happiness of the people 

14 of the United States. 

15 (b) ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS.—The Secretary may ac16 cept and use gifts from the United States Citizenship 

17 Foundation, established under section 202(a), for grants 

18 under this section. 

19 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

21 necessary to carry out this section. 

22 SEC. 202. FUNDING FOR THE OFFICE OF CITIZENSHIP. 

23 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary, acting through 

24 the Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration 

25 Services, is authorized to establish the United States CitiVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:56 May 16, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1393.IS S1393

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1 zenship Foundation (referred to in this section as the 

2 ‘‘Foundation’’), an organization duly incorporated in the 

3 District of Columbia, exclusively for charitable and edu4 cational purposes to support the functions of the Office 

5 of Citizenship, which shall include the patriotic integration 

6 of prospective citizens into— 

7 (1) American common values and traditions, in8 cluding an understanding of the history of the 

9 United States and the principles of the Constitution 

10 of the United States; and 

11 (2) civic traditions of the United States, includ12 ing the Pledge of Allegiance, respect for the flag of 

13 the United States, and voting in public elections. 

14 (b) DEDICATED FUNDING.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not less than 1.5 percent of 

16 the funds made available to the Bureau of Citizen17 ship and Immigration Services (including fees and 

18 appropriated funds) shall be dedicated to the func19 tions of the Office of Citizenship, which shall include 

20 the patriotic integration of prospective citizens 

21 into— 

22 (A) American common values and tradi23 tions, including an understanding of American 

24 history and the principles of the Constitution of 

25 the United States; and 


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1 (B) civic traditions of the United States, 

2 including the Pledge of Allegiance, respect for 

3 the flag of the United States, and voting in 

4 public elections. 

5 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

6 Congress that dedicating increased funds to the Of7 fice of Citizenship should not result in an increase 

8 in fees charged by the Bureau of Citizenship and 

9 Immigration Services. 

10 (c) GIFTS.— 

11 (1) TO FOUNDATION.—The Foundation may so12 licit, accept, and make gifts of money and other 

13 property in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the 

14 Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

15 (2) FROM FOUNDATION.—The Office of Citizen16 ship may accept gifts from the Foundation to sup17 port the functions of the Office. 

18 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

20 necessary to carry out the mission of the Office of Citizen21 ship, including the patriotic integration of prospective citi22 zens into— 

23 (1) American common values and traditions, in24 cluding an understanding of American history and 


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1 the principles of the Constitution of the United 

2 States; and 

3 (2) civic traditions of the United States, includ4 ing the Pledge of Allegiance, respect for the flag of 

5 the United States, and voting in public elections. 

6 SEC. 203. RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS. 

7 Amounts appropriated to carry out a program under 

8 this title may not be used to organize individuals for the 

9 purpose of political activism or advocacy. 

10 SEC. 204. REPORTING REQUIREMENT. 

11 The Chief of the Office of Citizenship shall submit 

12 to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen13 sions and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, 

14 and the Committee on Education and the Workforce and 

15 the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Rep16 resentatives, an annual report that contains— 

17 (1) a list of the entities that have received 

18 funds from the Office of Citizenship during the re19 porting period under this title and the amount of 

20 funding received by each such entity; 

21 (2) an evaluation of the extent to which grants 

22 received under this title and title I successfully pro23 moted an understanding of— 

24 (A) the English language; and 


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1 (B) American history and government, in2 cluding the heroes of American history, the 

3 meaning of the Oath of Allegiance, and an at4 tachment to the principles of the Constitution 

5 of the United States; and 

6 (3) information about the number of lawful per7 manent residents who were able to achieve the 

8 knowledge described under paragraph (2) as a result 

9 of the grants provided under this title and title I. 

10 TITLE III—CODIFYING THE OATH 

11 OF ALLEGIANCE 

12 SEC. 301. OATH OR AFFIRMATION OF RENUNCIATION AND 

13 ALLEGIANCE. 

14 (a) REVISION OF OATH.—Section 337 of the Immi15 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1448) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘under section 

18 310(b) an oath’’ and all that follows through ‘‘per19 sonal moral code.’’ and inserting ‘‘under section 

20 310(b), the oath (or affirmation) of allegiance pre21 scribed in subsection (e).’’; and 

22 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(e)(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the oath 

24 (or affirmation) of allegiance prescribed in this subsection 

25 is as follows: ‘I take this oath solemnly, freely, and without 


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1 any mental reservation. I absolutely and entirely renounce 

2 all allegiance to any foreign state or power of which I have 

3 been a subject or citizen. My fidelity and allegiance from 

4 this day forward are to the United States of America. I 

5 will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution and 

6 laws of the United States, and will support and defend 

7 them against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I will bear 

8 arms, or perform noncombatant military or civilian serv9 ice, on behalf of the United States when required by law. 

10 This I do solemnly swear, so help me God.’. 

11 ‘‘(2) If a person, by reason of religious training and 

12 belief (or individual interpretation thereof) or for other 

13 reasons of good conscience, cannot take the oath pre14 scribed in paragraph (1)— 

15 ‘‘(A) with the term ‘oath’ included, the term 

16 ‘affirmation’ shall be substituted for the term ‘oath’; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(B) with the phrase ‘so help me God’ included, 

19 the phrase ‘so help me God’ shall be omitted. 

20 ‘‘(3) If a person shows by clear and convincing evi21 dence to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that such 

22 person, by reason of religious training and belief, cannot 

23 take the oath prescribed in paragraph (1)— 

24 ‘‘(A) because such person is opposed to the 

25 bearing of arms in the Armed Forces of the United 


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1 States, the words ‘bear arms, or’ shall be omitted; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) because such person is opposed to any 

4 type of service in the Armed Forces of the United 

5 States, the words ‘bear arms, or’ and ‘noncombatant 

6 military or’ shall be omitted. 

7 ‘‘(4) As used in this subsection, the term ‘religious 

8 training and belief’— 

9 ‘‘(A) means a belief of an individual in relation 

10 to a Supreme Being involving duties superior to 

11 those arising from any human relation; and 

12 ‘‘(B) does not include essentially political, socio13 logical, or philosophical views or a merely personal 

14 moral code. 

15 ‘‘(5) Any reference in this title to ‘oath’ or ‘oath of 

16 allegiance’ under this section shall be deemed to refer to 

17 the oath (or affirmation) of allegiance prescribed under 

18 this subsection.’’. 

19 (b) HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT TEST.—The Sec20 retary shall incorporate a knowledge and understanding 

21 of the meaning of the Oath of Allegiance into the history 

22 and government test given to applicants for citizenship. 

23 (c) NOTICE TO FOREIGN EMBASSIES.—Upon the 

24 naturalization of a new citizen, the Secretary, in coopera25 tion with the Secretary of State, shall notify the embassy 


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1 of the country of which the new citizen was a citizen or 

2 subject that such citizen has— 

3 (1) renounced allegiance to that foreign coun4 try; and 

5 (2) sworn allegiance to the United States. 

6 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

7 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 6 

8 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

9 TITLE IV—CELEBRATING NEW 

10 CITIZENS 

11 SEC. 401. ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW CITIZENS AWARD PRO12 GRAM. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a new 

14 citizens award program to recognize citizens who— 

15 (1) have made an outstanding contribution to 

16 the United States; and 

17 (2) are naturalized during the 10-year period 

18 ending on the date of such recognition. 

19 (b) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized 

21 to present a medal, in recognition of outstanding 

22 contributions to the United States, to citizens de23 scribed in subsection (a). 


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1 (2) MAXIMUM NUMBER OF AWARDS.—Not more 

2 than 10 citizens may receive a medal under this sec3 tion in any calendar year. 

4 (c) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—The Secretary of the 

5 Treasury shall strike a medal with suitable emblems, de6 vices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the President. 

7 (d) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu8 ant to this section are national medals for purposes of 

9 chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

10 SEC. 402. NATURALIZATION CEREMONIES. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

12 with the Director of the National Park Service, the Archi13 vist of the United States, and other appropriate Federal 

14 officials, shall develop and implement a strategy to en15 hance the public awareness of naturalization ceremonies. 

16 (b) VENUES.—In developing the strategy under this 

17 section, the Secretary shall consider the use of outstanding 

18 and historic locations as venues for select naturalization 

19 ceremonies. 

20 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall 

21 annually submit a report to Congress that contains— 

22 (1) the content of the strategy developed under 

23 this section; and 


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1 (2) the progress made towards the implementa2 tion of such strategy. 

Æ 


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