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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1465 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1465

To provide additional discretion to the Secretary of Homeland Security 
  in designating countries eligible to participate in the visa waiver 
 program under section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and 
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2007

  Mr. Wexler introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To provide additional discretion to the Secretary of Homeland Security 
  in designating countries eligible to participate in the visa waiver 
 program under section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 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. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) As of the enactment of this Act, the visa waiver 
        program under section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality 
        Act (8 U.S.C. 1187) enables citizens of 27 countries to travel 
        to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or 
        less without obtaining a visa.
            (2) In fiscal year 2006, more than 18,300,000 people 
        entered the country under the program.
            (3) The visa waiver program provides many benefits for the 
        United States economy and bilateral relationships, and 
        strengthens tourism and business opportunities for American 
        citizens.
            (4) The visa waiver program is a substantial expression of 
        the strong ties between the United States and its allies in the 
        global war on terror.
            (5) Expansion of the visa waiver program would enhance the 
        security of the United States as well as travelers to the 
        United States.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL DISCRETION FOR CONSIDERATION OF VISA REFUSAL RATES.

    The Secretary of Homeland Security shall have the authority to 
waive the requirements of section 217(c)(2)(A) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(c)(2)(A)) with respect to a country 
seeking designation as a program country under section 217(c) of such 
Act, if the Secretary determines that--
            (1) the country has developed a viable plan to meet the 
        requirements within 3 years;
            (2) the country has made significant progress in reducing 
        its nonimmigrant visa refusal rate in the previous 2 years;
            (3) waiver of the requirements would not compromise the 
        security or welfare of the United States; and
            (4) the country has fully cooperated in counterterrorism 
        and information sharing initiatives.

SEC. 3. SECURE TRAVEL STANDARDS REPORTING.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary 
of State, shall submit a report to the Congress that describes plans 
for enhancing secure travel standards for program countries designated 
under section 217(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1187(c)), including the feasibility of instituting an electronic 
authorization travel system, additional passenger information 
exchanges, and enhanced airport security standards.
                                 <all>
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