H. R. 4293
One Hundred Fifth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight
An Act
To establish a cultural training program for disadvantaged individuals to assist
the Irish peace process.
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 ‘‘Irish Peace Process Cultural
and Training Program Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. IRISH PEACE PROCESS CULTURAL AND TRAINING PROGRAM.
(a) PURPOSE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State and the Attorney
General shall establish a program to allow young people from
disadvantaged areas of designated counties suffering from
sectarian violence and high structural unemployment to enter
the United States for the purpose of developing job skills and
conflict resolution abilities in a diverse, cooperative, peaceful,
and prosperous environment, so that those young people can
return to their homes better able to contribute toward economic
regeneration and the Irish peace process. The program shall
promote cross-community and cross-border initiatives to build
grassroots support for long-term peaceful coexistence. The Sec-
retary of State and the Attorney General shall cooperate with
nongovernmental organizations to assist those admitted to
participate fully in the economic, social, and cultural life of
the United States.
(2) SCOPE AND DURATION OF PROGRAM.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The program under paragraph (1)
shall provide for the admission of not more than 4,000
aliens under section 101(a)(15)(Q)(ii) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (including spouses and minor children)
in each of 3 consecutive program years.
(B) OFFSET IN NUMBER OF H–2B NONIMMIGRANT ADMIS-
SIONS ALLOWED.—Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, for each alien so admitted in a fiscal year, the numeri-
cal limitation specified under section 214(g)(1)(B) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act shall be reduced by 1
for that fiscal year or the subsequent fiscal year.
(3) RECORDS
AND
REPORT.—The Immigration and Natu-
ralization Service shall maintain records of the nonimmigrant
status and place of residence of each alien admitted under
the program. Not later than 120 days after the end of the
third program year and for the 3 subsequent years, the
H. R. 4293—2
Immigration and Naturalization Service shall compile and sub-
mit to the Congress a report on the number of aliens admitted
with nonimmigrant status under section 101(a)(15)(Q)(ii) who
have overstayed their visas.
(4) DESIGNATED COUNTIES DEFINED.—For the purposes of
this Act, the term ‘‘designated counties’’ means the six counties
of Northern Ireland and the counties of Louth, Monaghan,
Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo, and Donegal within the Republic of
Ireland.
(b) TEMPORARY NONIMMIGRANT VISA.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 101(a)(15)(Q) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(Q)) is amended—
(A) by inserting ‘‘(i)’’ after ‘‘(Q)’’; and
(B) by inserting after the semicolon at the end the
following: ‘‘or (ii)(I) an alien 35 years of age or younger
having a residence in Northern Ireland, or the counties
of Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo, and Donegal
within the Republic of Ireland, which the alien has no
intention of abandoning who is coming temporarily (for
a period not to exceed 36 months) to the United States
as a participant in a cultural and training program
approved by the Secretary of State and the Attorney Gen-
eral under section 2(a) of the Irish Peace Process Cultural
and Training Program Act of 1998 for the purpose of provid-
ing practical training, employment, and the experience of
coexistence and conflict resolution in a diverse society,
and (II) the alien spouse and minor children of any such
alien if accompanying the alien or following to join the
alien;’’.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized
to be appropriated for each fiscal year such sums as may be nec-
essary to carry out the purposes of this section. Amounts appro-
priated pursuant to this subsection are authorized to be available
until expended.
(d) SUNSET.—
(1) Effective October 1, 2005, the Irish Peace Process
Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 is repealed.
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(2) Effective October 1, 2005, section 101(a)(15)(Q) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(Q)) is
amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of clause (i);
(B) by striking ‘‘(i)’’ after ‘‘(Q)’’; and
(C) by striking clause (ii).
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.