I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3323
To promote the naturalization of eligible individuals by making the adminis-
tration of oaths of allegiance more efficient, improving the dissemination
of information about eligibility and requirements for naturalization, mak-
ing grants for citizenship preparation, and requiring the Attorney General
periodically to consult with appropriate private organizations, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 25, 1996
Mr. BECERRA (for himself, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. SERRANO,
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. TORRES, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RICHARDSON,
Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. BERMAN, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. FARR of California,
Mr. MATSUI, Ms. WATERS, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr. GENE GREEN of
Texas, Mr. FILNER, Mr. TEJEDA, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO´,
Mr. DE LA GARZA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. UNDERWOOD, Mr. CONYERS,
Mr. NADLER, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN,
AND Mr. WATT of North Carolina) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To promote the naturalization of eligible individuals by mak-
ing the administration of oaths of allegiance more effi-
cient, improving the dissemination of information about
eligibility and requirements for naturalization, making
grants for citizenship preparation, and requiring the At-
torney General periodically to consult with appropriate
private organizations, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Proud To Be an Amer-
ican Citizen Act of 1996’’.
SEC. 2. ADMINISTRATION OF OATHS OF ALLEGIANCE.
(a) NATURALIZATION AUTHORITY.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 310(b) of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1421(b)) is
amended to read as follows:
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY TO ADMINISTER OATHS.—
‘‘(1) JURISDICTION.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to section
337(c), each applicant for naturalization shall
have the oath of allegiance under section 337(a)
administered by the Attorney General or by an
eligible court that has submitted the notice de-
scribed in subparagraph (B) and is conducting
oath administration ceremonies pursuant to a
schedule developed by the Attorney General
under subparagraph (C). Such an eligible court
shall have authority to administer such oath to
an applicant for naturalization residing within
the jurisdiction of the court during the period
described in paragraph (3)(A)(i).
‘‘(B) NOTIFICATION BY COURT.—An eligi-
ble court that wishes to have authority to ad-
minister the oath of allegiance to applicants for
naturalization during a fiscal year shall notify
the Attorney General of such wish not later
than the first day of the 60-day period termi-
nating on the last day of the preceding fiscal
year.
‘‘(C) DEVELOPMENT
OF
OATH
ADMINIS-
TRATION CEREMONY SCHEDULE.—For each eli-
gible court that has provided notice under sub-
paragraph (B) in a fiscal year, the Attorney
General, in consultation with the court, shall
develop, not later than the first day of the 30-
day period terminating on the last day of the
year, an oath administration ceremony schedule
for the succeeding fiscal year that establishes,
at a minimum, the following:
‘‘(i) The days during such succeeding
year on which the court will schedule oath
administration ceremonies.
‘‘(ii) The number of such ceremonies
that the court will conduct on each such
day.
‘‘(iii) The total number of applicants
for naturalization to whom the court will
administer the oath of allegiance on each
such day.
‘‘(2) ASSIGNMENT OF INDIVIDUALS.—
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF EXCLUSIVE AU-
THORITY.—In the case of an eligible court exer-
cising authority under paragraph (1) with re-
spect to applicants for naturalization residing
within the jurisdiction of the court, the Attor-
ney General, in accordance with procedures es-
tablished by the Attorney General under sub-
paragraph (C), may designate the court, at the
time of the approval of such an applicant’s ap-
plication for naturalization, as having exclusive
authority to administer the oath of allegiance to
the applicant during the period specified in
paragraph (3)(A)(i).
‘‘(B) INFORMATION.—In the case of a des-
ignation of an eligible court under subpara-
graph (A) with respect to an applicant for natu-
ralization, the Attorney General—
‘‘(i) shall inform the applicant of the
court’s exclusive authority at the time of
the approval of the application for natu-
ralization;
‘‘(ii) shall determine the date, place,
and time of the oath administration cere-
mony at which the applicant will take the
oath of allegiance and shall inform the ap-
plicant of such information not later than
10 days before such date;
‘‘(iii) shall forward to the court not
later than 10 days after the date of ap-
proval of the application such information
as may be necessary to administer the oath
of allegiance to the applicant; and
‘‘(iv) shall promptly forward to the
court a certificate of naturalization (pre-
pared by the Attorney General under sub-
section (e)).
‘‘(C) PROCEDURES FOR DESIGNATION OF
COURTS.—The procedures referred to in sub-
paragraph (A)—
‘‘(i) shall be developed and revised
jointly by the Attorney General and each
eligible court that has provided notice
under paragraph (1)(B) or, in a case in
which more than one eligible court in an
area has provided notice under such para-
graph with respect to applicants for natu-
ralization residing within the area, by the
Attorney General with all such courts col-
lectively; and
‘‘(ii) shall be consistent with the
schedules developed by the Attorney Gen-
eral under paragraph (1)(C) (and shall be
revised from time to time as necessary to
ensure such consistency); and
‘‘(iii) shall require an eligible court
that determines that it will be unable, dur-
ing the period specified in paragraph
(3)(A)(i), to administer the oath of alle-
giance to any applicant for naturalization
who is directed, or who may be directed, to
the court under subparagraphs (A) and
(B) to notify the Attorney General of such
determination as soon as practicable.
‘‘(3) SCOPE OF EXCLUSIVE AUTHORITY.—
‘‘(A) LIMITED PERIOD AND ADVANCE NO-
TICE REQUIRED.—The exclusive authority of an
eligible court under paragraph (2) shall apply
with respect to an applicant for naturaliza-
tion—
‘‘(i) only during the 30-day period be-
ginning on the date on which the Attorney
General certifies to the court that the ap-
plicant is eligible for naturalization;
‘‘(ii) only if the court has notified the
Attorney General, prior to the date of cer-
tification of eligibility, of the day or days
(during such 30-day period) on which the
court has scheduled oath administration
ceremonies; and
‘‘(iii) only if the court has not notified
the Attorney General under paragraph
(2)(C)(iii) that it will be unable to admin-
ister the oath of allegiance to the appli-
cant.
‘‘(B) AUTHORITY
OF
ATTORNEY
GEN-
ERAL.—Subject to subparagraph (C), the Attor-
ney General shall not administer the oath of al-
legiance to an applicant for naturalization
under subsection (a) during the period in which
exclusive authority to administer the oath of al-
legiance may be exercised by an eligible court
under this subsection with respect to the appli-
cant.
‘‘(C) WAIVER
OF
EXCLUSIVE
AUTHOR-
ITY.—An eligible court may waive exclusive au-
thority to administer the oath of allegiance to
an applicant for naturalization under this sub-
section if the Attorney General has not provided
the court with the certification described in sub-
paragraph (A)(i) within a reasonable time be-
fore the date scheduled by the Attorney General
for the oath administration ceremony.
‘‘(4) REQUIREMENTS
ON
ATTORNEY
GEN-
ERAL.—
‘‘(A) ADMINISTRATION OF OATHS.—
‘‘(i) NO
EXCLUSIVE
AUTHORITY
ES-
TABLISHED.—In any case in which an eli-
gible court has not been designated, at the
time of the approval of an applicant’s ap-
plication for naturalization, as having ex-
clusive authority to administer the oath of
allegiance to the applicant, the Attorney
General shall administer such oath to the
applicant during the 30-day period begin-
ning on the date of such approval.
‘‘(ii) DELAY IN EXERCISING EXCLU-
SIVE AUTHORITY.—Subject to clauses (iii)
and (iv), in any case in which an eligible
court has not administered the oath of al-
legiance to an applicant for naturalization
during the period in which exclusive au-
thority to administer the oath of allegiance
may be exercised by the court under this
subsection with respect to the applicant,
the Attorney General shall administer the
oath to the applicant during the 30-day pe-
riod beginning on the date of the termi-
nation of such period of exclusive author-
ity.
‘‘(iii) DETERMINATION OF INABILITY
TO EXERCISE AUTHORITY.—In any case in
which an eligible court has notified the At-
torney General under paragraph (2)(C)(iii)
that it will be unable to administer the
oath of allegiance to an applicant for natu-
ralization during the period in which exclu-
sive authority to administer the oath of al-
legiance may be exercised by the court
under this subsection with respect to the
applicant, the Attorney General shall ad-
minister the oath to the applicant during
the 30-day period beginning on the date
the Attorney General receives such notice.
‘‘(iv) WAIVER OF EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR-
ITY.—Upon notification of a court’s waiver
of exclusive authority under paragraph
(3)(C), the Attorney General shall prompt-
ly notify the applicant for naturalization of
the waiver and shall administer the oath of
allegiance to the applicant during the 30-
day period beginning on the date on which
the Attorney General receives notification
of the waiver.
‘‘(B) NOTICE
TO
APPLICANTS.—In any
case in which the Attorney General is required
to administer the oath of allegiance to an appli-
cant for naturalization under subparagraph (A),
the Attorney General shall determine the date,
place, and time for the administrative natu-
ralization and shall inform the applicant of such
information not later than 10 days before such
date.
‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE COURTS.—For purposes of this
subsection, the term ‘‘eligible court’’ means—
‘‘(A) a district court of the United States
in any State; or
‘‘(B) any court of record in any State hav-
ing a seal, a clerk, and jurisdiction in actions
in law or equity, or law and equity, in which the
amount in controversy is unlimited.’’.
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section
339(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 
1450(a)(1)) 
is 
amended 
by 
striking
‘‘310(b)(2)(A)(ii),’’ 
and 
inserting
‘‘310(b)(2)(B)(iv),’’.
(b) CERTIFICATES OF NATURALIZATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 310 of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1421) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(e) CERTIFICATES OF NATURALIZATION.—The At-
torney General shall issue a certificate of naturalization,
in such form as the Attorney General may prescribe, to
persons admitted to citizenship in conformity with the pro-
visions of this title.’’.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The Immigra-
tion and Naturalization Act is amended by striking
sections 332(e) and 338.
(c) OATH OF RENUNCIATION AND ALLEGIANCE.—
(1) WAIVER OF REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN
INDIVIDUALS WITH A DISABILITY.—Section 337(a)
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1448(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘The Attorney General may waive the taking of the oath
by a person if in the opinion of the Attorney General the
person is unable to understand its meaning because of a
physical or developmental disability or mental impair-
ment.’’.
(2) EXPEDITED OATH ADMINISTRATION.—Sec-
tion 337(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1448(c)) is amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘grant an expedited judi-
cial oath administration ceremony, a court’’ and
inserting ‘‘grant such an expedited judicial cere-
mony or administrative naturalization, the At-
torney General’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘scheduled ceremony,’’ and
inserting ‘‘scheduled ceremony or administrative
naturalization,’’;
(C) by striking ‘‘If an expedited judicial
oath administration ceremony is impracticable,’’
and inserting ‘‘In a case where the Attorney
General has granted an expedited judicial oath
administration ceremony but the court deter-
mines that the ceremony is impracticable,’’; and
(D) by striking ‘‘who may provide’’ and in-
serting ‘‘who shall provide’’.
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1997.
SEC. 3. FUNDING FOR NATURALIZATION ACTIVITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 286 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356) is amended—
(1) in subsection (m)—
(A) by striking ‘‘as offsetting receipts’’;
and
(B) by striking ‘‘other immigrants.’’ and
inserting ‘‘other immigrants and the costs of
grants under section 332(i).’’;
(2) in subsection (n)—
(A) by striking ‘‘to reimburse any appro-
priation the amount paid out of such appropria-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘solely’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘reimbursed’’ and inserting
‘‘withdrawn’’; and
(3) in subsection (o)—
(A) by striking ‘‘annually’’ and inserting
‘‘quarterly’’; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘Such statements shall specify, to the extent practicable,
the source and amount of any fee deposited into the ac-
count and the purpose and amount of any withdrawal
from the account.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENTS AS TO UNDERSTANDING THE ENG-
LISH LANGUAGE, HISTORY, PRINCIPLES, AND
FORM OF GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 312 of the Immigration
and Nationalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1423) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘language:’’
and all that follows through ‘‘applicant;’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘language;’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(c) The Attorney General may establish by regula-
tion standards and procedures consistent with this section
relating to the means by which an applicant for naturaliza-
tion may satisfy the requirements of subsection (a).
‘‘(d)(1) The Attorney General shall by regulation es-
tablish standards and procedures for the administration
of examinations under this section by persons other than
the Attorney General who are authorized to administer
such examinations.
‘‘(2) In promulgating regulations under paragraph
(1), the Attorney General shall consult experts in linguis-
tics, education, and testing.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 5. CITIZENSHIP PREPARATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 332(b) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1443(b)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘is authorized to’’ and inserting
‘‘shall’’;
(2) by striking ‘‘the sending of names of can-
didates for naturalization to the public schools,’’;
and
(3) by striking ‘‘such candidates as are’’ and in-
serting ‘‘candidates for naturalization who are’’.
(b) GRANTS FOR CITIZENSHIP PREPARATION.—Sec-
tion 332 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1443) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(i)(1) The Attorney General shall make grants for
citizenship preparation on a competitive basis to appro-
priate community groups, private voluntary agencies, and
other relevant organizations under such terms and condi-
tions as the Attorney General may establish consistent
with this subsection.
‘‘(2) Such grants shall be made solely from deposits
into the ‘Immigration Examinations Fee Account’ referred
to in subsections (m), (n), and (o) of section 286.
‘‘(3) The total of such grants in any fiscal year—
‘‘(A) shall exceed 5 percent of the total of all
deposits made into the ‘Immigration Examinations
Fee Account’ during the previous fiscal year; and
‘‘(B) may not exceed 8 percent of such total de-
posits.
‘‘(4) The Federal share of the cost of any program
or activity conducted with financial assistance under this
subsection may not exceed 50 percent of such cost.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 6. DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION ON NATURALIZA-
TION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 332(h) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1443(h)) is amended
by inserting ‘‘in written and electronic form, through pub-
lic libraries, Federal, State, and local agencies, and other
means, applications for naturalization and’’ after ‘‘distrib-
ute’’.
(b) DISTRIBUTION
TO
NEW
PERMANENT
RESI-
DENTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 9 of title II of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1351 et
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION ON NATURALIZATION
‘‘SEC. 294. The Attorney General and the Secretary
of State shall provide for the distribution to each alien
who is issued an immigrant visa or who otherwise acquires
the status of an alien lawfully admitted to the United
States for permanent residence with a written statement
that summarizes—
‘‘(1) the benefits and obligations of United
States citizenship;
‘‘(2) the requirements under chapter 2 of title
III for such an alien to become a naturalized citizen
of the United States and any facts concerning such
an alien that could disqualify the alien from citizen-
ship; and
‘‘(3) the documents and records that the alien
should collect and retain in order to assist the alien
in preparing an application for naturalization when
the submission of such an application is timely.’’.
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of the Immigration and Nationality Act is
amended by inserting after the item relating to sec-
tion 293 the following:
‘‘Sec. 294. Distribution of information on naturalization.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 7. CONSULTATION WITH CITIZENSHIP COUNCILS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 332 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1443), as amended by sec-
tion 3(b)(2), is amended by adding after subsection (d)
the following:
‘‘(e) The Attorney General shall consult, not less than
once a month during a calendar year, with appropriate
community groups, private voluntary agencies, and other
relevant organizations serving each district of the Service
in the United States in which the number of applications
for naturalization filed during the preceding fiscal year ex-
ceeded 10,000, for the following purposes:
‘‘(1) Planning and scheduling citizenship prepa-
ration programs and activities to be carried out in
the district.
‘‘(2) Discussing administrative and logistical as-
pects of future examinations of applicants for natu-
ralization in the district, including examinations con-
ducted at locations other than an office of the Attor-
ney General.
‘‘(3) Discussing administrative and logistical as-
pects of future ceremonies in the district for the ad-
ministration of oaths of allegiance under section
337.
‘‘(4) Planning, and evaluating the effectiveness
of, efforts by the Attorney General in the district to
promote citizenship preparation and to distribute to
the public information about the opportunities and
responsibilities of citizenship.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 8. APPLICATIONS FOR NATURALIZATION.
(a) RETURN OF DEFICIENT APPLICATIONS.—Section
334 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C.
1445) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(g)(1) In cases where the Attorney General returns
an application for naturalization to the applicant before
the application is considered to be filed by the Attorney
General, the returned application shall be accompanied by
a written notice summarizing the reason for the return
and stating the requirements that need to be met in order
for the application to be resubmitted and considered as
filed.
‘‘(2) In cases where the Attorney General returns an
application for naturalization under paragraph (1), the
Attorney General shall provide by regulation for a reason-
able opportunity for the applicant to resubmit the applica-
tion.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 9. EXAMINATIONS UPON APPLICATIONS FOR NATU-
RALIZATION.
(a) WITHDRAWALS OF APPLICATIONS; FAILURES TO
APPEAR FOR EXAMINATIONS.—Section 335(e) of the Im-
migration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1446(e)) is
amended to read as follows:
‘‘(e)(1) After an application for naturalization has
been filed with the Attorney General, the applicant shall
not be permitted to withdraw his application, except with
the consent of the Attorney General.
‘‘(2) In cases where the Attorney General does not
consent to the withdrawal of the application, the applica-
tion shall be determined on its merits and a final order
determination made accordingly. In cases where the Attor-
ney General consents to the withdrawal of the application,
the Attorney General shall provide the applicant with a
written notice summarizing the reason for the withdrawal
and the consent and informing the applicant of the rules
governing reopening of the application.
‘‘(3) In cases where the Attorney General consents
to the withdrawal of an application for naturalization, the
Attorney General shall provide by regulation for a reason-
able opportunity for the applicant to reopen the applica-
tion.
‘‘(4) In cases where an applicant fails to prosecute
an application for naturalization, the application shall be
decided on the merits unless the Attorney General dis-
misses it for lack of prosecution.
‘‘(5) If an applicant fails to appear for an examina-
tion upon an application for naturalization that is sched-
uled to be conducted by an employee of the Service, the
Attorney General shall close the application temporarily
but may not decide the application on its merits, or dis-
miss the application for failure to prosecute, before the
date that is one year after the date of the scheduled exam-
ination. In cases where the Attorney General closes an ap-
plication under this paragraph, the Attorney General shall
provide by regulation for a reasonable opportunity for the
applicant to reopen the application, subject to the payment
of a fee, not to exceed 15 percent of the fee imposed for
filing the application, except that no fee may be imposed
where the applicant provides written notice to the Attor-
ney General of the reason for the non-appearance and the
applicant’s request to reschedule the examination within
30 days after the date of the scheduled examination. All
such fees shall be deposited into the ‘Immigration Exami-
nations Fee Account’ referred to in subsections (m), (n),
and (o) of section 286. The Attorney General may waive
the imposition of a fee under this paragraph under such
circumstances as the Attorney General determines appro-
priate.’’.
(b) NOTICE OF EXAMINATION.—Section 335(b) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1446(b))
is amended by inserting after the first sentence the follow-
ing:
‘‘After such an examination is scheduled, the Attorney
General shall provide to the applicant, not later than 10
days before the date for which the examination is sched-
uled, a written notice of the date, place, and time of the
examination and any documents or records that the appli-
cant should bring to the examination.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 10. REPORT ON STATISTICS CONCERNING APPLICA-
TIONS FOR NATURALIZATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 332 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1443), as amended by sec-
tion 5(b), is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(j) Not later than 120 days after the termination
of a fiscal year, the Attorney General shall submit a report
to the Congress containing the following:
‘‘(1) With respect to requests for withdrawal of
an application for naturalization under section
335(e)—
‘‘(A) the number of such requests that
were made, granted, and denied during the
year;
‘‘(B) the age, national origin, and years of
residency in the United States of each applicant
who made such a request during the year, and
the outcome of the request, including whether
or not the applicant reopened the application
during the year; and
‘‘(C) the reason given by the Attorney
General for granting or denying consent for
each such request.
‘‘(2) With respect to applications for naturaliza-
tion returned under section 334(g)—
‘‘(A) the number of such returns that were
made during the year;
‘‘(B) the reason for each such return; and
‘‘(C) whether or not the applicant resub-
mitted the application during the year.
‘‘(3) With respect to examinations upon an ap-
plication for naturalization under section 335—
‘‘(A) the percentage of such examinations
that were continued during the year to afford
the applicant an opportunity to overcome defi-
ciencies and, with respect to each such contin-
ued examination, the reason why the continu-
ance was necessary; and
‘‘(B) the number of applicants who failed
to appear during the year for such an examina-
tion that was scheduled to be conducted by an
employee of the Service.’’
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1996.
SEC. 11. NATURALIZATION THROUGH SERVICE IN THE
ARMED FORCES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 329 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1440) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘a date designated by the President by Executive
order as the date of termination of the Vietnam hos-
tilities,’’ each place such term appears and inserting ‘‘Oc-
tober 15, 1978,’’.
SEC. 12. NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD ON NATURALIZA-
TION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title III of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD ON NATURALIZATION
‘‘SEC. 362. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab-
lished a board to be known as the ‘National Advisory
Board on Naturalization’ (in this section referred to as
the ‘Board’.
‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Board—
‘‘(1) shall evaluate on an ongoing basis the im-
plementation of this title by the Attorney General;
‘‘(2) shall assess on an ongoing basis the ade-
quacy of resources and funds available to the Attor-
ney General for the implementation of this title;
‘‘(3) shall prepare independent biannual reports
to the President, the Congress, and the Attorney
General relating to the evaluations and assessments
made under paragraphs (1) and (2); and
‘‘(4) otherwise shall advise the President, the
Congress, and the Attorney General with respect to
the implementation of this title.
‘‘(c) COMPOSITION.—
‘‘(1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Board
shall be composed of 15 voting members, who shall
be appointed by the Attorney General, except as oth-
erwise provided, as follows:
‘‘(A) Two members drawn from among in-
dividuals having extensive academic experience
in the study of immigration.
‘‘(B) Three members drawn from among
individuals having been recently naturalized, in-
cluding at least two who are engaged in non-
professional employment.
‘‘(C) Three members drawn from among
individuals having extensive recent experience in
counseling and advising resident aliens to be-
come naturalized citizens.
‘‘(D) Three members drawn from among
individuals having extensive experience in advo-
cating the interests of immigrants.
‘‘(E) Two members to be appointed by the
Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.
‘‘(F) Two members to be appointed by the
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives.
‘‘(2) STAGGERED TERMS.—The members shall
serve staggered terms, in a manner deemed appro-
priate by the Attorney General.
‘‘(3) CHAIR; VICE CHAIR.—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.
‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet a suf-
ficient number of times each year to carry out its re-
sponsibilities under this section.
‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Attor-
ney General shall provide administrative support, in-
cluding staffing, to enable the Board to fulfill its
functions.
‘‘(e) COMPENSATION.—
‘‘(1) TRAVEL
EXPENSES.—While away from
their homes or regular places of business in the per-
formance of duties for the Board, Board members
shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem
in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for em-
ployees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57
of title 5, United States Code.
‘‘(2) PAY.—Members of the Board who are not offi-
cers or employees of the United States shall be com-
pensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the an-
nual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Execu-
tive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States
Code, for each day (including travel time) during which
the member is engaged in the actual business of the
Board.
‘‘(f) APPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE ACT.—The provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Board,
except to the extent that such provisions are inconsistent
with this section.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents
of the Immigration and Nationality Act is amended by in-
serting after the item relating to section 361 the following:
‘‘Sec. 362. National advisory board on naturalization.’’.
SEC. 13. SUPPORT OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall make
available funds under this section, in each of 5 consecutive
fiscal years (beginning with fiscal year 1997), to the Immi-
gration and Naturalization Service or to other public or
private nonprofit entities to support demonstration
projects under this section at 10 sites throughout the
United States. Each such project shall be designed to pro-
vide for the administration of the oath of allegiance (under
section 337(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act)
on a business day around the 4th of July for approxi-
mately 500 people whose application for naturalization has
been approved. Each project shall provide for appropriate
outreach and ceremonial and celebratory activities.
(b) SELECTION OF SITES.—The Attorney General
shall, in the Attorney General’s discretion, select diverse
locations for sites on the basis of the number of natu-
ralization applicants living in proximity to each site and
on the degree of local community participation and sup-
port in the project to be held at the site. Not more than
2 sites may be located in the same State. The Attorney
General should consider changing the sites selected from
year to year.
(c) AMOUNTS AVAILABLE; USE OF FUNDS.—
(1) AMOUNT.—The amount that may be made
available under this section with respect to any sin-
gle site for a site for a year shall not exceed $5,000.
(2) USE.—Funds provided under this section
may only be used to cover expenses incurred carry-
ing out symbolic swearing-in ceremonies at the dem-
onstration sites, including expenses for—
(A) cost of personnel of the Immigration
and Naturalization Service (including travel and
overtime expenses)
(B) local outreach,
(C) rental of space, and
(D) costs of printing appropriate brochures
and other information about the ceremonies.
(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS.—Funds in the
‘‘Immigration Examinations Fee Account’’ referred
to in subsections (m), (n), and (o) of section 286 of
the Immigration and Nationality Act may be used to
carry out this section.
(d) APPLICATION.—In the case of an entity other
than the Immigration and Naturalization Service seeking
to conduct a demonstration project under this section, no
amounts may be made available to the entity under this
section unless an appropriate application has been made
to, and approved by, the Attorney General, in a form and
manner specified by the Attorney General.
(e) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term
‘‘State’’ has the meaning given such term in section
101(a)(36) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1101(a)(36)).
Æ