I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1980
To provide for demonstration projects throughout the United States in order
to celebrate the process of becoming and being an American citizen.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 30, 1995
Mr. FARR (for himself, Mr. MINETA, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. SERRANO, Ms.
LOFGREN, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Ms. PELOSI, and
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To provide for demonstration projects throughout the United
States in order to celebrate the process of becoming
and being an American citizen.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; PURPOSE.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Proud To Be an American Act of 1995’’.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to cele-
brate the act of becoming an American citizen through
sponsorship of appropriate public ceremonies around the
4th of July each year.
SEC. 2. SUPPORT OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall make
available funds under this section, in each of 5 consecutive
years (beginning with 1996), to the Immigration and Nat-
uralization Service or to other public or private nonprofit
entities to support demonstration projects under this sec-
tion at 10 sites throughout the United States. Each such
project shall be designed to provide for the administration
of the oath of allegiance (under section 337(a) of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act) on a business day around
the 4th of July for approximately 500 people whose appli-
cation 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 that are
otherwise available to the Immigration and Natu-
ralization Service to carry out naturalization activi-
ties (including funds in the Immigration Examina-
tions Fee Account, under section 286(n) of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act) shall be available
under 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)).
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