I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 329
To authorize the establishment of a suboffice of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service in Nashville, Tennessee.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 31, 2001
Mr. CLEMENT (for himself, Mr. FORD, Mr. GORDON, Mr. HILLEARY, Mr.
WAMP, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. BRYANT, Mr. JENKINS, and Mr. TANNER) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
A BILL
To authorize the establishment of a suboffice of the Immigra-
tion and Naturalization Service in Nashville, Tennessee.
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 ‘‘Nashville INS Sub-
office Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The Immigration and Naturalization Serv-
ice field office in Memphis, Tennessee, is designated
as a suboffice within the jurisdiction of the district
office in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(2) Over the past 10 years, the foreign national
population has grown substantially in the jurisdic-
tional area of the Memphis suboffice.
(3) It is estimated that more than 200,000 for-
eign nationals are residing in the jurisdictional area
of the Memphis suboffice.
(4) The Memphis suboffice has pending an
equal or greater number of cases, and receives as
many new cases, as the New Orleans district office.
(5) Approximately 46 percent of the total num-
ber of permanent resident applications received by
the Memphis suboffice come from individuals resid-
ing in middle and eastern Tennessee.
(6) In many instances, such individuals have to
travel 3 to 6 hours each way to Memphis to receive
service.
(7) Nashville is a logical location for a new Im-
migration and Naturalization Service suboffice be-
cause its central location will reduce such travel time
and allow the Immigration and Naturalization Serv-
ice to provide better and more efficient service to
such individuals.
(8) As the largest metropolitan area in the
State of Tennessee, major routes from across the
State flow into Nashville and air transportation is
readily available there.
(9) Establishment of a Nashville suboffice
would make a strong statement about the commit-
ment of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
to gaining control over illegal immigration and would
facilitate legal immigration and citizenship initiatives
in central and eastern Tennessee.
(10) The Congress has identified Nashville as a
region underserved by the Immigration and Natu-
ralization Service.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000
for each fiscal year to establish and operate an Immigra-
tion and Naturalization Service suboffice in Nashville,
Tennessee. Such suboffice shall have jurisdiction over the
following counties in the State of Tennessee: Anderson,
Bedford, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon,
Carter, Cheatham, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cum-
berland, Davidson, Dekalb, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin,
Giles, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton,
Hancock, Hardin, Hawkins, Hickman, Houston, Hum-
phries, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence,
Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, Macon, Marion, Marshall, Maury,
McMinn, Meigs, Moore, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan,
Overton, Perry, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Rob-
ertson, Rutherford, Scott, Sevier, Sequatchie, Smith,
Stewart, Sullivan, Sumner, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van
Buren, Warren, Washington, Wayne, White, Williamson,
and Wilson.
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