I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3159 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for expedited 
naturalization processes for the alien spouses of first responders who 
die as a result of their employment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2015 
Mr. ASHFORD (for himself and Mr. FORTENBERRY) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide 
for expedited naturalization processes for the alien 
spouses of first responders who die as a result of their 
employment, 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 ‘‘Kerrie Orozco Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXPEDITED NATURALIZATION FOR SPOUSES OF 
FIRST RESPONDERS. 
Section 319 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1430) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(f) SPOUSES OF FIRST RESPONDERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any person who is the sur-
viving spouse, child, or parent of a United States 
citizen, whose citizen spouse, parent, or child dies as 
a result of injury or disease incurred in or aggra-
vated by employment as a first responder, and who, 
in the case of a surviving spouse, was living in mar-
ital union with the citizen spouse at the time of his 
death, may be naturalized upon compliance with all 
the requirements of this title except that no prior 
residence or specified physical presence within the 
United States shall be required. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub-
section— 
‘‘(A) the term ‘first responder’ includes law 
enforcement officers, firefighters, and emer-
gency medical personnel; and 
‘‘(B) the terms ‘United States citizen’ and 
‘citizen spouse’ include a person granted post-
humous citizenship under section 329B.’’. 
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SEC. 3. POSTHUMOUS CITIZENSHIP THROUGH DEATH 
WHILE SERVING AS A FIRST RESPONDER. 
Title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1401 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 
329A the following: 
‘‘SEC. 329B. POSTHUMOUS CITIZENSHIP THROUGH DEATH 
WHILE SERVING AS A FIRST RESPONDER. 
‘‘(a) PERMITTING GRANTING OF POSTHUMOUS CITI-
ZENSHIP.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
title, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide, 
in accordance with this section, for the granting of post-
humous citizenship at the time of death to a person de-
scribed in subsection (b) if the Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity approves an application for that posthumous citi-
zenship under subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) NONCITIZENS
ELIGIBLE
FOR
POSTHUMOUS 
CITIZENSHIP.—A person referred to in subsection (a) is 
a person who, while an alien or a noncitizen national of 
the United States— 
‘‘(1) was employed as a first responder (as such 
term is defined in section 319(f)); and 
‘‘(2) died as a result of injury or disease in-
curred in or aggravated by that employment. 
The chief officer of the entity that employed the person 
shall determine whether the person satisfied the require-
ments of paragraphs (1) and (2). 
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‘‘(c) REQUESTS FOR POSTHUMOUS CITIZENSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A request for the granting 
of posthumous citizenship to a person described in 
subsection (b) may be filed on behalf of that per-
son— 
‘‘(A) upon locating the next-of-kin, and if 
so requested by the next-of-kin, by the Director 
of United States Citizenship and Immigration 
Services immediately upon the death of that 
person; or 
‘‘(B) by the next-of-kin. 
‘‘(2) APPROVAL.—The Director of United 
States Citizenship and Immigration Services shall 
approve a request for posthumous citizenship filed 
by the next-of-kin in accordance with paragraph 
(1)(B) if— 
‘‘(A) the request is filed not later than 2 
years after— 
‘‘(i) the date of enactment of this sec-
tion; or 
‘‘(ii) the date of the person’s death; 
whichever date is later; and 
‘‘(B) the request is accompanied by a duly 
authenticated certificate from the chief officer 
of the entity that employed the person which 
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states that the person satisfied the require-
ments of paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
(b). 
‘‘(d) DOCUMENTATION OF POSTHUMOUS CITIZEN-
SHIP.—If the Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and 
Immigration Services approves the request referred to in 
subsection (c), the Director shall send to the next-of-kin 
of the person who is granted citizenship, a suitable docu-
ment which states that the United States considers the 
person to have been a citizen of the United States at the 
time of the person’s death.’’. 
Æ 
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