Securing the Visa Waiver Program Act
Bill: S.4220 | Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco (R-FL)
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Securing the Visa Waiver Program Act
This bill imposes additional requirements on countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens or nationals of such countries to travel to the United States without a visa. Specifically, a country that is part of the program must (1) share information with the United States about any of its citizens or nationals who are known or suspected to be involved with terrorism, and (2) establish frameworks for enhanced law enforcement cooperation with the United States.

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require Visa Waiver 
   Program countries to share watch list information about known or 
  suspected terrorists and to fully cooperate with United States law 
    enforcement entities in preventing and combating serious crime.

    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 ``Securing the Visa Waiver Program 
Act''.

SEC. 2. VISA WAIVER PROGRAM INFORMATION SHARING AGREEMENTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 217(c)(2)(F) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187(c)(2)(F)) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(F) Information sharing agreements.--
                            ``(i) Security threats.--The government of 
                        the country enters into an agreement with the 
                        United States to share information regarding 
                        whether citizens and nationals of that country 
                        traveling to the United States represent a 
                        threat to the security or welfare of the United 
                        States or its citizens, and fully implements 
                        such agreement.
                            ``(ii) Terrorist watch lists.--The 
                        government of the country enters into an 
                        agreement with the United States to share 
                        thorough, accurate, and current information 
                        about citizens and nationals of that country 
                        who are known or appropriately suspected to be 
                        or have been engaged in conduct constituting, 
                        in preparation for, in aid of, or related to 
                        terrorism, and fully implements such agreement.
                            ``(iii) Enhancing cooperation in preventing 
                        and combating serious crime.--The government of 
                        the country enters into an agreement with the 
                        United States to establish frameworks for 
                        enhanced law enforcement cooperation, including 
                        the exchange of biometric and biographic data 
                        relating to citizens and nationals of that 
                        country who have engaged in, or are 
                        appropriately suspected of engaging in, an 
                        aggravated felony, and sharing any relevant 
                        underlying information for law enforcement 
                        purposes, and fully implements such 
                        agreement.''.
    (b) Effect of Failure to Comply With Information Sharing 
Agreements.--Section 217(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1187(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) Effect of failure to comply with information sharing 
        agreements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland 
                Security shall immediately terminate the designation of 
                a country as a program country if such country fails to 
                comply with the requirements under subparagraph (D) or 
                (F) of paragraph (2) within--
                            ``(i) the three-month period beginning on 
                        the date of the enactment of this paragraph, if 
                        such country was a program country on such date 
                        of enactment; or
                            ``(ii) the six-month period beginning on 
                        the date on which such country became a program 
                        country.
                    ``(B) Eligibility to rejoin.--A program country 
                whose participation in the program is terminated 
                pursuant to subparagraph (A) may be permitted to rejoin 
                the program by producing evidence that the country has 
                come into compliance and continuously complied with 
                subparagraphs (D) and (F) of paragraph (2) for a 
                period, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland 
                Security, that is at least as long as the longer of--
                            ``(i) the period during which the country 
                        was out of compliance with such subparagraphs; 
                        or
                            ``(ii) the most recent 3-month period.''.
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