Title: To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the provision of naturalization assistance to members of the uniformed services, including new recruits, who are not citizens of the United States, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish an Office of Service Member Naturalization to: (1) identify members of the uniformed services who are not citizens and inform them of the availability of naturalization assistance; (2) help such members complete the naturalization process before their separation from the uniformed services; and (3) coordinate points-of-contact at military installations to ensure that personnel who are responsible for assisting members through the naturalization process successfully complete their assignments.
DOD shall ensure that each Military Entrance Processing Station provides the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service, to new recruits for the uniformed services who are processed at a military entrance processing command center and are not U.S. citizens.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3102 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3102

  To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the provision of 
    naturalization assistance to members of the uniformed services, 
including new recruits, who are not citizens of the United States, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2017

  Mr. Veasey (for himself, Mr. Takano, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Gonzalez of 
Texas, Mr. Correa, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Al Green of Texas, 
  Mr. Vela, Ms. McCollum, and Mrs. Demings) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the provision of 
    naturalization assistance to members of the uniformed services, 
including new recruits, who are not citizens of the United States, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF SERVICE MEMBER NATURALIZATION AND 
              DESIGNATION OF NATURALIZATION OFFICES ON CERTAIN MILITARY 
              INSTALLATIONS.

    (a) Designation Required.--Chapter 80 of title 10, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after section 1566a the following new 
section:
``Sec. 1566b. Naturalization assistance: Office of Service Member 
              Naturalization and installation naturalization offices
    ``(a) Office of Service Member Naturalization.--The Secretary of 
Defense shall establish an office in the Department of Defense, to be 
known as the `Office of Service Member Naturalization', whose mission 
shall be--
            ``(1) to identify members of the uniformed services, 
        including new recruits, who are not citizens of the United 
        States;
            ``(2) to inform such members of the availability of 
        naturalization assistance to facilitate such members in 
        becoming citizens;
            ``(3) to help such members complete the naturalization 
        process before their separation from the uniformed services; 
        and
            ``(4) to coordinate points-of-contact at military 
        installations to ensure that personnel who are responsible for 
        assisting members through the naturalization process 
        successfully complete their assignments.
    ``(b) Designation of Installation Naturalization Offices.--Under 
regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under subsection 
(e), the Secretaries of the military departments shall designate 
naturalization offices--
            ``(1) on military installations under their jurisdiction at 
        which the initial entry training program for new recruits for 
        the uniformed services is conducted; and
            ``(2) on such other military installations as the Secretary 
        concerned shall determine are best located to provide access to 
        naturalization assistance for members of the uniformed services 
        who are not citizens of the United States.
    ``(c) Types of Naturalization Assistance.--(1) A naturalization 
office shall make available Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, 
and Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service.
    ``(2) A naturalization office shall assist members of the uniformed 
services, including new recruits, who are not citizens of the United 
States in completing the process to become a citizen of the United 
States. If, through no fault of the member, a member whose service has 
been honorable is unable to complete the naturalization process before 
separation from the uniformed services, the naturalization office shall 
continue to work with the member until completion of the naturalization 
process.
    ``(d) Applicability to Other Elements of the Uniformed Services.--
The Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when 
it is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to the commissioned 
corps of the Public Health Service, and the Secretary of Commerce with 
respect to the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall carry out this section in the case of 
members of the uniformed services under their jurisdiction.
    ``(e) Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with 
the Secretaries referred to in subsection (d), shall prescribe 
regulations relating to the administration of the requirements of this 
section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 80 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 1566a the following new item:

``1566b. Naturalization assistance: Office of Service Member 
                            Naturalization and installation 
                            naturalization offices.''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED PROVISION OF APPLICATIONS FOR NATURALIZATION AND FORMS 
              FOR CERTIFICATION OF MILITARY OR NAVAL SERVICE AT 
              MILITARY ENTRANCE PROCESSING COMMAND CENTERS.

    (a) Duty To Provide Materials.--Section 1790 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Using funds'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(b) Reimbursement of Homeland Security Processing and 
Adjudication Costs.--Using funds''; and
            (2) by inserting after the section heading the following 
        new subsection:
    ``(a) Provision of Naturalization Applications and Service 
Certification Forms.--The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness shall ensure that each Military Entrance Processing Station 
provides the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and Form N-
426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service, to new 
recruits for the uniformed services who are processed at the center and 
are not citizens of the United States.''.
    (b) Reporting Requirements.--Section 1790 of title 10, United 
States Code, as amended by subsection (a), is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Annual Report.--Through December 31, 2021, the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall submit to the 
Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives, and the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and 
the House of Representatives an annual report specifying--
            ``(1) the number of members of each uniformed service who 
        received the naturalization materials described in subsection 
        (a) at Military Entrance Processing Stations and installation 
        naturalization offices during the year covered by the report; 
        and
            ``(2) the amount of reimbursement provided under subsection 
        (b) to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services 
        during the year covered by the report.''.
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