Title: NATS Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Naturalization at Training Sites Act of 2017 or the NATS Act
This bill directs the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard, to establish a naturalization office with trained personnel at each initial military training site of the Armed Forces.
Each military department concerned shall: (1) identify members of the Armed Forces who are not U.S. citizens and inform them of the availability of naturalization services at such offices, and (2) assign new non-citizen members of the Armed Forces to an initial military training site that has such an office.
Naturalization notifications shall be completed: (1) during every stage of basic training, (2) during training for any military occupational specialty, (3) at each school of professional military education, (4) upon each duty station transfer, and (5) at any other time determined appropriate by the military department concerned.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall annually publish the number of members of the Armed Forces and their spouses and children who became naturalized U.S. citizens during the most recent year for which data is available, categorized by the country in which the naturalization ceremony took place.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1727 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1727

To establish a naturalization office at every initial military training 
                                 site.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 2, 2017

    Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Ms. Cortez Masto) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a naturalization office at every initial military training 
                                 site.

    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 ``Naturalization At Training Sites Act 
of 2017'' or the ``NATS Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND USE OF NATURALIZATION OFFICES AT INITIAL 
              MILITARY TRAINING SITES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act, the term ``Secretary concerned'' has 
the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 10, United 
States Code.
    (b) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland 
Security with respect to the Coast Guard, shall establish a 
naturalization office at each initial military training site of the 
Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the respective Secretary.
    (c) Outreach.--In coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense 
for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of U.S. Citizenship and 
Immigration Services, each Secretary concerned shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable--
            (1) identify each member of the Armed Forces overseen by 
        such Secretary who is not a citizen of the United States;
            (2) inform each noncitizen member of the Armed Forces 
        overseen by such Secretary about--
                    (A) the existence of a naturalization office at 
                each initial military training site;
                    (B) the continuous availability of each 
                naturalization office throughout the career of a member 
                of the Armed Forces to--
                            (i) evaluate the extent to which a 
                        noncitizen member of the Armed Forces is 
                        eligible to become a naturalized citizen; and
                            (ii) assess the suitability for citizenship 
                        of a noncitizen member of the Armed Forces;
                    (C) each potential pathway to citizenship;
                    (D) each service a naturalization office provides;
                    (E) the required length of service to obtain 
                citizenship during--
                            (i) peacetime; and
                            (ii) a period of hostility; and
                    (F) the application process for citizenship, 
                including--
                            (i) details of the application process;
                            (ii) required application materials;
                            (iii) requirements for a naturalization 
                        interview; and
                            (iv) any other information required to 
                        become a citizen under the Immigration and 
                        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
    (d) Timing.--Each Secretary concerned shall complete the 
notifications required under subsection (c)--
            (1) during every stage of basic training;
            (2) during training for any military occupational 
        specialty;
            (3) at each school of professional military education;
            (4) upon each transfer of a duty station; and
            (5) at any other time determined appropriate by the 
        Secretary concerned.
    (e) Trained Personnel.--
            (1) Availability.--Each Secretary concerned shall retain 
        trained personnel at a naturalization office at every initial 
        military training site to provide appropriate services to every 
        member of the Armed Forces who is not a citizen of the United 
        States.
            (2) Training.--All personnel retained under paragraph (1) 
        shall be familiar with--
                    (A) the special provisions of the Immigration and 
                Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) authorizing the 
                expedited application and naturalization process for 
                current members of the Armed Forces and veterans;
                    (B) the application process for naturalization and 
                associated application materials; and
                    (C) the naturalization process administered by U.S. 
                Citizenship and Immigration Services.
    (f) Assignment Preference.--The Secretary concerned, to the extent 
practicable, shall assign each new member of the Armed Forces who is 
not a citizen of the United States to an initial military training site 
that has a naturalization office.
    (g) Reporting Requirement.--The Director of the U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services shall annually publish, on a publicly 
accessible website--
            (1) the number of members of the Armed Forces who became 
        naturalized United States citizens during the most recent year 
        for which data is available, categorized by country in which 
        the naturalization ceremony took place;
            (2) the number of Armed Forces member's children who became 
        naturalized United States citizens during the most recent year 
        for which data is available, categorized by country in which 
        the naturalization ceremony took place; and
            (3) the number of Armed Forces member's spouses who became 
        naturalized United States citizens during the most recent year 
        for which data is available, categorized by country in which 
        the naturalization ceremony took place.
    (h) Regulations.--Each Secretary concerned shall prescribe in 
regulation a definition of the term ``initial military training site'' 
for purposes of this section.
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