Title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reserve EB-5 visas each fiscal year for investors in new commercial enterprises in areas with respect to which a major disaster has been declared by the President.
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
This bill reserves a certain number of EB-5 visas (immigrant investors) for immigrants who invest in a new commercial enterprise that will create employment in an area where the President has declared a major disaster. For a period of three fiscal years starting from the fiscal year in which a disaster has been declared, 100 such visas must be reserved for each fiscal year.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2173 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2173

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reserve EB-5 visas each 
 fiscal year for investors in new commercial enterprises in areas with 
 respect to which a major disaster has been declared by the President.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 9, 2019

   Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico (for herself and Mr. LaMalfa) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reserve EB-5 visas each 
 fiscal year for investors in new commercial enterprises in areas with 
 respect to which a major disaster has been declared by the President.

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

SECTION 1. RESERVATION OF EB-5 VISAS FOR INVESTORS IN DISASTER AREAS.

    Section 203(b)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1153(b)(5)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as 
        subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
                    ``(C) Set-aside for major disaster areas.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Of the visas made 
                        available under this paragraph for each fiscal 
                        year, the number required under clause (ii) 
                        shall be reserved for qualified immigrants who 
                        invest in a new commercial enterprise described 
                        in subparagraph (A) which will create 
                        employment in an area with respect to which a 
                        major disaster has been declared by the 
                        President under section 401 of the Robert T. 
                        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170).
                            ``(ii) Number of reserved visas.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--In the case of 
                                each area with respect to which one or 
                                multiple major disasters have been 
                                declared by the President under section 
                                401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
                                Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
                                U.S.C. 5170) in a single fiscal year, 
                                the Secretary of State and the 
                                Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
                                coordinate so as to ensure that 100 
                                visas are reserved under this 
                                subparagraph for the area for--
                                            ``(aa) the fiscal year in 
                                        which the declaration or 
                                        declarations occur and the two 
                                        succeeding fiscal years; or
                                            ``(bb) the 3 fiscal years 
                                        following the fiscal year in 
                                        which the declaration or 
                                        declarations occur.
                                    ``(II) Timing.--The decision 
                                whether to implement subclause (I) 
                                according to item (aa) or (bb) shall be 
                                made jointly by the Secretary of State 
                                and the Secretary of Homeland Security 
                                based upon the number of visas already 
                                made available under this paragraph on 
                                the date on which the declaration (or 
                                the first of multiple declarations) 
                                occurs and other factors deemed 
                                appropriate by such secretaries.''.
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