Military Enlistment Opportunity Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-3698
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Coffman, Mike [R-CO-6]
Introduced: 2015-10-07
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration

Citizenship and naturalization

Foreign labor

Immigration status and procedures

Military personnel and dependents
Latest action: action_date: 2016-03-04
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-10-07
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Military Enlistment Opportunity Act of 2015</strong></p> <p>Amends citizenship and residency qualifications for enlistment in the armed forces to permit enlistment of additional persons who: (1) have resided continuously in a lawful status in the United States for at least two years, or (2) possess an employment authorization document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under requirements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy entitled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.</p> <p> Requires authorized enlistees who are not citizens or other nationals of the United States or lawfully admitted for permanent residence to be adjusted to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under an exception to specified provisions of Immigration and Nationality Act. (Such enlistees need not establish that they entered the United States prior to January 1, 1972, or comply with other specified requirements.)</p> <p>Directs DHS to rescind such adjusted status if the person is separated from the armed forces under other than honorable conditions before the person served for a period or periods aggregating five years. </p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3698 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 7, 2015 Mr. Coffman (for himself, Mr. Vargas , Mr. King of New York , and Ms. Duckworth ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services , and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the enlistment in the Armed Forces of additional persons who are residing in the United States and to lawfully admit for permanent residence certain enlistees who are not citizens or other nationals of the United States.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Military Enlistment Opportunity Act of 2015 . 2. Qualifications for enlistment in the Armed Forces (a) Additional qualified persons Paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of section 504 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (E); and (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new subparagraphs: (C) A person who, at the time of enlistment in an armed force, has resided continuously in a lawful status in the United States for at least two years. (D) A person who, at the time of enlistment in an armed force, possesses an employment authorization document issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services under the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security policy entitled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). . (b) Admission to Permanent Residence of Certain Enlistees Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) Admission to permanent residence of certain enlistees (1) A person described in subsection (b) who, at the time of enlistment in an armed force, is not a citizen or other national of the United States or lawfully admitted for permanent residence shall be adjusted to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under the provisions of section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1259 ), except that the alien need not— (A) establish that he or she entered the United States prior to January 1, 1972; and (B) comply with section 212(e) of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1182(e) ). (2) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall rescind the lawful permanent resident status of a person whose status was adjusted under paragraph (1) if the person is separated from the armed forces under other than honorable conditions before the person served for a period or periods aggregating five years. Such grounds for rescission are in addition to any other provided by law. The fact that the person was separated from the armed forces under other than honorable conditions shall be proved by a duly authenticated certification from the armed force in which the person last served. The service of the person in the armed forces shall be proved by duly authenticated copies of the service records of the person. (3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to alter the process prescribed by sections 328, 329, and 329A of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1439 , 1440, 1440–1) by which a person may naturalize through service in the armed forces. . (c) Clerical amendments (1) Section heading The heading of such section is amended to read as follows: 504. Persons not qualified; citizenship or residency requirements; exceptions . (2) Table of sections The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 31 of such title is amended by striking the item relating to section 504 and inserting the following new item: 504. Persons not qualified; citizenship or residency requirements; exceptions. .