Honor Our Commitment Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-3433
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2021-12-17
Policy area: Immigration
Latest action: action_date: 2021-12-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-12-17
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Honor Our Commitment Act of 2021</strong></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress a strategy for the safe processing abroad of nationals of Afghanistan applying for admission as refugees or special immigrant visas based on the applicant's work in support of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. </p> <p>The strategy must include various elements, including detailed plans for (1) prioritizing the processing of such individuals, (2) providing security checks for such individuals, (3) facilitating the rapid departure of such individuals from Afghanistan after the security checks, and (4) engaging with other countries to better facilitate the evacuation of such individuals. </p> <p>The State Department must also report monthly to Congress on the progress of efforts to implement the strategy.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 3433 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 17, 2021 Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Graham , Ms. Ernst , and Mr. Cardin ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To require a strategy to support nationals of Afghanistan who are applicants for special immigrant visas or for referral to the United States Refugee Admissions Program, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Honor Our Commitment Act of 2021 . 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that the United States should increase support for nationals of Afghanistan who aided the United States mission in Afghanistan during the past 20 years and are now under threat from the Taliban, specifically such nationals of Afghanistan, in Afghanistan or third countries, who are applicants for— (1) special immigrant visas under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 111–8 ) or section 1059 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 109–163 ); or (2) referral to the United States Refugee Admissions Program as refugees (as defined in section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42) )), including as Priority 2 refugees. 3. Strategy to support certain nationals of Afghanistan (a) In general Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategy for the safe processing abroad of nationals of Afghanistan described in section 2. (b) Elements The strategy required by subsection (a) shall include a detailed plan— (1) to prioritize for evacuation from Afghanistan nationals of Afghanistan described in section 2; (2) to provide for security checks for such nationals of Afghanistan, which— (A) shall be conducted remotely before departure from Afghanistan; and (B) shall not take the place of post-departure security screening; (3) to facilitate, after such security checks, the rapid departure from Afghanistan by air charter and land passage of such nationals of Afghanistan who satisfy the requirements of such security checks; (4) to provide letters of support, diplomatic notes, and other documentation, as appropriate, to ease transit for such nationals of Afghanistan; (5) to engage governments of relevant countries to better facilitate evacuation of such nationals of Afghanistan; (6) to disseminate frequent updates to such nationals of Afghanistan and relevant nongovernmental organizations with respect to evacuation from Afghanistan; (7) to identify and establish sufficient locations outside Afghanistan and the United States that will accept such nationals of Afghanistan during case processing (including during the processes of security checks and establishing the eligibility of such nationals of Afghanistan before their travel to the United States, which shall include any in-person interview required for full adjudication of a case and, in the case of a special immigrant visa, issuance of such visa) for— (A) the special immigrant visas described in paragraph (1) of section 2; or (B) referral to, and acceptance for resettlement in the United States by, the United States Refugee Admissions Program described in paragraph (2) of that section; (8) to identify necessary resource, personnel, and equipment requirements to increase capacity to better support such nationals of Afghanistan and reduce their application processing times, while ensuring strict and necessary security checks, including, to the extent practicable, by allowing such nationals of Afghanistan to receive referrals to the United States Refugee Admissions Program while they are still in Afghanistan so as to initiate application processing more expeditiously; and (9) to provide for relocation outside Afghanistan to third countries for nationals of Afghanistan described in section 2 who are unable to successfully complete security checks and application processing to establish eligibility to travel to the United States. (c) Form The strategy required by subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. 4. Monthly report (a) In general Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and monthly thereafter until December 31, 2022, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on efforts to support nationals of Afghanistan described in section 2. (b) Elements Each report required by subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) The number of nationals of Afghanistan referred to the United States Refugee Admissions Program as Priority 1 and Priority 2 refugees since August 29, 2021. (2) An assessment of whether each such refugee— (A) remains in Afghanistan; or (B) is outside Afghanistan. (3) With respect to nationals of Afghanistan who have applied for referral to the United States Refugee Program, the number of applications that— (A) have been approved; (B) have been denied; and (C) are pending adjudication. (4) The number of nationals of Afghanistan who have pending applications for special immigrant visas described in section 2(1), disaggregated by the special immigrant visa processing steps completed with respect to such individuals. (5) A description of the measures taken to implement the strategy under section 3. 5. Definition of appropriate committees of Congress In this Act, the term appropriate committees of Congress means— (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.