,,ii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bdce ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ah1 #bjae ,mr4 ,kirk 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 ,mr4 ,isakson1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 and ,mr4 ,inhofe7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to ensure that each covered alien receives a thorough background investigation before such alien is admitted to the ,united ,states as a refugee1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,defend ,america ,act of #bjae4 #b4 ,definitions 7a7 ,in general ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate2 7,d7 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate2 7,e7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7,f7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7,g7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,h7 the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,i7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,j7 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,k7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,l7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,covered alien ,the term covered alien means any alien who-- 7,a7 7i7 is applying for admission to the ,united ,states as a refugee2 and 7ii7 is a national or resident of ,iraq or ,syria2 7iii7 has no known nationality and whose last habitual residence was in ,iraq or in ,syria2 or 7iv7 has been present in ,iraq or in ,syria at any time on or after ,march #a1 #bjaa4 7,b7 is not a citizen of ,iraq who-- 7i7 is or was employed by or on behalf of the ,united ,states ,government in ,iraq on or after ,march #bj1 #bjjc1 for not less than #a year2 and 7ii7 provided faithful and valuable service to the ,united ,states ,government1 which is documented in a positive recommendation or evaluation described in subsection 7c71 from the employer's senior supervisor in the ,united ,states ,government or from a more senior person if the employee's senior supervisor cannot be located2 7,c7 is not the spouse or child of an alien described in subparagraph 7,b72 and 7,d7 is not an infant child without living parents who is younger than #d years of age1 as certified under procedures promulgated by the ,secretary of ,state under subsection 7b74 7#c7 ,foreign terrorist organization ,the term foreign terrorist organization is a foreign organization that is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the ,secretary of ,state in accordance with section #bai7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahi7;a774 7b7 ,certification 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state shall promulgate regulations establishing procedures for certifying that an alien is an alien child without living parents who is younger than #d years of age4 7#b7 ,submission ,not later than #fj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall submit the regulations promulgated under paragraph 7#a7 to the appropriate congressional committees4 7#c7 ,implementation ,not earlier than #ij days after the submission of regulations under paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretary of ,state shall implement such regulations4 7c7 ,approval by ,chief of ,mission required ,each recommendation or evaluation required under subparagraph 7,b77ii7 shall be accompanied by approval from the appropriate ,chief of ,mission1 or the designee of the appropriate ,chief of ,mission1 who shall conduct a risk assessment of the alien and an independent review of records maintained by the ,united ,states ,government or hiring organization or entity to confirm the alien's employment and faithful and valuable service to the ,united ,states ,government before the alien is exempted from definition of covered alien under subsection 7a77#b77;,b74 #c4 ,enhanced screening measures for covered aliens 7a7 ,temporary suspension of admissions 7#a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of law-- 7,a7 a covered alien may not be admitted to the ,united ,states as a refugee under section #bjg of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg7 or under any other provision of law2 7,b7 no ,federal funds may be expended to process applications for covered aliens to be admitted as refugees2 and 7,c7 no ,federal funds may be expended by the ,secretary of ,state or the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to resettle covered aliens in the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,effective period ,paragraph 7#a7 shall be in effect until the date that is #cj days after the date on which the ,president submits1 to the appropriate congressional committees1 a certification that the provisions under subsections 7b7 through 7g7 have been carried out4 7b7 ,background investigation 7#a7 ,in general ,in addition to any screenings conducted by the ,department of ,state or the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 the ,director of the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a thorough background investigation before such alien is admitted to the ,united ,states as a refugee4 7#b7 ,,fbi certification ,a covered alien may not be admitted to the ,united ,states as a refugee until after the ,director of the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation certifies to the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security and the ,director of ,national ,intelligence that such alien has received a background investigation that is sufficient to determine whether such alien-- 7,a7 is a threat to the security of the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 has provided support to any foreign terrorist organization1 which may include publishing or otherwise engaging in social media to promote or otherwise support a foreign terrorist organization4 7c7 ,certification by unanimous concurrence ,a covered alien may only be admitted to the ,united ,states after the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 with the unanimous concurrence of the ,director of the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation and the ,director of ,national ,intelligence1 certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the covered alien-- 7#a7 is not a threat to the security of the ,united ,states2 and 7#b7 has not provided support to any foreign terrorist organization1 including by publishing or otherwise engaging in social media to promote or otherwise support a foreign terrorist organization4 7d7 ,inspector ,general review of certifications ,the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,homeland ,security shall-- 7#a7 conduct a risk-based review of all certifications made under subsection 7c7 during each fiscal year2 and 7#b7 not later than ,october #cj of each year1 submit a report1 in unclassified form with classified annexes1 to the appropriate congressional committees that-- 7,a7 describes the findings of the review conducted under paragraph 7#a72 7,b7 includes an assessment of the data sets and vetting procedures used by the ,department of ,homeland ,security2 and 7,c7 includes an assessment of the ,department of ,homeland ,security's access to information and data sets controlled1 administered1 or maintained by other agencies or departments that are necessary to conduct a thorough screening of covered aliens4 7e7 ,quarterly report ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall submit a quarterly report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes1 for the quarter immediately preceding the date of the report-- 7#a7 the total number of applications for admission with regard to which a certification under subsection 7c7 was made2 7#b7 the number of covered aliens with regard to whom such a certification was not made2 and 7#c7 for each covered alien with regard to whom a certification under subsection 7c7 was not made1 the justification for the nonconcurrence of each department or agency4 7f7 ,annual ,comptroller ,general evaluation ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall-- 7#a7 annually evaluate all the certifications made under subsections 7b7 and 7c72 and 7#b7 not later than ,october #cj of each year1 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report1 in unclassified form with classified annexes1 that includes-- 7,a7 the findings of the evaluations under paragraph 7#a72 7,b7 an assessment of the data sets and vetting procedures used by the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation and the ,department of ,homeland ,security2 7,c7 an assessment of the ,federal ,government's access to the information and data sets necessary to conduct a thorough screening of covered aliens2 and 7,d7 a detailed list of covered aliens who-- 7i7 were admitted pursuant to this ,act2 and 7ii7 during the previous fiscal year-- 7,i7 were indicted for criminal misconduct and are awaiting trial1 with a description of the pending charges2 7,,ii7 had pending criminal charges against them dismissed1 with a description of the charges2 7,,iii7 were acquitted of criminal misconduct at trial1 with a description of the charges2 7,,iv7 were convicted of1 or pled guilty to1 criminal misconduct1 with a list of the charges and the sentence2 7,v7 were listed on the ,terrorist ,screening ,center's ,terrorist ,screening ,database 7,,tsdb72 or 7,,vi7 were listed on the ,national ,counterterrorism ,center's ,terrorist ,identities ,datamart ,environment 7,,tide74 7g7 ,report on additional enhanced measures ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation1 the ,director of ,national ,intelligence1 and the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that-- 7#a7 identifies plans for additional enhanced measures for the purposes of improving the screening conducted by the ,united ,states ,government on any covered alien seeking to be admitted as a refugee to the ,united ,states1 including any enhanced screening to determine whether such alien-- 7,a7 has any links to terrorism-related social media2 or 7,b7 has provided support to any foreign terrorist organization2 7#b7 describes the changes made to the refugee program by the ,department of ,homeland ,security in response to the infiltration of #b ,al-,qaeda in ,iraq-linked terrorists into the ,united ,states and their resettlement in ,bowling ,green1 ,kentucky1 through the ,iraqi refugee program in #bjji2 and 7#c7 indicates if the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security is aware of any former or current known terrorists who have been admitted to the ,united ,states as refugees4 #d4 ,state notification ,section #dab7;b7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#i7 ,before a refugee is resettled in a ,state1 the ,secretary of ,state shall provide the ,governor of such ,state1 or the ,governor's designee1 with respect to the refugee-- 7,a7 the full1 legal name2 7,b7 a physical description1 including biometric information2 7,c7 relevant biographical information2 7,d7 the country of origin2 and 7,e7 any prior citizenship4 4 #e4 ,inadmissibility for use of social media to promote terrorism 7a7 ,in general ,section #bab7;a77#c77;,b77i77,,vii7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahb7;a77#c77;,b77i77,,vii77 is amended by inserting 1 including through the use of social media before the semicolon at the end4 7b7 ,rulemaking ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall issue regulations1 in accordance with section #eec of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 to ensure that no alien applying for an immigrant visa under section #bjc of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaec7 or for adjustment of status under section #bde of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaee7 is admitted if the alien has violated section #bab7;a77#c77;,b77i77,,vii7 of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahb7;a77#c77;,b77i77,,vii771 as amended by subsection 7a74 7c7 ,effective date ,the regulations issued under subsection 7b7 shall take effect on the date that is #cj days after the date on which such regulations are published in the ,federal ,register4 #f4 ,visa ,waiver ,program security 7a7 ,restriction on use of visa waiver program for aliens who travel to certain countries ,section #bag7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg7;a77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#ab7 ,not present in ,iraq1 ,syria1 or any other country or area of concern 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraphs 7,b7 and 7,c7-- 7i7 the alien has not been present1 at any time on or after ,march #a1 #bjaa-- 7,i7 in ,iraq or ,syria2 7,,ii7 in a country that is designated by the ,secretary of ,state under section #f7;j7 of the ,export ,administration ,act of #aigi 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #bdje7 7as continued in effect under the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq4771 section #dj of the ,arms ,export ,control ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bghj71 section #fbj;,a of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bcga71 or any other provision of law1 as a country1 the government of which has repeatedly provided support of acts of international terrorism2 or 7,,iii7 in any other country or area of concern designated by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security under subparagraph 7,d72 and 7ii7 regardless of whether the alien is a national of a program country1 the alien is not a national of-- 7,i7 ,iraq or ,syria2 7,,ii7 a country that is designated1 at the time the alien applies for admission1 by the ,secretary of ,state under section #f7;j7 of the ,export ,administration ,act of #aigi 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #bdje7 7as continued in effect under the ,international ,emergency ,economic ,powers ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq4771 section #dj of the ,arms ,export ,control ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bghj71 section #fbj;,a of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bcga71 or any other provision of law1 as a country1 the government of which has repeatedly provided support of acts of international terrorism2 or 7,,iii7 any other country that is designated1 at the time the alien applies for admission1 by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security under subparagraph 7,d74 7,b7 ,certain military personnel and government employees ,subparagraph 7,a77i7 shall not apply to an alien if the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security determines that the alien was present-- 7i7 in order to perform military service in the armed forces of a program country2 or 7ii7 in order to carry out official duties as a full-time employee of the government of a program country4 7,c7 ,waiver ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security may waive the application of subparagraph 7,a7 with respect to an alien if the ,secretary determines that such a waiver is in the law enforcement or national security interests of the ,united ,states4 7,d7 ,countries or areas of concern 7i7 ,in general ,not later than #fj days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state and the ,director of ,national ,intelligence1 shall determine whether the requirement under subparagraph 7,a7 shall apply to any other country or area4 7ii7 ,criteria ,in making a determination under clause 7i71 the ,secretary shall consider-- 7,i7 whether the presence of an alien in the country or area increases the likelihood that the alien is a credible threat to the national security of the ,united ,states2 7,,ii7 whether a foreign terrorist organization has a significant presence in the country or area2 and 7,,iii7 whether the country or area is a safe haven for terrorists4 7iii7 ,annual review ,the ,secretary shall conduct an annual review of any determination made under clause 7i74 7,e7 ,report ,beginning not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this paragraph1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall submit a report to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate1 and the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate that describes each instance in which the ,secretary exercised the waiver authority under subparagraph 7,c7 during the previous year4 4 7b7 ,requirements for countries 7#a7 ,traveler screening and vetting ,section #bag7;c77#b7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg7;c77#b77 is amended-- 7,a7 by redesignating subparagraphs 7,d71 7,e71 and 7,f7 as subparagraphs 7,e71 7,f71 and 7,g71 respectively2 and 7,b7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,c7 the following3 7,d7 ,information sharing agreement ,the government of the country1 for travel requiring a passport or other government-issued travel document1 screens travelers crossing the country's borders as early in the vetting process as possible using ,,interpol's ,stolen and ,lost ,travel ,documents databases or other means designated by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security to determine if travelers crossing the country's borders are using stolen or lost travel documents4 4 7#b7 ,reporting lost and stolen passports ,section #bag7;c77#b77;,e7 of such ,act1 as redesignated by paragraph 7#a77;,a71 is amended by striking within a strict time limit and inserting not later than #bd hours after becoming aware of the theft or loss4 7#c7 ,implementation of passenger information exchange agreement ,section #bag7;c77#b77;,g7 of such ,act1 as redesignated by paragraph 7#a77;,a71 is amended by inserting before the period at the end the following3 1 and fully implements such agreement4 7#d7 ,,interpol screening ,section #bag7;c77#b7 of such ,act1 as amended by paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#c71 is further amended by adding at the end the following3 7,h7 ,,interpol screening ,not later than #bgj days after the date of the enactment of this subparagraph1 except in the case of a country in which there is not an international airport1 the government of the country certifies to the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security that1 to the maximum extent allowed under the laws of the country1 it is screening1 for unlawful activity1 each person who is not a citizen or national of that country who is admitted to or departs that country1 by using relevant databases and notices maintained by ,,interpol1 or other means designated by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security4 ,the requirement under this subparagraph shall not apply to travel between countries within the ,schengen ,zone4 4 7c7 ,failure ,to implement or comply with information sharing requirements 7#a7 ,in general ,if the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 determines that a ,visa ,waiver ,program country has not complied with a requirement under subparagraph 7,d71 7,e71 7,f71 or 7,g7 of section #bag of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg71 or any additional requirement determined by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 the ,secretary may terminate the participation of such country in the ,visa ,waiver ,program4 7#b7 ,redesignation ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 may redesignate a terminated country as a ,visa ,waiver ,program country if the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security determines that the government of the country is complying with-- 7,a7 all of the requirements set forth in subsection 7b71 including the amendments made by subsection 7b72 7,b7 the information sharing agreement required under section #bag of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg72 and 7,c7 any additional program requirements determined by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security4 7#c7 ,notification 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall notify ,congress-- 7i7 of any former ,visa ,waiver ,program country that has been terminated from participation in the ,visa ,waiver ,program and the reasons for such termination2 and 7ii7 whether a country described in subparagraph 7,a7 has been deemed eligible for redesignation as a ,visa ,waiver ,program country1 including the steps taken by the government of such country to qualify for participation in the ,visa ,waiver ,program4 7,b7 ,redesignation ,if ,congress has not objected to the redesignation of a country described in paragraph 7#b7 before the date that is #cj days after the notification date under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security may redesignate the country as a ,visa ,waiver ,program country4 7d7 ,federal air marshal agreement ,section #bag7;c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act1 as amended by subsection 7b71 is further amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by adding at the end the following3 7,i7 ,federal air marshal agreement ,the government of the country enters into1 and complies with1 an agreement with the ,united ,states to assist in the operation of an effective ,air ,marshal ,program4 7,j7 ,aviation standards ,the government of the country complies with ,united ,states aviation and airport security standards1 as determined by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security4 2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#i7-- 7,a7 by striking subparagraph 7,b72 and 7,b7 by redesignating subparagraphs 7,c7 and 7,d7 as subparagraphs 7,b7 and 7,c71 respectively4 7e7 ,electronic passports 7#a7 ,compliance with international standards ,not later than ,october #a1 #bjaf1 the government of each ,visa ,waiver ,program country shall certify that the country issues to its citizens machine-readable1 electronic passports that comply with the biometric and document identifying standards established by the ,international ,civil ,aviation ,organization4 7#b7 ,annual report ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall submit to ,congress a list of all the ,visa ,waiver ,program countries whose governments have certified the regular issuance of machine-readable electronic passports to their citizens4 7#c7 ,possession of electronic passports ,not later than ,april #a1 #bjaf1 every citizen or national of a ,visa ,waiver ,program country who is cleared to travel to the ,united ,states under the ,electronic ,system for ,travel ,authorization shall possess1 at the time of admission1 a valid1 unexpired1 tamper-resistant1 machine-readable passport that incorporates biometric and document authentication identifiers that comply with the standards described in paragraph 7#a74 7f7 ,capacity ,to identify dangerous individuals ,section #bag7;c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act1 as amended by this section1 is further amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking after the initial period2 and 7#b7 by amending paragraph 7#d7 to read as follows3 7#d7 ,required security considerations for program designation and continuation ,in determining whether a country should be designated as a program country or whether a program country should retain its designation as a program country1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall consider whether the government of the country-- 7,a7 collects and analyzes the information described in subsection 7a77#aj71 including advance passenger information and passenger name records1 and similar information pertaining to flights not bound for the ,united ,states1 to identify potentially dangerous individuals who may attempt to travel to the ,united ,states1 and shares such information and the results of such analyses with the ,government of the ,united ,states2 7,b7 collects and analyzes biometric and other information about individuals other than ,united ,states nationals who are applying for asylum1 refugee status1 or another form of non-refoulment protection in such country1 and shares such information and the results of such analyses with the ,government of the ,united ,states2 7,c7 shares intelligence about foreign fighters with the ,united ,states and with multilateral organizations1 such as ,,interpol and ,,europol2 and 7,d7 has consistently cooperated with the ,government of the ,united ,states on counterterrorism initiatives1 information sharing1 preventing terrorist travel1 and extradition to the ,united ,states of individuals 7including the country's own nationals7 who commit crimes that violate ,united ,states law before the date of its designation as a program country1 and whether the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security and the ,secretary of ,state believe that such cooperation is likely to continue4 4 7g7 ,reporting requirements 7#a7 ,in general ,section #bag7;c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg7;c771 as amended by this section1 is further amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#b77;,c71 by amending clause 7iii7 to read as follows3 7iii7 submits a written report to the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 and the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate regarding the country's qualification for designation that includes an explanation of such determination4 2 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#e77;,a77i7-- 7i7 by amending subclause 7,,iii7 to read as follows3 7,,iii7 shall submit a written report to the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate1 and the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate regarding the continuation or termination of the country's designation that includes an explanation of such determination and the effects described in subclause 7,i72 2 7ii7 in subclause 7,,iv71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following3 7,v7 shall submit a report to the committees described in subclause 7,,iii7 that includes an assessment of-- 7aa7 the threat to the national security of the ,united ,states of the designation of each country designated as a program country2 7bb7 the compliance of the government of each such country with the requirements under subparagraphs 7,d7 and 7,f7 of paragraph 7#b72 and 7cc7 each such government's capacity to comply with such requirements4 4 7#b7 ,date of submission of first report ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall submit the first report described in section #bag7;c77#e77;,a77i77,v7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act1 as added by paragraph 7#a74 7h7 ,high risk program countries ,section #bag7;c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg7;c771 as amended by this section1 is further amended by adding at the end the following3 7#ab7 ,designation of high risk program countries 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,director of ,national ,intelligence and the ,secretary of ,state1 shall annually-- 7i7 evaluate program countries based on the criteria described in subparagraph 7,b72 and 7ii7 identify any program country from which the admission of nationals under the program would1 in the ,secretary's determination1 present a high risk to the national security of the ,united ,states4 7,b7 ,criteria ,the evaluation of each program country under subparagraph 7,a77i7 shall include the consideration of-- 7i7 the number of nationals of the country determined to be ineligible to travel to the ,united ,states under the program during the previous year2 7ii7 the number of nationals of the country who were identified in ,united ,states ,government databases related to the identities of known or suspected terrorists during the previous year2 7iii7 the estimated number of nationals of the country who have traveled to ,iraq or ,syria at any time on or after ,march #a1 #bjaa1 to engage in terrorism2 7iv7 the capacity of the country to combat passport fraud2 7v7 the level of cooperation of the country with the counter-terrorism efforts of the ,united ,states2 7vi7 the adequacy of the border and immigration control of the country2 and 7vii7 any other criteria that the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security determines to be appropriate4 7,c7 ,suspension of designation ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 may suspend the designation of a program country based on a determination under subparagraph 7,a77ii7 that the country presents a high risk to the national security of the ,united ,states until the ,secretary determines that the country no longer presents such a risk4 7,d7 ,report ,not later than #fj days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,director of ,national ,intelligence and the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit a report to the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate1 and the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate that includes an evaluation and threat assessment of each country determined to present a high risk to the national security of the ,united ,states under subparagraph 7,a74 4 7i7 ,enhancements to the ,electronic ,system for ,travel ,authorization 7#a7 ,in general ,section #bag7;h77#c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg7;h77#c77 is amended-- 7,a7 in subparagraph 7,c77i71 by inserting or shorten the period of eligibility under any such determination after any such determination2 and 7,b7 by striking subparagraph 7,d7 and inserting the following3 7,d7 ,fraud detection ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall research opportunities to incorporate into the ,system technology that will detect and prevent fraud and deception in the ,system4 7,e7 ,additional and previous countries of citizenship ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall-- 7i7 collect from each applicant for admission under this section information on any additional or previous countries of citizenship of such applicant2 and 7ii7 take any information collected under clause 7i7 into account when making determinations regarding the eligibility of the alien for admission under this section4 7,f7 ,report on certain limitations on travel ,not later than #cj days after the date of the enactment of this subparagraph and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit a report to the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 and the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate that describes1 for the reporting period-- 7i7 the number of individuals who were denied eligibility to travel under the program2 7ii7 the number of individuals whose eligibility for travel under the program2 7iii7 the number of individuals described in clause 7i7 or 7ii7 who were determined1 under subsection 7a77#f71 to represent a threat to the national security of the ,united ,states2 and 7iv7 the country or countries of citizenship of each such individual described in clause 7iii74 4 7#b7 ,report ,not later than #cj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit a report that describes steps to strengthen the electronic system for travel authorization authorized under section #bag7;h77#c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg7;h77#c77 in order-- 7,a7 to better secure the international borders of the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 to prevent terrorists and instruments of terrorism from entering the ,united ,states4 7j7 ,provision of assistance to nonprogram countries ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall provide risk-based assistance to each country that does not participate in the visa waiver program to assist each such country with-- 7#a7 submitting information to ,,interpol about the theft or loss of passports of citizens or nationals of such country2 and 7#b7 issuing1 and validating at the ports of entry of such country1 electronic passports that-- 7,a7 are fraud-resistant2 7,b7 contain relevant biographic and biometric information 7as determined by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security72 and 7,c7 otherwise satisfy internationally accepted standards for electronic passports4 7k7 ,clerical amendments 7#a7 ,secretary of homeland security ,section #bag of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg71 as amended by this section1 is further amended by striking ,attorney ,general each place such term appears 7except in subsection 7c77#aa77;,b77 and inserting ,secretary of ,homeland ,security4 7#b7 ,electronic system for travel authorization ,section #bag of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg71 as amended this section1 is further amended-- 7,a7 in subsection 7a77#aa71 by striking electronic travel authorization system from the paragraph heading and inserting electronic system for travel authorization2 7,b7 in subsection 7h77#c7-- 7i7 by striking electronic travel authorization system from the paragraph heading and inserting electronic system for travel authorization2 and 7ii7 by striking the alien and inserting an alien2 and 7,c7 by striking electronic travel authorization system each place such term appears and inserting electronic system for travel authorization2 7l7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,international ,civil ,aviation ,organization1 which is the specialized agency of the ,united ,nations responsible for establishing international standards1 specifications1 and best practices relating to the administration and governance of border controls and inspection formalities1 should-- 7,a7 establish standards for the introduction of electronic passports 7referred to in this subsection as e-passports72 and 7,b7 obligate member countries to utilize e-passports as soon as possible2 and 7#b7 e-passports should be a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biographic and biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers through an embedded chip4 #g4 ,prioritizing ,special ,immigrant ,visas for ,iraqi and ,afghan translators ,in allocating the resources of the ,department of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,state shall prioritize the issuance of special immigrant visas authorized under-- 7#a7 section #ajei of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjjf 7,public ,law #aji-afc2 #h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja note72 7#b7 section #abdd of the ,refugee ,crisis in ,iraq ,act of #bjjg 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg note72 and 7#c7 section #fjb of the ,afghan ,allies ,protection ,act of #bjji 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja note74