,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bidf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #bc1 #bjai,mr4  
,lipinski 7for himself and ,mr4 ,smith  
of ,new ,jersey7 introduced the         
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a    
,,bill  ,to amend the ,immigration and  
,nationality ,act to provide for certain
 additional means of qualification for  
the ,visa ,waiver ,program1 and for     
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,allied        
,nations ,travel ,modernization ,act of 
#bjai4  #b4 ,findings ,congress makes   
the following findings3  7#a7 ,in #bjaf1
 #bc million people entered the ,united 
,states under the ,visa ,waiver ,program
 7,,vwp74 ,visitors through ,,vwp       
constituted roughly #a_/c of all        
temporary visitors4 ,according to the   
,department of ,commerce1 ,,vwp         
travelers in fiscal year #bjad spent    
approximately #hd billion on goods and  
services4  7#b7 ,due to the ,,vwp1 the  

,u4,s4 ,government saved from #a4i      
billion to #c4b billion for the cost of 
interviewing visitors in #bjaj4  7#c7   
,all ,,vwp countries are required to    
enter into information-sharing          
agreements with the ,united ,states on  
whether the citizens or nationals of    
that country traveling to the ,united   
,states represent a security or criminal
 threat to the ,united ,states4  7#d7   
,,vwp countries have provided the       
,united ,states with information on more
 than #f1jjj known or suspected         
terrorists as a result of ,,vwp         
information sharing arrangements4  7#e7 
,,vwp countries have provided nearly #gj
 percent of the records in ,,interpol's 
,stolen and ,lost ,travel ,document     
,database1 which ,,dhs utilizes in its  
daily vetting of ,,esta applications and
 ,advance ,passenger                    
,information_/,passenger ,name ,record  
data4  7#f7 ,according to a ,department 
of ,state ,,fy #bjah annual report1 the 
,united ,states issued over #abj1jjj    

nonimmigrant visas to ,polish nationals 
and over #ej1jjj nonimmigrant visas to  
,romanian nationals4  7#g7 ,a ,fiscal   
,year #bjag ,report by the ,department  
of ,homeland ,security found that the   
suspected in-country overstay rate was  
#a4ag percent for ,poland and #a4ai     
percent for ,romania4  7#h7 ,poland has 
taken a serious stance against terrorism
 in recent years4 ,this has included    
withdrawing from a refugee relocation   
plan by the ,,eu after the #bjae ,paris 
terror attacks4  7#i7 ,romania deployed 
approximately #gcj troops to            
,afghanistan and ,iraq and has signed   
all twelve of the international         
protocols and conventions pertaining to 
terrorism4  7#aj7 ,congress should      
continue to promote the economy and     
provide government agencies with the    
necessary resources through the ,,vwp4  
,the inclusion of ,poland and ,romania  
in the ,,vwp program would contribute to
 program goals4  #c4 ,designation of    
program countries ,section #bag7;c7 of  

the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act  
7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahg7;c77 is amended--   
7#a7 in paragraph 7#b77;,a7--  7,a7 in  
the heading for the subparagraph1 by    
inserting after ,low nonimmigrant visa  
refusal rate the following3 2 low visa  
overstay rate2  7,b7 in clause 7i71 by  
striking or at the end2  7,c7 in clause 
7ii71 by striking the period and        
inserting 2 or2 and  7,d7 by adding at  
the end the following3  7iii7 in the    
case of any other country-- 7,i7 the    
visa overstay rate 7as such term is     
defined in paragraph 7#h77 for that     
country was not more than #b percent    
during the previous #b fiscal years2    
7,,ii7 the country is a signatory to and
 has committed1 during the previous two 
fiscal years1 sufficient resources to   
support its obligations under the ,wales
 ,summit ,declaration1 issued at the    
meeting of the ,north ,atlantic ,council
 in ,wales on ,september #e1 #bjad2 and 
7,,iii7 the ,department of ,state has   
not1 in the previous fiscal year1 issued

 a travel advisory other than exercise  
normal precautions for travel to the    
country4  2 and  7#b7 in paragraph 7#c71
 to read as follows3  7#c7 ,continuing  
and subsequent qualifications ,for each 
fiscal year after the initial period--  
7,a7 ,continuing qualification ,in the  
case of a country which was a program   
country in the previous fiscal year1 a  
country may not be designated as a      
program country unless--  7i7 the sum   
of-- 7,i7 the total of the number of    
nationals of that country who were      
denied admission at the time of arrival 
or withdrew their application for       
admission during such previous fiscal   
year as a nonimmigrant visitor1 and     
7,,ii7 the total number of nationals of 
that country who were admitted as       
nonimmigrant visitors during such       
previous fiscal year and who violated   
the terms of such admission1  was less  
than #b percent of the total number of  
nationals of that country who applied   
for admission as nonimmigrant visitors  

during such previous fiscal year2 or    
7ii7 in the case of that country-- 7,i7 
the visa overstay rate 7as such term is 
defined in paragraph 7#h77 for that     
country was not more than #b percent    
during the previous #b fiscal years2    
7,,ii7 the country is a signatory to and
 has committed1 during the previous two 
fiscal years1 sufficient resources to   
support its obligations under the ,wales
 ,summit ,declaration1 issued at the    
meeting of the ,north ,atlantic ,council
 in ,wales on ,september #e1 #bjad2 and 
7,,iii7 the ,department of ,state has   
not1 in the previous fiscal year1 issued
 a travel advisory other than exercise  
normal precautions for travel to the    
country4  7,b7 ,new countries ,in the   
case of another country1 the country may
 not be designated as a program country 
unless one of the following requirements
 under clause 7i7 or 7ii7 is met3  7i7  
,low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate ,the
 average number of refusals of          
nonimmigrant visitor visas for nationals

 of that country-- 7,i7 during the two  
previous full fiscal years was less than
 #b percent of the total number of      
nonimmigrant visitor visas for nationals
 of that country which were granted or  
refused during those years2 and  7,,ii7 
during either of such two previous full 
fiscal years was less than #b4e percent 
of the total number of nonimmigrant     
visitor visas for nationals of that     
country which were granted or refused   
during that year4  7ii7 ,low visa       
overstay rate ,in the case of that      
country-- 7,i7 the visa overstay rate   
7as such term is defined in paragraph   
7#h77 for that country was not more than
 #b percent during the previous #b      
fiscal years2  7,,ii7 the country is a  
signatory to and has committed1 during  
the previous two fiscal years1          
sufficient resources to support its     
obligations under the ,wales ,summit    
,declaration1 issued at the meeting of  
the ,north ,atlantic ,council in ,wales 
on ,september #e1 #bjad2 and  7,,iii7   

the ,department of ,state has not1 in   
the previous fiscal year1 issued a      
travel advisory other than exercise     
normal precautions for travel to the    
country4  4  #d4 ,rule of construction  
,nothing in this ,act or the amendments 
made by this ,act may be construed to   
require or direct the termination of the
 designation of a country as a program  
country under section #bag of the       
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aahg74