,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #edi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #ae1        
#bjai,mr4 ,soto 7for himself and ,mr4   
,diaz-,balart7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill 
,to designate ,venezuela under section  
#bdd of the ,immigration and            
,nationality ,act to permit nationals of
 ,venezuela to be eligible for temporary
 protected status under such section1   
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,venezuela ,,tps ,act of #bjai4  #b4    
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3  7#a7 ,venezuela is enduring  
an unprecedented economic1 humanitarian1
 security1 and refugee crisis1          
consisting of extreme food and medicine 
shortages1 severe infant and child      
malnutrition1 rampant crime1 and        
government-sponsored repression4  7#b7  
,venezuela's economic crisis continues  
unabated and the ,international         

,monetary ,fund projects that inflation 
in ,venezuela could reach an annual rate
 of #aj1jjj1jjj percent in #bjai4  7#c7 
,in #bjag1 the ,office of the ,high     
,commissioner for ,human ,rights        
reported the deaths of #abd persons that
 could be attributed to violations of   
the right to freedom of peaceful        
assembly4  7#d7 ,from ,september #bjag  
through ,april #bjah1 a review of       
pharmacies in five major cities shows a 
shortage of nearly #he percent of       
medicine essential to treat four of the 
most recurrent causes of morbidity in   
the country1 diarrhea1 respiratory tract
 infections1 diabetes1 and high blood   
pressure4  7#e7 ,as evidence of the     
significant effect that ,venezuela's    
economic crisis has on public health1   
,venezuela's ,health ,ministry reported 
that in #bjaf--  7,a7 there was a       
#cj-percent increase in the infant      
mortality rate2 and  7,b7 there was a   
#fj-percent increase in the maternal    
mortality rate4  7#f7 ,according to the 

,united ,nations ,human ,rights ,office 
of the ,high ,commissioner1 ,venezuelan 
intelligence and security forces have   
increasingly used arbitrary arrests and 
detentions to repress and intimidate    
civil society1 political opponents1 and 
any voices of dissent4  7#g7 ,zeid      
,ra'ad ,al ,hussein1 the ,united        
,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,human 
,rights1 stated1 ,the failure to hold   
security forces accountable for such    
serious human rights violations suggests
 that the rule of law is virtually      
absent in ,venezuela44  7#h7 ,according 
to the ,united ,nations ,high           
,commissioner for ,human ,rights1 since 
#bjad more than #a1ejj1jjj ,venezuelans 
have fled the country for reasons       
including violence1 political           
oppression1 and the ongoing humanitarian
 crisis4  #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is
 the sense of the ,congress that-- 7#a7 
,venezuela's economic1 humanitarian1    
security1 and refugee crisis has        
resulted in extraordinary and temporary 

conditions that currently prevent       
,venezuelan nationals from safely       
returning to ,venezuela2 and  7#b7      
,venezuela should be designated under   
subsection 7b77#a77;,c7 of section #bdd 
of the ,immigration and ,nationality    
,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a7 for a period
 of #ah months to permit nationals of   
,venezuela to be eligible for temporary 
protected status in accordance with such
 section4  #d4 ,designation for purposes
 of granting temporary protected status 
7a7 ,designation  7#a7 ,in general ,for 
purposes of section #bdd of the         
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a71 ,venezuela shall be 
treated as if it had been designated    
under subsection 7b77#a77;,c7 of that   
section1 subject to the provisions of   
this section4  7#b7 ,period of          
designation ,the initial period of the  
designation referred to in paragraph    
7#a7 shall be for the #ah-month period  
beginning on the date of the enactment  
of this ,act4  7b7 ,aliens eligible ,as 

a result of the designation made under  
subsection 7a71 an alien who is a       
national of ,venezuela is deemed to     
satisfy the requirements under paragraph
 7#a7 of section #bdd7;c7 of the        
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a7c771 subject to       
paragraph 7#c7 of such section1 if the  
alien--  7#a7 has been continuously     
physically present in the ,united       
,states since the date of the enactment 
of this ,act2  7#b7 is admissible as an 
immigrant1 except as otherwise provided 
in paragraph 7#b77;,a7 of such section1 
and is not ineligible for temporary     
protected status under paragraph        
7#b77;,b7 of such section2 and  7#c7    
registers for temporary protected status
 in a manner established by the         
,secretary of ,homeland ,security4  7c7 
,consent ,to travel abroad  7#a7 ,in    
general ,the ,secretary of ,homeland    
,security shall give prior consent to   
travel abroad1 in accordance with       
section #bdd7;f77#c7 of the ,immigration

 and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4    
#abed;a7f77#c771 to an alien who is     
granted temporary protected status      
pursuant to the designation made under  
subsection 7a7 if the alien establishes 
to the satisfaction of the ,secretary of
 ,homeland ,security that emergency and 
extenuating circumstances beyond the    
control of the alien require the alien  
to depart for a brief1 temporary trip   
abroad4  7#b7 ,treatment upon return ,an
 alien returning to the ,united ,states 
in accordance with an authorization     
described in paragraph 7#a7 shall be    
treated as any other returning alien    
provided temporary protected status     
under section #bdd of the ,immigration  
and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4     
#abed;a74