,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ahhg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #h1 #bjbc
 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,tillis7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a    
,,bill  ,to provide visa availability   
for the ,government ,employee ,immigrant
 ,visa program1 and for other purposes4 
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,granting ,recognition to       
,accomplished ,talented ,employees ,for 
,unwavering ,loyalty ,act or ,,grateful 
,act4  #b4 ,findings2 sense of ,congress
  7a7 ,findings ,congress makes the     
following findings3  7#a7 ,in #aieb1    
with the enactment of the ,immigration  
and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4     
#aaja et seq471 ,congress established an
 immigrant visa program to reward       
foreign nationals who are ,united       
,states ,government employees for their 
service to the ,united ,states 7referred
 to in this ,act as the ,government     

,employee ,immigrant ,visa program74    
7#b7 ,for #ga years1 the ,government    
,employee ,immigrant ,visa program has  
allowed foreign nationals with at least 
#ae years of exceptional service to the 
,united ,states to immigrate to the     
,united ,states with their families4    
7#c7 ,such foreign national employees of
 the ,united ,states ,government are the
 bulwark of ,united ,states foreign     
policy1 risking their lives year after  
year through civil unrest1 terrorism1   
natural disasters1 and war4  7#d7 ,the  
work of such foreign nationals--  7,a7  
ensures the safety and well-being of    
,united ,states citizens2  7,b7 provides
 security and logistics for visiting    
delegations2 and  7,c7 supports ,united 
,states ,government operations abroad4  
7#e7 ,such foreign nationals include    
employees of the ,department of ,state1 
the ,united ,states ,agency for         
,international ,development1 the        
,department of ,defense1 the ,department
 of ,homeland ,security1 the ,department

 of ,justice1 the ,department of        
,commerce1 and the ,department of       
,agriculture4  7b7 ,sense of ,congress  
,it is the sense of ,congress that the  
,united ,states should preserve the     
immigrant visa program for foreign      
nationals who are employees of the      
,united ,states ,government abroad or of
 the ,american ,institute in ,taiwan1   
and who have provided exceptional       
service over a long term to the ,united 
,states1 by providing a dedicated       
allocation of visas for such employees  
and their immediate family members when 
visas are not immediately available in  
the corresponding visa category4  #c4   
,visa availability for ,government      
,employee ,immigrant ,visa program  7a7 
,in general ,beginning in fiscal year   
#bjbd1 subject to subsection 7b71 visas 
shall be made available to a special    
immigrant described in section          
#aja7;a77#bg77;,d7 of the ,immigration  
and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4     
#aaja7;a77#bg77;,d77 if a visa is not   

immediately available for issuance to   
the special immigrant under section     
#bjc7;b77#d7 of that ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 
#aaec7;b77#d774  7b7 ,numerical         
limitations  7#a7 ,fiscal year #bjbd    
,for fiscal year #bjbd1 not more than   
#c1ejj visas shall be made available    
under subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,subsequent 
fiscal years ,for fiscal year #bjbe and 
each fiscal year thereafter1 not more   
than #c1jjj visas shall be made         
available under subsection 7a74  7c7    
,temporary reduction in diversity visas 
,section #bjc7;d77#b7 of the ,nicaraguan
 ,adjustment and ,central ,america      
,relief ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaea note2  
,public ,law #aje-ajj7 is amended-- 7#a7
 by amending paragraph 7#b7 to read as  
follows3  7#b7 ,in no case shall the    
reduction under paragraph 7#a7 for a    
fiscal year exceed the amount by which--
 7,a7 the sum of--  7i7 one-half of the 
total number of individuals described in
 subclauses 7,i71 7,,ii71 7,,iii71 and  
7,,iv7 of section #cji7;c77#e77;,c77i7  

of the ,illegal ,immigration ,reform and
 ,immigrant ,responsibility ,act of     
#aiif 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja note2 ,public 
,law #ajd-bjh7 who have adjusted their  
status to that of aliens lawfully       
admitted for permanent residence under  
section #bjb of the ,nicaraguan         
,adjustment and ,central ,american      
,relief ,act 7,public ,law #aje-ajj2 #h 
,u4,s4,c4 #abee note7 as of the end of  
the previous fiscal year2 and  7ii7 the 
total number of individuals described in
 section #aja7;a77#bg77;,d7 of the      
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#bg77;,d77 for whom 
visas shall be made available for the   
applicable fiscal year under section    
#c7;b7 of the ,granting ,recognition to 
,accomplished ,talented ,employees ,for 
,unwavering ,loyalty ,act2 exceeds  7,b7
 the total of the reductions in         
available visas under this subsection   
for all previous fiscal years4  2 and   
7#b7 by adding at the end the following3
  7#c7  7,a7 ,paragraph 7#a7 shall not  

apply in a fiscal year following a      
fiscal year for which the total number  
of aliens described in subparagraph 7,b7
 is zero4  7,b7 ,for a fiscal year1 the 
total number of aliens described in this
 subparagraph is the total number of    
individuals described in section        
#aja7;a77#bg77;,d7 of the ,immigration  
and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4     
#aaja7;a77#bg77;,d77 who have been      
issued visas during the previous fiscal 
year under the ,granting ,recognition to
 ,accomplished ,talented ,employees ,for
 ,unwavering ,loyalty ,act4  7,c7       
,nothing in this paragraph may be       
construed-- 7i7 to repeal1 modify1 or   
render permanently inapplicable         
paragraph 7#a72 or  7ii7 to prevent the 
offsetting of the number of visas       
described in that paragraph for the     
purpose of providing visa availability  
for aliens described in subparagraph    
7,b74  7#d7 ,in the event that the      
number of visas available for a fiscal  
year under section #bja7;e7 of the      

,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aaea7;e77 is reduced to a    
number fewer than #ej1jjj1 not fewer    
than #c1jjj visas shall be made         
available for individuals described in  
section #c7;a7 of the ,granting         
,recognition to ,accomplished ,talented 
,employees ,for ,unwavering ,loyalty    
,act4  4  7d7 ,rule of construction     
,nothing in this section or the         
amendments made by this section may be  
construed to modify the number of visas 
available under section #bjc7;b77#d7 of 
the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act  
7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaec7;b77#d77 to special 
immigrants described in section         
#aja7;a77#bg77;,d7 of that ,act 7#h     
,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#bg77;,d774