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< Go back to Immigration Daily [Congressional Record: September 21, 2000 (Senate)] [Page S8936-S8937] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:cr21se00-129] VISA WAIVER PILOT PROGRAM Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today to urge the majority to lift its hold on H.R. 3767, which would permanently authorize the visa waiver pilot [[Page S8937]] program. I am a cosponsor of the Senate version of this legislation, which will achieve the important goal of making our visa waiver program permanent. We have had a visa waiver pilot project for more than a decade, and it has been a tremendous success in allowing residents of some of our most important allies to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa, and in allowing American citizens to travel to those countries without visas. Countries must meet a number of requirements to participate in the program, including having extraordinarily low rates of visa refusals. Of course, the visa waiver does not affect the need for international travelers to carry valid passports. The visa waiver pilot program expired on April 30. The House passed legislation to make the program permanent before that deadline. But the Senate failed to meet this deadline, and the Administration was forced to extend it administratively. Since then, the Senate has missed deadline after deadline, and has had to rely on the grace of the Administration for this program--which is relied upon by thousands of American travelers every year--to continue. Every Democratic Senator has cleared this bill. But the majority has refused to clear it, even five months after it passed the House and the statutory authorization for this program expired. Earlier in the year, some members had substantive concerns about the bill. Those have been rectified. I am unaware of any remaining substantive objections to this legislation, and it is now well past time to pass it. Passing it will not require any floor debate or roll call vote. It simply requires Senators to life their holds. This is a bill that benefits American travelers from every State and the tourism industry in every State. It is not a Democratic bill or a Republican bill. It is not a regional bill. It is simply a good, common-sense bill that deserves the Senate's support. There has been too much stalling on this bill already--we should act today. ____________________ Share this page | Bookmark this page The leading immigration law publisher - over 50000 pages of free information!
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