Speech #890119600

The Office of the Surgeon General has recommended this change. Epilepsy is not communicable and is controllable with modern medication. Persons so afflicted. who are able to convince the public health service medical examiners that their condition is controllable and that they are unlikely to become a public charge could. if otherwise eligible. be admitted as immigrants. * The bill also eliminates the term "feebleminded" and replaces it with the term "mentally retarded." The term "feebleminded" has no accepted medical or legal meaning. The term "mentally retarded" does have accepted medical and legal meaning. Our subcommittee gave careful consideration to the proposals which would have authorized waivers under certain conditions for excludable classes defined in sections 212(a) (1). (2). (3). and (4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It was our determination that present procedures of the subcommittee have proven adequate to take care of any hardship cases that might arise in any category of these mandatorily excludable classes. No evidence was produced to the contrary. Twelfth. The misleading and highly controversial terms "quota" and "nonquota" are removed from the law. We have substituted the new terms "immigrant visa"-for aliens who are natives of countries outside the Western Hemisphere--"special immigrant visas"-for natives of the Western Hemisphere countries--"conditional entries. for refugees. and "immediate relatives" for spouses. children. and parents of U.S. citizens. Thirteenth. A uniform procedure is provided for the filing of petitions with the Attorney General to establish eligibility of aliens for preference status. immediate relative status and special immigrant status. The date of approval of such petitions by the Attorney General establishes the priortiy of all applicants within the preference classes. Valid petitions on file with the various consular offices abroad. on the effective date of the act. will remain valid and will retain the original date of approval by the Attorney General.