Speech #890145517

The measure considered by the Senate was an amendment in the nature of a substitute to the Housepassed bill.. The House asked for a conference to consider and resolve the nine areas of substantive difference between the two bills that resulted from the work of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Senate amendment enlarging the definition of refugees in section 203(a) (7) to include those persons uprooted from their usual place of abode by catastrophic natural calamity. as defined by the President. was accepted by the House. The conferees agreed to provide in section 4 of the bill that immigration officers. a well as consular officials. may administer oaths executed outside of the United States. The Senate amendment removing the exclusion of alien seamen from section 244. thus allowing such aliens to seek a suspension of deportation from the Attorney General. was accepted by the House. The conferees agreed. however. to allow for such suspension proceedings only for seamen who entered prior to June 30. 1964. The Senate amendment liberalizing the House amendment to permit aliens afflicted by mental retardation or past attacks of mental illness to seek entrance as immigrants under the procedures described in section 212(f) was accepted by the House. The Senate amendment to extend the benefits of section 249. to permit the creation of a record of lawful admission to aliens who entered the United States. was agreed to in principle by the House. The Senate would have raised the pertinent date from June 28. 1940. to June 28. 1958. The conferees agreed on a compromise date of June 30. 1948. The Senate amendment establishing a conditional limitation of 120.000 upon the nations of the Western Hemisphere and the creation of a Select Commission on Western Hemisphere Immigration was accepted by the House. The conferees agreed to change the composition of the Commission from three members from the House and Senate each. and nine members appointed by the President to five members from the House and Senate each. and five appointed by the President. It was agreed that no more than three members from the House and three from the Senate would be from the same political party.