Speech #900225644

We have made much progress. with your help. Continued advancement without your assistance is impossible. Turning from the problems of the immigrant. there are two other major concerns of the Congress. The first of these involves the nonimmigrant. particularly the visitor. On February 23. 1968. President Johnson submitted his proposals for a simplified visawaivedtouristencouraging procedure. Subcommittee # 1 of the House heard testimony from Under Secretary of State Katzenbach. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization Farrell. and Directcr of the U.S. Travel Service Black on March 21. 1968. The Congress is awaiting the submission of additional proposals to improve our laws relating to nonimmigrants which the President indicated the Secretary of State would shortly be sending to the Congress. Hopefully. they will include Administration proposals to cope with the everincreasing problems involved in the immigration aspects of our Exchange Programs. It is in the field of citizenship that the greatest activity has occurred in the current Congress. Last year the Committee on the Judiciary reported my bill. H.R. 555. to exempt certain persons from the English language requirements for naturalization and to correct an age gap in the derivative citizenship eligibility of certain children. This legislation passed the House and is now pending in the Senate. So far this year the Committee has reported my bill. H.R. 10135. to provide for the immediate naturalization of the surviving spouse of a U.S. citizen who dies while serving in an active duty status in the Armed Forces. H.R. 15147 to add veterans of the Vietnam hostilities to the list of alien veterans eligible for immediate naturalization was reported on the same day. Both bills have passed the House and are now pending in the Senate. In view of this activity in citizenship legislation. I doubt that there is a need for the creation of a special group to study naturalization and citizenship as I had proposed initially in my bill. The Subcommittee is still considering some of the problems inherent in the dual citizenship concept and we note that the Senate is currently holding hearings on legislation which could affect the passport laws and section 215 of the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to a citizens right to travel to or through certain prescribed areas. In my remarks here today I have not sought to champion any particular approach or to advocate any specific legislation. I have tried to highlight. within the time available and within the bounds of the subject on which I had been invited to speak. broad areas of general concern to the Congress and particularly to those Members who are responsible for considering immigration and citizenship legislation. As Chairman of Subcommittee No. 1 of the Committee on the Judiciary. I have the honor and the distinct pleasure of working with one of the most dedicated and able groups of Members in the House. supported by a most competent and hardworking staff.