Mr. Speaker. last September. I introduced H.R. 16775. a bill to waive visa requirements for aliens visiting Guam for more than 15 days. Shortly thereafter. Congressman PETER RODINO. chairman of the House Judiciary Committee kindly informed me that he had requested reports from the Departments of State and Justice on H.R. 16675. To assure legislative continuity in this Congress. I have again introduced legislation Identical to H.R. 16775. The basic thrust of my bill would be to eliminate the present timeconsuming restrictions required by immigration law and thus hopefully. make travel for foreign visitors to Guam simpler and more attractive. The matter of waiving visa requirements for temporary visitors to Guam is a vital one for our Islands economy. Guam in recent years has experienced a remarkable increase in the number of foreign visitors who come to our island. Many of these visitors are on their honeymoon. others are on Guam for short business trips. As they are presently structured. the requirements which aliens need to fulfill just to obtain a temporary entry visa into Guam are not only cumbersome. but offensive to many foreigners. So much so. that the Guam Chamber of Commerce and the Guam Travelers Bureau believe that foreign reluctance to submit to the Department of States stringent regulations may inhibit many potential visitors from coming to Guam. It is my belief that temporary visitors to Guam need not be submitted to this kind of rigid paperwork since Guam is outside the U.S.
Keywords matched
immigration visa