The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SSI EXTENSION FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED REFUGEES ACT OF 2011” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S6590-S6591 on Oct. 17, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SSI EXTENSION FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED REFUGEES ACT OF 2011
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1721, introduced earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 1721) to amend section 402 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend the eligibility period for supplemental security income benefits for refugees, asylees, and certain other humanitarian immigrants, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read the third time, that a budgetary pay-go statement be printed, and that the Senate proceed to a vote on passage of the bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read the third time.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, this is the Statement of Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation for S. 1721.
Total Budgetary Effects of S. 1721 for the 5-year Statutory PAYGO Scorecard: net decrease in the deficit of $24 million.
Total Budgetary Effects of S. 1721 for the 10-year Statutory PAYGO Scorecard: net decrease in the deficit of $24 million.
Also submitted for the Record as part of this statement is a table prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, which provides additional information on the budgetary effects of this act.
The information follows.
CBO ESTIMATE OF THE STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO EFFECTS FOR THE SSI EXTENSION FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED REFUGEES ACT OF 2011 (GAI11269)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012-2016 2012-2021
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NET INCREASE OF DECREASE (-) IN THE DEFICIT
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Impact.......... 36 -60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -24 -24
Memorandum:
Changes in Outlays.................. 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 36
Changes in Revenues................. 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 60
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act would extend refugees' and certain other aliens' eligibility for Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) from seven years to nine years (and while a naturalization application is pending) during fiscal year 2012. The bill also would levy a
$30 fee on any petition for a Diversity Visa that is filed before October 1, 2013. CBO expects that the legislation would not be implemented in time
to affect the October 2011 registration period for the Diversity Visa Program, so only petitions filed during the October 2012 registration period
would be subject to the $30 fee.
Source: Congressional Budget Office.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on passage of the bill.
The bill was passed, as follows:
S. 1721
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF ELIGIBILITY PERIOD FOR SSI BENEFITS FOR
CERTAIN RECIPIENTS.
(a) In General.--Section 402(a)(2)(M) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)(2)(M)) is amended--
(1) in clause (i)(I), by striking ``fiscal years 2009 through 2011'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2009 through 2012''; and
(2) in clause (ii), by striking ``fiscal years 2009 through 2011'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2009 through 2012''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 402(a)(2)(M) of such Act is amended, in the subparagraph heading, by striking
``through fiscal year 2011''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take effect on October 1, 2011.
SEC. 3. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PETITION FEE.
(a) Requirement for Fee.--Section 204(a)(1)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(I)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(iv) Each petition filed under this subparagraph shall include a petition fee in the amount of $30.''.
(b) Deposit of Fee.--All fees collected pursuant to clause
(iv) of section 204(a)(1)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(I)), as added by subsection (a), shall not be available for obligation and shall be deposited, in their entirety, in the general fund of the Treasury.
(c) Sunset of Fees.--The fees collected pursuant to clause
(iv) of section 204(a)(1)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(I)), as added by subsection (a), shall apply only to petitions filed before October 1, 2013.
SEC. 4. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and that any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I will speak for a minute on the bill we have just passed. This is a bill that I introduced a couple weeks ago along with Senators Leahy, Gillibrand, Menendez, Franken, and Klobuchar. I thank them. It is called the SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011.
The Senate just passed this bill. I believe that is because it is a truly worthy piece of legislation. It accomplishes three incredibly important objectives at the same time. First, the bill ensures that approximately 5,600 disabled refugees will not lose their life-
sustaining benefits that are their only safety net protecting them from homelessness, illness, and other effects of extreme poverty.
Many of these disabled refugees are people who have aided American troops overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and risked their lives for the American cause. Others are victims of torture and human trafficking.
The bill continues the Bush administration policy of making sure this vulnerable group does not lose its only lifeline to stay afloat. But unlike past legislation, the second fact about the bill is it is fully paid for. It is paid for by imposing a $30 fee on individuals applying for the diversity visa lottery program. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people apply to be one of the 50,000 selected to enter the United States. This program has had great success enriching the American economy with immigrant businesses from countries that are not traditionally represented in our immigrant pool. The one problem with the program is that applying for a lottery ticket is free, and consequently the program has recently been compromised by third parties fraudulently filing applications for monetary gain. The State Department has told me by charging a $30 fee to apply, we will completely eliminate this misconduct.
Finally, the third positive aspect of this bill is by setting the fee at $30, the Congressional Budget Office--our nonpartisan budget scorekeeper--projects we will actually reduce the deficit by $24 million.
In short, this bill hits the trifecta. It helps a very small and targeted group of the most vulnerable and needy disabled individuals we traditionally have helped, including many who helped us--helped our troops--in both Afghanistan and Iraq and have come here on the refugee program. Second, it eliminates the misconduct in the diversity visa program, because once the $30 fee is imposed, the gamesmanship of those who are gaming the system to make money will disappear. And finally, it reduces the Federal deficit by $24 million.
Because this bill is a win, win, win for all sides, I ask my colleagues in the House take up and pass the bill immediately. The benefit for the folks we are talking about expired on October 1. If the House does not act soon, we will not be able to undo the irreparable harm that will soon be done to these most vulnerable of individuals when they begin missing checks.
Again I want to thank my cosponsors, and particularly Senators Leahy and Grassley, chairman and ranking member of the relevant Judiciary Committee, as well as Senators Baucus and Hatch of the Finance Committee, and Senators Cornyn and Sessions of the Budget Committee, and Senator Cornyn, who is my ranking member on the Immigration Subcommittee, for allowing this bill to pass.
I also thank Senator Coburn for working with me to improve this bill. And, last but not least, I thank Senator Paul, who worked with me over the last 2 weeks to address his concerns in a manner we both think will allow us to get more information to make the refugee program safer and more efficient.
We will soon be doing something very good by passing this bill, by getting it signed into law, and I hope the House will move quickly and decisively to see that happens as quickly as possible.
With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
____________________
