An amendment numbered 8 printed in House Report 109-350 to require the U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to reduce the immigration application processing backlog to 6 months within a period of 1 year; to authorize the Director of USCIS to implement innovative pilot initiatives to eliminate the backlog and prevent further backlog from recurring and encourages initiatives such as increasing or transferring personnel to areas with the greatest backlog, streamlining regulations and paperwork filing processes, upgrading information technology, and increasing the number of immigration service centers.

1. Adds SEC. 211. REDUCTION IN IMMIGRATION BACKLOG at the end of title II

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. 211. REDUCTION IN IMMIGRATION BACKLOG.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall require that, not later than six months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (in this section referred to as "USCIS") undertake maximum efforts to reduce to the greatest extent practicable the backlog in the processing and adjudicative functions of USCIS.

   Inserted: (b) Pilot Program Initiatives.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--The Director is authorized to implement a pilot program for the purposes of, to the greatest extent practicable--

   Inserted: (A) reducing the backlog in the processing of immigration benefit applications; and

   Inserted: (B) preventing such backlog from recurring.

   Inserted: (2) Initiatives.--To carry out paragraph (1), initiatives may include measures such as increasing personnel, transferring personnel to focus on areas with the largest potential for backlog, streamlining paperwork processes, and increasing information technology and service centers.

   Original wording

   At the end of title II, insert the following:

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As printed