S.Amdt. 1944

SA 1944. Mr. KENNEDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill H.R. 2579, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 to allow the premium tax credit with respect to unsubsidized COBRA
continuation coverage; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. STATUS VERIFICATION FOR REMITTANCE TRANSFERS.

(a) In General.--Section 919 of the Electronic Fund
Transfer Act (relating to remittance transfers) (15 U.S.C.
1693o-1) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
``(g) Status Verification of Sender.--
``(1) Request for proof of status.--
``(A) In general.--Each remittance transfer provider shall
request from each sender of a remittance transfer, the
recipient of which is located in any country other than the
United States, proof of the status of that sender under the
immigration laws, prior to the initiation of the remittance
transfer.
``(B) Acceptable documentation.--Acceptable documentation
of the status of the sender under this paragraph--
``(i) shall be, in any State that requires proof of legal
residence--

``(I) a State-issued driver's license or Federal passport;
or
``(II) the same documentation as required by the State for
proof of identity for the issuance of a driver's license, or
as required for a passport;

``(ii) shall be, in any State that does not require proof
of legal residence, such documentation as the Bureau shall
require, by rule; and
``(iii) does not include any matricula consular card.
``(2) Fine for noncompliance.--Each remittance transfer
provider shall impose on any sender who is unable to provide
the proof of status requested under paragraph (1) at the time
of transfer, a fine equal to 7 percent of the United States
dollar amount to be transferred (excluding any fees or other
charges imposed by the remittance transfer provider).
``(3) Submission of fines to bureau.--All fines imposed and
collected by a remittance transfer provider under paragraph
(2) shall be submitted to the Bureau, in such form and in
such manner as the Bureau shall establish, by rule.
``(4) Administrative and enforcement costs.--The Bureau
shall use fines submitted under paragraph (3) to pay the
administrative and enforcement costs to the Bureau in
carrying out this subsection.
``(5) Use of fines for border protection.--Amounts from the
collection of fines under this subsection that remain
available

[[Page S911]]

after the payment of expenses described in paragraph (4),
shall be transferred by the Bureau to the Treasury, to be
used to pay expenses relating to United States Customs and
Border Protection for border security fencing,
infrastructure, and technology.
``(6) Definition relating to immigration status.--In this
subsection, the term `immigration laws' has the same meaning
as in section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1101(a)).''.
(b) Study and Report Regarding Remittance Transfer
Processing Fines and Identification Program.--
(1) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall conduct a study to determine the effects of the
enactment of section 919(g) of the Electronic Fund Transfer
Act, as amended by this section.
(2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit
to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and
the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the
House of Representatives a report on the results of the study
conducted under paragraph (1) that includes--
(A) an analysis of the costs and benefits of complying with
section 919(g) of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, as
amended by this section; and
(B) recommendations about whether the fines imposed under
that section 919(g) should be extended or increased.
______