Proud to Be an American Citizen Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5323) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide for ceremonies on or near Independence Day for administering oaths of allegiance to legal immigrants whose applications for naturalization have been approved, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5323, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5323, the Proud to Be an American Citizen Act, which enables U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or nonprofit entities to conduct naturalization ceremonies on or near Independence Day each year. The legislation gives us an opportunity to underscore the importance and privilege of U.S. citizenship.

This legislation does not authorize new funds, but would provide up to $5,000 for each ceremony organized on Independence Day out of the funds already available to the Department of Homeland Security. The moneys provided under this bill would be sufficient to cover the basics for a ceremony to honor those who have worked hard and met the legal requirements to become United States citizens.

The funds may be used only for the cost of government personnel needed to administer the Oath of Allegiance, facilities rental, brochures, and other logistics. The bill requires any nongovernment entity seeking to organize a naturalization ceremony to receive approval through the Department of Homeland Security.

The bill allows new Americans to celebrate their naturalization in conjunction with celebrating America on Independence Day. I believe it is important that we support those who want to take the final step toward becoming Americans and those who have legally moved through the immigration system to obtain citizenship.

I urge Members to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I do the same.

Mr. Speaker, as the original sponsor of H.R. 5323, I commend the House far adopting the Proud to Be An American Citizen Act.

I want to thank Chairman Sensenbrenner and Ranking Member Conyers of the Judiciary Committee for their support of this bill, as well as Mr. Hobson of Ohio for his original co-sponsorship.

H.R. 5323 provides authorization for Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) to support community citizenship ceremonies. A similar provision was enacted into law in the 1996 immigration reform bill, but has since expired.

CIS reports that more than 28,000 new citizens will be sworn in at 133 citizenship ceremonies around the country. These ceremonies are marked by Democrats and Republicans alike. Not only have many of us participated in these ceremonies, but throughout the years, so have President Bush, Madeline Albright, Ronald Reagan, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

H.R. 5323 recognizes those immigrants who have played by the rules and been through this country's rigorous immigration screening process. Legal immigrants have earned their citizenship after years of waiting, high fees, learning English, and a passing grade on a citizenship test. The culmination of this all is taking the Oath of Citizenship.

Every year in my district around the 4th of July, I host a Citizenship Ceremony. This past year, 120 immigrants from China, Fiji Island, Algeria, Canada and other countries took their Oath, and sang our National Anthem and America the Beautiful in a community wide celebration.

Just this month, CIS and the Department of the Interior's National Park Service announced a partnership to welcome new citizens to the U.S. via national parks. In the last week, citizenship ceremonies have been held at Ellis Island National Park in New York to Yosemite National Park in California.

All of us can look back to our own families and find the first generation immigrants. Let us welcome new citizens as we would have wanted our ancestors to be welcomed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5323, the ``Proud to be an American Citizen Act,'' which requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to make funds available to support public naturalization ceremonies that are held on a date that is on or near Independence Day. These funds would be given to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or to public or private nonprofit entities. The Secretary would select the sites for the ceremonies, approve the entities receiving the funds, and dispense up to, but no more than, $5,000 for each ceremony.

The use of the funds would be limited to the costs of personnel from USCIS and the Federal judiciary, including travel and overtime expenses; site and audio equipment rentals; logistical requirements; and costs for printing brochures about the naturalization participants and the naturalization process.

Naturalization rewards legal immigrants who have played by the rules and abided by all United States laws and USCIS regulations. The naturalization ceremony is not just a formality. Taking the Oath of Allegiance is a critical legal step in becoming a naturalized citizen. The words of the Oath of Allegiance convey the core meaning of becoming an American citizen. These words reflect the shared American values of liberty, democracy, and equal opportunity; and the obligation to abide by the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

The Oath of Allegiance should not be taken in an empty room without fanfare, particularly on Independence Day. I urge all members to show their support for those who are proud to become American citizens by voting for H.R. 5323.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am happy to rise in support of this legislation because immigration is one of the basic foundations of the Nation, and the contributions of immigrants are too many to be counted.

This legislation recognizes these principles, and in addition, authorizes the Homeland Security Secretary to dispense $5,000 to public and private nonprofit entities to host naturalization ceremonies. This purpose originally was authorized as a part of the 1996 immigration law, and I believe it deserves reauthorization.

I join with the chairman of the committee in urging our colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill

Mr. Speaker, I return the balance of my time.