H.R. 7162 · 110th Congress
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2008
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 110th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
OrtizSponsor4 cosponsors · 4 D
2 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of State to adjudicate U.S. passport applications in an individualized, evidence-based manner.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Sep 26, 2008
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of State to adjudicate U.S. passport applications in an individualized, evidence-based manner.
Requires the passport application adjudicatory process to be based on an assessment of individual circumstances and evidence.
Prohibits an applicant's race, ethnicity, or ancestry from being taken into account in the passport application adjudicatory process.
Requires: (1) an applicant to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the applicant is a U.S. citizen or national; (2) the preponderance of the evidence standard to be applied in a uniform and consistent manner to all passport applications; and (3) any determination that an applicant has not met the burden of proving U.S. citizenship or nationality by a preponderance of the evidence to be made in writing, state the reasons for the determination, and be provided to the applicant in a timely manner.
States that a birth certificate signed by a person authorized under state law to sign such a document, or a previously-issued U.S. passport, shall constitute prima facie evidence of U.S. citizenship or nationality and, absent individualized evidence that a birth did not take place in the United States, shall satisfy the preponderance of the evidence standard.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2008
Latest action (Sep 26, 2008): Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Policy area: Immigration · Origin: House · Introduced: Sep 26, 2008
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.