Bill to Tighten Security of Visa Waiver Program Passes House
Press Release
The House today passed H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, with an overwhelming and bipartisan vote of 407 -- 19. The bill, introduced by Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman Candice Miller (R-MI) and voted out of the Committee in June, ramps up security of the Visa Waiver Program to improve intelligence information sharing and to keep terrorists from entering the United States undetected. It also includes major recommendations from the Committee's bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel that will make it harder for terror suspects to cross borders, including enhanced counterterrorism screening of travelers and measures to crack down on passport fraud.
"The 9/11 Commission said that "for terrorists, travel documents are as important as weapons.' I couldn't agree more," said Subcommittee Chairman Miller. "Today, the House took a very important step by passing legislation that addresses known vulnerabilities with our Visa Waiver Program by giving America the leverage it needs to ensure that all participating countries are sharing critical information necessary to stop enemies of freedom from exploiting our hospitality. It is my hope that today's strong bipartisan vote on this bill will send a clear message to terrorists that America is prepared to take any and all measures to protect our Homeland."
"I commend Chairman Miller for her hard work on this bill and focus on this issue for years," said Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX). "I am also grateful for the efforts of the Judiciary Committee, which worked together with us to move this bill forward quickly and in a bipartisan manner. America is in the highest terror threat environment since 9/11, and we must work aggressively to shut down potential terrorist pathways into our country. This legislation will help close gaping security gaps and improve our ability to stop dangerous individuals before they reach our shores."
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