Keeping the American People Safe
This week in the House of Representatives, we will be considering the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act (H.R. 158) introduced by Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-MI). This bill seeks to prevent our enemies from entering the United States through our visa-waiver program, a program intended to make it easier for citizens of friendly countries (including Britain, France, Belgium, etc.) to come to the U.S. Currently, citizens of those countries could stay for up to 90 days without a visa.
But as Congresswoman Miller recently said, “…it is no secret that ISIS is recruiting people from many of these same countries. For instance, the suspected mastermind of the attacks in Paris was a citizen of Belgium.” Additionally, she said, “…other countries often don’t give us all of the information that we need to identify possible threats.”
This is a security weakness that we must address. The Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act would strengthen the visa-waiver program, barring citizens of visa waiver nations who have traveled to Syria or Iraq within the past five years (since the start of the Syrian civil war) from participating. This bill would also allow for the Department of Homeland Security to suspend a country’s ability to participate in this program. A similar proposal is working its way through the Senate as well.
Consideration of this bill follows House passage last month of the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act (H.R. 4038), which would immediately suspend the Syrian refugee resettlement program.
Though they are significant, targeted first steps, the SAFE Act and the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act will not solve all of our national security problems because no system is perfect.
In addition, we are looking for ways to improve our system, increase our border security, and tighten up our laws for those who overstay their work, travel, or student visas. Proposals such as these will strengthen our national security. I will keep you updated on our progress.
Progress Made on Returning to Regular Order
Those who read this column often are likely aware of my efforts to ensure that the House of Representatives follows a more regular order and better adheres to the principles of Thomas Jefferson’s Manual of Parliamentary Practice. I am pleased to report that we have made some progress in this area.
According to the office of Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), since he became Speaker, an average of nearly 30 amendments per bill have been given consideration on the House floor. From my observation, prior to Speaker Ryan being Speaker, the number of amendments per bill allowed to be debated on was substantially less.
Additionally, last week on the House floor, there was a communications human error. Certain Members had asked for a recorded vote on a bill, but the “ball” was dropped and the bill initially passed in a voice vote. It was a mere mistake, but I believe that six months ago, the attitude would have been, “It was a mistake. Let’s move on.”
Instead of that response, which would have angered some Members, everyone worked together and found a parliamentary process to allow the vote to take place. It is true that time was spent discussing the matter behind the scenes, and it did take an extra 30 minutes on the floor to work this out. But doing so sent a clear signal that the House is running more fairly.
In the end, everyone felt good about the process.
Finally, the House last week approved two conference reports trying to sort out the differences between similar pieces of legislation passed in the House and Senate.
While I am pleased by this progress, I will continue working with my colleagues to return the House of Representatives to a true deliberative body and prove to the American people that we will conduct their business in a more transparent and regular manner.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
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