Energy Security and Lightering Independence Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2923 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to include aliens passing in transit through the United States to board a vessel on which the alien will perform ship-to-ship liquid cargo transfer operations within a class of nonimmigrant aliens, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 30, 2021 Ms. GARCIA of Texas (for herself, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. CLOUD, and Mr. PALAZZO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to include aliens passing in transit through the United States to board a vessel on which the alien will perform ship- to-ship liquid cargo transfer operations within a class of nonimmigrant aliens, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Energy Security and 4 Lightering Independence Act of 2021’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2923.IH H2923 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2923 IH SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF NONIMMIGRANT IN TRANSIT. 1 Subparagraph (C) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immi- 2 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)) is 3 amended to read as follows: 4 ‘‘(C)(i) an alien in immediate and contin- 5 uous transit through the United States not to 6 exceed 29 days; 7 ‘‘(ii) an alien who qualifies as a person en- 8 titled to pass in transit to and from the United 9 Nations Headquarters District and foreign 10 countries, under the provisions of paragraphs 11 (3), (4), and (5) of section 11 of the Head- 12 quarters Agreement with the United Nations 13 (61 Stat. 758); or 14 ‘‘(iii) an alien passing in transit through 15 the United States to board a vessel on which 16 the alien will perform ship-to-ship liquid cargo 17 transfer operations to or from another vessel 18 engaged in foreign trade for a period not to ex- 19 ceed 180 days.’’. 20 SEC. 3. CONDITIONAL PERMITS TO LAND TEMPORARILY. 21 Section 252(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 22 Act (8 U.S.C. 1282(a)) is amended— 23 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 24 end; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2923.IH H2923 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2923 IH (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 1 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 2 (3) by adding at the end the following: 3 ‘‘(3) 180 days, if the immigration officer is sat- 4 isfied that the crewman intends to depart, within the 5 period for which the crewman is permitted to land, 6 on either the same vessel or on a vessel other than 7 the vessel on which the crewman arrived and that 8 the crewman will perform ship-to-ship liquid cargo 9 transfer operations to or from any other vessel en- 10 gaged in foreign trade during such period.’’. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2923.IH H2923 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS