Nydia M. Velazquez: “The bill before us takes bold action regarding the structure of the INS. We should also seize this opportunity to take…”

“The bill before us takes bold action regarding the structure of the INS. We should also seize this opportunity to take bold action with regard to the application backlog as well, and that is what my amendment proposes to do. Specifically, my amendment will enable the Associate Attorney General for Immigration Affairs to explore new and innovative ways of addressing the backlog by authorizing the director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to implement pilot programs in areas with large backlogs to efficiently and effectively dispense with pending applications and prevent the backlog of future applications. It will encourage initiatives such as increasing or transferring personnel to areas with ongoing backlog problems, streamlining regulations and paperwork, and providing incentives for efficient and high-quality work. This amendment recognizes that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to eliminating existing backlog and, therefore, encourages flexibility at the local level by enabling district offices to utilize new strategies to deal with all problems. Finally, the amendment establishes the goal of eliminating the current backlog not later than one year after the enactment of the act.”