| September 11 Family Humanitarian Relief Act - H.R. 3290 |
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Earlier this
year, we marked the eighth year since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
on America. Throughout the country, we honored the lives
we lost that day and expressed our nation’s sympathies to the loved ones of
those who died. We remembered how we
stood together as a nation, united in our resolve to help rebuild the lives of
all families who found themselves on the front lines of the attacks.
Among the
bereaved are sixteen immigrant spouses and children of innocent World Trade
Center victims, who,
having become part of our history, now ask to become part of our country. In the spirit of common purpose and
compassion, Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY), Anthony Weiner
(D-NY) and I have introduced the September 11 Family Humanitarian Relief and
Patriotism Act, HR 3290, which would provide this special group of sixteen
spouses and children an opportunity to become U.S. permanent residents.
While
we can’t undo the pain these families have had to endure, we can offer them
hope and the opportunity to move forward with their lives.
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A Senate companion bill (S.
1736) was introduced by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sam Brownback
(R-KS), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Robert Menendez
(D-NJ), and 4 of their colleagues, including Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV),
on October 1, 2009.
Reps. King, Nadler and I introduced a previous version of the
legislation (H.R. 1071) in 2007. Senators Lautenberg, Brownback, and Menendez
also introduced similar legislation (S. 615) in the Senate in the last
Congress.
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