HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

72

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

urging the united states department of homeland security to relax restrictions on the granting of nonimmigrant visas to nationals of the people's republic of china for the purpose of business, tourism, and study in the united States.

 

 

WHEREAS, the People's Republic of China has undergone vast changes in the last century and is continuing to transform itself from a slumbering giant into a vibrant, vital, and thoroughly modern nation that is assuming its place among the leading countries on the world stage; and

WHEREAS, the economy in the People's Republic of China has grown explosively and almost without interruption over at least the last two decades, despite reversals that have affected Asia and the world; and

WHEREAS, the standard of living in the People's Republic of China has also grown apace with its ever-expanding economy, making available to a substantial portion of its people all of the goods and amenities of the modern western world as the country further embraces the concepts and practical benefits of capitalism but "with Chinese characteristics"; and

WHEREAS, because of this rapidly growing standard of living, and as a growing number of Chinese people have increased their disposable incomes, traveling abroad for the purposes of tourism is now within the means of more and more citizens of the People's Republic of China; and

WHEREAS, although incidents of Chinese aliens aboard dilapidated tankers trying to enter the country illegally have occurred, there is no rational reason for United States authorities to restrict the entry of bona fide Chinese tourists for fear they would illegally extend their stays. Those who can afford to travel abroad legally for tourism purposes have compelling reasons to return to China to continue to pursue prosperity within China -- where more and better business opportunities lie -- and have no compelling reasons to remain illegally in this country; and

WHEREAS, also because of China's booming economy, more and more Chinese citizens need to travel to this country for legitimate business purposes. Even more so than tourists, Chinese citizens who arrive in this country for business purposes have no reason to illegally extend their stays in this country; and

WHEREAS, Chinese students have a long and honorable history of traveling to the United States for educational purposes -- not least among them Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founder of modern China, who attended then Iolani College in Hawaii from 1879 to 1882 and the Punahou School in 1883; and

WHEREAS, many, if not most, Chinese students from the People's Republic of China who enter the United States to study already possess graduate or post-graduate degrees, and their stays here have been mutually beneficial for the United States and the People's Republic of China, contributing significantly to cross-educational and cross-cultural understanding at both the individual and institutional levels; and

WHEREAS, the visas necessary for non-United States citizens to enter the country for the purposes of business, tourism, and study are as follows:

(1) B-1 visa for temporary visitors for business;

(2) B-2 visa for temporary visitors for pleasure;

(3) F-1 visa for academic students; and

(4) F-2 visa for spouses or children of applicants for F-1 visas; and

WHEREAS, due to recent unfortunate terrorist events in the United States, new anti-terrorism laws have been enacted, including the Department of Homeland Security Act of 2002, which, under section 1502, required the President of the United States to submit a reorganization plan that is responsible for the transfer of immigration and naturalization duties and enforcement duties to the Department of Homeland Security; and

WHEREAS, accordingly, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which had been a part of the United States Department of Justice, had its functions transferred on March 1, 2003, to the Department of Homeland Security, which formally came into existence on January 24, 2003; and

WHEREAS, immigration services and services-related field offices are now placed in the new Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, while enforcement units and enforcement-related field offices have become part of the Directorate for Border and Transportation Security; and

WHEREAS, although the new reorganization and increased restrictions in issuing visas to temporary visitors may be justified in the current atmosphere of heightened domestic vigilance, painting the People's Republic of China with the same broad brush as other countries that pose legitimate threats to homeland security is unfair; and

WHEREAS, the People's Republic of China has cooperated with the United States in its fight against terrorism and, unlike some countries, does not have a history of sponsoring, harboring, or tolerating the presence of individuals who are bent on perpetrating terrorist acts; and

WHEREAS, it is unfair to restrict the issue of entry visas to citizens of the People's Republic of China for purposes of business, tourism, or study; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that the United States Department of Homeland Security is strongly urged to relax restrictions on the granting of nonimmigrant visas to nationals of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of business, tourism, and study in the United States; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Secretary for Homeland Security, and the members of Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Visas for Business, Tourism & Study; Relax Restrictions on China