Sponsors (3)
The bill helps disaster‑affected immigrants and low‑income households by waiving fees and increasing public and congressional transparency, but it raises federal administrative costs and risks slower or strained agency processing when implementing waivers.
Immigrants and low-income households whose immigration or State Department documents were destroyed by a major disaster can receive federal fee waivers to replace those documents, reducing their out-of-pocket recovery costs.
Immigrants, parents, and families affected by disasters will have clearer public notice about waiver availability because USCIS and State must publish information on their websites, improving awareness and access.
Taxpayers and Congress will get better oversight because agencies must provide annual reports on the number and cost of waivers, increasing transparency of program use and fiscal impacts.
Taxpayers and the federal government will incur additional costs because USCIS and State must fund and administer fee waivers, potentially increasing spending or diverting resources from other services.
Immigrants and other applicants could face delays in case processing if broad mandatory waivers create administrative burdens for USCIS and State, slowing other services.
Individuals and state governments may experience slower implementation of waivers after disasters because required Presidential consultation with Governors could delay timely action.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress February 13, 2025
Requires federal agencies to waive fees for replacing critical passports, immigration papers, and similar documents when those documents are destroyed by certain major disasters, and requires agencies to notify the public and report annually to Congress on waivers granted and costs. It also requires the President to consult with the affected State Governor before applying fee-waiver measures and directs the Department of State and USCIS to publish waiver availability online.