To protect collective self-determination and individual rights under Federal statutes conferring nationality on persons born and residing in the territory of American Samoa, to enable subsequent elective United States citizenship upon application of such persons residing in a State or in a territory subject to sections 301 through 308 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill changes how U.S. non-citizen nationals (primarily people born in American Samoa and Swains Island) can obtain citizenship. Currently, these individuals are U.S. nationals but not automatic citizens. The bill allows them to request citizenship simply by applying for a U.S. passport if they reside in a state or qualifying territory.
Who Benefits and How
Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island benefit most from this bill. They gain a streamlined pathway to full U.S. citizenship through the passport application process, rather than having to go through the traditional naturalization process. This removes bureaucratic barriers and costs associated with naturalization.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of State will need to process additional citizenship requests through the passport application system. There may be minor administrative costs to implement the new procedures, but no significant burdens are imposed on any group.
Key Provisions
- Amends Section 341(b) of the INA to allow non-citizen nationals to request citizenship status when applying for a passport
- Renames Section 341 to 'Procedure for passports for U.S. non-citizen nationals'
- Repeals Section 325 of the INA (related to former naturalization procedures for non-citizen nationals)
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Allows U.S. non-citizen nationals to obtain a pathway to citizenship through the passport application process by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, Citizenship, Territorial Policy
Primary Purpose
Allows U.S. non-citizen nationals to obtain a pathway to citizenship through the passport application process by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act
Policy Domains
Section 1 - Reclassification of United States nationals
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- U.S. non-citizen nationals (American Samoa/Swains Island residents)
- Territorial residents seeking full citizenship rights
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Department of State (passport processing)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMrs. Radewagen introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of State
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A person who owes permanent allegiance to the United States but does not have the full rights of citizenship, typically including persons born in American Samoa and Swains Island
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology