HR6992-119

What This Bill Does

The EB-5 Regional Center Program Advisory Committee Authorization Act adds a new advisory committee section to the Homeland Security Act. USCIS must establish an EB-5 Regional Center Program Advisory Committee that advises the USCIS Director, develops program-improvement recommendations, submits annual and periodic reports, and gives quarterly briefings to Judiciary and Appropriations Committees. The committee can have up to 35 members appointed by the Homeland Security Secretary, including representatives of Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments and EB-5 regional centers in good standing from categories such as high-unemployment, rural, infrastructure, and Census regions. Recommendations must be approved by a majority before annual submission and cannot be petition- or case-specific. The bill requires subcommittees, meeting and vacancy procedures, conflict-of-interest rules, limits on compensation, public annual-report publication within six months, and termination when all EB-5 Regional Center Program benefits have been adjudicated.

Who Benefits and How

EB-5 regional centers benefit because the bill gives them a formal advisory channel to recommend operational improvements to USCIS. State, local, Tribal, and federal economic-development officials benefit from seats in discussions about regional-center categories, rural and high-unemployment projects, infrastructure projects, and geographic representation. USCIS leadership and Congress benefit from annual reports, subcommittee findings, public versions of reports, and quarterly briefings that can identify processing, policy, and integrity issues. Foreign immigrant investors and project sponsors may benefit if recommendations improve program administration without case-specific intervention.

Who Bears the Burden and How

USCIS EB-5 program staff must establish and manage the committee, appoint members, run meetings, review recommendations, publish public reports, brief Congress quarterly, support subcommittees, and police conflicts. Homeland Security officials must approve appointments and individual representatives. Advisory Committee members must comply with membership categories, conflict rules, compensation limits, and reporting procedures. Regional centers may gain influence but cannot seek petition- or case-specific recommendations, and the agency must ensure the committee does not conflict with EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act limits.

Key Provisions

• Establishes an EB-5 Regional Center Program Advisory Committee within USCIS.
• Requires the committee to advise, consult, report, and recommend improvements to the USCIS Director.
• Requires annual reports, public report versions, and quarterly briefings to Judiciary and Appropriations Committees.
• Requires membership from government representatives and EB-5 regional centers in good standing across specified categories.
• Bars petition- or case-specific recommendations and preserves consistency with the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022.