Both the Senate and House of Representatives have approved comparable measures that would ease the path to U.S. citizenship for service members. The measures, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Rep. Elijah Cummings, both Maryland Democrats, are headed to a conference committee of members from both houses to iron out minor differences. The final bill will then be sent to the White House for President Bush’s signature. Provisions include:
* Directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use service members’ fingerprints provided at enlistment to fulfill any fingerprint requirements required by applicants for naturalization;
* Making sure that DHS provides acceptable fingerprints once service members submit their naturalization applications;
* And requiring DHS to update any applications, instructions and guidebooks, as well as its Web site, whenever relevant changes to naturalization of service members occur.
