Basic Pilot Program Extension and Expansion Act of 2003
Public Law 108-156 · S. 1685 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 3, 2003 · Immigration
Sponsor: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Cosponsors (3): Sen. Jon Kyl, Sen. Ted Kennedy,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Basic Pilot Program Extension and Expansion Act of 2003 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to extend for five additional years: (1) the "basic" employment verification system pilot program; (2) the citizen attestation pilot program; and (3) the machine-readable-document pilot program.
(Sec. 3) Extends the scope of the "basic" pilot program to all States by December 1, 2004 (currently five to seven States). Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to report on such program extension by June 1, 2004.
(Sec. 4) Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to give immigration priority to petitions filed under the pilot immigration for regional centers to promote economic growth. Extends such program for an additional five years.
(Sec. 5) Directs the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a study of the immigrant investor program, including information on the number of such immigrants and their country of origin, settlement locality, and employment created by them.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 2359Related bill
Basic Pilot Extension Act of 2003
S. 1642Related bill
A bill to extend the duration of the immigrant investor regional center pilot program for 5 additional years, and for other purposes.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.
- Dec 3, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-156.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 21, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Nov 19, 2003FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1685.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Sensenbrenner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Nov 14, 2003FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 12, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Nov 6, 2003CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 374.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Hatch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Sep 30, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 2170SenateSen. Patrick LeahyD-VT· offered Nov 12, 2003Agreed to
To extend the duration of the immigrant investor regional center pilot program for 5 additional years, and for other purposes.
Nov 12, 2003: Amendment SA 2170 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.