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To extend for 5 years the program relating to waiver of the foreign country residence requirement with respect to international medical graduates, and for other purposes.

Public Law 110-362 · H.R. 5571 · 110th Congress · began in the House

Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 8, 2008 · Immigration

Sponsor: Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-16)

Cosponsors (1): Rep. Jerry Moran

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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to extend the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program through March 6, 2009.

Increases from five to 10 the number of alien physicians under such program who may serve in state facilities that treat patients from, but that may not be located in, a medically underserved area. (Subject to the overall limit of 30 participants per state.)

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) federal programs waiving the two-year foreign residence requirement for physicians are generally designed to promote the delivery of critically needed medical services to people in the United States lacking adequate access to physician care; and (2) when determining the qualification of a location for designation as a health professional shortage area, the Secretary of Health and Human Services should consider the needs of vulnerable populations in low-income and impoverished communities, communities with high infant mortality rates, and communities exhibiting other signs of a lack of necessary physician services.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee
  • Judiciary Committee · Senate · discharged from, referred to
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A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 31 actions.

  1. Oct 8, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-362.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Sep 30, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 27, 2008Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Ms. Lofgren, Zoe moved that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment.
  7. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5571.
  8. OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
  9. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by voice vote.
  10. Sep 26, 2008FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  11. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  12. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  14. Jun 2, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  15. May 21, 2008FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  16. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  17. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  18. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  19. May 19, 2008FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. King (IA) objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
  20. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5571.
  21. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  22. FloorFloor · Mr. Scott (VA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  23. May 15, 2008CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 407.
  24. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 110-646.
  25. Apr 2, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
  26. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  27. Mar 12, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
  28. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  29. Mar 11, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
  30. Mar 10, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 5654SenateSen. Kent ConradD-ND· offered Sep 26, 2008Agreed to

    To reduce the length of the waiver program extension.

    Sep 26, 2008: Amendment SA 5654 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.