A Republican-sponsored bill entitled the “One America Act” which appears to be a soft amnesty bill allowing some illegal aliens to obtain a temporary visa in Tennessee will not be considered any further for this legislative session. But the bill sponsors are pushing to have more discussion on the topic over the summer, indicating they may intend to pursue the legislation again next year.
HB1925/SB2037 requires “every person” who has resided in the state for more than 30 days and is not “lawfully present” in the U.S. to register with the Tennessee Department of Safety and submit to an interview wherein the department will determine if the illegal alien is eligible to receive a “one-year visa for re-entry into the United States and to this state”.
According to the bill text, the department must make a decision within 30 days of the interview, and if an individual is deemed eligible, they must leave the U.S. within 90 days of notification and only have to stay outside the country for 30 days before re-entry to the U.S. and Tennessee. Upon their return, so long as the alien does not commit a criminal offense within their one-year visa period they will be eligible to apply for a permanent resident card.
