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S 4595 116th Congress Senate Immigration Congressional oversight Employee hiring Foreign labor Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management News media and reporting U.S. Agency for Global Media Visas and passports

A bill to temporarily extend the period of validity of J-1 visas issued to employees and contractors of the United States Agency for Global Media and its broadcasting networks.

Introduced: September 16, 2020 Introduced by: Merkley, Jeff Democratic · Oregon See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 16, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sep 16, 2020
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

This bill provides an automatic extension for certain J-1 (exchange visitor) visas if the visa holder has a contract or employment agreement with the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the agency that operates U.S. government media outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.

Specifically, if such a J-1 visa expires during the two-month period before this bill's enactment or the 90-day period after, the visa shall remain valid until the end of the 90-day period. The Department of Homeland Security may deny an extension on a case-by-case basis if it (1) determines that extending a particular visa would pose a national security risk, and (2) explains the reasons for the determination to Congress.

What's happening now September 16, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 4595: A bill to temporarily extend the period of validity of J-1 visas issued to employees and contractors of the United States Agency for Global Media and its broadcasting networks.. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4595/
MLA
"S. 4595: A bill to temporarily extend the period of validity of J-1 visas issued to employees and contractors of the United States Agency for Global Media and its broadcasting networks.." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4595/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 4595, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4595/.
Markdown link
[S. 4595: A bill to temporarily extend the period of validity of J-1 visas issued to employees and contractors of the United States Agency for Global Media and its broadcasting networks.](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4595/)
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