During the campaign, Barack Obama promised to "streamline the visa process to return America to its rightful place as the world's top destination for artists and art students." Advocacy groups, such as Americans for the Arts, that are critical of existing visa policies argue that because of excessive fees and inconsistent wait times, "it [is] increasingly difficult for international artists to appear in the United States."

Congress is now considering three separate bills that emphasize the importance of attracting foreign artists and would make it easier for them to showcase their work in the United States:

* H.R. 1785, introduced in March by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., sets a maximum deadline of 45 days for the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjudicate visa petitions filed by individual artists or nonprofit artist groups that would like to travel to the United States. Should the DHS fail to meet this deadline, the petitioners must be offered the Premium Processing Service for free. The PPS, introduced in 2001, guarantees a maximum waiting period for visa application processing of 15 days, but for a fee of $1,000. The bill is currently under consideration by the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.

* S. 1023, introduced in May by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., would, among other things, establish the nonprofit Corporation for Travel Promotion. The organization would be charged with "provid[ing] useful information to people interested in traveling to the United States, counter[ing] and correct[ing] misperceptions regarding U.S. entry policy, and promot[ing] U.S. travel." The bill also creates the Office of Travel Promotion in the Department of Commerce and requires that the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries "expand its research and development activities to promote international travel to the United States." The bill was passed by the Senate in September but is still awaiting action in the House.

* H.R. 2935, introduced in June by Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., is similar to the Senate bill in that it calls for the creation of the nonprofit Corporation for Travel Promotion. It also, however, establishes the Travel Promotion Fund and directs the "Government Accountability Office to conduct a study to assess barriers to entry into the United States by foreign travelers." The bill is currently under consideration by the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.

With the bills pending in Congress, we rate this one In the Works.