October 2007
Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Norm Coleman (R-MN) introduced legislation yesterday to increase the tax deduction for families who host international exchange students from $50 to $200 per month. The Youth Exchange Support Act of 2007, S. 2252, would index the deduction to inflation for future years. Originally set in the 1960s to encourage families to host foreign exchange students, the current $50 tax deduction has never been increased.
The House of Representatives yesterday approved legislation, H.R. 2553, that would establish and maintain the libraries and resource centers at U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to provide information about American culture, society, and history. The Public Diplomacy Resource Centers Act of 2007, introduced in May by Rep Diane Watson (D-CA), would also establish the “Johnny Grant Film Series” under which these libraries and resource centers would schedule public showings of American films that showcase American culture, society, values, and history.
The Alliance this fall completed visits to consular posts in Eastern Europe to discuss visa processing. We visited the following posts: Sofia, Bucharest, Kiev, and Warsaw.
