To: jlallen who wrote (901791 ) 11/18/2015 6:06:01 PM From: J_F_Shepard Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 1574905 Paul Ryan: There Will Be No Religious Test For Syrian Refugees Laura Barron-Lopez Congressional Reporter, The Huffington Post Posted: 11/18/2015 01:00 PM EST | Edited: 4 hours ago ASSOCIATED PRESS House Speaker Paul Ryan is not listening to calls from some Republicans to only allow Christian refugees from Syria into the country. WASHINGTON -- Legislation to restrict the flow of Syrian refugees into the United States will not include a religious test, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Wednesday. After the Friday terrorist attacks in Paris, which left 129 people dead, some Republicans have called for the U.S. to accept only Christian refugees fleeing Syria, not Muslims. The Islamic State took credit for the assault, and a Syrian passport was also found near the body of one of the suicide bombers. In response, the House will take up legislation this week that will effectively "pause" the Syrian refugee program. But "I will also point out that we will not have a religious test, only a security test," Ryan said of the bill in one of his first speeches as speaker on the House floor. The plan introduced by Republicans would mandate that officials at the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the director of National Intelligence certify to Congress that each Syrian or Iraqi refugee admitted is not a threat to security. The bill also stipulates that the FBI would need to certify that each refugee admitted received a background check and was determined to not be a threat. Finally, the bill would require monthly reports on refugee certifications to Congress from the DHS inspector general.