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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10375 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10375

 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Mutual Education 
 and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 to strengthen the critical minerals 
                    workforce in the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2024

Mr. Torres of New York (for himself, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, 
  Mr. Gimenez, Ms. Castor of Florida, and Ms. Stevens) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Mutual Education 
 and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 to strengthen the critical minerals 
                    workforce in the United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Critical Minerals Workforce 
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. ENGINEERS WORKING IN MINING, REFINING, PROCESSING, AND 
              RECYCLING OF CRITICAL MINERALS.

    Section 203(b)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1153(b)(2)(B)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iii) The Secretary of Homeland Security 
                        may grant a national interest waiver pursuant 
                        to clause (i) on behalf of any alien engineer 
                        with respect to whom a petition for preference 
                        classification has been filed under 
                        subparagraph (A) if the alien engineer agrees 
                        to work full-time for a business or Federal or 
                        State agency to advance the production 
                        (including extraction), processing (including 
                        refining), or recycling (including reuse) of 
                        critical minerals (as such term is defined in 
                        section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 
                        U.S.C. 1606(a))).''.

SEC. 3. MULTINATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES.

    Section 102 of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2452) is amended by striking subsection (b) and 
inserting the following:
    ``(b) Educational Exchanges Relating to Critical Minerals.--
            ``(1) In general.--The President may support and promote 
        educational exchanges to advance the study of the production, 
        processing, and recycling of critical minerals, and the 
        professional development of individuals in mining or clean 
        energy sectors relating to the production, processing, 
        reclamation, or recycling of critical minerals, including by--
                    ``(A) providing opportunities for United States 
                citizens to study in and obtain degrees and 
                certifications from schools and institutions of 
                learning located outside the United States that offer 
                specialized instruction in the production, processing, 
                reclamation, or recycling of critical minerals;
                    ``(B) facilitating the enrollment of citizens of 
                foreign countries in schools and institutions of 
                learning located in the United States to pursue degrees 
                and certifications in a field related to the 
                production, processing, reclamation, or recycling of 
                critical minerals;
                    ``(C) supporting the development of educational 
                partnerships and exchange programs focused on critical 
                minerals between United States institutions and foreign 
                institutions, including research collaborations, joint 
                degree programs, and training initiatives to address 
                global challenges relating to the production, 
                processing, reclamation, or recycling of critical 
                minerals; and
                    ``(D) encouraging and providing funding for 
                scholarships, fellowships, and grants for students and 
                professionals engaged in international studies or 
                training related to the production, processing, 
                reclamation, or recycling of critical minerals.
            ``(2) Critical minerals defined.--In this subsection, the 
        term `critical minerals' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 
        1606(a)).''.
                                 <all>
```