I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2798 

To modify provisions of law relating to refugee resettlement, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 17, 2015 

Mr. ELLISON (for himself, Ms. MOORE, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. JOHNSON of 

Georgia, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. GUTIE ́RREZ, Ms. JACKSON

LEE, Mr. HONDA, Mr. WELCH, Ms. LEE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS, 

Ms. NORTON, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. CONYERS, 

Mrs. DAVIS of California, and Ms. JUDY CHU of California) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 

and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Ways and 

Means, 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 modify provisions of law relating to refugee resettlement, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Security checks. 

Sec. 3. English language and work orientation training for approved refugee 

applicants. 

Sec. 4. Lawful permanent resident status of refugees and aliens granted asylum. 

Sec. 5. Update of reception and placement grants. 

Sec. 6. Coordination of refugee program agencies. 

Sec. 7. Case management. 

Sec. 8. Increase in cash payments. 

Sec. 9. Refugee integration grants. 

Sec. 10. Matching grant program expansion. 

Sec. 11. Domestic Emergency Refugee Resettlement Fund. 

Sec. 12. Supplemental Security Income benefits. 

Sec. 13. Making special immigrant juvenile status beneficiaries and unaccompanied children granted ‘‘U’’ visa protection eligible for refugee 

benefits. 

3 SEC. 2. SECURITY CHECKS. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—Although effective secu5 rity checks are needed to ensure that the United States 

6 and the Nation’s refugee admissions program are ade7 quately protected, it is the sense of the Congress that the 

8 failure to properly coordinate security and non-security 

9 clearance procedures has had negative impacts on the 

10 processing of vulnerable individuals who are in need of, 

11 and eligible for, resettlement to the United States. 

12 (b) REVIEW OF REFUGEE PROCESSING.—The Sec13 retary of Homeland Security shall work with the heads 

14 of other relevant Federal agencies, including the Depart15 ment of State, to conduct a review of refugee processing, 

16 including security clearances, with the goal of streamlining 


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1 processing, consistent with maintaining thorough security 

2 vetting. 

3 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

4 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 

5 Security shall submit to the Congress a report on the re6 sults of the review conducted under subsection (b). The 

7 report shall include a description of recommended changes 

8 to streamline processing and the costs associated with any 

9 unfunded needs. 

10 SEC. 3. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND WORK ORIENTATION 

11 TRAINING FOR APPROVED REFUGEE APPLI12 CANTS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall es14 tablish overseas refugee training programs to provide 

15 English as a second language and work orientation train16 ing for refugees who have been approved for admission 

17 to the United States before their departure for the United 

18 States. 

19 (b) DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION.—In designing 

20 and implementing the programs referred to in subsection 

21 (a), the Secretary shall consult with or use— 

22 (1) nongovernmental or international organiza23 tions with direct ties to the United States refugee 

24 resettlement program; and 


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1 (2) nongovernmental or international organiza2 tions with appropriate expertise in developing cur3 riculum and teaching English as a second language. 

4 (c) IMPACT ON PROCESSING TIMES.—The Secretary 

5 shall ensure that such training programs occur within ap6 plicable processing times and do not unduly delay the de7 parture for the United States of refugees who have been 

8 approved for admission to the United States. 

9 (d) TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.— 

10 (1) INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 

11 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

12 the Secretary shall ensure that such training pro13 grams are fully and continually operational in at 

14 least 3 refugee processing regions. 

15 (2) ADDITIONAL IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later 

16 than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 

17 Act, the Secretary shall notify the appropriate con18 gressional committees that such training programs 

19 are fully and consistently operational in 5 refugee 

20 processing regions. 

21 (e) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

23 of the United States shall conduct a study on the imple24 mentation of this section, including an assessment of the 

25 quality of English as a second language curriculum and 


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1 instruction, the benefits of the work orientation and 

2 English as a second language training program to refu3 gees, and recommendations on whether such programs 

4 should be continued, broadened, or modified, and shall 

5 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a re6 port on the findings of such study. 

7 (f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec8 tion shall be construed to require that a refugee partici9 pate in such a training program as a precondition for the 

10 admission to the United States of such refugee. 

11 SEC. 4. LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS OF REFU12 GEES AND ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM. 

13 (a) ADMISSION OF EMERGENCY SITUATION REFU14 GEES.—Section 207(c) of the Immigration and Nation15 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157(c)) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘Attorney General’’ the 

18 first time it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of 

19 Homeland Security’’; 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘Attorney General’’ each 

21 additional place it appears and inserting ‘‘Sec22 retary’’; and 

23 (C) by striking ‘‘(except as otherwise pro24 vided under paragraph (3)) as an immigrant 

25 under this Act.’’ and inserting ‘‘(except as proVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:50 Jun 19, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2798.IH H2798

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1 vided under subsections (b) and (c) of section 

2 209) as an immigrant under this Act. Notwith3 standing any numerical limitations specified in 

4 this Act, any alien admitted under this para5 graph shall be regarded as lawfully admitted to 

6 the United States for permanent residence as of 

7 the date of such alien’s admission to the United 

8 States.’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (2)(A)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘(except as otherwise pro11 vided under paragraph (3))’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘(except as provided under subsections (b) and 

13 (c) of section 209)’’; and 

14 (B) by striking the last sentence and in15 serting the following: ‘‘An alien admitted to the 

16 United States as a refugee may petition for his 

17 or her spouse or child to follow to join him or 

18 her in the United States at any time after such 

19 alien’s admission, notwithstanding his or her 

20 treatment as a lawful permanent resident as of 

21 the date of his or her admission to the United 

22 States.’’; 

23 (3) by striking paragraph (3); 

24 (4) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para25 graph (3); and 


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1 (5) in paragraph (3), as redesignated— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘Attorney General’’ the 

3 first place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary 

4 of Homeland Security’’; and 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘Attorney General’’ each 

6 additional place it appears and inserting ‘‘Sec7 retary’’. 

8 (b) TREATMENT OF SPOUSE AND CHILDREN.—Sec9 tion 208(b)(3) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(3)) is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub12 paragraph (E); and 

13 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(B) PETITION.—An alien granted asylum 

16 under this subsection may petition for the same 

17 status to be conferred on his or her spouse or 

18 child at any time after such alien is granted 

19 asylum whether or not such alien has applied 

20 for, or been granted, adjustment to permanent 

21 resident status under section 209. 

22 ‘‘(C) PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS.— 

23 Notwithstanding any numerical limitations 

24 specified in this Act, a spouse or child admitted 

25 to the United States as an asylee following to 


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1 join a spouse or parent previously granted asy2 lum shall be regarded as lawfully admitted to 

3 the United States for permanent residence as of 

4 the date of such spouse’s or child’s admission to 

5 the United States. 

6 ‘‘(D) APPLICATION FOR ADJUSTMENT OF

7 STATUS.—A spouse or child who was not admit8 ted to the United States pursuant to a grant of 

9 asylum, but who was granted asylum under this 

10 subparagraph after his or her arrival as the 

11 spouse or child of an alien granted asylum 

12 under section 208, may apply for adjustment of 

13 status to that of lawful permanent resident 

14 under section 209 at any time after being 

15 granted asylum.’’. 

16 (c) REFUGEES.—Section 209 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 

17 1159) is amended to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 209. TREATMENT OF ALIENS ADMITTED AS REFU19 GEES AND ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

21 ‘‘(1) TREATMENT OF REFUGEES.—Notwith22 standing any numerical limitations specified in this 

23 Act, any alien who has been admitted to the United 

24 States under section 207 shall be regarded as lawVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:50 Jun 19, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2798.IH H2798

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1 fully admitted to the United States for permanent 

2 residence as of the date of such admission. 

3 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT OF SPOUSE AND CHIL4 DREN.—Notwithstanding any numerical limitations 

5 specified in this Act, any alien admitted to the 

6 United States under section 208(b)(3) as the spouse 

7 or child of an alien granted asylum under section 

8 208(b)(1) shall be regarded as lawfully admitted to 

9 the United States for permanent residence as of the 

10 date of such admission. 

11 ‘‘(3) ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.—The Secretary 

12 of Homeland Security or the Attorney General, in 

13 the discretion of the Secretary or the Attorney Gen14 eral, and under such regulations as the Secretary or 

15 the Attorney General may prescribe, may adjust, to 

16 the status of an alien lawfully admitted to the 

17 United States for permanent residence, the status of 

18 any alien who, while in the United States— 

19 ‘‘(A) is granted— 

20 ‘‘(i) asylum under section 208(b) (as 

21 a principal alien or as the spouse or child 

22 of an alien granted asylum); or 

23 ‘‘(ii) refugee status under section 207 

24 as the spouse or child of a refugee; 


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1 ‘‘(B) applies for such adjustment of status 

2 at any time after being granted asylum or ref3 ugee status; 

4 ‘‘(C) is not firmly resettled in any foreign 

5 country; and 

6 ‘‘(D) is admissible (except as otherwise 

7 provided under subsections (b) and (c)) as an 

8 immigrant under this Act at the time of exam9 ination for adjustment of such alien. 

10 ‘‘(4) RECORD.—Upon approval of an applica11 tion under this subsection, the Secretary of Home12 land Security or the Attorney General shall establish 

13 a record of the alien’s admission for lawful perma14 nent residence as of the date such alien was granted 

15 asylum or refugee status. 

16 ‘‘(5) DOCUMENT ISSUANCE.—An alien who has 

17 been admitted to the United States under section 

18 207 or 208 or who adjusts to the status of a lawful 

19 permanent resident as a refugee or asylee under this 

20 section shall be issued documentation indicating that 

21 such alien is a lawful permanent resident pursuant 

22 to a grant of refugee or asylum status. 

23 ‘‘(b) INAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN INADMISSIBILITY

24 GROUNDS TO REFUGEES, ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM, 

25 AND SUCH ALIENS SEEKING ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS TO


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1 LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT.—Paragraphs (4), (5), 

2 and (7)(A) of section 212(a) shall not apply to— 

3 ‘‘(1) any refugee under section 207; 

4 ‘‘(2) any alien granted asylum under section 

5 208; or 

6 ‘‘(3) any alien seeking admission as a lawful 

7 permanent resident pursuant to a grant of refugee 

8 or asylum status. 

9 ‘‘(c) WAIVER OF INADMISSIBILITY OR DEPORT10 ABILITY FOR REFUGEES, ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM, AND

11 SUCH ALIENS SEEKING ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS TO

12 LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para14 graph (2), the Secretary of Homeland Security or 

15 the Attorney General may waive any ground of inad16 missibility under section 212 or any ground of de17 portability under section 237 for a refugee admitted 

18 under section 207, an alien granted asylum under 

19 section 208, or an alien seeking admission as a law20 ful permanent resident pursuant to a grant of ref21 ugee or asylum status if the Secretary or the Attor22 ney General determines that such waiver is justified 

23 by humanitarian purposes, to ensure family unity, or 

24 is otherwise in the public interest. 


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1 ‘‘(2) INELIGIBILITY.—A refugee under section 

2 207, an alien granted asylum under section 208, or 

3 an alien seeking admission as a lawful permanent 

4 resident pursuant to a grant of refugee or asylum 

5 status shall be ineligible for a waiver under para6 graph (1) if it has been established that the alien 

7 is— 

8 ‘‘(A) inadmissible under section 

9 212(a)(2)(C) or subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or 

10 (E) of section 212(a)(3); 

11 ‘‘(B) deportable under section 

12 237(a)(2)(A)(iii) for an offense described in 

13 section 101(a)(43)(B); or 

14 ‘‘(C) deportable under subparagraph (A), 

15 (B), (C), or (D) of section 237(a)(4).’’. 

16 (d) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

17 (1) ALIENS NOT SUBJECT TO DIRECT NUMER18 ICAL LIMITATIONS.—Section 201(b)(1)(B) of the 

19 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

20 1151(b)(1)(B)) is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘(B) Aliens who are admitted to the United 

22 States as permanent residents under section 207 or 

23 208 or whose status is adjusted under section 209.’’. 

24 (2) TRAINING.—Section 207(f)(1) of such Act 

25 (8 U.S.C. 1157(f)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘AtVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:50 Jun 19, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2798.IH H2798

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1 torney General’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary of Home2 land Security’’. 

3 (3) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of con4 tents for such Act is amended by striking the item 

5 relating to section 209 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 209. Treatment of aliens admitted as refugees and aliens granted asylum.’’. 

6 (e) SAVINGS PROVISIONS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in the amendments 

8 made by this section may be construed to limit ac9 cess to the benefits described at chapter 2 of title IV 

10 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

11 1521 et seq.). 

12 (2) CLARIFICATION.—Aliens admitted for law13 ful permanent residence under section 207 or 208 of 

14 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

15 1157; 1158) or who adjust status to lawful perma16 nent resident under section 209 of such Act (8 

17 U.S.C. 1159) shall be considered to be refugees and 

18 aliens granted asylum in accordance with sections 

19 402, 403, 412, and 431 of the Personal Responsi20 bility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 

21 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612; 1613; 1622; 1641). 

22 (f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section, and the amend23 ments made by this section, shall become effective on the 

24 earlier of— 


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1 (1) the date that is 180 days after the date of 

2 the enactment of this Act; or 

3 (2) the date on which a final rule is promul4 gated to implement this section. 

5 SEC. 5. UPDATE OF RECEPTION AND PLACEMENT GRANTS. 

6 Beginning with fiscal year 2016, the Secretary of 

7 State shall, when setting the amount of the reception and 

8 placement grants for refugees, ensure that— 

9 (1) the grant amount is adjusted so that it is 

10 adequate to provide for the anticipated initial reset11 tlement needs of refugees, including adjusting the 

12 amount for inflation and the cost of living; 

13 (2) the administrative proportion of the grant is 

14 provided at the beginning of the fiscal year to each 

15 national resettlement agency that is sufficient to en16 sure adequate local and national capacity to serve 

17 the initial resettlement needs of refugees the Sec18 retary anticipates the agency will resettle throughout 

19 the fiscal year; and 

20 (3) additional amounts are provided to each na21 tional resettlement agency promptly upon the arrival 

22 of refugees that, exclusive of the amounts provided 

23 pursuant to paragraph (2), are sufficient to meet the 

24 anticipated initial resettlement needs of such refu25 gees and support local and national operational costs 


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1 in excess of the estimates described in paragraph 

2 (1). 

3 SEC. 6. COORDINATION OF REFUGEE PROGRAM AGENCIES. 

4 It is the sense of the Congress that— 

5 (1) the President should appoint a White House 

6 Coordinator on Refugee Protection and grant such 

7 official the authority and staff necessary to coordi8 nate, prioritize, and lead efforts to address refugee 

9 protection issues that involve multiple agencies, in10 cluding the refugee admissions program, and to re11 solve interagency differences in a timely, efficient, 

12 and effective manner; and 

13 (2) this position should be at a senior level and 

14 require as a condition for appointment a significant 

15 level of prior experience in the refugee protection 

16 field. 

17 SEC. 7. CASE MANAGEMENT. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

19 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.— 

20 The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement 

21 shall make grants to national resettlement agencies 

22 to operate a case management system to assist 

23 qualified individuals in accessing services, benefits, 

24 and assistance for which they are eligible that are 

25 provided by— 


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1 (A) the Office of Refugee Resettlement 

2 (the ‘‘Office’’); 

3 (B) other Federal, State, or local agencies; 

4 and 

5 (C) private or nonprofit organizations. 

6 (2) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS.—Subject to para7 graphs (3) and (4), any individual who was at any 

8 time eligible for resettlement, acculturation, or sub9 sistence services provided by the Office shall be 

10 qualified to receive the case management services de11 scribed in paragraph (1). 

12 (3) PERIOD OF QUALIFICATION.—Except as 

13 provided in paragraph (4), an individual described in 

14 paragraph (2) shall be qualified to receive the case 

15 management services described in paragraph (1) 

16 during the period beginning on the date such indi17 vidual was determined to be eligible for resettlement, 

18 acculturation, or subsistence services provided by the 

19 Office, and continuing for 1 year after the date on 

20 which such individual ceases to be eligible for such 

21 resettlement, acculturation, or subsistence service. 

22 (4) EXCEPTIONS FOR EXCEPTIONAL CIR23 CUMSTANCES.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para25 graph (3), an individual described in subparaVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:50 Jun 19, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2798.IH H2798

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1 graph (B) shall be qualified to receive the case 

2 management services described in paragraph 

3 (1) during the period beginning on the date on 

4 which such individual was determined eligible 

5 for resettlement, acculturation, or subsistence 

6 services provided by the Office, and continuing 

7 for 3 years after the date on which such indi8 vidual ceases to be eligible for such resettle9 ment, acculturation, or subsistence services. 

10 (B) EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.—An 

11 individual described in paragraph (2) may be 

12 treated in accordance with subparagraph (A) if 

13 such individual— 

14 (i) is elderly; 

15 (ii) has extraordinary resettlement or 

16 acculturation needs that impede such indi17 vidual’s ability to achieve durable self-suffi18 ciency; 

19 (iii) is a refugee who was resettled 

20 from a situation of protracted displace21 ment; 

22 (iv) is a member of a family caring for 

23 an unattached refugee minor; or 

24 (v) at the time of entry— 


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1 (I) had a disability or serious 

2 medical condition; 

3 (II) had mental health condi4 tions; 

5 (III) was part of a household 

6 headed by a single parent; or 

7 (IV) had been the victim of a se8 vere form of violence. 

9 (5) DEFINITION OF RESETTLEMENT, ACCUL10 TURATION, OR SUBSISTENCE SERVICES.—For the 

11 purposes of this section, the term, ‘‘resettlement, ac12 culturation, or subsistence services’’ shall include all 

13 of the services provided by the Office to aliens, with 

14 the exception of the case management services pro15 vided under paragraph (1). 

16 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

17 authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec18 essary to carry out this section. 

19 (c) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section shall 

20 be construed as affecting the authority of the Director 

21 under section 412(e)(7)(A) of the Immigration and Na22 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1522(e)(7)(A)), or of any other 

23 section of such Act, to provide case management services 

24 to individuals who have been in the United States for 

25 longer than 36 months. 


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1 SEC. 8. INCREASE IN CASH PAYMENTS. 

2 (a) Section 412 of the Immigration and Nationality 

3 Act (8 U.S.C. 1522) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

6 ‘‘(iv) Subject to the availability of funds appro7 priated for this purpose, assistance and social serv8 ices for employment, health and living expenses shall 

9 be available for a period of not less than 12 

10 months.’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (a)(5), by adding at the end 

12 the following: ‘‘Subject to the availability of funds 

13 appropriated for this purpose, assistance and serv14 ices shall be made available to refugees for a period 

15 of not less than 12 months.’’; and 

16 (3) in subsection (e)(1)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘(1)’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘(1)(A)’’; and 

19 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(B) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated 

21 for this purpose, such assistance shall be provided for a 

22 minimum of 12 months beginning with the first month 

23 in which such refugee entered the United States.’’. 

24 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

25 subsection (a) shall become effective on the earlier of— 


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1 (1) the first day of the first fiscal year that be2 gins after the date of the enactment of this Act; or 

3 (2) the date on which a final rule is promul4 gated to implement this section. 

5 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The 12-month speci6 fication contained in the amendments made by subsection 

7 (a) is a minimum standard for the provision of services 

8 to the refugee community. No part of this Act shall be 

9 interpreted as limiting or reducing assistance already pro10 vided for a period longer than 12 months. 

11 SEC. 9. REFUGEE INTEGRATION GRANTS. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF REFUGEE INTEGRATION

13 GRANTS.—The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettle14 ment is authorized to award grants to community-based 

15 organizations, national nonprofit organizations having ex16 perience and expertise in immigration law and the legal, 

17 social, educational, or cultural needs of immigrants, and 

18 national resettlement agencies for the design and imple19 mentation of programs to offer training and orientation 

20 to newcomers to the United States to assist them in inte21 grating into the civic life of the United States. 

22 (b) SERVICES FUNDED.—Programs funded under 

23 subsection (a) shall be used— 

24 (1) to offer assistance and instruction to aliens 

25 described in subsection (c), on— 


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1 (A) the naturalization process; 

2 (B) the legal requirements for naturaliza3 tion; 

4 (C) rights and responsibilities of U.S. citi5 zens; 

6 (D) cultural orientation; 

7 (E) English as a second language; 

8 (F) civics and United States history; 

9 (G) housing; 

10 (H) transportation; 

11 (I) recertification; 

12 (J) employment training; 

13 (K) mental health services; 

14 (L) childcare services; and 

15 (M) other topics the Director identifies as 

16 aiding the orientation and adjustment of new 

17 arrivals to the United States; 

18 (2) to offer orientation and assistance to Fed19 eral, State, and local institutions that serve new20 comers to the United States so as to assist such in21 stitutions in meeting their needs; and 

22 (3) to provide technical assistance and training 

23 to community-based organizations providing instruc24 tion in English as a second language, civics, and 

25 United States history and technical assistance and 


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1 training to community-based organizations providing 

2 naturalization outreach and application assistance. 

3 (c) ELIGIBLE PERSONS.—Persons eligible for assist4 ance and instruction under this subsection include— 

5 (1) aliens admitted as refugees under section 

6 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

7 U.S.C. 1157); 

8 (2) aliens granted asylum under section 208 of 

9 such Act (8 U.S.C. 1158); 

10 (3) aliens admitted as special immigrants from 

11 Iraq or Afghanistan pursuant to section 1244 of the 

12 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

13 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 122 Stat. 396); 

14 (4) any alien who was at any time eligible to re15 ceive services from the Office of Refugee Resettle16 ment; and 

17 (5) other aliens designated by the Director of 

18 the Office of Refugee Resettlement. 

19 (d) APPLICATION FOR GRANTS.—Each entity desir20 ing a refugee integration grant under this section shall 

21 submit an application to the Director at such time and 

22 in such manner as the Director may require. 

23 (e) PRIORITY.—In selecting grantees, the Director 

24 shall give priority to organizations either with experience 


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1 in resettling refugees or in administering services for refu2 gees and asylum seekers. 

3 (f) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Beginning 180 days 

4 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 

5 thereafter, the Director shall report to the Judiciary Com6 mittees of the Senate and the House of Representatives 

7 a report on the implementation of this section. The report 

8 shall include information regarding the grants issued pur9 suant to this section and the results of those grants. 

10 SEC. 10. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM EXPANSION. 

11 (a) USE OF THE REFUGEE MATCHING GRANT PRO12 GRAM.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—In recognition of the positive 

14 outcomes achieved for individuals served through the 

15 refugee matching grant program, under which Fed16 eral funds are matched by private sector contribu17 tions of cash, goods, and volunteers, the Director of 

18 the Office of Refugee Resettlement shall ensure that 

19 the thresholds described in paragraph (2) are met 

20 with respect to participation by eligible individuals in 

21 such program. 

22 (2) ANNUAL THRESHOLDS.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the avail24 ability of funds appropriated for this purpose, 

25 the percentage of eligible individuals who apply 


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1 for services under the matching grant program 

2 who shall be served through such program is 

3 set at the following levels in each of the fol4 lowing fiscal years— 

5 (i) at least 60 percent in fiscal year 

6 2016; 

7 (ii) at least 70 percent in fiscal year 

8 2017; and 

9 (iii) at least 80 percent in fiscal year 

10 2018, and thereafter. 

11 (B) EXCEPTIONS.—In determining the 

12 thresholds in this paragraph, the Director shall 

13 exclude individuals who are disabled, under the 

14 age of 18, or over the age of 65 unless such in15 dividuals are being served as members of an eli16 gible family. 

17 (3) LENGTH OF ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT.—In18 dividuals as described in subparagraph (2)(B) shall 

19 be eligible for services under the matching grant 

20 program, and therefore be expected to achieve self21 sufficiency, within 180 to 240 days of their enroll22 ment in the program. 

23 (4) AMOUNT OF GRANT.— 

24 (A) ANNUAL UPDATE.—Subject to the 

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1 pose, beginning with fiscal year 2016, the Di2 rector shall, when setting the amount of the 

3 matching grants, ensure that the grant amount 

4 is adjusted annually so that it is adequate to 

5 provide for services intended to help refugees 

6 become self-sufficient within 180 to 240 days, 

7 including adjusting the amount for inflation 

8 and the cost of living. 

9 (B) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 30 days 

10 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di11 rector shall undertake an assessment of the per 

12 capita amount that is provided in the matching 

13 grant program. The assessment shall— 

14 (i) examine the adequacy of the cur15 rent per capita grant amount to provide 

16 the assistance necessary to enable individ17 uals who are served by the program to 

18 achieve self-sufficiency within 240 days; 

19 (ii) determine the per capita grant 

20 amount that would be necessary in order 

21 to provide the assistance necessary to en22 able individuals who are served by the pro23 gram achieve self-sufficiency within 240 

24 days; and 


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1 (iii) assess the potential impact of any 

2 other changes to the operation of the pro3 gram that the Director or the Office’s non4 Federal partners suggest to improve the 

5 effectiveness of the program. 

6 (C) CONSULTATION WITH PARTNERS.—In 

7 conducting the assessment referred to in sub8 paragraph (B), the Director shall consult with 

9 representatives of national and local resettle10 ment agencies with experience in providing 

11 services under the matching grant program to 

12 learn their views on the program, including 

13 their views with respect to clauses (i) through 

14 (iv) of subparagraph (B). 

15 (D) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

16 than 120 days after the date of enactment of 

17 this Act, the Director shall report to the appro18 priate committees of Congress the results of the 

19 assessment made pursuant to subparagraph 

20 (B). Such report shall include— 

21 (i) the Director’s findings pursuant to 

22 subparagraph (B); 

23 (ii) the amount of the per capita 

24 grant that will be provided beginning on 

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1 gins after the date of enactment of this 

2 Act; and 

3 (iii) a summary of the views expressed 

4 by the entities described in subparagraph 

5 (C). 

6 (E) GRANT AMOUNT IN ABSENCE OF RE7 PORT.—If for any reason the report described 

8 in subparagraph (D) is not filed with the appro9 priate committees of the Congress on or before 

10 the required date for the submission of such re11 port, the per capita matching grant amount for 

12 the first fiscal year that begins after the date 

13 of enactment of this Act shall be set at the 

14 amount set for such grant on September 30 of 

15 the previous fiscal year and prorated to reflect 

16 a 180- to 240-day grant period. 

17 SEC. 11. DOMESTIC EMERGENCY REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT 

18 FUND. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a Domestic 

20 Emergency Refugee Resettlement Fund that shall be 

21 available to the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettle22 ment to meet unanticipated resettlement needs. 

23 (b) DRAWDOWN OF FUNDS.—Whenever the Director 

24 determines it to be important to the national interest, the 

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1 tions as the Director may determine, assistance under this 

2 chapter for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent re3 settlement needs of populations and communities served 

4 pursuant to this chapter, including communities experi5 encing high numbers of arrivals of refugees due to sec6 ondary migration. 

7 (c) ALLOWABLE USES.—The Director may furnish 

8 assistance to eligible entities for the purposes of providing 

9 resettlement assistance to refugees, including transpor10 tation, housing, employment, health, mental health, 

11 English language training services, recertification, and 

12 other purposes as determined by the Director. 

13 (d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES DEFINED.—National reset14 tlement agencies, community-based organizations, torture 

15 survivor rehabilitation centers and programs, and States. 

16 (e) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—No amounts 

17 may be withdrawn from the fund authorized by subsection 

18 (a) unless the Director has determined that a domestic 

19 resettlement emergency exists and has certified such fact 

20 to appropriate committees of Congress. 

21 (f) CAP ON FUND.—No funds may be appropriated 

22 which when added to the amounts previously appropriated 

23 but not yet obligated, would cause such amounts to exceed 

24 $50,000,000. 


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1 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 

2 appropriated pursuant to this section shall be available 

3 until expended. 

4 SEC. 12. SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME BENEFITS. 

5 Section 402(a)(2) of the Personal Responsibility and 

6 Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 

7 1612(a)(2)) is amended— 

8 (1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 

9 follows: 

10 ‘‘(A) EXCEPTION FOR REFUGEES AND

11 ASYLEES.—With respect to the specified Fed12 eral programs described in paragraph (3), para13 graph (1) shall not apply to— 

14 ‘‘(i) an alien admitted to the United 

15 States as a refugee under section 207 of 

16 the Immigration and Nationality Act 8 

17 U.S.C. 1157; 

18 ‘‘(ii) an alien granted asylum under 

19 section 208 of such Act 8 U.S.C. 1158; 

20 ‘‘(iii) an alien whose deportation is 

21 withheld under section 243(h) of such Act 

22 8 U.S.C. 1253 (as in effect immediately 

23 before the effective date of section 307 of 

24 division C of Public Law 104–208) or sec25 tion 241(b)(3) of such Act 8 U.S.C. 


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1 1231(b)(3) (as amended by section 305(a) 

2 of division C of Public Law 104–208); 

3 ‘‘(iv) an alien who is granted status as 

4 a Cuban and Haitian entrant (as defined 

5 in section 501(e) of the Refugee Education 

6 Assistance Act of 1980); or 

7 ‘‘(v) an alien who is admitted to the 

8 United States as an Amerasian immigrant 

9 pursuant to section 584 of the Foreign Op10 erations, Export Financing, and Related 

11 Programs Appropriations Act, 1988 (as 

12 contained in section 101(e) of Public Law 

13 100–202 and amended by the 9th proviso 

14 under migration and refugee assistance in 

15 title II of the Foreign Operations, Export 

16 Financing, and Related Programs Appro17 priations Act, 1989, Public Law 100–461, 

18 as amended).’’; and 

19 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(N) SSI BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN ALIENS

21 AND VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING.—Beginning on 

22 the date of the enactment of this subparagraph, 

23 any qualified alien (as defined in section 

24 431(b)), victim of trafficking in persons (as de25 fined in section 107(b)(1)(C) of division A of 


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1 the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protec2 tion Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(C))), or 

3 alien granted status under section 

4 101(a)(15)(T)(ii) of the Immigration and Na5 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(T)(ii)) ren6 dered ineligible for the specified Federal pro7 gram described in paragraph (3)(A) solely by 

8 reason of the termination of the 7-year period 

9 described in subparagraph (A) prior to the en10 actment of this subparagraph shall be eligible 

11 for benefits under such program without regard 

12 to subparagraph (A).’’. 

13 SEC. 13. MAKING SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE STATUS 

14 BENEFICIARIES AND UNACCOMPANIED CHIL15 DREN GRANTED ‘‘U’’ VISA PROTECTION ELIGI16 BLE FOR FOSTER CARE AND REFUGEE BENE17 FITS. 

18 (a) ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS AND SERVICES.— 

19 Section 107(b)(1)(A) of the Victims of Trafficking and Vi20 olence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(A)) 

21 is amended by inserting ‘‘, an alien who has been granted 

22 special immigrant status under section 101(a)(27)(J) of 

23 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

24 1101(a)(27)(J)), a child who has been granted status 

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1 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15(U)),’’ after ‘‘traf2 ficking in persons,’’. 

3 (b) STATE REIMBURSEMENT.—Subject to the avail4 ability of funds appropriated for this purpose, if State fos5 ter care funds are expended on behalf of a child who has 

6 been granted special immigrant status under section 

7 101(a)(27)(J) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(J)), the Federal Government shall re9 imburse the State in which the child resides for such ex10 penditures by the State. 

Æ 


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