I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3201 

To support the integration of immigrants to the United States into the 

economic, social, cultural, and civic life of their local communities and 

the Nation, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 23, 2015 

Mr. CA ́RDENAS (for himself and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 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 support the integration of immigrants to the United 

States into the economic, social, cultural, and civic life 

of their local communities and the Nation, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New American Success 

5 Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Findings and declaration of policy. 

TITLE I—GRANTS 

Sec. 101. Initial Entry, Adjustment, and Citizenship Assistance Grants. 

Sec. 102. Integration Success Grants. 

Sec. 103. Integration Success Fund. 

TITLE II—ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING 

Sec. 201. Waiver of English requirement for senior new Americans. 

3 SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find5 ings: 

6 (1) According to the Migration Policy Institute, 

7 there are 13,400,000 non-citizen residents in the 

8 United States with limited proficiency in English. 

9 (2) According to the Department of Homeland 

10 Security, approximately 1,100,000 legal immigrants 

11 enter the country annually. About half of these legal 

12 immigrants lack full proficiency in English. 

13 (3) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis14 tics, more than two-thirds of the foreign-born popu15 lation does not have a postsecondary degree, and 

16 foreign-born adults are three times more likely to 

17 lack a high school diploma or equivalent than native18 born adults. 

19 (4) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis20 tics, 19 of the 30 fastest growing occupations reVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3201.IH H3201

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1 quire workers with some form of postsecondary edu2 cation or training. 

3 (5) These statistics suggest that a lack of 

4 English proficiency and limited education serve as 

5 serious impediments to labor market success for im6 migrants. 

7 (6) A century ago, during the last great wave 

8 of immigration to this country, the public and pri9 vate sectors promoted the integration of newcomers 

10 through the Settlement House movement, the found11 ing of the modern public library system, the estab12 lishment of universal public education. 

13 (7) Although currently dozens of Federal and 

14 State programs support, and thousands of govern15 ment agencies and nonprofit organizations operate, 

16 programs that teach English, promote acquisition of 

17 workforce skills, provide citizenship assistance, and 

18 otherwise promote the integration of immigrants and 

19 their children, such programs are often not coordi20 nated or aligned, limiting the capacity of such pro21 grams to identify and test promising practices, lever22 age resources, or bring effective interventions to 

23 scale. 

24 (8) It is in the national interest to facilitate the 

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1 grants to the United States and to otherwise pro2 mote the integration of immigrants and their chil3 dren into the mainstream of our economy and soci4 ety. 

5 (9) Empowering immigrants and their family 

6 members to effectively integrate into the mainstream 

7 of the economic, social, cultural, and civic life of 

8 their local communities and the Nation as a whole 

9 will ensure that United States immigration policies 

10 result in more productive and competitive local 

11 economies and more cohesive and harmonious com12 munities. 

13 (10) Data, policies, and programs relevant to 

14 immigrant integration crosscut the responsibilities of 

15 numerous Federal agencies as well as those of State 

16 and local governments and nongovernmental actors. 

17 (11) The overlapping nature of integration 

18 issues and the lack of coordination of immigration 

19 policies and programs make it difficult for the Presi20 dent and Congress to understand and respond to 

21 pressing integration challenges and opportunities. 

22 (12) Improved coordination of integration goals, 

23 policies, and programs across sectors and levels of 

24 government would greatly enhance the ability of the 

25 Federal Government to create and maintain an imVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3201.IH H3201

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1 migration system that is more suited to modern 

2 times and benefits the interests of the Federal Gov3 ernment, communities with growing immigrant pop4 ulations, as well as immigrants and their family 

5 members. 

6 (b) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

7 United States to— 

8 (1) promote the civic, linguistic, and economic 

9 integration of immigrants and their young children 

10 into the United States; 

11 (2) establish national goals for integrating im12 migrants and their young children into the United 

13 States, and measure the degree to which such goals 

14 are met; 

15 (3) assess and coordinate Federal policies, regu16 lations, and programs related to the integration of 

17 immigrants, including an assessment of Federal 

18 agency jurisdiction and budget concerns; 

19 (4) consult with State and local governments on 

20 integration challenges and opportunities for the pur21 pose of improving Federal integration policy and 

22 program efforts; 

23 (5) track the performance of Federal, State, 

24 and local integration initiatives, including measures 

25 of reach, effectiveness, and cost; and 


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1 (6) engage stakeholders at different government 

2 and nongovernment levels to identify integration op3 portunities and challenges. 

4 TITLE I—GRANTS 

5 SEC. 101. INITIAL ENTRY, ADJUSTMENT, AND CITIZENSHIP 

6 ASSISTANCE GRANTS. 

7 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Homeland 

8 Security shall award Initial Entry, Adjustment, and Citi9 zenship Assistance grants to eligible entities. 

10 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity eligible to receive a 

11 grant under this section is a unit of local government, 

12 community-based organization, or public or private non13 profit organization— 

14 (1) that provides direct assistance to immi15 grants to the United States; and 

16 (2) that submits to the Secretary of Homeland 

17 Security an application at such time, in such man18 ner, and containing such information as such Sec19 retary may reasonably require. 

20 (c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Funds awarded under this 

22 section may be used to provide to an eligible non-cit23 izen assistance relating to the immigration status of 

24 such non-citizen, or related services. Such assistance 

25 may include— 


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1 (A) screening to assess the eligibility of a 

2 prospective applicant seeking a change in immi3 gration status; 

4 (B) completing immigration applications; 

5 (C) gathering proof of identification, em6 ployment, residence, and tax payment; 

7 (D) gathering proof of relationships to eli8 gible family members; 

9 (E) applying for any waivers for which an 

10 applicant and qualifying family members may 

11 be eligible; 

12 (F) advising an applicant on the rights and 

13 responsibilities of United States citizenship; and 

14 (G) instruction— 

15 (i) on the rights and responsibilities of 

16 United States citizenship; 

17 (ii) in civics and civics-based English 

18 as a second language; and 

19 (iii) in applying for United States citi20 zenship. 

21 (2) IMMIGRANTS ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE.— 

22 A non-citizen is eligible to receive the assistance de23 scribed in paragraph (1) if such non-citizen is— 

24 (A) seeking to become a permanent resi25 dent or naturalized citizen; or 


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1 (B) seeking relief from removal in order 

2 lawfully to remain in the United States. 

3 (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec4 tion, priority shall be given to— 

5 (1) entities that demonstrate intent to use 

6 grant funds to serve individuals living in a State 

7 with a foreign-born population of not less than 5 

8 percent that has experienced an increase that is 

9 higher than the national average in the population 

10 of non-citizen residents during the most recent 10- 

11 year period, based on data compiled by the Office of 

12 Immigration Statistics or the United States Census 

13 Bureau, or units of local government located within 

14 such State; or 

15 (2) entities that demonstrate intent to use 

16 grant funds to serve individuals living in any of the 

17 10 States with the highest number of non-citizen 

18 residents, based on data compiled by the Office of 

19 Immigration Statistics or the United States Census 

20 Bureau, or units of local government located within 

21 such State. 

22 (e) CERTIFICATION.—In order to receive a payment 

23 under this section, a participating entity shall submit to 

24 the Secretary a certification that the proposed uses of 

25 grant funds by the entity are consistent with this section 


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1 and meet all necessary criteria determined by the Sec2 retary. 

3 (f) ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.—Not later 

4 than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year for which 

5 an entity receives grant funds under this section, the enti6 ty shall submit to the Secretary of Homeland Security the 

7 following: 

8 (1) A report that describes— 

9 (A) the activities undertaken by the entity 

10 that were funded entirely or partially by the 

11 grant funds; 

12 (B) the geographic area or areas served by 

13 the grant funds; 

14 (C) an estimate of the number of non-citi15 zens living in the jurisdiction or service area of 

16 the entity, which demonstrates that the entity 

17 made a reasonable effort to determine such 

18 number; 

19 (D) the number of non-citizens receiving 

20 assistance that was funded entirely or partially 

21 by grant funds received by the entity; and 

22 (E) the primary languages spoken in the 

23 jurisdiction or service area of the entity. 


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1 (2) An evaluation of any program of the entity 

2 using grant funds under this section, including an 

3 assessment of— 

4 (A) the effectiveness of such program and 

5 recommendations for improving the program; 

6 (B) the future needs of immigrants to the 

7 United States; and 

8 (C) the future needs of States and units of 

9 local government related to immigrant integra10 tion. 

11 (g) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

12 ‘‘State’’ means each of the several States, the District of 

13 Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 

14 States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

15 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

16 (h) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—This section shall be in ef17 fect for a period of 10 fiscal years beginning with fiscal 

18 year 2018. 

19 SEC. 102. INTEGRATION SUCCESS GRANTS. 

20 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Home21 land Security may provide grants on a competitive basis 

22 to improve the economic, linguistic, and civic integration 

23 of immigrants and their children. 

24 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity eligible to receive a 

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1 ernment that submits to the Secretary an application at 

2 such time, in such manner, and containing such informa3 tion as the Secretary may reasonably require, which may 

4 include— 

5 (1) a proposal outlining the methods the entity 

6 intends to use to effectively carry out the activities 

7 funded by the grant; 

8 (2) a sociodemographic profile of non-citizens 

9 living within the jurisdiction or service area of the 

10 entity; 

11 (3) a description of opportunities and chal12 lenges in improving the economic, linguistic, and 

13 civic integration of immigrants; and 

14 (4) a comprehensive plan to improve the coordi15 nation of relevant immigrant integration services. 

16 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity awarded a grant 

17 under this section may use the grant funds— 

18 (1) to expand access to, and improve the quality 

19 of, programs supporting the economic advancement 

20 of immigrants in areas that include financial lit21 eracy, small business development, employment navi22 gation, and training opportunities, including cultural 

23 competency training for State, county, and local gov24 ernment officials that provide direct services to im25 migrants and their families; 


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1 (2) to expand programs that provide basic adult 

2 education and contextualized English language skills 

3 that improve the literacy, numeracy, workforce 

4 skills, and educational attainment of immigrants 

5 over the age of 18; 

6 (3) to expand access to programs that assist 

7 immigrants in learning English, obtaining recognized 

8 postsecondary credentials or employment, or in 

9 building measurable skills to lead to the attainment 

10 of an industry-recognized credential or certificate; 

11 and 

12 (4) to educate immigrants about United States 

13 history, civics, citizenship rights and responsibilities, 

14 democracy, opportunities to engage in the civic life 

15 of their community, unit of local government, and 

16 State, and the navigation of local systems that sup17 port the economic, linguistic, and civic integration of 

18 individuals and families. 

19 (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec20 tion, priority shall be given to— 

21 (1) an entity that uses not less than ten percent 

22 of matching funds from non-Federal sources; 

23 (2) an entity that collaborates with at least one 

24 public or private entity to carry out the comprehen25 sive plan referred to under subsection (b)(4); and 


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1 (3) a State— 

2 (A) that has a foreign born population of 

3 not less than 5 percent and that has experi4 enced an increase in non-citizen residents that 

5 is higher than the national average during the 

6 most recent 10-year period, based on data com7 piled by the Office of Immigration Statistics or 

8 the United States Census Bureau, or a unit of 

9 local government located within such State; or 

10 (B) that is one of the 10 States with the 

11 highest number of non-citizen residents, based 

12 on data compiled by the Office of Immigration 

13 Statistics or the United States Census Bureau, 

14 or a unit of local government located within 

15 such State. 

16 (e) CERTIFICATION.—In order to receive a payment 

17 under this section, a participating entity shall provide the 

18 Secretary with a certification that the proposed uses of 

19 grant funds by the entity are consistent with this section 

20 and meet all necessary criteria determined by the Sec21 retary. 

22 (f) ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.—Not later 

23 than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year for which 

24 an entity receives a grant under this section, such entity 

25 shall submit to the Secretary the following: 


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1 (1) A report that describes— 

2 (A) the activities undertaken by the entity; 

3 (B) the geographic area or areas served by 

4 the grant funds; and 

5 (C) a description of the sociodemographic 

6 characteristics of individuals served by the 

7 grant funds. 

8 (2) An evaluation of any program of the entity 

9 that receives grant funds, including an assessment 

10 of— 

11 (A) the effectiveness of such program and 

12 recommendations for improving the program; 

13 (B) the future needs of immigrants to the 

14 United States; and 

15 (C) the future needs of States and units of 

16 local government related to immigrant integra17 tion. 

18 (g) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

19 ‘‘State’’ means each of the several States, the District of 

20 Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 

21 States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

22 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

23 (h) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—This section shall be in ef24 fect for a period of 10 fiscal years beginning with fiscal 

25 year 2018. 


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1 SEC. 103. INTEGRATION SUCCESS FUND. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established within the 

3 general fund of the Treasury of the United States a sepa4 rate account which shall be known as the ‘‘Integration 

5 Success Fund’’. Twenty percent of the amounts deposited 

6 into the Integration Success Fund shall remain available 

7 until expended to carry out section 101, and 80 percent 

8 of the amounts deposited into such fund shall remain 

9 available until expended to carry out section 102. 

10 (b) GIFTS, BEQUESTS, AND DEVISES.—The Sec11 retary of Homeland Security may solicit, accept, use, and 

12 dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of services or prop13 erty, both real and personal, for the purpose of awarding 

14 grants under section 101, and 80 percent of the amounts 

15 deposited into such fund shall remain available until ex16 pended to carry out section 102. Gifts, bequests, or devises 

17 of money and proceeds from sales of other property re18 ceived as gifts, bequests, or devises shall be deposited in 

19 the Integration Success Fund established by subsection 

20 (a) and shall be available for disbursement to eligible enti21 ties in accordance with this title. 


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1 TITLE II—ENGLISH LANGUAGE 

2 LEARNING 

3 SEC. 201. WAIVER OF ENGLISH REQUIREMENT FOR SENIOR 

4 NEW AMERICANS. 

5 Section 312 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

6 (8 U.S.C. 1423) is amended by striking subsection (b) and 

7 inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘(b) The requirements under subsection (a) shall not 

9 apply to any person who— 

10 ‘‘(1) is unable to comply with such require11 ments because of physical or mental disability, in12 cluding developmental or intellectual disability; or 

13 ‘‘(2) on the date on which the person’s applica14 tion for naturalization is filed under section 334— 

15 ‘‘(A) is older than 65 years of age; and 

16 ‘‘(B) has been living in the United States 

17 for periods totaling at least 5 years after being 

18 lawfully admitted for permanent residence. 

19 ‘‘(c) The requirement under subsection (a)(1) shall 

20 not apply to any person who, on the date on which the 

21 person’s application for naturalization is filed under sec22 tion 334— 

23 ‘‘(1) is older than 50 years of age and has been 

24 living in the United States for periods totaling at 


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1 least 20 years after being lawfully admitted for per2 manent residence; 

3 ‘‘(2) is older than 55 years of age and has been 

4 living in the United States for periods totaling at 

5 least 15 years after being lawfully admitted for per6 manent residence; or 

7 ‘‘(3) is older than 60 years of age and has been 

8 living in the United States for periods totaling at 

9 least 10 years after being lawfully admitted for per10 manent residence. 

11 ‘‘(d) The Secretary of Homeland Security may waive, 

12 on a case-by-case basis, the requirement under subsection 

13 (a)(2) on behalf of any person who, on the date on which 

14 the person’s application for naturalization is filed under 

15 section 334— 

16 ‘‘(1) is older than 60 years of age; and 

17 ‘‘(2) has been living in the United States for 

18 periods totaling at least 10 years after being lawfully 

19 admitted for permanent residence.’’. 

Æ 


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