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[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3157 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.3157

                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two

                                 An Act

 
  To require the Secretary of Labor to conduct a study of the factors 
  affecting employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees with 
         professional credentials obtained in foreign countries.

    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 ``Bridging the Gap for New Americans 
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
    In this Act:
        (1) Applicable immigrants and refugees.--The term ``applicable 
    immigrants and refugees''--
            (A) means individuals who--
                (i)(I) are not citizens or nationals of the United 
            States; and
                (II) are lawfully present in the United States and 
            authorized to be employed in the United States; or
                (ii) are naturalized citizens of the United States who 
            were born outside of the United States and its outlying 
            possessions; and
            (B) includes individuals described in section 602(b)(2) of 
        the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (title VI of division 
        F of Public Law 111-8; 8 U.S.C. 1101 note).
        (2) Other terms.--Except as otherwise defined in this section, 
    terms used in this Act have the definitions given such terms under 
    section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
    1101(a)).
SEC. 3. STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR 
IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES WITH PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS OBTAINED IN 
FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
    (a) Study Required.--
        (1) In general.--The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with 
    the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary 
    of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the 
    Secretary of Homeland Security, the Administrator of the Internal 
    Revenue Service, and the Commissioner of the Social Security 
    Administration, shall conduct a study of the factors affecting 
    employment opportunities in the United States for applicable 
    immigrants and refugees who have professional credentials that were 
    obtained in a country other than the United States.
        (2) Work with other entities.--The Secretary of Labor shall 
    seek to work with relevant nonprofit organizations and State 
    agencies to use the existing data and resources of such entities to 
    conduct the study required under paragraph (1).
        (3) Limitations on disclosure.--Any information provided to the 
    Secretary of Labor in connection with the study required under 
    paragraph (1)--
            (A) may only be used for the purposes of, and to the extent 
        necessary to ensure the efficient operation of, such study; and
            (B) may not be disclosed to any other person or entity 
        except as provided under this subsection.
    (b) Inclusions.--The study required under subsection (a)(1) shall 
include--
        (1) an analysis of the employment history of applicable 
    immigrants and refugees admitted to the United States during the 5-
    year period immediately preceding the date of the enactment of this 
    Act, which shall include, to the extent practicable--
            (A) a comparison of the employment applicable immigrants 
        and refugees held before immigrating to the United States with 
        the employment they obtained in the United States, if any, 
        since their arrival; and
            (B) the occupational and professional credentials and 
        academic degrees held by applicable immigrants and refugees 
        before immigrating to the United States;
        (2) an assessment of any barriers that prevent applicable 
    immigrants and refugees from using occupational experience obtained 
    outside the United States to obtain employment in the United 
    States;
        (3) an analysis of available public and private resources 
    assisting applicable immigrants and refugees who have professional 
    experience and qualifications obtained outside of the United States 
    to obtain skill-appropriate employment in the United States; and
        (4) policy recommendations for better enabling applicable 
    immigrants and refugees who have professional experience and 
    qualifications obtained outside of the United States to obtain 
    skill-appropriate employment in the United States.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall--
        (1) submit a report to Congress that describes the results of 
    the study conducted pursuant to subsection (a); and
        (2) make such report publicly available on the website of the 
    Department of Labor.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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