II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 291 

To establish the National Office of New Americans within the Executive 

Office of the President, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 8, 2021 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. WARREN, Ms. 

CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. ROSEN, and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To establish the National Office of New Americans within 

the Executive Office of the President, 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 ‘‘National Office of New 

5 Americans Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

9 the Director of the National Office of New Ameri10 cans. 


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1 (2) FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 

2 agency’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘agency’’ 

3 in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. 

4 (3) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the 

5 National Office of New Americans established by 

6 section 3(a). 

7 SEC. 3. NATIONAL OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

9 the Executive Office of the President an office to be known 

10 as the ‘‘National Office of New Americans’’. 

11 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Office are the 

12 following: 

13 (1) To welcome and support immigrants and 

14 refugees in the United States. 

15 (2) To promote and support immigrant and ref16 ugee integration into, and inclusion in, the social, 

17 cultural, economic, and civic life of the United 

18 States. 

19 (3) To ensure that the Federal Government and 

20 Federal agencies promote the pursuit of United 

21 States citizenship among immigrants and refugees. 

22 (4) To ensure access to quality English lan23 guage learning programs that support the successful 

24 integration of immigrant adults, including by en25 hancing— 


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1 (A) employment and career prospects and 

2 economic integration; and 

3 (B) social integration in local communities 

4 and participation in civic life, including engage5 ment with State and local governments, schools, 

6 and private and nonprofit community institu7 tions. 

8 (5) To improve access to workforce development 

9 programs, including by ensuring that such programs 

10 meet the demand and the unique language, training, 

11 and educational needs of immigrants and refugees. 

12 (6) To coordinate the efforts of Federal, State, 

13 and local entities to support the effective social, eco14 nomic, linguistic, and civic integration of immi15 grants, refugees, and the children of immigrants and 

16 refugees. 

17 (7) To provide advice and leadership to the 

18 President, Members of Congress, and other Federal 

19 Government officials on the challenges and opportu20 nities facing such entities with respect to immigrant 

21 and refugee integration. 

22 (8) To evaluate the scale, quality, and effective23 ness of Federal Government efforts with respect to 

24 immigrant and refugee social and economic integra25 tion, including access to United States citizenship, 


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1 English language learning, education, and workforce 

2 development programs. 

3 (9) To identify the anticipated effects of new 

4 Federal policies on existing integration efforts and 

5 advise the President on how to address potential in6 tegration needs and the effects of such policies. 

7 (10) With respect to immigrant and refugee in8 tegration efforts, to consult on a biannual basis with 

9 State and local government officials on challenges 

10 and opportunities presented by such efforts. 

11 (11) With respect to the activities described in 

12 paragraphs (8) through (10), to ensure the inclusion 

13 of the perspectives of immigrants and refugees. 

14 (12) To submit to the President and the appro15 priate committees of Congress a biannual report 

16 that describes the activities of the Office and the re17 sults of the consultation processes described in para18 graphs (8) through (11). 

19 (c) DIRECTOR.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be headed 

21 by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Presi22 dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Sen23 ate. 

24 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director shall— 


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1 (A) establish policies, objectives, and prior2 ities for the Office with respect to immigrant 

3 and refugee integration; 

4 (B) with the assistance of the Deputy Di5 rector for Citizenship and Inclusion, the Deputy 

6 Director for Workforce and the Economy, the 

7 Deputy Director for Children’s Integration Suc8 cess, and the Associate Director of State and 

9 Local Affairs, carry out the purposes of the Of10 fice, as described in subsection (b); 

11 (C) serve as the Chair of the Federal Ini12 tiative for New Americans established under 

13 section 4; 

14 (D) make recommendations to the Presi15 dent on changes in the organization, manage16 ment, programs, and budget of the Federal 

17 agencies to promote the integration of immi18 grants and refugees; 

19 (E) with respect to efforts to promote 

20 United States citizenship and the integration of 

21 immigrants and refugees, consult, support, and 

22 coordinate with State and local governments; 

23 and 


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1 (F) serve as a member of the Domestic 

2 Policy Council and the National Economic 

3 Council. 

4 (3) POWERS OF THE DIRECTOR.—In carrying 

5 out the responsibilities under paragraph (2) and the 

6 purposes under subsection (b), the Director may— 

7 (A) select, appoint, employ, and fix com8 pensation of such officers and employees as 

9 may be necessary to carry out such responsibil10 ities and purposes; 

11 (B) with the concurrence of the head of 

12 the applicable Federal agency, direct the tem13 porary reassignment within the Federal Govern14 ment of personnel employed by such Federal 

15 agency; 

16 (C) use for administrative purposes, on a 

17 reimbursable basis, the available services, equip18 ment, personnel, and facilities of Federal, State, 

19 and local agencies; 

20 (D) procure the services of experts and 

21 consultants, in accordance with section 3109 of 

22 title 5, United States Code (relating to appoint23 ments in the Federal service) at rates of com24 pensation for individuals not to exceed the daily 

25 equivalent of the rate of pay payable for level 


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1 GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 

2 5332 of title 5, United States Code; 

3 (E) accept and use donations of property 

4 from Federal, State, and local government 

5 agencies; 

6 (F) use the mail in the same manner as 

7 other Federal agencies; and 

8 (G) monitor the implementation of immi9 grant and refugee integration-related activities 

10 of the Federal Government, including by— 

11 (i) conducting program and perform12 ance audits and evaluations of each Fed13 eral agency; and 

14 (ii) requesting assistance from the In15 spector General of the applicable Federal 

16 agency in such audits and evaluations. 

17 (d) DEPUTY DIRECTORS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Office 

19 a Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, a 

20 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, 

21 and a Deputy Director for Children’s Integration 

22 and Success, each of whom shall be appointed by the 

23 President, in consultation with the Director. 

24 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 


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1 (A) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CITIZENSHIP

2 AND INCLUSION.—The Deputy Director for 

3 Citizenship and Inclusion shall, among other 

4 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 

5 Director in promoting— 

6 (i) inclusion of immigrants and refu7 gees in the social, economic, and civic life 

8 of their communities and the United 

9 States; and 

10 (ii) access to United States citizen11 ship. 

12 (B) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR WORKFORCE

13 AND THE ECONOMY.—The Deputy Director for 

14 Workforce and the Economy shall, among other 

15 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 

16 Director in— 

17 (i) promoting participation of immi18 grants and refugees in the United States 

19 workforce; and 

20 (ii) increasing the contributions of im21 migrants and refugees to the United States 

22 economy. 

23 (C) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN’S

24 INTEGRATION SUCCESS.—The Deputy Director 

25 for Children’s Integration Success shall, among 


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1 other duties as assigned by the Director, assist 

2 the Director in ensuring that Federal policies 

3 and programs intended to support the healthy 

4 development and educational success of children 

5 are effective in reaching and serving the chil6 dren of immigrant families. 

7 (e) BUREAU OF STATE AND LOCAL AFFAIRS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established within 

9 the Office a Bureau of State and Local Affairs. 

10 (2) ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of State 

12 and Local Affairs shall be headed by an Asso13 ciate Director of State and Local Affairs, who 

14 shall be appointed by the President, in con15 sultation with the Director. 

16 (B) DUTIES.—The Associate Director of 

17 State and Local Affairs shall, among other du18 ties as assigned by the Director, assist the Di19 rector in coordinating the efforts of State and 

20 local entities to support the economic, linguistic, 

21 and civic integration of immigrants, refugees, 

22 and the children of immigrants and refugees. 

23 (f) LIMITATION.—An individual may not serve as Di24 rector, Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, 

25 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, Deputy 


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1 Director for Children’s Integration Success, or Associate 

2 Director of State and Local Affairs while serving in any 

3 other position in the Federal Government. 

4 (g) ACCESS BY CONGRESS.—The establishment of 

5 the Office within the Executive Office of the President 

6 shall not affect access to the Office by a Member of Con7 gress or any member of a committee of the Senate or the 

8 House of Representatives, including access to— 

9 (1) any information, document, or study in the 

10 possession of, or conducted by or at the direction of, 

11 the Director; or 

12 (2) personnel of the Office. 

13 SEC. 4. FEDERAL INITIATIVE ON NEW AMERICANS. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

15 the confirmation of the Director of the Office, the Director 

16 shall establish within the Office a Federal Initiative on 

17 New Americans (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Initia18 tive’’). 

19 (b) PURPOSE.—The purposes of the Initiative are— 

20 (1) to welcome and support immigrants and 

21 refugees in the United States; 

22 (2) to establish a coordinated Federal program 

23 to respond effectively to immigrant and refugee inte24 gration issues; and 


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1 (3) to advise and assist the Director in identi2 fying and implementing the necessary policies to 

3 carry out such program. 

4 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Initiative shall be composed 

5 of— 

6 (1) the Director, who shall serve as Chair; 

7 (2) the Secretary of the Treasury; 

8 (3) the Attorney General; 

9 (4) the Secretary of Commerce; 

10 (5) the Secretary of Labor; 

11 (6) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv12 ices; 

13 (7) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel14 opment; 

15 (8) the Secretary of Education; 

16 (9) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 

17 (10) the Secretary of State; 

18 (11) the Director of the Office of Refugee Re19 settlement; 

20 (12) the Director of the Small Business Admin21 istration; 

22 (13) the Director of the Office of Management 

23 and Budget; 

24 (14) the Director of the Bureau of Consumer 

25 Financial Protection; and 


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1 (15) any other individual— 

2 (A) invited by the Director to participate; 

3 and 

4 (B) who occupies a position listed under 

5 level I or II of the Executive Schedule, as pro6 vided in sections 5312 and 5313 of title 5, 

7 United States Code. 

8 (d) DUTIES.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Initiative shall meet at 

10 the call of the Chair and perform such duties as the 

11 Chair reasonably requires. 

12 (2) COORDINATED RESPONSE TO IMMIGRANT

13 AND REFUGEE ISSUES.—The Initiative shall join 

14 with Federal agencies in providing a coordinated 

15 Federal response to adequately address matters that 

16 affect the lives of immigrant and refugee families 

17 and local communities with growing immigrant and 

18 refugee populations, including access to— 

19 (A) English language learning; 

20 (B) adult education and workforce train21 ing; 

22 (C) occupational licensure; 

23 (D) early childhood care and education; 

24 (E) elementary, secondary, and postsec25 ondary education; 


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1 (F) health care; 

2 (G) naturalization; 

3 (H) civic engagement; 

4 (I) immigration assistance and legal serv5 ices; 

6 (J) economic development; 

7 (K) language access services; and 

8 (L) other services the Director identifies as 

9 aiding the integration of immigrants and refu10 gees into the social, cultural, economic, and 

11 civic life of the United States. 

12 (3) LIAISON WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each member of the 

14 Initiative shall serve as a liaison to the Federal 

15 agency of the member to ensure that the Fed16 eral agency coordinates with and responds to 

17 the recommendations of the Initiative in a time18 ly and meaningful manner. 

19 (B) DUTIES OF A LIAISON.—The duties of 

20 each member as a Federal agency liaison in21 clude— 

22 (i) developing, for the applicable Fed23 eral agency, immigrant and refugee inte24 gration goals and indicators; 


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1 (ii) implementing the biannual con2 sultation process described in section 

3 3(b)(10) by consulting with the State and 

4 local counterparts of the Federal agency; 

5 (iii) reporting to the Initiative on the 

6 progress made by the Federal agency in 

7 achieving the goals and indicators de8 scribed in clause (i); and 

9 (iv) upon request by the Director and 

10 subject to laws governing disclosure of in11 formation, providing such information as 

12 may be required to carry out the respon13 sibilities of the Director and the functions 

14 of the Office. 

15 (4) RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INITIATIVE.— 

16 Not later than 1 year after the date on which the 

17 Initiative becomes fully operational, and every 2 

18 years thereafter, the Director shall submit to Con19 gress a report that includes the following: 

20 (A) Findings from the consultation process 

21 described in section 3(b)(10), including a de22 scription of the immigrant and refugee integra23 tion opportunities offered by, and integration 

24 challenges facing, State and local governments. 


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1 (B) An assessment of the effects of, and 

2 recommendations with respect to, pending legis3 lation and executive branch policy proposals. 

4 (C) A description of the possible effects of 

5 pending legislation and executive branch policy 

6 proposals on immigrant and refugee integra7 tion. 

8 (D) An identification of any Federal pro9 gram or policy that has a negative impact on 

10 immigrants, refugees, and local communities 

11 with growing immigrant and refugee popu12 lations, as compared to the general population, 

13 and recommendations for changes to any such 

14 program or policy. 

15 (E) Recommendations on legislative solu16 tions to better support the successful integra17 tion of immigrants and refugees and the chil18 dren of immigrants and refugees. 

Æ 


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