I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5025 

To establish the National Office of New Americans within the Executive 

Office of the President, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2023 

Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. BUSH, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Ms. 

GARCIA of Texas, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. NORTON, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. 

STRICKLAND, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mrs. TORRES of 

California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. WILLIAMS

of Georgia, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and Mr. NADLER) 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 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’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

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

4 the Director of the National Office of New Ameri5 cans. 

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

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

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

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

10 National Office of New Americans established by 

11 section 3(a). 

12 SEC. 3. NATIONAL OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

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

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

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

17 following: 

18 (1) To welcome and support immigrants and 

19 refugees in the United States. 

20 (2) To promote and support immigrant and ref21 ugee integration into, and inclusion in, the social, 

22 cultural, economic, and civic life of the United 

23 States. 

24 (3) To ensure that the Federal Government and 

25 Federal agencies promote the pursuit of United 

26 States citizenship among immigrants and refugees. 


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1 (4) To ensure access to quality English lan2 guage learning programs that support the successful 

3 integration of immigrant adults, including by en4 hancing— 

5 (A) employment and career prospects and 

6 economic integration; and 

7 (B) social integration in local communities 

8 and participation in civic life, including engage9 ment with State and local governments, schools, 

10 and private and nonprofit community institu11 tions. 

12 (5) To improve access to workforce development 

13 programs, including by ensuring that such programs 

14 meet the demand and the unique language, training, 

15 and educational needs of immigrants and refugees. 

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

17 and local entities to support the effective social, eco18 nomic, linguistic, and civic integration of immi19 grants, refugees, and the children of immigrants and 

20 refugees. 

21 (7) To provide advice and leadership to the 

22 President, Members of Congress, and other Federal 

23 Government officials on the challenges and opportu24 nities facing such entities with respect to immigrant 

25 and refugee integration. 


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1 (8) To evaluate the scale, quality, and effective2 ness of Federal Government efforts with respect to 

3 immigrant and refugee social and economic integra4 tion, including access to United States citizenship, 

5 English language learning, education, and workforce 

6 development programs. 

7 (9) To identify the anticipated effects of new 

8 Federal policies on existing integration efforts and 

9 advise the President on how to address potential in10 tegration needs and the effects of such policies. 

11 (10) With respect to immigrant and refugee in12 tegration efforts, to consult on a biannual basis with 

13 State and local government officials on challenges 

14 and opportunities presented by such efforts. 

15 (11) With respect to the activities described in 

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

17 of the perspectives of immigrants and refugees. 

18 (12) To submit to the President and the appro19 priate committees of Congress a biannual report 

20 that describes the activities of the Office and the re21 sults of the consultation processes described in para22 graphs (8) through (11). 

23 (c) DIRECTOR.— 

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

25 by a Director, who shall be appointed by the PresiVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:35 Aug 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5025.IH H5025

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1 dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Sen2 ate. 

3 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director shall— 

4 (A) establish policies, objectives, and prior5 ities for the Office with respect to immigrant 

6 and refugee integration; 

7 (B) with the assistance of the Deputy Di8 rector for Citizenship and Inclusion, the Deputy 

9 Director for Workforce and the Economy, the 

10 Deputy Director for Children’s Integration Suc11 cess, and the Associate Director of State and 

12 Local Affairs, carry out the purposes of the Of13 fice, as described in subsection (b); 

14 (C) serve as the chairperson of the Federal 

15 Initiative for New Americans established under 

16 section 4; 

17 (D) make recommendations to the Presi18 dent on changes in the organization, manage19 ment, programs, and budget of the Federal 

20 agencies to promote the integration of immi21 grants and refugees; 

22 (E) with respect to efforts to promote 

23 United States citizenship and the integration of 

24 immigrants and refugees, consult, support, and 


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1 coordinate with State and local governments; 

2 and 

3 (F) serve as a member of the Domestic 

4 Policy Council and the National Economic 

5 Council. 

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

7 out the responsibilities under paragraph (2) and the 

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

9 (A) select, appoint, employ, and fix com10 pensation of such officers and employees as 

11 may be necessary to carry out such responsibil12 ities and purposes; 

13 (B) with the concurrence of the head of 

14 the applicable Federal agency, direct the tem15 porary reassignment within the Federal Govern16 ment of personnel employed by such Federal 

17 agency; 

18 (C) use for administrative purposes, on a 

19 reimbursable basis, the available services, equip20 ment, personnel, and facilities of Federal, State, 

21 and local agencies; 

22 (D) procure the services of experts and 

23 consultants, in accordance with section 3109 of 

24 title 5, United States Code (relating to appoint25 ments in the Federal service) at rates of comVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:35 Aug 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5025.IH H5025

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1 pensation for individuals not to exceed the daily 

2 equivalent of the rate of pay payable for level 

3 GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 

4 5332 of title 5, United States Code; 

5 (E) accept and use donations of property 

6 from Federal, State, and local government 

7 agencies; 

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

9 other Federal agencies; and 

10 (G) monitor the implementation of immi11 grant and refugee integration-related activities 

12 of the Federal Government, including by— 

13 (i) conducting program and perform14 ance audits and evaluations of each Fed15 eral agency; and 

16 (ii) requesting assistance from the In17 spector General of the applicable Federal 

18 agency in such audits and evaluations. 

19 (d) DEPUTY DIRECTORS.— 

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

21 a Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, a 

22 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, 

23 and a Deputy Director for Children’s Integration 

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

25 President, in consultation with the Director. 


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1 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

2 (A) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CITIZENSHIP

3 AND INCLUSION.—The Deputy Director for 

4 Citizenship and Inclusion shall, among other 

5 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 

6 Director in promoting— 

7 (i) inclusion of immigrants and refu8 gees in the social, economic, and civic life 

9 of their communities and the United 

10 States; and 

11 (ii) access to United States citizen12 ship. 

13 (B) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR WORKFORCE

14 AND THE ECONOMY.—The Deputy Director for 

15 Workforce and the Economy shall, among other 

16 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 

17 Director in— 

18 (i) promoting participation of immi19 grants and refugees in the United States 

20 workforce; and 

21 (ii) increasing the contributions of im22 migrants and refugees to the United States 

23 economy. 

24 (C) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN’S

25 INTEGRATION SUCCESS.—The Deputy Director 


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1 for Children’s Integration Success shall, among 

2 other duties as assigned by the Director, assist 

3 the Director in ensuring that Federal policies 

4 and programs intended to support the healthy 

5 development and educational success of children 

6 are effective in reaching and serving the chil7 dren of immigrant families. 

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

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

10 the Office a Bureau of State and Local Affairs. 

11 (2) ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR.— 

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

13 and Local Affairs shall be headed by an Asso14 ciate Director of State and Local Affairs, who 

15 shall be appointed by the President, in con16 sultation with the Director. 

17 (B) DUTIES.—The Associate Director of 

18 State and Local Affairs shall, among other du19 ties as assigned by the Director, assist the Di20 rector in coordinating the efforts of State and 

21 local entities to support the economic, linguistic, 

22 and civic integration of immigrants, refugees, 

23 and the children of immigrants and refugees. 

24 (f) LIMITATION.—An individual may not serve as Di25 rector, Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, 


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1 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, Deputy 

2 Director for Children’s Integration Success, or Associate 

3 Director of State and Local Affairs while serving in any 

4 other position in the Federal Government. 

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

6 the Office within the Executive Office of the President 

7 shall not affect access to the Office by a Member of Con8 gress or any member of a committee of the Senate or the 

9 House of Representatives, including access to— 

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

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

12 the Director; or 

13 (2) personnel of the Office. 

14 SEC. 4. FEDERAL INITIATIVE ON NEW AMERICANS. 

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

16 the confirmation of the Director of the Office, the Director 

17 shall establish within the Office a Federal Initiative on 

18 New Americans (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Initia19 tive’’). 

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

21 (1) to welcome and support immigrants and 

22 refugees in the United States; 

23 (2) to establish a coordinated Federal program 

24 to respond effectively to immigrant and refugee inte25 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 chairperson; 

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 chairperson and perform such duties 

11 as the chairperson 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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