I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7401 

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

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 2, 2019 

Mr. ELLISON 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’’. 

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

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. English language and work orientation training for approved refugee 

applicants. 


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Sec. 3. Lawful permanent resident status of refugees and aliens granted asylum. 

Sec. 4. Update of reception and placement grants. 

Sec. 5. Coordination of refugee program agencies. 

Sec. 6. Case management. 

Sec. 7. Increase in cash payments. 

Sec. 8. Refugee integration grants. 

Sec. 9. Matching grant program expansion. 

Sec. 10. Domestic emergency refugee resettlement fund. 

Sec. 11. Supplemental security income benefits. 

Sec. 12. Making special immigrant juvenile status beneficiaries and unaccompanied children granted ‘‘U’’ visa protection eligible for foster 

care and refugee benefits. 

1 SEC. 2. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND WORK ORIENTATION 

2 TRAINING FOR APPROVED REFUGEE APPLI3 CANTS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall es5 tablish overseas refugee training programs to offer 

6 English as a second language and work orientation train7 ing options for refugees who have been approved for ad8 mission to the United States before their departure for 

9 the United States. 

10 (b) DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION.—In designing 

11 and implementing the programs referred to in subsection 

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

13 (1) nongovernmental or international organiza14 tions with direct ties to the United States refugee 

15 resettlement program; and 

16 (2) nongovernmental or international organiza17 tions with appropriate expertise in developing cur18 riculum and teaching English as a second language. 


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

2 shall ensure that such training programs are strictly op3 tional, occur within applicable processing times and do not 

4 delay or prevent the departure for the United States of 

5 refugees who have been approved for admission to the 

6 United States. 

7 (d) TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.— 

8 (1) INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 

9 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

10 the Secretary shall ensure that such training pro11 grams are fully and continually operational in at 

12 least 3 refugee processing regions. 

13 (2) ADDITIONAL IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later 

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

15 Act, the Secretary shall notify the appropriate con16 gressional committees that such training programs 

17 are fully and consistently operational in 5 refugee 

18 processing regions. 

19 (e) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the 

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

21 of the United States shall conduct a study on the imple22 mentation of this section, including an assessment of the 

23 quality of English as a second language curriculum and 

24 instruction, the benefits of the work orientation and 

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1 gees, and recommendations on whether such programs 

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

3 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a re4 port on the findings of such study. 

5 (f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec6 tion shall be construed to require that a refugee partici7 pate in such a training program as a precondition for the 

8 admission to the United States of such refugee. 

9 SEC. 3. LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS OF REFU10 GEES AND ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM. 

11 (a) ADMISSION OF EMERGENCY SITUATION REFU12 GEES.—Section 207(c) of the Immigration and Nation13 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157(c)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

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

16 first time it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of 

17 Homeland Security’’; 

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

19 additional place it appears and inserting ‘‘Sec20 retary’’; and 

21 (C) by striking ‘‘(except as otherwise pro22 vided under paragraph (3)) as an immigrant 

23 under this Act.’’ and inserting ‘‘(except as pro24 vided under subsections (b) and (c) of section 

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1 standing any numerical limitations specified in 

2 this Act, any alien admitted under this para3 graph shall be regarded as lawfully admitted to 

4 the United States for permanent residence as of 

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

6 States.’’; 

7 (2) in paragraph (2)(A)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘(except as otherwise pro9 vided under paragraph (3))’’ and inserting 

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

11 (c) of section 209)’’; and 

12 (B) by striking the last sentence and in13 serting the following: ‘‘An alien admitted to the 

14 United States as a refugee may petition for his 

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

16 her in the United States at any time after such 

17 alien’s admission, notwithstanding his or her 

18 treatment as a lawful permanent resident as of 

19 the date of his or her admission to the United 

20 States.’’; 

21 (3) by striking paragraph (3); 

22 (4) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para23 graph (3); and 

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


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

2 first place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary 

3 of Homeland Security’’; and 

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

5 additional place it appears and inserting ‘‘Sec6 retary’’. 

7 (b) TREATMENT OF SPOUSE AND CHILDREN.—Sec8 tion 208(b)(3) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(3)) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub11 paragraph (E); and 

12 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol13 lowing: 

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

15 under this subsection may petition for the same 

16 status to be conferred on his or her spouse or 

17 child at any time after such alien is granted 

18 asylum whether or not such alien has applied 

19 for, or been granted, adjustment to permanent 

20 resident status under section 209. 

21 ‘‘(C) PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS.— 

22 Notwithstanding any numerical limitations 

23 specified in this Act, a spouse or child admitted 

24 to the United States as an asylee following to 

25 join a spouse or parent previously granted asyVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:50 Jan 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7401.IH H7401

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1 lum shall be regarded as lawfully admitted to 

2 the United States for permanent residence as of 

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

4 the United States. 

5 ‘‘(D) APPLICATION FOR ADJUSTMENT OF

6 STATUS.—A spouse or child who was not admit7 ted to the United States pursuant to a grant of 

8 asylum, but who was granted asylum under this 

9 subparagraph after his or her arrival as the 

10 spouse or child of an alien granted asylum 

11 under section 208, may apply for adjustment of 

12 status to that of lawful permanent resident 

13 under section 209 at any time after being 

14 granted asylum.’’. 

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

16 1159) is amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 209. TREATMENT OF ALIENS ADMITTED AS REFU18 GEES AND ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

20 ‘‘(1) TREATMENT OF REFUGEES.—Notwith21 standing any numerical limitations specified in this 

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

23 States under section 207 shall be regarded as law24 fully admitted to the United States for permanent 

25 residence as of the date of such admission. 


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1 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT OF SPOUSE AND CHIL2 DREN.—Notwithstanding any numerical limitations 

3 specified in this Act, any alien admitted to the 

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

5 or child of an alien granted asylum under section 

6 208(b)(1) shall be regarded as lawfully admitted to 

7 the United States for permanent residence as of the 

8 date of such admission. 

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

10 of Homeland Security or the Attorney General, in 

11 the discretion of the Secretary or the Attorney Gen12 eral, and under such regulations as the Secretary or 

13 the Attorney General may prescribe, may adjust, to 

14 the status of an alien lawfully admitted to the 

15 United States for permanent residence, the status of 

16 any alien who, while in the United States— 

17 ‘‘(A) is granted— 

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

19 a principal alien or as the spouse or child 

20 of an alien granted asylum); or 

21 ‘‘(ii) refugee status under section 207 

22 as the spouse or child of a refugee; 

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

24 at any time after being granted asylum or ref25 ugee status; 


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

2 country; or 

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

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

5 immigrant under this Act at the time of exam6 ination for adjustment of such alien. 

7 ‘‘(4) RECORD.—Upon approval of an applica8 tion under this subsection, the Secretary of Home9 land Security or the Attorney General shall establish 

10 a record of the alien’s admission for lawful perma11 nent residence as of the date such alien was granted 

12 asylum or refugee status. 

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

14 been admitted to the United States under section 

15 207 or 208 or who adjusts to the status of a lawful 

16 permanent resident as a refugee or asylee under this 

17 section shall be issued documentation indicating that 

18 such alien is a lawful permanent resident pursuant 

19 to a grant of refugee or asylum status. 

20 ‘‘(b) INAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN INADMISSIBILITY

21 GROUNDS TO REFUGEES, ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM, 

22 AND SUCH ALIENS SEEKING ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS TO

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

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

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


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

2 208; or 

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

4 permanent resident pursuant to a grant of refugee 

5 or asylum status. 

6 ‘‘(c) WAIVER OF INADMISSIBILITY OR DEPORT7 ABILITY FOR REFUGEES, ALIENS GRANTED ASYLUM, AND

8 SUCH ALIENS SEEKING ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS TO

9 LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para11 graph (2), the Secretary of Homeland Security or 

12 the Attorney General may waive any ground of inad13 missibility under section 212 or any ground of de14 portability under section 237 for a refugee admitted 

15 under section 207, an alien granted asylum under 

16 section 208, or an alien seeking admission as a law17 ful permanent resident pursuant to a grant of ref18 ugee or asylum status if the Secretary or the Attor19 ney General determines that such waiver is justified 

20 by humanitarian purposes, to ensure family unity, or 

21 is otherwise in the public interest. 

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

23 207, an alien granted asylum under section 208, or 

24 an alien seeking admission as a lawful permanent 

25 resident pursuant to a grant of refugee or asylum 


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1 status shall be ineligible for a waiver under para2 graph (1) if it has been established that the alien 

3 is— 

4 ‘‘(A) inadmissible under section 

5 212(a)(2)(C) or subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or 

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

7 ‘‘(B) deportable under section 

8 237(a)(2)(A)(iii) for an offense described in 

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

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

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

12 (d) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

13 (1) ALIENS NOT SUBJECT TO DIRECT NUMER14 ICAL LIMITATIONS.—Section 201(b)(1)(B) of the 

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

16 1151(b)(1)(B)) is amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(B) Aliens who are admitted to the 

18 United States as permanent residents under 

19 section 207 or 208 or whose status is adjusted 

20 under section 209.’’. 

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

22 (8 U.S.C. 1157(f)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘At23 torney General’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary of Home24 land Security’’. 


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1 (3) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of con2 tents for such Act is amended by striking the item 

3 relating to section 209 and inserting the following: 

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

4 (e) SAVINGS PROVISIONS.— 

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

6 made by this section may be construed to limit ac7 cess to the benefits described at chapter 2 of title IV 

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

9 1521 et seq.). 

10 (2) CLARIFICATION.—Aliens admitted for law11 ful permanent residence under section 207 or 208 of 

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

13 1157; 1158) or who adjust status to lawful perma14 nent resident under section 209 of such Act (8 

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

16 aliens granted asylum in accordance with sections 

17 402, 403, 412, and 431 of the Personal Responsi18 bility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 

19 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612; 1613; 1622; 1641). 

20 (f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section, and the amend21 ments made by this section, shall become effective on the 

22 earlier of— 

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

24 the enactment of this Act; or 


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1 (2) the date on which a final rule is promul2 gated to implement this section. 

3 SEC. 4. UPDATE OF RECEPTION AND PLACEMENT GRANTS. 

4 Beginning with fiscal year 2020, the Secretary of 

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

6 placement grants for refugees, ensure that— 

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

8 adequate to provide for the anticipated initial reset9 tlement needs of refugees, including adjusting the 

10 amount for inflation and the cost of living; 

11 (2) the administrative proportion of the grant is 

12 provided at the beginning of the fiscal year to each 

13 national resettlement agency that is sufficient to en14 sure adequate local and national capacity to serve 

15 the initial resettlement needs of refugees the Sec16 retary anticipates the agency will resettle throughout 

17 the fiscal year; and 

18 (3) additional amounts are provided to each na19 tional resettlement agency promptly upon the arrival 

20 of refugees that, exclusive of the amounts provided 

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

22 anticipated initial resettlement needs of such refu23 gees and support local and national operational costs 

24 in excess of the estimates described in paragraph 

25 (1). 


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1 SEC. 5. COORDINATION OF REFUGEE PROGRAM AGENCIES. 

2 It is the sense of the Congress that— 

3 (1) the President should appoint a White House 

4 Coordinator on Refugee Protection and grant such 

5 official the authority and staff necessary to coordi6 nate, prioritize, and lead efforts to address refugee 

7 protection issues that involve multiple agencies, in8 cluding the refugee admissions program, and to re9 solve interagency differences in a timely, efficient, 

10 and effective manner; and 

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

12 require as a condition for appointment a significant 

13 level of prior experience in the refugee protection 

14 field. 

15 SEC. 6. CASE MANAGEMENT. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

17 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.— 

18 The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement 

19 shall make grants to national resettlement agencies 

20 to operate a case management system to assist 

21 qualified individuals in accessing services, benefits, 

22 and assistance for which they are eligible that are 

23 provided by— 

24 (A) the Office of Refugee Resettlement 

25 (the ‘‘Office’’); 


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

2 and 

3 (C) private or nonprofit organizations. 

4 (2) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS.—Subject to para5 graphs (3) and (4), any individual who was at any 

6 time eligible for resettlement, acculturation, or sub7 sistence services provided by the Office shall be 

8 qualified to receive the case management services de9 scribed in paragraph (1). 

10 (3) PERIOD OF QUALIFICATION.—Except as 

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

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

13 management services described in paragraph (1) 

14 during the period beginning on the date such indi15 vidual was determined to be eligible for resettlement, 

16 acculturation, or subsistence services provided by the 

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

18 which such individual ceases to be eligible for such 

19 resettlement, acculturation, or subsistence service. 

20 (4) EXCEPTIONS FOR EXCEPTIONAL CIR21 CUMSTANCES.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para23 graph (3), an individual described in subpara24 graph (B) shall be qualified to receive the case 

25 management services described in paragraph 


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

2 which such individual was determined eligible 

3 for resettlement, acculturation, or subsistence 

4 services provided by the Office, and continuing 

5 for 3 years after the date on which such indi6 vidual ceases to be eligible for such resettle7 ment, acculturation, or subsistence services. 

8 (B) EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.—An 

9 individual described in paragraph (2) may be 

10 treated in accordance with subparagraph (A) if 

11 such individual— 

12 (i) is elderly; 

13 (ii) has extraordinary resettlement or 

14 acculturation needs that impede such indi15 vidual’s ability to achieve durable self-suffi16 ciency; 

17 (iii) is a refugee who was resettled 

18 from a situation of protracted displace19 ment; 

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

21 an unattached refugee minor; or 

22 (v) at the time of entry— 

23 (I) had a disability or serious 

24 medical condition; 


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1 (II) had mental health condi2 tions; 

3 (III) was part of a household 

4 headed by a single parent; or 

5 (IV) had been the victim of a se6 vere form of violence. 

7 (5) DEFINITION OF RESETTLEMENT, ACCUL8 TURATION, OR SUBSISTENCE SERVICES.—For the 

9 purposes of this section, the term, ‘‘resettlement, ac10 culturation, or subsistence services’’ shall include all 

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

12 the exception of the case management services pro13 vided under paragraph (1). 

14 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

15 authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec16 essary to carry out this section. 

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

18 be construed as affecting the authority of the Director 

19 under section 412(e)(7)(A) of the Immigration and Na20 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1522(e)(7)(A)), or of any other 

21 section of such Act, to provide case management services 

22 to individuals who have been in the United States for 

23 longer than 36 months. 


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1 SEC. 7. INCREASE IN CASH PAYMENTS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 412 of the Immigration 

3 and Nationality 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 

7 funds appropriated for this purpose, assist8 ance and social services for employment, 

9 health and living expenses shall be avail10 able for a period of not less than 12 

11 months.’’; 

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

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

14 appropriated for this purpose, assistance and serv15 ices shall be made available to refugees for a period 

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

17 (3) in subsection (e)(1)— 

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

19 ‘‘(1)(A)’’; and 

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

21 ‘‘(B) Subject to the availability of funds 

22 appropriated for this purpose, such assistance 

23 shall be provided for a minimum of 12 months 

24 beginning with the first month in which such 

25 refugee entered the United States.’’. 


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

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

3 (1) the first day of the first fiscal year that be4 gins after the date of the enactment of this Act; or 

5 (2) the date on which a final rule is promul6 gated to implement this section. 

7 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The 12-month speci8 fication contained in the amendments made by subsection 

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

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

11 interpreted as limiting or reducing assistance already pro12 vided for a period longer than 12 months. 

13 SEC. 8. REFUGEE INTEGRATION GRANTS. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF REFUGEE INTEGRATION

15 GRANTS.—The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettle16 ment is authorized to award grants to community-based 

17 organizations, national nonprofit organizations having ex18 perience and expertise in immigration law and the legal, 

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

20 national resettlement agencies for the design and imple21 mentation of programs to offer training and orientation 

22 to newcomers to the United States to assist them in inte23 grating into the civic life of the United States. 

24 (b) SERVICES FUNDED.—Programs funded under 

25 subsection (a) shall be used— 


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1 (1) to offer assistance and instruction to aliens 

2 described in subsection (c), on— 

3 (A) the naturalization process; 

4 (B) the legal requirements for naturaliza5 tion; 

6 (C) rights and responsibilities of U.S. citi7 zens; 

8 (D) cultural orientation; 

9 (E) English as a second language; 

10 (F) civics and United States history; 

11 (G) housing; 

12 (H) transportation; 

13 (I) recertification; 

14 (J) employment training; 

15 (K) mental health services; 

16 (L) childcare services; and 

17 (M) other topics the Director identifies as 

18 aiding the orientation and adjustment of new 

19 arrivals to the United States; 

20 (2) to offer orientation and assistance to Fed21 eral, State, and local institutions that serve new22 comers to the United States so as to assist such in23 stitutions in meeting their needs; and 

24 (3) to provide technical assistance and training 

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1 tion in English as a second language, civics, and 

2 United States history and technical assistance and 

3 training to community-based organizations providing 

4 naturalization outreach and application assistance. 

5 (c) ELIGIBLE PERSONS.—Persons eligible for assist6 ance and instruction under this subsection include— 

7 (1) aliens admitted as refugees under section 

8 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

9 U.S.C. 1157); 

10 (2) aliens granted asylum under section 208 of 

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

12 (3) aliens admitted as special immigrants from 

13 Iraq or Afghanistan pursuant to section 1244 of the 

14 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

15 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 122 Stat. 396); 

16 (4) any alien who was at any time eligible to re17 ceive services from the Office of Refugee Resettle18 ment; and 

19 (5) other aliens designated by the Director of 

20 the Office of Refugee Resettlement. 

21 (d) APPLICATION FOR GRANTS.—Each entity desir22 ing a refugee integration grant under this section shall 

23 submit an application to the Director at such time and 

24 in such manner as the Director may require. 


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

2 shall give priority to organizations either with experience 

3 in resettling refugees or in administering services for refu4 gees and asylum seekers. 

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

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

7 thereafter, the Director shall report to the Judiciary Com8 mittees of the Senate and the House of Representatives 

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

10 shall include information regarding the grants issued pur11 suant to this section and the results of those grants. 

12 SEC. 9. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM EXPANSION. 

13 (a) USE OF THE REFUGEE MATCHING GRANT PRO14 GRAM.— 

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

16 outcomes achieved for individuals served through the 

17 refugee matching grant program, under which Fed18 eral funds are matched by private sector contribu19 tions of cash, goods, and volunteers, the Director of 

20 the Office of Refugee Resettlement shall ensure that 

21 the thresholds described in paragraph (2) are met 

22 with respect to participation by eligible individuals in 

23 such program. 

24 (2) ANNUAL THRESHOLDS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the avail2 ability of funds appropriated for this purpose, 

3 the percentage of eligible individuals who apply 

4 for services under the matching grant program 

5 who shall be served through such program is 

6 set at the following levels in each of the fol7 lowing fiscal years— 

8 (i) at least 60 percent in fiscal year 

9 2020; 

10 (ii) at least 70 percent in fiscal year 

11 2021; and 

12 (iii) at least 80 percent in fiscal year 

13 2022, and thereafter. 

14 (B) EXCEPTIONS.—In determining the 

15 thresholds in this paragraph, the Director shall 

16 exclude individuals who are disabled, under the 

17 age of 18, or over the age of 65 unless such in18 dividuals are being served as members of an eli19 gible family. 

20 (3) LENGTH OF ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT.—In21 dividuals as described in paragraph (2)(B) shall be 

22 eligible for services under the matching grant pro23 gram, and therefore be expected to achieve self-suffi24 ciency, within 180 to 240 days of their enrollment 

25 in the program. 


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1 (4) AMOUNT OF GRANT.— 

2 (A) ANNUAL UPDATE.—Subject to the 

3 availability of funds appropriated for this pur4 pose, beginning with fiscal year 2020, the Di5 rector shall, when setting the amount of the 

6 matching grants, ensure that the grant amount 

7 is adjusted annually so that it is adequate to 

8 provide for services intended to help refugees 

9 become self-sufficient within 180 to 240 days, 

10 including adjusting the amount for inflation 

11 and the cost of living. 

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

13 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di14 rector shall undertake an assessment of the per 

15 capita amount that is provided in the matching 

16 grant program. The assessment shall— 

17 (i) examine the adequacy of the cur18 rent per capita grant amount to provide 

19 the assistance necessary to enable individ20 uals who are served by the program to 

21 achieve self-sufficiency within 240 days; 

22 (ii) determine the per capita grant 

23 amount that would be necessary in order 

24 to provide the assistance necessary to en25 able individuals who are served by the proVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:50 Jan 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7401.IH H7401

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1 gram achieve self-sufficiency within 240 

2 days; and 

3 (iii) assess the potential impact of any 

4 other changes to the operation of the pro5 gram that the Director or the Office’s non6 Federal partners suggest to improve the 

7 effectiveness of the program. 

8 (C) CONSULTATION WITH PARTNERS.—In 

9 conducting the assessment referred to in sub10 paragraph (B), the Director shall consult with 

11 representatives of national and local resettle12 ment agencies with experience in providing 

13 services under the matching grant program to 

14 learn their views on the program, including 

15 their views with respect to clauses (i) through 

16 (iv) of subparagraph (B). 

17 (D) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

18 than 120 days after the date of enactment of 

19 this Act, the Director shall report to the appro20 priate committees of Congress the results of the 

21 assessment made pursuant to subparagraph 

22 (B). Such report shall include— 

23 (i) the Director’s findings pursuant to 

24 subparagraph (B); 


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1 (ii) the amount of the per capita 

2 grant that will be provided beginning on 

3 the first day of the first fiscal year that be4 gins after the date of enactment of this 

5 Act; and 

6 (iii) a summary of the views expressed 

7 by the entities described in subparagraph 

8 (C). 

9 (E) GRANT AMOUNT IN ABSENCE OF RE10 PORT.—If for any reason the report described 

11 in subparagraph (D) is not filed with the appro12 priate committees of the Congress on or before 

13 the required date for the submission of such re14 port, the per capita matching grant amount for 

15 the first fiscal year that begins after the date 

16 of enactment of this Act shall be set at the 

17 amount set for such grant on September 30 of 

18 the previous fiscal year and prorated to reflect 

19 a 180- to 240-day grant period. 

20 SEC. 10. DOMESTIC EMERGENCY REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT 

21 FUND. 

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

23 Emergency Refugee Resettlement Fund that shall be 

24 available to the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettle25 ment to meet unanticipated resettlement needs. 


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

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

3 Director is authorized to furnish on such terms and condi4 tions as the Director may determine, assistance under this 

5 chapter for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent re6 settlement needs of populations and communities served 

7 pursuant to this chapter, including communities experi8 encing high numbers of arrivals of refugees due to sec9 ondary migration. 

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

11 assistance to eligible entities for the purposes of providing 

12 resettlement assistance to refugees, including transpor13 tation, housing, employment, health, mental health, 

14 English language training services, recertification, and 

15 other purposes as determined by the Director. 

16 (d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES DEFINED.—National reset17 tlement agencies, community-based organizations, torture 

18 survivor rehabilitation centers and programs, and States. 

19 (e) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—No amounts 

20 may be withdrawn from the fund authorized by subsection 

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

22 resettlement emergency exists and has certified such fact 

23 to appropriate committees of Congress. 

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

25 which when added to the amounts previously appropriated 


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

2 $100,000,000 annually. 

3 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 

4 appropriated pursuant to this section shall be available 

5 until expended. 

6 SEC. 11. SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME BENEFITS. 

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

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

9 1612(a)(2)) is amended— 

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

11 follows: 

12 ‘‘(A) EXCEPTION FOR REFUGEES AND

13 ASYLEES.—With respect to the specified Fed14 eral programs described in paragraph (3), para15 graph (1) shall not apply to— 

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

17 States as a refugee under section 207 of 

18 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

19 U.S.C. 1157); 

20 ‘‘(ii) an alien granted asylum under 

21 section 208 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1158); 

22 ‘‘(iii) an alien whose deportation is 

23 withheld under section 243(h) of such Act 

24 (8 U.S.C. 1253) (as in effect immediately 

25 before the effective date of section 307 of 


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1 division C of Public Law 104–208) or sec2 tion 241(b)(3) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 

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

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

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

6 a Cuban and Haitian entrant (as defined 

7 in section 501(e) of the Refugee Education 

8 Assistance Act of 1980); 

9 ‘‘(v) an alien admitted as a special im10 migrant from Iraq or Afghanistan pursu11 ant to section 1244 of the National De12 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

13 2008; or 

14 ‘‘(vi) an alien who is admitted to the 

15 United States as an Amerasian immigrant 

16 pursuant to section 584 of the Foreign Op17 erations, Export Financing, and Related 

18 Programs Appropriations Act, 1988 (as 

19 contained in section 101(e) of Public Law 

20 100–202 and amended by the 9th proviso 

21 under migration and refugee assistance in 

22 title II of the Foreign Operations, Export 

23 Financing, and Related Programs Appro24 priations Act, 1989, Public Law 100–461, 

25 as amended).’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(N) SSI BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN ALIENS

3 AND VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING.—Beginning on 

4 the date of the enactment of this subparagraph, 

5 any qualified alien (as defined in section 

6 431(b)), victim of trafficking in persons (as de7 fined in section 107(b)(1)(C) of division A of 

8 the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protec9 tion Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(C))), or 

10 alien granted status under section 

11 101(a)(15)(T)(ii) of the Immigration and Na12 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(T)(ii)) ren13 dered ineligible for the specified Federal pro14 gram described in paragraph (3)(A) solely by 

15 reason of the termination of the 7-year period 

16 described in subparagraph (A) prior to the en17 actment of this subparagraph shall be eligible 

18 for benefits under such program without regard 

19 to subparagraph (A).’’. 


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1 SEC. 12. MAKING SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE STATUS 

2 BENEFICIARIES AND UNACCOMPANIED CHIL3 DREN GRANTED ‘‘U’’ VISA PROTECTION ELIGI4 BLE FOR FOSTER CARE AND REFUGEE BENE5 FITS. 

6 (a) ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS AND SERVICES.— 

7 Section 107(b)(1)(A) of the Victims of Trafficking and Vi8 olence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(A)) 

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

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

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

12 1101(a)(27)(J)), a child who has been granted status 

13 under section 101(a)(15)(U) of the Immigration and Na14 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15(U)),’’ after ‘‘traf15 ficking in persons,’’. 

16 (b) STATE REIMBURSEMENT.—Subject to the avail17 ability of funds appropriated for this purpose, if State fos18 ter care funds are expended on behalf of a child who has 

19 been granted special immigrant status under section 

20 101(a)(27)(J) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

21 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(J)), the Federal Government shall re22 imburse the State in which the child resides for such ex23 penditures by the State. 

Æ 


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