I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1643 

To establish the National Office of New Americans, to reduce obstacles 

to United States citizenship, to support the integration of immigrants 

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

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 17, 2023 

Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BUSH, Ms. CHU, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

ESPAILLAT, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. LEE

of California, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, 

Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. TLAIB, 

and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, House Administration, Foreign Affairs, and Homeland Security, 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, to reduce 

obstacles to United States citizenship, to support the 

integration of immigrants into the social, cultural, economic, and civic life of the United States, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘New Deal for New Americans Act of 2023’’. 

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

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—NEW AMERICANS AND INTEGRATION 

Sec. 101. Definitions. 

Sec. 102. National office of New Americans. 

Sec. 103. Federal initiative on New Americans. 

TITLE II—PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE CITIZENSHIP, INTEGRATION, 

AND PROSPERITY 

Sec. 201. Definitions. 

Sec. 202. Sense of Congress on access to legal counsel. 

Sec. 203. Legal services and Immigration Assistance Grant Program. 

Sec. 204. English as a Gateway to Integration Grant Program. 

Sec. 205. Workforce Development and Shared Prosperity Grant Program. 

Sec. 206. Department of Homeland Security grants. 

Sec. 207. United States Citizenship and Integration Foundation. 

Sec. 208. Pilot program to promote immigrant integration at State and ocal 

levels. 

Sec. 209. Authorization of appropriations for Foundation and pilot program. 

TITLE III—REDUCING BARRIERS TO CITIZENSHIP 

Sec. 301. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 302. Immigration service fees. 

Sec. 303. Waiver of English requirement for senior New Americans. 

Sec. 304. Reduce financial obstacles to naturalization. 

Sec. 305. Naturalization for certain United States high school graduates. 

Sec. 306. Family integration. 

Sec. 307. Revision of grounds for deportation. 

Sec. 308. Waiver to ensure access to citizenship. 

Sec. 309. Naturalization ceremonies. 

Sec. 310. Proud to Be a United States Citizen Program. 

Sec. 311. Mission of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

Sec. 312. Automatic registration of eligible individuals. 

Sec. 313. Department of Homeland Security assistance in registration. 

Sec. 314. Voter protection and security in automatic registration. 

Sec. 315. Effective date. 

TITLE IV—REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT AND INTEGRATION 

Sec. 401. Definition of Secretary. 

Sec. 402. Minimum number of refugees to be admitted. 


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Sec. 403. Pre-arrival English language and work orientation training for approved refugee applicants. 

Sec. 404. Update of reception and placement grants. 

Sec. 405. Case Management Grant Program. 

Sec. 406. Increase in cash payments. 

TITLE V—PROTECTIONS FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Sec. 501. Personally identifiable information. 

Sec. 502. Voluntary participation in integration and inclusion activities. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) IMMIGRANT.—The term ‘‘immigrant’’ 

4 means an individual who— 

5 (A) is not a citizen or national of the 

6 United States; 

7 (B) is present in the United States; and 

8 (C)(i) is in any status under the immigra9 tion laws; or 

10 (ii)(I) is not in any status under the 

11 immigration laws; and 

12 (II) intends to reside perma13 nently in the United States. 

14 (2) IMMIGRATION LAWS.—The term ‘‘immigra15 tion laws’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

16 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

17 U.S.C. 1101(a)). 

18 (3) REFUGEE.—The term ‘‘refugee’’ has the 

19 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Im20 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)). 


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1 TITLE I—NEW AMERICANS AND 

2 INTEGRATION 

3 SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this title: 

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

6 the Director of the National Office of New Ameri7 cans. 

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

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

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

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

12 National Office of New Americans established by 

13 section 102(a). 

14 SEC. 102. NATIONAL OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL OFFICE OF

16 NEW AMERICANS.—There is established within the Execu17 tive Office of the President an office to be known as the 

18 ‘‘National Office of New Americans’’. 

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

20 following: 

21 (1) To welcome and support immigrants and 

22 refugees in the United States. 

23 (2) To promote and support immigrant and ref24 ugee integration into, and inclusion in, the social, 


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1 cultural, economic, and civic life of the United 

2 States. 

3 (3) To ensure that the Federal Government and 

4 Federal agencies promote the pursuit of United 

5 States citizenship among immigrants and refugees. 

6 (4) To ensure access to quality English lan7 guage learning programs that support the successful 

8 integration of immigrant adults, including by en9 hancing— 

10 (A) employment and career prospects and 

11 economic integration; and 

12 (B) social integration in local communities 

13 and participation in civic life, including engage14 ment with State and local governments, schools, 

15 and private and nonprofit community institu16 tions. 

17 (5) To improve access to workforce development 

18 programs, including by ensuring that such programs 

19 meet the demand and the unique language, training, 

20 and educational needs of immigrants and refugees. 

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

22 and local entities to support the effective social, eco23 nomic, linguistic, and civic integration of immi24 grants, refugees, and the children of immigrants and 

25 refugees. 


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1 (7) To provide advice and leadership to the 

2 President, Members of Congress, and other Federal 

3 Government officials on the challenges and opportu4 nities facing such entities with respect to immigrant 

5 and refugee integration. 

6 (8) To evaluate the scale, quality, and effective7 ness of Federal Government efforts with respect to 

8 immigrant and refugee social and economic integra9 tion, including access to United States citizenship, 

10 English language learning, education, and workforce 

11 development programs. 

12 (9) To identify the anticipated effects of new 

13 Federal policies on existing integration efforts and 

14 advise the President on how to address potential in15 tegration needs and the effects of such policies. 

16 (10) With respect to immigrant and refugee in17 tegration efforts, to consult on a biannual basis with 

18 State and local government officials on challenges 

19 and opportunities presented by such efforts. 

20 (11) With respect to the activities described in 

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

22 of the perspectives of immigrants and refugees. 

23 (12) With respect to the administration of the 

24 grant programs under title II, to consult with the 

25 applicable heads of Federal agencies. 


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1 (13) To submit to the President and the appro2 priate committees of Congress a biannual report 

3 that describes the activities of the Office and the re4 sults of the consultation processes described in para5 graphs (10) through (12). 

6 (c) DIRECTOR.— 

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

8 by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Presi9 dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Sen10 ate. 

11 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director shall— 

12 (A) establish policies, objectives, and prior13 ities for the Office with respect to immigrant 

14 and refugee integration; 

15 (B) with the assistance of the Deputy Di16 rector for Citizenship and Inclusion, the Deputy 

17 Director for Workforce and the Economy, the 

18 Deputy Director for Children’s Integration Suc19 cess, and the Associate Director of State and 

20 Local Affairs, carry out the purposes of the Of21 fice, as described in subsection (b); 

22 (C) serve as the Chair of the Federal Ini23 tiative for New Americans established under 

24 section 103; 


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1 (D) make recommendations to the Presi2 dent on changes in the organization, manage3 ment, programs, and budget of the Federal 

4 agencies to promote the integration of immi5 grants and refugees; 

6 (E) with respect to efforts to promote 

7 United States citizenship and the integration of 

8 immigrants and refugees, consult, support, and 

9 coordinate with State and local governments; 

10 and 

11 (F) serve as a member of the Domestic 

12 Policy Council and the National Economic 

13 Council. 

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

15 out the responsibilities under paragraph (2) and the 

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

17 (A) select, appoint, employ, and fix com18 pensation of such officers and employees as 

19 may be necessary to carry out such responsibil20 ities and purposes; 

21 (B) with the concurrence of the head of 

22 the applicable Federal agency, direct the tem23 porary reassignment within the Federal Govern24 ment of personnel employed by such Federal 

25 agency; 


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1 (C) use for administrative purposes, on a 

2 reimbursable basis, the available services, equip3 ment, personnel, and facilities of Federal, State, 

4 and local agencies; 

5 (D) procure the services of experts and 

6 consultants, in accordance with section 3109 of 

7 title 5, United States Code (relating to appoint8 ments in the Federal service) at rates of com9 pensation for individuals not to exceed the daily 

10 equivalent of the rate of pay payable for level 

11 GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 

12 5332 of title 5, United States Code; 

13 (E) accept and use donations of property 

14 from Federal, State, and local government 

15 agencies; 

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

17 other Federal agencies; and 

18 (G) monitor the implementation of immi19 grant and refugee integration-related activities 

20 of the Federal Government, including by— 

21 (i) conducting program and perform22 ance audits and evaluations of each Fed23 eral agency; and 


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1 (ii) requesting assistance from the In2 spector General of the applicable Federal 

3 agency in such audits and evaluations. 

4 (d) DEPUTY DIRECTORS.— 

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

6 a Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, a 

7 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, 

8 and a Deputy Director for Children’s Integration 

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

10 President, in consultation with the Director. 

11 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

12 (A) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CITIZENSHIP

13 AND INCLUSION.—The Deputy Director for 

14 Citizenship and Inclusion shall, among other 

15 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 

16 Director in promoting— 

17 (i) inclusion of immigrants and refu18 gees in the social, economic, and civic life 

19 of their communities and the United 

20 States; and 

21 (ii) access to United States citizen22 ship. 

23 (B) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR WORKFORCE

24 AND THE ECONOMY.—The Deputy Director for 

25 Workforce and the Economy shall, among other 


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1 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 

2 Director in— 

3 (i) promoting participation of immi4 grants and refugees in the United States 

5 workforce; and 

6 (ii) increasing the contributions of im7 migrants and refugees to the United States 

8 economy. 

9 (C) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN’S

10 INTEGRATION SUCCESS.—The Deputy Director 

11 for Children’s Integration Success shall, among 

12 other duties as assigned by the Director, assist 

13 the Director in ensuring that Federal policies 

14 and programs intended to support the healthy 

15 development and educational success of children 

16 are effective in reaching and serving the chil17 dren of immigrant families. 

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

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

20 the Office a Bureau of State and Local Affairs. 

21 (2) ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR.— 

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

23 and Local Affairs shall be headed by an Asso24 ciate Director of State and Local Affairs, who 


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1 shall be appointed by the President, in con2 sultation with the Director. 

3 (B) DUTIES.—The Associate Director of 

4 State and Local Affairs shall, among other du5 ties as assigned by the Director, assist the Di6 rector in coordinating the efforts of State and 

7 local entities to support the economic, linguistic, 

8 and civic integration of immigrants, refugees, 

9 and the children of immigrants and refugees. 

10 (f) LIMITATION.—An individual may not serve as Di11 rector, Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, 

12 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, Deputy 

13 Director for Children’s Integration Success, or Associate 

14 Director of State and Local Affairs while serving in any 

15 other position in the Federal Government. 

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

17 the Office within the Executive Office of the President 

18 shall not affect access to the Office by a Member of Con19 gress or any member of a committee of the Senate or the 

20 House of Representatives, including access to— 

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

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

23 the Director; or 

24 (2) personnel of the Office. 


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1 SEC. 103. FEDERAL INITIATIVE ON NEW AMERICANS. 

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

3 the confirmation of the Director of the Office, the Director 

4 shall establish within the Office a Federal Initiative on 

5 New Americans (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Initia6 tive’’). 

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

8 (1) to welcome and support immigrants and 

9 refugees in the United States; 

10 (2) to establish a coordinated Federal program 

11 to respond effectively to immigrant and refugee inte12 gration issues; and 

13 (3) to advise and assist the Director in identi14 fying and implementing the necessary policies to 

15 carry out such program. 

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

17 of— 

18 (1) the Director, who shall serve as chairperson; 

19 (2) the Secretary of the Treasury; 

20 (3) the Attorney General; 

21 (4) the Secretary of Commerce; 

22 (5) the Secretary of Labor; 

23 (6) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv24 ices; 

25 (7) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel26 opment; 


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1 (8) the Secretary of Education; 

2 (9) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 

3 (10) the Secretary of State; 

4 (11) the Director of the Office of Refugee Re5 settlement; 

6 (12) the Director of the Small Business Admin7 istration; 

8 (13) the Director of the Office of Management 

9 and Budget; 

10 (14) the Director of the Bureau of Consumer 

11 Financial Protection; and 

12 (15) any other individual— 

13 (A) invited by the Director to participate; 

14 and 

15 (B) who occupies a position listed under 

16 level I or II of the Executive Schedule, as pro17 vided in sections 5312 and 5313 of title 5, 

18 United States Code. 

19 (d) DUTIES.— 

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

21 the call of the chairperson and perform such duties 

22 as the chairperson reasonably requires. 

23 (2) COORDINATED RESPONSE TO IMMIGRANT

24 AND REFUGEE ISSUES.—The Initiative shall join 

25 with Federal agencies in providing a coordinated 


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1 Federal response to adequately address matters that 

2 affect the lives of immigrant and refugee families 

3 and local communities with growing immigrant and 

4 refugee populations, including access to— 

5 (A) English language learning; 

6 (B) adult education and workforce train7 ing; 

8 (C) occupational licensure; 

9 (D) early childhood care and education; 

10 (E) elementary, secondary, and postsec11 ondary education; 

12 (F) health care; 

13 (G) naturalization; 

14 (H) civic engagement; 

15 (I) immigration assistance and legal serv16 ices; 

17 (J) economic development; 

18 (K) language access services; and 

19 (L) other services the Director identifies as 

20 aiding the integration of immigrants and refu21 gees into the social, cultural, economic, and 

22 civic life of the United States. 

23 (3) LIAISON WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

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

25 Initiative shall serve as a liaison to the Federal 


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1 agency of the member to ensure that the Fed2 eral agency coordinates with and responds to 

3 the recommendations of the Initiative in a time4 ly and meaningful manner. 

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

6 each member as a Federal agency liaison in7 clude— 

8 (i) developing, for the applicable Fed9 eral agency, immigrant and refugee inte10 gration goals and indicators; 

11 (ii) implementing the biannual con12 sultation process described in section 

13 102(b)(10) by consulting with the State 

14 and local counterparts of the Federal agen15 cy; 

16 (iii) reporting to the Initiative on the 

17 progress made by the Federal agency in 

18 achieving the goals and indicators de19 scribed in clause (i); and 

20 (iv) upon request by the Director and 

21 subject to laws governing disclosure of in22 formation, providing such information as 

23 may be required to carry out the respon24 sibilities of the Director and the functions 

25 of the Office. 


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1 (4) RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INITIATIVE.— 

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

3 Initiative becomes fully operational, and every 2 

4 years thereafter, the Director shall submit to Con5 gress a report that includes the following: 

6 (A) Findings from the consultation process 

7 described in section 102(b)(10), including a de8 scription of the immigrant and refugee integra9 tion opportunities offered by, and integration 

10 challenges facing, State and local governments. 

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

12 recommendations with respect to, pending legis13 lation and executive branch policy proposals. 

14 (C) A description of the possible effects of 

15 pending legislation and executive branch policy 

16 proposals on immigrant and refugee integra17 tion. 

18 (D) An identification of any Federal pro19 gram or policy that has a negative impact on 

20 immigrants, refugees, and local communities 

21 with growing immigrant and refugee popu22 lations, as compared to the general population, 

23 and recommendations for changes to any such 

24 program or policy. 


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1 (E) Recommendations on legislative solu2 tions to better support the successful integra3 tion of immigrants and refugees and the chil4 dren of immigrants and refugees. 

5 TITLE II—PROGRAMS TO PRO6 MOTE CITIZENSHIP, INTE7 GRATION, AND PROSPERITY 

8 SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this title: 

10 (1) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 

11 means the United States Citizenship and Integration 

12 Foundation established under section 207. 

13 (2) SERVICE AREA.—The term ‘‘service area’’ 

14 means the jurisdiction or geographical area in which 

15 an entity carries out activities using funds awarded 

16 under this title. 

17 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

18 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

19 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States 

20 Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

21 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

22 SEC. 202. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ACCESS TO LEGAL 

23 COUNSEL. 

24 It is the sense of Congress that— 


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1 (1) immigration law is so complex that it is 

2 nearly impossible, and therefore unjust, for immi3 grants to navigate the immigration system without 

4 legal assistance or represent themselves in immigra5 tion court; 

6 (2) immigrants without legal counsel are far 

7 more likely, as compared to immigrants with legal 

8 counsel, to be denied immigration benefits or be de9 ported, which may result in dire consequences, in10 cluding— 

11 (A) the denial of lawful immigration status 

12 or United States citizenship; 

13 (B) loss of livelihood; 

14 (C) the separation of an immigrant from, 

15 or the inability of an immigrant to support, his 

16 or her family; 

17 (D) life-threatening danger in the country 

18 of origin of an immigrant; and 

19 (E) a long-term or permanent ban on reen20 tering the United States; and 

21 (3) consistent with the United States values of 

22 fairness and justice and the Fifth Amendment to the 

23 Constitution of the United States, which guarantees 

24 all individuals the due process of law, any individual 

25 subject to immigration proceedings or the appeal of 


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1 a proceeding before an immigration judge or the At2 torney General should have the right to be rep3 resented by counsel, including Government-funded 

4 counsel, regardless of the ability of the individual to 

5 pay. 

6 SEC. 203. LEGAL SERVICES AND IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE 

7 GRANT PROGRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General, acting 

9 through the Director of the Executive Office for Immigra10 tion Review, in consultation with the Director of the Na11 tional Office of New Americans, shall award legal services 

12 and immigration assistance grants to eligible entities. 

13 (b) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.—An entity eligible to re14 ceive a grant under this section is a State or unit of local 

15 government, a Tribal government, a private organization, 

16 a community-based organization, or a nonprofit organiza17 tion that— 

18 (1) provides authorized direct legal assistance 

19 to immigrants; 

20 (2) in the case of an entity that has previously 

21 been awarded a grant under this section, uses 

22 matching funds from non-Federal sources, which 

23 may include in-kind contributions, equal to 25 per24 cent of the amount received under this section; 


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1 (3) provides immigration education, outreach, 

2 and quality paralegal services to immigrants, in co3 ordination with immigration attorneys or representa4 tives accredited by the Recognition and Accredita5 tion Program of the Executive Office for Immigra6 tion Review; and 

7 (4) submits to the Director of the Executive Of8 fice for Immigration Review an application at such 

9 time, in such manner, and containing such informa10 tion as the Director may reasonably require. 

11 (c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

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

13 section shall be used to provide to eligible immi14 grants legal assistance relating to the immigration 

15 status of such immigrants, or related services, which 

16 may include— 

17 (A) outreach and education to identify and 

18 support immigrants in need of legal services; 

19 (B) liaison services to connect immigrants 

20 with trusted legal service providers, social serv21 ice organizations, and government representa22 tives; 

23 (C) screening to assess the eligibility of an 

24 immigrant for any status under the immigra25 tion laws; 


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1 (D) completing applications for immigra2 tion benefits; 

3 (E) translation and interpretation services; 

4 (F) gathering documents, including docu5 ments relating to proof of identification, em6 ployment, residence, family relationships, and 

7 tax payment; 

8 (G) completing applications for any waiver 

9 under the immigration laws for which an eligi10 ble immigrant and qualifying family members 

11 may be eligible; and 

12 (H) with respect to applications relating to 

13 United States citizenship, assistance with appli14 cation preparation and the naturalization proc15 ess, including preparation for the English and 

16 civics exams. 

17 (2) ELIGIBLE IMMIGRANTS.—An immigrant 

18 shall be eligible to receive the assistance described in 

19 paragraph (1) if the immigrant is seeking— 

20 (A) to become a lawful permanent resident 

21 or naturalized citizen of the United States; 

22 (B) to establish that he or she has derived 

23 or acquired United States citizenship; or 

24 (C) relief from removal and authorization 

25 to remain lawfully in the United States. 


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1 (d) CONDITIONS.—As a condition of receiving a grant 

2 under this section, a participating entity shall— 

3 (1) submit to the Attorney General a certifi4 cation that the proposed uses of grant funds by the 

5 entity— 

6 (A) are consistent with this section; and 

7 (B) meet the criteria determined by the 

8 Attorney General, in consultation with the Di9 rector of the National Office of New Americans; 

10 and 

11 (2) make a reasonable effort to estimate the 

12 number of immigrants who live in the service area. 

13 (e) ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.—Not later 

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

15 an entity receives grant funds under this section, the enti16 ty shall submit to the Director of the Executive Office for 

17 Immigration Review the following: 

18 (1) A report that describes— 

19 (A) each activity carried out by the entity 

20 funded entirely or partially by the grant funds; 

21 (B) the service area; 

22 (C) the estimate made under subsection 

23 (d)(2); 


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1 (D) the number of immigrants who re2 ceived legal assistance funded entirely or par3 tially by the grant funds; 

4 (E) a disaggregation of the costs of each 

5 service provided using the grant funds and the 

6 average per capita cost of providing the service; 

7 and 

8 (F) the primary languages spoken in the 

9 service area. 

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

11 for which grant funds were used, including— 

12 (A) an assessment of the effectiveness of 

13 the program; 

14 (B) recommendations for improving the 

15 program; 

16 (C) an assessment of whether the legal 

17 services needs of the service area have been 

18 met; and 

19 (D) in the case of an assessment under 

20 subparagraph (C) that such needs have not 

21 been met, a description of the additional assist22 ance required to meet such needs. 

23 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

24 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

25 $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 2025. 


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1 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 (1) SERVICE AREA.—The term ‘‘service area’’ 

3 means the jurisdiction or geographical area in which 

4 an entity carries out activities using funds awarded 

5 under this section. 

6 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

7 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

8 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States 

9 Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

10 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

11 SEC. 204. ENGLISH AS A GATEWAY TO INTEGRATION GRANT 

12 PROGRAM. 

13 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Assistant Secretary for 

14 Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the Depart15 ment of Education and the Assistant Secretary for the Ad16 ministration for Children and Families at the Department 

17 of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section 

18 as the ‘‘Assistant Secretaries’’), in consultation with the 

19 Director of the National Office of New Americans, shall 

20 award English as a Gateway to Integration grants to eligi21 ble entities. 

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

23 grant under this section is a State or unit of local govern24 ment, a Tribal government, a private organization, an eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:31 Apr 06, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1643.IH H1643

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1 cational institution, a community-based organization, or a 

2 nonprofit organization that— 

3 (1) in the case of any applicant that has pre4 viously received a grant under this section, uses 

5 matching funds from non-Federal sources, which 

6 may include in-kind contributions, equal to 25 per7 cent of the amount received from the English as a 

8 Gateway to Integration program to carry out such 

9 program; 

10 (2) submits to the Assistant Secretaries an ap11 plication at such time, in such manner, and con12 taining such information as the Assistant Secretaries 

13 may reasonably require, including— 

14 (A) a description of the target population 

15 to be served, including demographics, literacy 

16 levels, integration needs, and English language 

17 levels of the target population; and 

18 (B) the assessment and performance meas19 ures that the grant recipient plans to use to 

20 evaluate the integration and English language 

21 learning progress of students and overall suc22 cess of the instruction and program; 

23 (3) demonstrates collaboration with public and 

24 private entities to provide the instruction and assist25 ance described in subsection (c)(1); 


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1 (4) provides integration-focused English lan2 guage programs that— 

3 (A) teach integration and English language 

4 skills to— 

5 (i) lower-educated individuals; 

6 (ii) limited English proficient (LEP) 

7 individuals; and 

8 (iii) parents and others who are care9 takers of young children; 

10 (B) support and promote the social, eco11 nomic, and civic integration of adult English 

12 language learners and their families; and 

13 (C) equip adult English language learners 

14 for ongoing independent study and learning be15 yond classroom or formal instruction; and 

16 (5)(A) is located in 1 of the 10 States with the 

17 highest rate of foreign-born residents; or 

18 (B) is located in an area that has experienced 

19 a large increase in the population of immigrants 

20 during the most recent 10-year period relative to 

21 past migration patterns, based on data compiled by 

22 the Office of Immigration Statistics or the United 

23 States Census Bureau. 

24 (c) USE OF FUNDS.— 


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

2 section shall be used to provide English language 

3 and integration knowledge and skill instruction 

4 along with student guidance and navigation services 

5 to learners. Such instruction shall advance the inte6 gration of students in order to help them— 

7 (A) build their knowledge of United States 

8 history and civics; 

9 (B) prepare for United States citizenship 

10 and the naturalization process; 

11 (C) gain digital literacy; 

12 (D) understand and support children’s suc13 cess within the early childhood, K–12, and post14 secondary education systems; 

15 (E) gain financial literacy; 

16 (F) build an understanding of the housing 

17 market and systems in the United States; 

18 (G) learn about and access the United 

19 States, State, and local health care systems; 

20 (H) prepare for a high school equivalency 

21 diploma or postsecondary training or education; 

22 and 

23 (I) prepare for and secure employment. 


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1 (2) DESIGN OF PROGRAM.—Funds awarded 

2 under this section shall be used to support program 

3 designs that may include the following elements: 

4 (A) English language and integration 

5 knowledge and skill instruction in a classroom 

6 setting, along with associated guidance and 

7 navigation supports provided that such setting 

8 is in a geographic location accessible to the pop9 ulation served. 

10 (B) English language and integration 

11 knowledge and skill instruction programs that 

12 may incorporate online and digital components, 

13 such as the use of mobile phones, computers, 

14 and blended or distance learning platforms. 

15 (C) Educational support and specialized 

16 instruction for adult English language learners 

17 with low levels of literacy in their first lan18 guage. 

19 (D) Two-generation approaches designed 

20 to support children’s school success and lift 

21 family integration trajectories. 

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

23 under this section, a participating entity shall submit to 

24 the Assistant Secretaries a certification that the proposed 

25 uses of grant funds by the entity are consistent with this 


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1 section and meet all necessary criteria determined by the 

2 Assistant Secretaries. 

3 (e) 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 Assistant Secretaries the following: 

7 (1) A report that describes— 

8 (A) the activities undertaken by the entity 

9 that were funded entirely or partially by the 

10 grant funds; 

11 (B) the service area; 

12 (C) the number of immigrants in the serv13 ice area; 

14 (D) the primary languages spoken in the 

15 service area; 

16 (E) the number of adult English language 

17 learners receiving assistance that was funded 

18 entirely or partially by grant funds received by 

19 the entity under this section; and 

20 (F) a breakdown of the costs of the pro21 gram services provided and the average per cap22 ita cost of providing such instruction. 

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

24 using grant funds under this section, including— 

25 (A) an assessment of— 


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1 (i) the effectiveness of such program 

2 and recommendations for improving the 

3 program; and 

4 (ii) whether the English language and 

5 integration knowledge and skill instruction 

6 needs of the service area have been met; 

7 (B) in the case of an assessment under 

8 subparagraph (A)(ii) that such needs have not 

9 been met, a description of the additional assist10 ance required to meet such needs; and 

11 (C) the results of any assessment or eval12 uation of progress or success described in sub13 section (b)(2)(B). 

14 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) ADULT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER.— 

16 The term ‘‘adult English language learner’’ refers to 

17 an individual age 16 or older who is not enrolled in 

18 secondary school and who is limited English pro19 ficient. 

20 (2) ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER; LIMITED

21 ENGLISH PROFICIENT.—The terms ‘‘English lan22 guage learner’’ and ‘‘limited English proficient’’ de23 scribe an individual who does not speak English as 

24 their primary language and who has a limited ability 

25 to read, speak, write, or understand English. 


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1 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 2025. 

4 SEC. 205. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND SHARED PROS5 PERITY GRANT PROGRAM. 

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

7 United States— 

8 (1) that adults shall have equitable access to 

9 education and workforce programs that— 

10 (A) help them learn basic skills in reading, 

11 writing, mathematics, and the English lan12 guage; and 

13 (B) equip them with occupational skills 

14 needed to secure or advance in employment, fill 

15 employer needs, and support themselves and 

16 their families; 

17 (2) to strengthen the economy by helping adults 

18 with limited skills to attain recognized postsecondary 

19 credentials (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 

20 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)); 

21 and 

22 (3) that workforce programs for adults with 

23 limited skills use a pre-apprenticeship or integrated 

24 education and training approach that allows adults 


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1 to acquire basic skills while pursuing occupational or 

2 industry-specific training. 

3 (b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Assistant Secretary for 

4 Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the Depart5 ment of Education and the Assistant Secretary for Em6 ployment and Training at the Department of Labor (re7 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Assistant Secretaries’’), 

8 in consultation with the Director of the National Office 

9 of New Americans, shall award Workforce Development 

10 and Shared Prosperity grants, on a competitive basis, to 

11 State, local, and Tribal governments or other qualifying 

12 entities described in subsection (c), in collaboration with 

13 State and local governments. 

14 (c) QUALIFYING ENTITIES.—Qualifying entities 

15 under this section may include— 

16 (1) an educational institution; 

17 (2) a private organization; 

18 (3) a community-based organization; or 

19 (4) a nonprofit organization. 

20 (d) ELIGIBILITY.—A State, local, or Tribal govern21 ment or qualifying entity in collaboration with a State, 

22 local, or Tribal government is eligible to receive a grant 

23 under this section provided that the State, local, or Tribal 

24 government or entity— 


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1 (1) supports and promotes the economic inte2 gration of immigrants; 

3 (2) has expertise in workforce development and 

4 adult education for the purpose of developing and 

5 implementing pre-apprenticeship programs or inte6 grated education and training programs; 

7 (3) in carrying out the grant program, includes 

8 at least one entity— 

9 (A) with expertise in providing training in 

10 a workforce sector in which immigrant workers 

11 are heavily represented or in which there is a 

12 demonstrated need for immigrant workers to fill 

13 jobs; and 

14 (B) with expertise in providing adult basic 

15 education services to immigrants; 

16 (4) uses matching funds from non-Federal 

17 sources, which may include in-kind contributions, 

18 equal to 25 percent of the amount received from the 

19 Workforce Development and Shared Prosperity 

20 grants program to carry out such program; and 

21 (5) submits to the Assistant Secretaries an ap22 plication at such time, in such manner, and con23 taining such information as the Assistant Secretaries 

24 may reasonably require, including— 


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1 (A) a description of the target population 

2 to be served, including demographics, and 

3 English proficiency, educational, and skill levels 

4 of the target population; 

5 (B) the specific integrated education and 

6 training model to be implemented; 

7 (C) how the program will be designed and 

8 implemented by educators with expertise in 

9 adult education, English language instruction 

10 and occupational skills training; 

11 (D) the occupation or industry for which 

12 the program will prepare students for employ13 ment and the education and training progress 

14 or employer-recognized credentials the program 

15 is designed to support participants in achieving; 

16 (E) evidence of employer demand for the 

17 skills or occupational training offered by the 

18 grant program; 

19 (F) how the program will provide student 

20 support services including guidance counseling 

21 in order to promote student success; and 

22 (G) the assessment and performance meas23 ures that the grant recipient plans to use to 

24 evaluate— 


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1 (i) the progress of adult learners in 

2 acquiring basic skills such as reading, writ3 ing, mathematics, and the English lan4 guage; and 

5 (ii) the success of the grant program 

6 in preparing students for employment and 

7 in helping them find employment or ad8 vance in employment. 

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

10 under this section, a participating entity shall submit to 

11 the Assistant Secretaries a certification that the proposed 

12 uses of grant funds by the entity are consistent with this 

13 section and meet all necessary criteria determined by the 

14 Assistant Secretaries in consultation with the Director of 

15 the National Office of New Americans. 

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

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

18 an entity receives grant funds under this section, the enti19 ty shall submit to the Assistant Secretaries the following: 

20 (1) A report that describes— 

21 (A) the activities undertaken by the entity 

22 that were funded entirely or partially by the 

23 grant funds; 

24 (B) the service area; 


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1 (C) the number of immigrants in the serv2 ice area; 

3 (D) the primary languages spoken in the 

4 service area; and 

5 (E) a breakdown of the costs of each of 

6 the services provided and the average per capita 

7 cost of providing such services. 

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

9 using grant funds under this section, including— 

10 (A) an assessment of— 

11 (i) the effectiveness of such program 

12 and recommendations for improving the 

13 program; and 

14 (ii) whether the adult education and 

15 workforce development needs of the service 

16 area have been met and if not, what fur17 ther assistance is required to meet such 

18 need; 

19 (B) in the case of an assessment under 

20 subparagraph (A)(ii) that such needs have not 

21 been met, a description of the additional assist22 ance required to meet such needs; and 

23 (C) the results of any assessment or eval24 uation of progress or success described in sub25 section (d)(5)(G). 


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1 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 (1) ADULT EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘adult edu3 cation’’ means academic instruction and education 

4 services below the postsecondary level that increase 

5 an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak 

6 English and perform mathematics or other activities 

7 necessary for the attainment of a secondary school 

8 diploma or its recognized equivalent, transition to 

9 postsecondary education and training, or obtain em10 ployment. 

11 (2) INTEGRATED EDUCATION AND TRAINING.— 

12 The term ‘‘integrated education and training’’ 

13 means instruction that provides adult education, lit14 eracy and English language activities concurrently 

15 and contextually with workforce preparation activi16 ties and workforce training for a specific occupation 

17 or occupational cluster for the purpose of edu18 cational and career advancement. 

19 (3) PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The 

20 term ‘‘pre-apprenticeship program’’ means a pro21 gram or set of services designed to prepare individ22 uals to enter and succeed in a registered apprentice23 ship program. 


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1 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 2025. 

4 SEC. 206. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS. 

5 (a) CONSIDERATION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.—With 

6 respect to grants administered and awarded to public or 

7 private nonprofit organizations by the Secretary of Home8 land Security, unless otherwise required by law, in making 

9 determinations about such grants, the Secretary shall not 

10 consider enrollment in or use by such organizations of the 

11 E-Verify Program described in section 403(a) of the Ille12 gal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility 

13 Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1324a note). 

14 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

15 authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 to the Sec16 retary of Homeland Security for the Citizenship and Inte17 gration Grant Program of U.S. Citizenship and Immigra18 tion Services to award grants to public or private non19 profit organizations. 

20 SEC. 207. UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND INTEGRATION 

21 FOUNDATION. 

22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Homeland 

23 Security, acting through the Director of U.S. Citizenship 

24 and Immigration Services and in coordination with the Di25 rector of the National Office of New Americans, shall esVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:31 Apr 06, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1643.IH H1643

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1 tablish a nonprofit corporation or a not-for-profit, public 

2 benefit, or similar entity, which shall be known as the 

3 ‘‘United States Citizenship and Integration Foundation’’. 

4 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Foundation 

5 shall be— 

6 (1) to spur innovation in the promotion and ex7 pansion of citizenship preparation programs for indi8 viduals lawfully admitted for permanent residence 

9 (as defined in section 101(a) of the Immigration and 

10 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a))); 

11 (2) to evaluate and identify best practices in 

12 citizenship promotion and preparation and to make 

13 recommendations to the Director of U.S. Citizenship 

14 and Immigration Services and the Director of the 

15 National Office for New Americans about how to 

16 bring such best practices to scale; 

17 (3) to support direct assistance for immigrants 

18 seeking lawful permanent resident status (within the 

19 meaning of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

20 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.)), or naturalization as a United 

21 States citizen; and 

22 (4) to support immigrant integration efforts in 

23 partnership with State and local entities. 

24 (c) GIFTS TO FOUNDATION.—To carry out the pur25 poses described in subsection (b), the Foundation may— 


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1 (1) solicit, accept, and make gifts of money and 

2 other property, in accordance with section 501(c)(3) 

3 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

4 (2) engage in coordinated work with the De5 partment of Homeland Security, including U.S. Citi6 zenship and Immigration Services, and the National 

7 Office of New Americans; and 

8 (3) accept, hold, administer, invest, and spend 

9 any gift, devise, or bequest of real or personal prop10 erty made to the Foundation. 

11 (d) ACTIVITIES.—The Foundation shall carry out the 

12 purposes described in subsection (b) by— 

13 (1) making United States citizenship instruc14 tion and naturalization application services acces15 sible to low-income and other underserved lawful 

16 permanent resident populations; 

17 (2) developing, identifying, and sharing best 

18 practices in United States citizenship promotion and 

19 preparation; 

20 (3) supporting innovative and creative solutions 

21 to barriers faced by individuals seeking— 

22 (A) to become naturalized citizens of the 

23 United States; or 

24 (B) to obtain certificates of citizenship; 


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1 (4) increasing the use of, and access to, tech2 nology in United States citizenship preparation pro3 grams; 

4 (5) engaging communities in the process of 

5 United States citizenship and civic integration; 

6 (6) fostering public education and awareness; 

7 (7) coordinating the immigrant integration ef8 forts of the Foundation with the integration efforts 

9 of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and 

10 the National Office of New Americans; and 

11 (8) awarding grants to State and local govern12 ments consistent with such purposes. 

13 (e) COUNCIL OF DIRECTORS.—To the extent con14 sistent with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

15 Code of 1986, the Foundation shall have a council of di16 rectors (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Council’’), 

17 which shall be comprised of— 

18 (1) the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immi19 gration Services; 

20 (2) the Director of the National Office of New 

21 Americans; 

22 (3) the head of the Domestic Policy Council; 

23 and 


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1 (4) 10 individuals from national private and 

2 public nonprofit organizations that promote and as3 sist lawful permanent residents with naturalization. 

4 (f) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall appoint an 

6 Executive Director of the Foundation, who shall 

7 oversee the daily operations of the Foundation. 

8 (2) POWERS.—The Executive Director shall 

9 carry out the purposes described in subsection (b) on 

10 behalf of the Foundation by— 

11 (A) accepting, holding, administering, in12 vesting, and spending any gift, devise, or be13 quest of real or personal property made to the 

14 Foundation; 

15 (B) entering into contracts and other fi16 nancial assistance agreements with individuals, 

17 public and private organizations, professional 

18 societies, and government agencies to carry out 

19 the activities of the Foundation; 

20 (C) entering into such other contracts, 

21 leases, cooperative agreements, and other trans22 actions as the Executive Director considers ap23 propriate to carry out the activities of the 

24 Foundation; and 


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1 (D) charging such fees for professional 

2 services provided by the Foundation as the Ex3 ecutive Director considers reasonable and ap4 propriate. 

5 (g) DEADLINE.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu6 rity shall ensure that the Foundation is established and 

7 operational not later than 1 year after the date of the en8 actment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 208. PILOT PROGRAM TO PROMOTE IMMIGRANT INTE10 GRATION AT STATE AND OCAL LEVELS. 

11 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Director of the Na12 tional Office of New Americans (referred to in this section 

13 as the ‘‘Director’’), in coordination with the Assistant Sec14 retary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education and the 

15 Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Edu16 cation at the Department of Education, the Assistant Sec17 retary for Employment and Training at the Department 

18 of Labor, the Assistant Secretary for the Administration 

19 of Children and Families at the Department of Health and 

20 Human Services, and the Chief of the Office of Citizenship 

21 at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, shall estab22 lish a pilot program to award grants, on a competitive 

23 basis, to State, local, and Tribal governments— 

24 (1) to establish new immigrant councils to carry 

25 out programs to integrate new immigrants; and 


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1 (2) to carry out programs to integrate new im2 migrants. 

3 (b) APPLICATION.—To be considered for a grant 

4 under this section, a State, local, or Tribal government 

5 may submit an application to the Director at such time, 

6 in such manner, and containing such information as the 

7 Director may reasonably require, including— 

8 (1) a proposal to carry out 1 or more activities 

9 described in subsection (c); 

10 (2) the number of new immigrants who live in 

11 the jurisdiction of the applicant; and 

12 (3) a description of the challenges presented by 

13 introducing and integrating new immigrants into the 

14 State, local, or Tribal community, as applicable. 

15 (c) ACTIVITIES.—A grant awarded under this section 

16 may be used— 

17 (1) to form a new immigrant council, which 

18 shall— 

19 (A) consist of not fewer than 15 and not 

20 more than 19 representatives of the State, 

21 local, or Tribal government, as applicable; 

22 (B) include, to the extent practicable, rep23 resentatives from— 

24 (i) the business community; 

25 (ii) faith-based organizations; 


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1 (iii) civic organizations; 

2 (iv) philanthropic organizations; 

3 (v) nonprofit organizations, including 

4 nonprofit organizations with legal and ad5 vocacy experience working with immigrant 

6 communities; 

7 (vi) key education stakeholders, such 

8 as State educational agencies, local edu9 cational agencies, community colleges, and 

10 teachers; 

11 (vii) State, local, or Tribal economic 

12 development agencies; 

13 (viii) State, local, or Tribal health and 

14 human services agencies; 

15 (ix) State, local, or Tribal early child16 hood coordinating councils; and 

17 (x) State, local, or Tribal public li18 braries; and 

19 (C) meet not less frequently than once 

20 each quarter; 

21 (2) to provide subgrants to local communities, 

22 units of local government, Tribal governments, and 

23 nonprofit organizations (including veterans and civic 

24 organizations); 


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1 (3) to develop, implement, expand, or enhance 

2 a comprehensive plan to introduce and integrate new 

3 immigrants into the applicable State by— 

4 (A) supporting English language and inte5 gration knowledge and skills development; 

6 (B) engaging with immigrant parents and 

7 other primary caretakers to support the healthy 

8 development, kindergarten readiness, and edu9 cation success of children; 

10 (C) improving and expanding access to 

11 workforce training programs; 

12 (D) teaching United States history, civics, 

13 and citizenship rights and responsibilities; 

14 (E) improving financial literacy; and 

15 (F) focusing on other key areas of impor16 tance with respect to integration into the social, 

17 cultural, economic, and civic life of the United 

18 States; and 

19 (4) to engage receiving communities in the citi20 zenship and civic integration process by— 

21 (A) increasing local service capacity; 

22 (B) building meaningful connections be23 tween newer immigrants and long-time resi24 dents; 


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1 (C) publicizing the contributions of receiv2 ing communities and new immigrants; and 

3 (D) engaging leaders from all sectors of re4 ceiving communities. 

5 (d) REPORTING AND EVALUATION.— 

6 (1) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 90 days 

7 after the end of each fiscal year for which an entity 

8 receives a grant under this section, the entity shall 

9 submit to the Director an annual report that de10 scribes— 

11 (A) each activity carried out by the grant 

12 recipient using grant funds; 

13 (B) the service; 

14 (C) the number of new immigrants in the 

15 service area; and 

16 (D) the primary languages spoken in the 

17 service area. 

18 (2) ANNUAL EVALUATION.—Not later than 90 

19 days after the end of each fiscal year for which an 

20 entity receives a grant under this section, the Direc21 tor shall conduct an annual evaluation of the grant 

22 program established under this section— 

23 (A) to assess and improve the effectiveness 

24 of the grant program; 

25 (B) to assess the future needs of— 


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1 (i) new immigrants; and 

2 (ii) with respect to immigrant integra3 tion, State, local, and Tribal governments; 

4 and 

5 (C) to ensure that grant recipients and 

6 subgrantees use grant funds in accordance with 

7 this section. 

8 SEC. 209. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR 

9 FOUNDATION AND PILOT PROGRAM. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated for the first 

11 2 fiscal years after the date of the enactment of this Act 

12 such sums as may be necessary to establish the Founda13 tion and the pilot program described in section 208. Such 

14 amounts may be invested and any amounts resulting from 

15 such investments shall remain available for the operations 

16 of the Foundation and such pilot program without further 

17 appropriation. 

18 TITLE III—REDUCING BARRIERS 

19 TO CITIZENSHIP 

20 SEC. 301. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

21 It is the sense of Congress that— 

22 (1) the naturalization of immigrants— 

23 (A) brings civic, economic, and social bene24 fits to the United States; 


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1 (B) enhances the richness and diversity of 

2 the United States; and 

3 (C) strengthens the United States; 

4 (2) millions of immigrants are eligible for natu5 ralization but cannot access citizenship due a variety 

6 of reasons, including cost barriers, language access, 

7 and a lack of legal services and information; 

8 (3) the inability of millions of eligible immi9 grants to become citizens of the United States de10 prives the United States and the people of the 

11 United States of civic, economic, and social benefits; 

12 and 

13 (4) consistent with the process for naturaliza14 tion established by the Constitution of the United 

15 States, codified by statute, and strengthened by reg16 ulations, the Federal Government, in coordination 

17 with State and local governments, community-based 

18 organizations, and other stakeholders, should estab19 lish policies and programs to encourage eligible im20 migrants to apply for naturalization and to facilitate 

21 the naturalization process, with the objective of help22 ing 2,000,000 new Americans naturalize by the end 

23 of 2024. 


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1 SEC. 302. IMMIGRATION SERVICE FEES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 286(m) of the Immigra3 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356(m)) is amended 

4 to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(m) IMMIGRATION SERVICE FEES.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para7 graph (2), all fees designated by the Secretary of 

8 Homeland Security in regulations as ‘immigration 

9 adjudication fees’ shall be deposited as offsetting re10 ceipts into the ‘Immigration Examinations Fee Ac11 count’ in the Treasury of the United States, whether 

12 such fees are collected directly by the Secretary or 

13 through clerks of courts. 

14 ‘‘(2) GUAM AND VIRGIN ISLANDS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) GUAM.—All fees described in para16 graph (1) that are received by the Secretary of 

17 Homeland Security from applicants residing in 

18 Guam shall be remitted to the Department of 

19 Revenue and Taxation of Guam. 

20 ‘‘(B) VIRGIN ISLANDS.—All fees described 

21 in paragraph (1) that are received by the Sec22 retary of Homeland Security from applicants 

23 residing in the United States Virgin Islands 

24 shall be remitted to the Treasury Division of 

25 the United States Virgin Islands. 


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1 ‘‘(C) RESTRICTIONS.—All fees remitted 

2 pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) may not 

3 be expended for costs associated with— 

4 ‘‘(i) the civil revocation of naturaliza5 tion; 

6 ‘‘(ii) Operation Second Look; 

7 ‘‘(iii) Operation Janus; 

8 ‘‘(iv) any activities or operations con9 ducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs 

10 Enforcement (including Homeland Security 

11 Investigations) or U.S. Customs and Bor12 der Protection; or 

13 ‘‘(v) any other activity or operation 

14 that is not directly related to immigration 

15 adjudications. 

16 ‘‘(3) FEES FOR ADJUDICATION AND NATU17 RALIZATION SERVICES.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara19 graph (B), the Secretary of Homeland Security 

20 may set fees for providing adjudication and nat21 uralization services at a level that will— 

22 ‘‘(i) ensure recovery of the full costs 

23 of providing such services, or a portion of 

24 such services, including the costs of natu25 ralization and similar services provided 


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1 without charge to asylum applicants or 

2 other immigrants; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) recover the full cost of admin4 istering the collection of fees under this 

5 paragraph, or a portion of such adminis6 trative costs. 

7 ‘‘(B) REPORT REQUIREMENT BEFORE FEE

8 INCREASE.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu9 rity may not increase any fee under this para10 graph above the level of such fee as of January 

11 1, 2019, before the date that is 60 days after 

12 the date on which the Secretary submits a re13 port to the Committee on the Judiciary of the 

14 Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of 

15 the House of Representatives that— 

16 ‘‘(i) identifies the direct and indirect 

17 costs associated with providing adjudica18 tion and naturalization services; 

19 ‘‘(ii) distinguishes the costs referred 

20 to in clause (i) from immigration enforce21 ment and national security costs; 

22 ‘‘(iii) identifies the costs allocated for 

23 premium processing services to business 

24 customers, as prescribed under subsection 

25 (u); 


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1 ‘‘(iv) describes the extent to which the 

2 fee prescribed in subsection (u) is set at a 

3 level that ensures full recovery of the costs 

4 referred to in clause (iii); 

5 ‘‘(v) identifies the amount of funding 

6 that is being allocated for the infrastruc7 ture improvements in the adjudications 

8 and customer-service processes prescribed 

9 under subsection (u); and 

10 ‘‘(vi) contains information regarding 

11 the amount by which such fee will be in12 creased. 

13 ‘‘(C) ADJUDICATIONS DELAY AND BACK14 LOG REPORT.—The Secretary of Homeland Se15 curity shall submit a quarterly report to the 

16 congressional committees referred to in sub17 paragraph (B) that identifies each instance in 

18 which— 

19 ‘‘(i) the processing time of more than 

20 10 percent of adjudications in any single 

21 category of immigration benefits surpasses 

22 the agency’s stated processing goal as of 

23 January 1, 2019; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the processing time of more than 

2 5 percent of applications for legal perma3 nent residence surpasses 150 days; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) the processing time of more 

5 than 5 percent of applications for natu6 ralization surpasses 150 days. 

7 ‘‘(4) FEE WAIVERS FOR ADJUDICATION AND

8 NATURALIZATION SERVICES.— 

9 ‘‘(A) NO FEE.—Except as provided in sub10 paragraph (E), if an alien’s income is less than 

11 150 percent of the Federal poverty line, no fee 

12 shall be charged or collected for— 

13 ‘‘(i) an application, petition, appeal, 

14 motion, or other service described in this 

15 subsection; or 

16 ‘‘(ii) the biometrics capture or back17 ground check associated with the items de18 scribed in clause (i). 

19 ‘‘(B) REDUCED FEE.—If an alien’s income 

20 is less than 250 percent of the Federal poverty 

21 line, not more than 50 percent of the applicable 

22 fee shall be charged or collected for an applica23 tion, petition, appeal, motion, or service de24 scribed in this subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(C) SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.—If an 

2 alien is under financial hardship due to extraor3 dinary expenses or other circumstances affect4 ing his or her financial situation to the degree 

5 that he or she is unable to pay a fee, no fee 

6 shall be charged or collected for— 

7 ‘‘(i) an application, petition, appeal, 

8 motion, or other service described in this 

9 subsection; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) the biometrics capture or back11 ground check associated with the items de12 scribed in clause (i). 

13 ‘‘(D) NO FEE CHARGED FOR WAIVER RE14 QUEST.—No fee shall be charged for a fee waiv15 er or reduction request described in subpara16 graph (A), (B), or (C). 

17 ‘‘(E) NO WAIVER FOR CERTAIN FEES.— 

18 The fee for employment-based petitions and ap19 plications prescribed under subsection (u) may 

20 not be waived. 

21 ‘‘(F) MEANS-TESTED BENEFITS.—The 

22 Secretary of Homeland Security shall consider 

23 the receipt of means-tested benefits as a cri24 terion for the purpose of demonstrating eligiVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:31 Apr 06, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1643.IH H1643

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1 bility for a fee waiver or reduction under sub2 paragraph (A), (B), or (C). 

3 ‘‘(G) APPLICATION FOR FEE WAIVER.—An 

4 alien requesting a waiver or reduction of fees 

5 under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) may sub6 mit— 

7 ‘‘(i) a completed form, as prescribed 

8 by the Secretary; or 

9 ‘‘(ii) an applicant-generated, written 

10 request for permission to have their immi11 gration benefit request processed without 

12 payment of the required fee. 

13 ‘‘(H) FEDERAL POVERTY LINE DE14 FINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘Federal 

15 poverty line’ has the meaning given the term 

16 ‘poverty line’ in section 673(2) of the Omnibus 

17 Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 

18 9902(2)), including any revision required under 

19 such section applicable to a family of the size 

20 involved.’’. 

21 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con22 gress that— 

23 (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security should 

24 set fees under section 286(m)(3) of the Immigration 

25 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356(m)(3)) at a 


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1 level that ensures recovery of only the direct costs 

2 associated with the services described in such sec3 tion; and 

4 (2) Congress should appropriate to the Sec5 retary of Homeland Security such funds as may be 

6 necessary to pay for— 

7 (A) the indirect costs associated with the 

8 services described in such section; 

9 (B) the adjudication of refugee and asylum 

10 processing; 

11 (C) the costs of administering the System12 atic Alien Verification for Entitlements Pro13 gram (commonly known as ‘‘SAVE’’); 

14 (D) the adjudication of naturalization ap15 plications not covered in full by the fees paid by 

16 applicants; 

17 (E) the reduction or elimination of fees 

18 granted to fee waiver applicants; and 

19 (F) grants to public and private nonprofit 

20 organizations for the purposes of citizenship 

21 and training. 

22 (c) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 286 of the 

23 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356) is 

24 amended— 


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1 (1) in subsections (a) and (b), by striking 

2 ‘‘Service’’ each place such term appears and insert3 ing ‘‘Department of Homeland Security’’; 

4 (2) in subsections (d), (e), (f), (h), (i), (j), (k), 

5 (l), (n), (o), (q), (t), and (u), by striking ‘‘Attorney 

6 General’’ each place such term appears and inserting 

7 ‘‘Secretary of Homeland Security’’; 

8 (3) in subsection (k), (l), and (t), by striking 

9 ‘‘Immigration and Naturalization Service’’ each 

10 place such term appears and inserting ‘‘Department 

11 of Homeland Security’’; and 

12 (4) in subsection (r)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Depart14 ment of Justice’’ and inserting ‘‘Department of 

15 Homeland Security’’; and 

16 (B) in paragraphs (3) and (4), by striking 

17 ‘‘Attorney General’’ each place it appears and 

18 inserting ‘‘Secretary of Homeland Security’’. 

19 SEC. 303. WAIVER OF ENGLISH REQUIREMENT FOR SENIOR 

20 NEW AMERICANS. 

21 Section 312 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

22 (8 U.S.C. 1423) is amended by striking subsection (b) and 

23 inserting the following: 

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

25 apply to any person who— 


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1 ‘‘(1) is unable to comply with such require2 ments because of physical or mental disability, in3 cluding developmental or intellectual disability; or 

4 ‘‘(2) on the date on which the person’s applica5 tion for naturalization is filed under section 334— 

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

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

8 for periods totaling at least 5 years after being 

9 lawfully admitted for permanent residence. 

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

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

12 person’s application for naturalization is filed under sec13 tion 334— 

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

15 living in the United States for periods totaling at 

16 least 20 years after being lawfully admitted for per17 manent residence; 

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

19 living in the United States for periods totaling at 

20 least 15 years after being lawfully admitted for per21 manent residence; or 

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

23 living in the United States for periods totaling at 

24 least 10 years after being lawfully admitted for per25 manent residence. 


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

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

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

4 the person’s application for naturalization is filed under 

5 section 334— 

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

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

8 periods totaling at least 10 years after being lawfully 

9 admitted for permanent residence.’’. 

10 SEC. 304. REDUCE FINANCIAL OBSTACLES TO NATURALIZA11 TION. 

12 Section 316 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

13 (8 U.S.C. 1427) is amended— 

14 (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub15 section (g); and 

16 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(f) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall im19 pose a fee in an amount not to exceed $50 for the consid20 eration of an application for naturalization. Nothing in 

21 this subsection may be construed to limit the authority 

22 of the Secretary to set adjudication fees for other benefit 

23 applications other than naturalization in accordance with 

24 section 286(m).’’. 


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1 SEC. 305. NATURALIZATION FOR CERTAIN UNITED STATES 

2 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Immigration and 

4 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.) is amended by 

5 inserting after section 320 the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 321. CITIZENSHIP FOR CERTAIN UNITED STATES 

7 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES. 

8 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENTS DEEMED SATISFIED.—An alien 

9 described in subsection (b) shall be deemed to have satis10 fied the requirements under section 312(a). 

11 ‘‘(b) ALIENS DESCRIBED.—An alien is described in 

12 this subsection if the alien submits an application for nat13 uralization under section 334 that contains— 

14 ‘‘(1) transcripts from public or private schools 

15 in the United States demonstrating that the alien 

16 completed— 

17 ‘‘(A) grades 9 through 12 in the United 

18 States and was graduated with a high school di19 ploma; and 

20 ‘‘(B) a curriculum that reflects knowledge 

21 of United States history, government, and 

22 civics; and 

23 ‘‘(2) a copy of the alien’s high school diploma.’’. 

24 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

25 for the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 


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1 et seq.) is amended by inserting after the item relating 

2 to section 320 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 321. Citizenship for certain United States high school graduates.’’. 

3 (c) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by this 

4 section— 

5 (1) shall take effect on the date of the enact6 ment of this Act; and 

7 (2) shall apply to applicants for naturalization 

8 who apply for naturalization on or after such date. 

9 (d) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home11 land Security shall promulgate regulations to carry out the 

12 amendment made by subsection (a). 

13 SEC. 306. FAMILY INTEGRATION. 

14 Section 201(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Na15 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(2)(A)(i)) is amended by 

16 striking ‘‘21 years of age’’ and inserting ‘‘18 years of 

17 age’’. 

18 SEC. 307. REVISION OF GROUNDS FOR DEPORTATION. 

19 Section 237(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 

20 Act (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)) is amended by striking paragraph 

21 (5). 

22 SEC. 308. WAIVER TO ENSURE ACCESS TO CITIZENSHIP. 

23 The Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 

24 et seq.) is amended— 

25 (1) in section 212 (8 U.S.C. 1182)— 


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1 (A) in subsection (a)(6)(C)— 

2 (i) in clause (ii)— 

3 (I) by inserting ‘‘and willfully’’ 

4 after ‘‘falsely’’ each place such term 

5 appears; and 

6 (II) in subclause (I), by striking 

7 ‘‘or any other Federal or State law’’; 

8 and 

9 (ii) by striking clause (iii); and 

10 (B) in subsection (i), by amending para11 graph (1) to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘(1) The Attorney General or the Secretary of 

13 Homeland Security may, in the discretion of the At14 torney General or the Secretary, waive the applica15 tion of subsection (a)(6)(C)(ii) with respect to an 

16 immigrant who is the parent, spouse, son, or daugh17 ter of a United States citizen or of an alien lawfully 

18 admitted for permanent residence, or with respect to 

19 an alien granted classification under clause (iii) or 

20 (iv) of section 204(a)(1)(A), if the Attorney General 

21 or the Secretary determines that the admission to 

22 the United States of such alien would not be con23 trary to the national welfare, safety, or security of 

24 the United States.’’; and 


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1 (2) in section 237(a)(3)(D) (8 U.S.C. 

2 1227(a)(3)(D)), by inserting ‘‘and willfully’’ after 

3 ‘‘falsely’’ each place such term appears. 

4 SEC. 309. NATURALIZATION CEREMONIES. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief of the Office of Citizen6 ship of the External Affairs Directorate of U.S. Citizen7 ship and Immigration Services, in consultation with the 

8 Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion of the Na9 tional Office of New Americans, the Director of the Na10 tional Park Service, the Archivist of the United States, 

11 and other appropriate Federal officials, shall develop and 

12 implement a strategy to enhance the public awareness of 

13 naturalization ceremonies. 

14 (b) VENUES.—In developing a strategy under sub15 section (a), the Chief and the Deputy Director shall con16 sider the use of outstanding and historic locations as 

17 venues for select naturalization ceremonies. 

18 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall 

19 annually submit a report to Congress that describes— 

20 (1) the content of the strategy developed under 

21 subsection (a); and 

22 (2) the progress made towards the implementa23 tion of such strategy. 


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1 SEC. 310. PROUD TO BE A UNITED STATES CITIZEN PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than January 1, 

4 2024, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish 

5 the ‘‘Proud to Be a United States Citizen Program’’ (re6 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Program’’) to promote 

7 United States citizenship. 

8 (b) OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the 

9 Program, the Secretary shall— 

10 (1) develop outreach materials targeted to non11 citizens who have been lawfully admitted for perma12 nent residence to encourage such aliens to apply to 

13 become citizens of the United States; 

14 (2) disseminate the outreach materials devel15 oped pursuant to paragraph (1) through public serv16 ice announcements, advertisements, and such other 

17 media as the Secretary determines is appropriate; 

18 (3) conduct outreach activities targeted to non19 citizens believed to be eligible to apply for natu20 ralization through communications by text, email, 

21 and the United States postal service, including— 

22 (A) notifying individuals of their possible 

23 eligibility to apply for naturalization; 

24 (B) informing such individuals about the 

25 requirements and benefits of United States citi26 zenship; 


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1 (C) providing such individuals with par2 tially completed naturalization applications, 

3 using available data about such individuals and 

4 instructions about how to complete the applica5 tion; and 

6 (D) providing such individuals with infor7 mation about where to get free or low-cost as8 sistance to apply for naturalization and to pre9 pare for the required English and civics exams. 

10 SEC. 311. MISSION OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION 

11 SERVICES. 

12 Section 451 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

13 (6 U.S.C. 271) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking ‘‘Bureau of’’ each place such 

15 term appears and inserting ‘‘U.S.’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (a)— 

17 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), 

18 (4), and (5) as paragraphs (3), (4), (5), and 

19 (6), respectively; and 

20 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(2) MISSION STATEMENT.—The mission of 

23 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is to se24 cure America’s promise as a Nation that welcomes 

25 immigrants and refugees by— 


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1 ‘‘(A) providing accurate and useful infor2 mation to its customers; 

3 ‘‘(B) granting humanitarian, immigration, 

4 and citizenship benefits; 

5 ‘‘(C) promoting an awareness and under6 standing of citizenship; and 

7 ‘‘(D) ensuring the integrity of the United 

8 States immigration system.’’. 

9 SEC. 312. AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION OF ELIGIBLE INDI10 VIDUALS. 

11 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section and section 313: 

12 (1) AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION SYSTEM.—The 

13 term ‘‘automatic registration system’’ means a sys14 tem developed by a State that— 

15 (A) except as provided in subparagraph 

16 (B), registers all newly naturalized individuals 

17 to vote in elections for Federal office conducted 

18 in such State by transferring the information 

19 necessary for voter registration from the De20 partment of Homeland Security to the State 

21 voter registration database; and 

22 (B) excludes from registration— 

23 (i) any individual who affirmatively 

24 declines to be registered; and 


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1 (ii) any individual who is determined 

2 to be ineligible for registration. 

3 (2) NEWLY NATURALIZED CITIZEN.—The term 

4 ‘‘newly naturalized citizen’’ means an individual 

5 who— 

6 (A) has an approved application for natu7 ralization as a United States citizen; 

8 (B) has taken the oath described in section 

9 337 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

10 U.S.C. 1448); and 

11 (C) has received a certificate of naturaliza12 tion under section 338 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 

13 1449). 

14 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

15 the Secretary of Homeland Security. 

16 (b) AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION SYSTEM FOR THE

17 NEWLY NATURALIZED.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The chief election official of 

19 each State shall establish and operate an automatic 

20 registration system for newly naturalized citizens to 

21 vote in elections for Federal office conducted in the 

22 State, in accordance with this section. 

23 (2) USE OF DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECU24 RITY RECORDS.—The chief election official of each 

25 State shall— 


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1 (A) upon receiving information from the 

2 Secretary about a newly naturalized citizen who 

3 has not declined voter registration— 

4 (i) ensure that such individual fulfills 

5 any local or State qualifications to register 

6 to vote relating to legal competency and 

7 past criminal convictions; and 

8 (ii) determine whether such individual 

9 is subject to privacy protections for victims 

10 of domestic violence or people with sen11 sitive or high-profile professions; 

12 (B) not later than 15 days after receiving 

13 information from the Secretary about an indi14 vidual pursuant to section 313, ensure that the 

15 individual is registered to vote in elections for 

16 Federal office conducted in the State unless the 

17 individual is disqualified from voting by reason 

18 of incompetency or past criminal conviction; 

19 (C) not later than 45 days after receiving 

20 information from the Secretary about an indi21 vidual pursuant to section 313, send written no22 tice to the individual, in addition to other 

23 means of notice established under this section, 

24 of the individual’s voter registration status; and 


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1 (D) exclude from all public availability or 

2 disclosure the voter registration records of any 

3 newly naturalized citizens who are protected by 

4 applicable State or local laws that prevent pub5 lication of the home address and other person6 ally identifying information about victims of do7 mestic violence and people with sensitive or 

8 high-profile professions. 

9 (c) CONTENTS OF WRITTEN NOTICE TO NEWLY

10 REGISTERED VOTERS.—The written notice required 

11 under subsection (b)(2)(C) shall— 

12 (1) indicate the individual has been registered 

13 to vote; 

14 (2) describe the substantive qualifications of an 

15 elector in the State, as listed in the mail voter reg16 istration application form for elections for Federal 

17 office prescribed pursuant to section 9 of the Na18 tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 

19 20508); 

20 (3) set forth the consequences for false registra21 tion; 

22 (4) instruct the individual to cancel his or her 

23 voter registration if he or she does not meet all of 

24 the qualifications referred to in paragraph (2); and 

25 (5) providing instructions for— 


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1 (A) cancelling voter registration, if nec2 essary pursuant to paragraph (4); and 

3 (B) correcting any erroneous information 

4 in the individual’s voter registration record. 

5 (d) TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS YOUNGER THAN

6 18 YEARS OF AGE.—A State may not refuse to register 

7 a newly naturalized citizen under this section on the 

8 grounds that the individual is younger than 18 years of 

9 age on the date on which the Secretary receives informa10 tion with respect to the individual if the individual is at 

11 least 16 years of age on such date. 

12 SEC. 313. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ASSIST13 ANCE IN REGISTRATION. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 

15 (1) assist the chief election official of each 

16 State to carry out the functions set forth in section 

17 312(b) in accordance with this section; and 

18 (2) provide each individual approved for natu19 ralization with a document that— 

20 (A) informs the individual of— 

21 (i) the substantive qualifications of an 

22 elector in the State, as set forth in the 

23 mail voter registration application form for 

24 elections for Federal office prescribed pur25 suant to section 9 of the National Voter 


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1 Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 

2 20508); and 

3 (ii) the consequences of false voter 

4 registration; 

5 (B) instructs the individual to decline to 

6 register to vote if the individual does not meet 

7 all of the qualifications referred to in subpara8 graph (A)(i); 

9 (C) informs the individual that— 

10 (i) voter registration is voluntary; and 

11 (ii) registering to voter or declining to 

12 register to vote— 

13 (I) will not affect the individual’s 

14 citizenship status; 

15 (II) will not affect the availability 

16 of services or benefits to which the in17 dividual is entitled; and 

18 (III) will not be used for other 

19 purposes; 

20 (D) informs the individual that affiliation 

21 or enrollment with a political party may be re22 quired to participate in an election to select the 

23 party’s candidate in an election for Federal of24 fice; 


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1 (E) provides any individual who accepts 

2 voter registration the option of affiliating or en3 rolling with a political party; 

4 (F) informs the individual that he or she 

5 will not be registered to vote if he or she— 

6 (i) signs the document; 

7 (ii) does not take the oath of alle8 giance to the United States required for 

9 naturalization under section 337 of the Im10 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

11 1448); and 

12 (iii) is not issued a certificate of natu13 ralization; 

14 (G) instructs any individual who accepts 

15 voter registration to provide his or her residen16 tial address or coordinates if different from his 

17 or her mailing address on file with U.S. Citizen18 ship and Immigration Services; 

19 (H) directs individuals to— 

20 (i) sign in a designated space to de21 cline voter registration; or 

22 (ii) sign in a different designated 

23 space to attest that the individual— 

24 (I) affirms that information pro25 vided on the document is true and 


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1 complete to the best of the individ2 ual’s knowledge; 

3 (II) will fulfill nationally applica4 ble age, citizenship, and residency re5 quirements to vote upon the individ6 ual’s naturalization; and 

7 (III) accepts voter registration if 

8 determined by State election officials 

9 to be eligible to register in the individ10 ual’s State and municipality of resi11 dence; and 

12 (I) provides a phone number and other 

13 widely accessible means of contacting U.S. Citi14 zenship and Immigration Services with ques15 tions about, or for assistance with, completing 

16 sections of the document concerning automatic 

17 voter registration, as set forth in subsection (d). 

18 (b) INSTRUCTIONS ON AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION.— 

19 The Secretary shall require each individual approved for 

20 naturalization to sign and submit to the Secretary the doc21 ument received pursuant to subsection (a)(2) at the time 

22 he or she takes the oath described in section 337 of the 

23 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1448) to ac24 knowledge that he or she understands the information 


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1 contained in the document and will comply with the appli2 cable requirement. 

3 (c) INFORMATION SUBMISSION.—Not later than 15 

4 days after a newly naturalized citizen submits a signed 

5 document to the Secretary in accordance with subsection 

6 (b), unless the individual declines to be registered to vote 

7 when signing the document, the Secretary shall submit to 

8 the appropriate State election official, in a format compat9 ible with the statewide voter database maintained under 

10 section 303 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 

11 U.S.C. 21083) to the extent possible— 

12 (1) the individual’s given names and surnames; 

13 (2) the individual’s date of birth; 

14 (3) the individual’s residential address or co15 ordinates; 

16 (4) confirmation that the individual is a citizen 

17 of the United States; 

18 (5) the date on which the individual was sworn 

19 in as a United States citizen; 

20 (6) the individual’s signature in electronic form, 

21 if available; and 

22 (7) information regarding the individual’s affili23 ation or enrollment with a political party, if the indi24 vidual provides such information. 


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1 (d) REGISTRATION ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

2 shall— 

3 (1) publish information about, and instructions 

4 for, accepting or declining automatic voter registra5 tion for newly naturalized citizens— 

6 (A) on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigra7 tion Services website; and 

8 (B) in materials routinely provided to ap9 proved applicants for United States citizenship; 

10 and 

11 (2) create a telephonic hotline staffed by live 

12 operators to provide assistance with registration to 

13 approved applicants for United States citizenship. 

14 SEC. 314. VOTER PROTECTION AND SECURITY IN AUTO15 MATIC REGISTRATION. 

16 (a) PROTECTIONS FOR ERRORS IN REGISTRATION.— 

17 An individual may not be prosecuted under any Federal 

18 or State law, adversely affected in any civil adjudication 

19 concerning immigration status or naturalization, or sub20 ject to an allegation in any legal proceeding that the indi21 vidual is not a citizen of the United States on the ground 

22 that the individual— 

23 (1) is not eligible to vote in elections for Fed24 eral office, but— 


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1 (A) was automatically registered to vote 

2 under this title; or 

3 (B) was automatically registered to vote 

4 under this title and subsequently voted without 

5 willful intent to do so unlawfully; 

6 (2) was automatically registered to vote under 

7 this title at an incorrect address; or 

8 (3) declined the opportunity to register to vote 

9 or did not make an affirmation of citizenship, in10 cluding through automatic registration, under this 

11 title. 

12 (b) LIMITS ON USE OF AUTOMATIC REGISTRA13 TION.—The automatic registration of any individual, an 

14 individual’s declination to register to vote, or an individ15 ual’s failure to make an affirmation of citizenship under 

16 this title may not be used as evidence against that indi17 vidual in any State or Federal law enforcement pro18 ceeding. An individual’s lack of knowledge or willfulness 

19 of such registration may be conclusively demonstrated by 

20 the individual’s testimony. 

21 (c) CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES’ PROTECTION OF IN22 FORMATION.—Nothing in this title may be construed to 

23 authorize the Department of Homeland Security to collect, 

24 retain, transmit, or publicly disclose, except to State elec25 tion officials, as authorized under this title— 


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1 (1) an individual’s decision to decline to register 

2 to vote or to not register to vote; 

3 (2) an individual’s decision to not affirm his or 

4 her citizenship; or 

5 (3) any information that a contributing agency 

6 transmits pursuant to section 313(c), except in pur7 suing the agency’s ordinary course of business. 

8 (d) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE PROHIBITED.—State elec9 tion officials may not publicly disclose, with respect to any 

10 individual for whom any a State election official receives 

11 information from the Department of Homeland Security— 

12 (1) any information that is not necessary to 

13 voter registration; 

14 (2) any voter information otherwise shielded 

15 from disclosure under State law or section 8(a) of 

16 the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 

17 U.S.C. 20507(a)); 

18 (3) any portion of the individual’s Social Secu19 rity number; 

20 (4) any portion of the individual’s motor vehicle 

21 driver’s license number; 

22 (5) the individual’s signature; 

23 (6) the individual’s telephone number; or 

24 (7) the individual’s email address. 


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1 SEC. 315. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

2 Sections 312, 313, and 314 shall take effect on Janu3 ary 1, 2024. 

4 TITLE IV—REFUGEE RESETTLE5 MENT AND INTEGRATION 

6 SEC. 401. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY. 

7 In this title, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec8 retary of State. 

9 SEC. 402. MINIMUM NUMBER OF REFUGEES TO BE ADMIT10 TED. 

11 Section 207(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality 

12 Act (8 U.S.C. 1157(a)(2)) is amended by inserting after 

13 ‘‘as the President determines’’ the following: ‘‘(except that 

14 in any fiscal year after fiscal year 2018, such number may 

15 not be less than 125,000)’’. 

16 SEC. 403. PRE-ARRIVAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND WORK 

17 ORIENTATION TRAINING FOR APPROVED 

18 REFUGEE APPLICANTS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

20 overseas refugee training programs to offer to refugees de21 scribed in subsection (b) optional English-as-a-second-lan22 guage and work orientation training before departure for 

23 the United States. 

24 (b) REFUGEES DESCRIBED.—Refugees described in 

25 this subsection are refugees who have been— 


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1 (1) approved for admission to the United 

2 States; 

3 (2) conditionally approved for admission to the 

4 United States; or 

5 (3) selected at the discretion of the U.S. Ref6 ugee Admission Program. 

7 (c) DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION.—In designing 

8 and implementing the programs referred to in subsection 

9 (a), the Secretary shall consult with or enter into a con10 tract with 1 or more nongovernmental or international or11 ganizations that has— 

12 (1) direct affiliation with the United States ref13 ugee resettlement program; and 

14 (2) appropriate expertise in developing cur15 riculum and teaching English as a second language. 

16 (d) IMPACT ON PROCESSING TIMES.—The Secretary 

17 shall ensure that training programs under this section— 

18 (1) are offered to refugees as strictly optional; 

19 (2) occur within applicable processing times; 

20 and 

21 (3) do not delay or prevent the departure for 

22 the United States of any refugee who has been ap23 proved for admission to the United States. 

24 (e) TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.— 


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1 (1) INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 

2 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

3 the Secretary shall ensure that training programs 

4 under this section are fully and consistently oper5 ational in not fewer than 3 refugee processing re6 gions. 

7 (2) ADDITIONAL IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later 

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

9 Act, the Secretary shall notify the appropriate com10 mittees of Congress that such training programs are 

11 fully and consistently operational in not fewer than 

12 5 refugee processing regions. 

13 (f) GAO STUDY AND REPORT.— 

14 (1) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the 

15 United States shall conduct a study on the imple16 mentation of this section that includes— 

17 (A) an assessment of— 

18 (i) the quality of English-as-a-second19 language curricula and instruction; and 

20 (ii) the benefits to refugees of the 

21 work orientation and English-as-a-second22 language training programs; and 

23 (B) recommendations on whether such pro24 grams should be continued, broadened, or modi25 fied. 


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1 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

3 General shall submit to the appropriate committees 

4 of Congress a report on the findings of the study 

5 under paragraph (1). 

6 (g) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec7 tion shall be construed to require a refugee to participate 

8 in a training program under this section as a precondition 

9 for the admission of the refugee to the United States. 

10 SEC. 404. UPDATE OF RECEPTION AND PLACEMENT 

11 GRANTS. 

12 Beginning in fiscal year 2023, in setting the amount 

13 of reception and placement grants for refugees, the Sec14 retary shall ensure that— 

15 (1) the grant amount is adjusted to an amount 

16 that is adequate to provide for the anticipated initial 

17 resettlement needs of refugees and includes adjust18 ments for inflation and the cost of living; 

19 (2) the administrative portion of such grants 

20 provided at the beginning of the fiscal year to each 

21 national resettlement agency is sufficient to ensure 

22 adequate local and national capacity to serve the ini23 tial resettlement needs of the number of refugees the 

24 Secretary anticipates the agency will resettle during 

25 the fiscal year; and 


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1 (3) additional amounts are provided to each na2 tional resettlement agency promptly upon the arrival 

3 of refugees that, exclusive of the amounts provided 

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

5 anticipated initial resettlement needs of such refu6 gees and support local and national operational costs 

7 in excess of the amount described in paragraph (1). 

8 SEC. 405. CASE MANAGEMENT GRANT PROGRAM. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the Office of 

10 Refugee Resettlement shall make grants to national reset11 tlement agencies to operate a case management system for 

12 the purpose of offering case management to qualified indi13 viduals to assist in accessing any service, benefit, or assist14 ance for which qualified individuals are eligible provided 

15 by— 

16 (1) the Office of Refugee Resettlement; 

17 (2) any other Federal, State, or local agency; 

18 and 

19 (3) a private entity or a nonprofit organization. 

20 (b) PERIOD OF QUALIFICATION.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para22 graph (2), a qualified individual may receive case 

23 management services under this section during the 

24 period beginning on the date on which the qualified 

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1 ment, acculturation, or subsistence services provided 

2 by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and ending on 

3 the date that is 1 year after the date on which the 

4 qualified individual ceases to be so eligible. 

5 (2) EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para7 graph (1), an individual described in subpara8 graph (B) may receive such case management 

9 services during the period beginning on the date 

10 on which such individual was determined to be 

11 eligible for resettlement, acculturation, or sub12 sistence services provided by the Office of Ref13 ugee Resettlement and ending on the date that 

14 is 3 years after the date on which such indi15 vidual ceases to be so eligible. 

16 (B) EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.—An 

17 individual described in this subparagraph is a 

18 qualified individual who— 

19 (i) is 65 years of age or older; 

20 (ii) has extraordinary resettlement or 

21 acculturation needs that impede the ability 

22 of the individual to achieve durable self23 sufficiency; 

24 (iii) is a refugee resettled from a situ25 ation of protracted displacement; 


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

2 an unattached refugee minor; or 

3 (v) on the date on which the indi4 vidual was admitted to the United 

5 States— 

6 (I) had a disability or serious 

7 medical condition; 

8 (II) had a mental health condi9 tion; 

10 (III) was part of a household 

11 headed by a single parent; or 

12 (IV) was a victim of a severe 

13 form of violence. 

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

15 be construed as affecting the authority of the Director of 

16 the Office of Refugee Resettlement under section 

17 412(e)(7)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

18 U.S.C. 1522(e)(7)(A)) or of any other section of such Act 

19 to provide case management services to qualified individ20 uals who have been in the United States for longer than 

21 3 years. 

22 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘quali24 fied individual’’ means an individual who was, at any 

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1 sistence services provided by the Office of Refugee 

2 Resettlement. 

3 (2) RESETTLEMENT, ACCULTURATION, OR SUB4 SISTENCE SERVICES.—The term ‘‘resettlement, ac5 culturation, or subsistence services’’ includes each of 

6 the services provided by the Office of Refugee Reset7 tlement to aliens (as defined in section 101(a) of the 

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

9 1101(a))), except the case management services 

10 under this section. 

11 SEC. 406. INCREASE IN CASH PAYMENTS. 

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

13 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1522) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(C) Subject to the availability of funds, 

18 assistance and social services for employment 

19 and health and living expenses under this sec20 tion shall be available to refugees for a period 

21 of not less than 1 year.’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end 

23 the following: ‘‘Subject to the availability of 

24 funds, such assistance and services shall be 


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1 made available to refugees for a period of not 

2 less than 1 year.’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (e)(1)— 

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

5 ‘‘(1)(A)’’; and 

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

7 ‘‘(B) Subject to the availability of funds, 

8 such assistance shall be provided for not less 

9 than 1 year beginning on the first day of the 

10 month in which a refugee enters the United 

11 States.’’. 

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

13 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is the ear14 lier of— 

15 (1) the first day of the first fiscal year begin16 ning after the date of the enactment of this Act; or 

17 (2) the date on which a final rule is promul18 gated to implement such amendments. 

19 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec20 tion or in the amendments made by this section shall be 

21 construed as limiting or reducing assistance provided for 

22 a period that is more than 1 year. 


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1 TITLE V—PROTECTIONS FOR 

2 IMMIGRANTS 

3 SEC. 501. PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION. 

4 A recipient of a grant described in, or established 

5 under, this title may not be required, as a condition of 

6 receiving such a grant, to transmit the personally identifi7 able information of an immigrant, or a family member or 

8 household member of an immigrant, served by the recipi9 ent. 

10 SEC. 502. VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION IN INTEGRATION 

11 AND INCLUSION ACTIVITIES. 

12 The participation of an immigrant in any integration 

13 or inclusion activity under this Act shall be strictly vol14 untary. 

Æ 


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