I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3201 
To support the integration of immigrants to the United States into the 
economic, social, cultural, and civic life of their local communities and 
the Nation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 23, 2015 
Mr. CA´RDENAS (for himself and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To support the integration of immigrants to the United 
States into the economic, social, cultural, and civic life 
of their local communities and the Nation, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New American Success 
Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
Sec. 3. Findings and declaration of policy. 
TITLE I—GRANTS 
Sec. 101. Initial Entry, Adjustment, and Citizenship Assistance Grants. 
Sec. 102. Integration Success Grants. 
Sec. 103. Integration Success Fund. 
TITLE II—ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING 
Sec. 201. Waiver of English requirement for senior new Americans. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) According to the Migration Policy Institute, 
there are 13,400,000 non-citizen residents in the 
United States with limited proficiency in English. 
(2) According to the Department of Homeland 
Security, approximately 1,100,000 legal immigrants 
enter the country annually. About half of these legal 
immigrants lack full proficiency in English. 
(3) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics, more than two-thirds of the foreign-born popu-
lation does not have a postsecondary degree, and 
foreign-born adults are three times more likely to 
lack a high school diploma or equivalent than native- 
born adults. 
(4) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics, 19 of the 30 fastest growing occupations re-
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quire workers with some form of postsecondary edu-
cation or training. 
(5) These statistics suggest that a lack of 
English proficiency and limited education serve as 
serious impediments to labor market success for im-
migrants. 
(6) A century ago, during the last great wave 
of immigration to this country, the public and pri-
vate sectors promoted the integration of newcomers 
through the Settlement House movement, the found-
ing of the modern public library system, the estab-
lishment of universal public education. 
(7) Although currently dozens of Federal and 
State programs support, and thousands of govern-
ment agencies and nonprofit organizations operate, 
programs that teach English, promote acquisition of 
workforce skills, provide citizenship assistance, and 
otherwise promote the integration of immigrants and 
their children, such programs are often not coordi-
nated or aligned, limiting the capacity of such pro-
grams to identify and test promising practices, lever-
age resources, or bring effective interventions to 
scale. 
(8) It is in the national interest to facilitate the 
rapid acquisition of English language skills by immi-
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grants to the United States and to otherwise pro-
mote the integration of immigrants and their chil-
dren into the mainstream of our economy and soci-
ety. 
(9) Empowering immigrants and their family 
members to effectively integrate into the mainstream 
of the economic, social, cultural, and civic life of 
their local communities and the Nation as a whole 
will ensure that United States immigration policies 
result in more productive and competitive local 
economies and more cohesive and harmonious com-
munities. 
(10) Data, policies, and programs relevant to 
immigrant integration crosscut the responsibilities of 
numerous Federal agencies as well as those of State 
and local governments and nongovernmental actors. 
(11) The overlapping nature of integration 
issues and the lack of coordination of immigration 
policies and programs make it difficult for the Presi-
dent and Congress to understand and respond to 
pressing integration challenges and opportunities. 
(12) Improved coordination of integration goals, 
policies, and programs across sectors and levels of 
government would greatly enhance the ability of the 
Federal Government to create and maintain an im-
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migration system that is more suited to modern 
times and benefits the interests of the Federal Gov-
ernment, communities with growing immigrant pop-
ulations, as well as immigrants and their family 
members. 
(b) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States to— 
(1) promote the civic, linguistic, and economic 
integration of immigrants and their young children 
into the United States; 
(2) establish national goals for integrating im-
migrants and their young children into the United 
States, and measure the degree to which such goals 
are met; 
(3) assess and coordinate Federal policies, regu-
lations, and programs related to the integration of 
immigrants, including an assessment of Federal 
agency jurisdiction and budget concerns; 
(4) consult with State and local governments on 
integration challenges and opportunities for the pur-
pose of improving Federal integration policy and 
program efforts; 
(5) track the performance of Federal, State, 
and local integration initiatives, including measures 
of reach, effectiveness, and cost; and 
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(6) engage stakeholders at different government 
and nongovernment levels to identify integration op-
portunities and challenges. 
TITLE I—GRANTS 
SEC. 101. INITIAL ENTRY, ADJUSTMENT, AND CITIZENSHIP 
ASSISTANCE GRANTS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall award Initial Entry, Adjustment, and Citi-
zenship Assistance grants to eligible entities. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity eligible to receive a 
grant under this section is a unit of local government, 
community-based organization, or public or private non-
profit organization— 
(1) that provides direct assistance to immi-
grants to the United States; and 
(2) that submits to the Secretary of Homeland 
Security an application at such time, in such man-
ner, and containing such information as such Sec-
retary may reasonably require. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Funds awarded under this 
section may be used to provide to an eligible non-cit-
izen assistance relating to the immigration status of 
such non-citizen, or related services. Such assistance 
may include— 
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(A) screening to assess the eligibility of a 
prospective applicant seeking a change in immi-
gration status; 
(B) completing immigration applications; 
(C) gathering proof of identification, em-
ployment, residence, and tax payment; 
(D) gathering proof of relationships to eli-
gible family members; 
(E) applying for any waivers for which an 
applicant and qualifying family members may 
be eligible; 
(F) advising an applicant on the rights and 
responsibilities of United States citizenship; and 
(G) instruction— 
(i) on the rights and responsibilities of 
United States citizenship; 
(ii) in civics and civics-based English 
as a second language; and 
(iii) in applying for United States citi-
zenship. 
(2) IMMIGRANTS ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE.— 
A non-citizen is eligible to receive the assistance de-
scribed in paragraph (1) if such non-citizen is— 
(A) seeking to become a permanent resi-
dent or naturalized citizen; or 
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(B) seeking relief from removal in order 
lawfully to remain in the United States. 
(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, priority shall be given to— 
(1) entities that demonstrate intent to use 
grant funds to serve individuals living in a State 
with a foreign-born population of not less than 5 
percent that has experienced an increase that is 
higher than the national average in the population 
of non-citizen residents during the most recent 10- 
year period, based on data compiled by the Office of 
Immigration Statistics or the United States Census 
Bureau, or units of local government located within 
such State; or 
(2) entities that demonstrate intent to use 
grant funds to serve individuals living in any of the 
10 States with the highest number of non-citizen 
residents, based on data compiled by the Office of 
Immigration Statistics or the United States Census 
Bureau, or units of local government located within 
such State. 
(e) CERTIFICATION.—In order to receive a payment 
under this section, a participating entity shall submit to 
the Secretary a certification that the proposed uses of 
grant funds by the entity are consistent with this section 
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and meet all necessary criteria determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(f) ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.—Not later 
than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year for which 
an entity receives grant funds under this section, the enti-
ty shall submit to the Secretary of Homeland Security the 
following: 
(1) A report that describes— 
(A) the activities undertaken by the entity 
that were funded entirely or partially by the 
grant funds; 
(B) the geographic area or areas served by 
the grant funds; 
(C) an estimate of the number of non-citi-
zens living in the jurisdiction or service area of 
the entity, which demonstrates that the entity 
made a reasonable effort to determine such 
number; 
(D) the number of non-citizens receiving 
assistance that was funded entirely or partially 
by grant funds received by the entity; and 
(E) the primary languages spoken in the 
jurisdiction or service area of the entity. 
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(2) An evaluation of any program of the entity 
using grant funds under this section, including an 
assessment of— 
(A) the effectiveness of such program and 
recommendations for improving the program; 
(B) the future needs of immigrants to the 
United States; and 
(C) the future needs of States and units of 
local government related to immigrant integra-
tion. 
(g) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘State’’ means each of the several States, the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 
States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(h) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—This section shall be in ef-
fect for a period of 10 fiscal years beginning with fiscal 
year 2018. 
SEC. 102. INTEGRATION SUCCESS GRANTS. 
(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Home-
land Security may provide grants on a competitive basis 
to improve the economic, linguistic, and civic integration 
of immigrants and their children. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity eligible to receive a 
grant under this section is a State or a unit of local gov-
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ernment that submits to the Secretary an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such informa-
tion as the Secretary may reasonably require, which may 
include— 
(1) a proposal outlining the methods the entity 
intends to use to effectively carry out the activities 
funded by the grant; 
(2) a sociodemographic profile of non-citizens 
living within the jurisdiction or service area of the 
entity; 
(3) a description of opportunities and chal-
lenges in improving the economic, linguistic, and 
civic integration of immigrants; and 
(4) a comprehensive plan to improve the coordi-
nation of relevant immigrant integration services. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity awarded a grant 
under this section may use the grant funds— 
(1) to expand access to, and improve the quality 
of, programs supporting the economic advancement 
of immigrants in areas that include financial lit-
eracy, small business development, employment navi-
gation, and training opportunities, including cultural 
competency training for State, county, and local gov-
ernment officials that provide direct services to im-
migrants and their families; 
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(2) to expand programs that provide basic adult 
education and contextualized English language skills 
that improve the literacy, numeracy, workforce 
skills, and educational attainment of immigrants 
over the age of 18; 
(3) to expand access to programs that assist 
immigrants in learning English, obtaining recognized 
postsecondary credentials or employment, or in 
building measurable skills to lead to the attainment 
of an industry-recognized credential or certificate; 
and 
(4) to educate immigrants about United States 
history, civics, citizenship rights and responsibilities, 
democracy, opportunities to engage in the civic life 
of their community, unit of local government, and 
State, and the navigation of local systems that sup-
port the economic, linguistic, and civic integration of 
individuals and families. 
(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, priority shall be given to— 
(1) an entity that uses not less than ten percent 
of matching funds from non-Federal sources; 
(2) an entity that collaborates with at least one 
public or private entity to carry out the comprehen-
sive plan referred to under subsection (b)(4); and 
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(3) a State— 
(A) that has a foreign born population of 
not less than 5 percent and that has experi-
enced an increase in non-citizen residents that 
is higher than the national average during the 
most recent 10-year period, based on data com-
piled by the Office of Immigration Statistics or 
the United States Census Bureau, or a unit of 
local government located within such State; or 
(B) that is one of the 10 States with the 
highest number of non-citizen residents, based 
on data compiled by the Office of Immigration 
Statistics or the United States Census Bureau, 
or a unit of local government located within 
such State. 
(e) CERTIFICATION.—In order to receive a payment 
under this section, a participating entity shall provide the 
Secretary with a certification that the proposed uses of 
grant funds by the entity are consistent with this section 
and meet all necessary criteria determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(f) ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.—Not later 
than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year for which 
an entity receives a grant under this section, such entity 
shall submit to the Secretary the following: 
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(1) A report that describes— 
(A) the activities undertaken by the entity; 
(B) the geographic area or areas served by 
the grant funds; and 
(C) a description of the sociodemographic 
characteristics of individuals served by the 
grant funds. 
(2) An evaluation of any program of the entity 
that receives grant funds, including an assessment 
of— 
(A) the effectiveness of such program and 
recommendations for improving the program; 
(B) the future needs of immigrants to the 
United States; and 
(C) the future needs of States and units of 
local government related to immigrant integra-
tion. 
(g) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘State’’ means each of the several States, the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 
States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(h) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—This section shall be in ef-
fect for a period of 10 fiscal years beginning with fiscal 
year 2018. 
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