I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4078 
To authorize the Governor of any State in which it is proposed to place 
or resettle a Syrian refugee to refuse such placement or resettlement 
if the Governor makes certain certifications, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 18, 2015 
Mr. YOHO (for himself, Mr. JONES, and Mr. POSEY) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To authorize the Governor of any State in which it is pro-
posed to place or resettle a Syrian refugee to refuse 
such placement or resettlement if the Governor makes 
certain certifications, 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 ‘‘Give States a Chance 
Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
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(1) On November 13, 2015, 3 teams of radical 
Islamic terrorists staged coordinated attacks at 6 lo-
cations throughout Paris. 
(2) ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ordered 
this cowardly attack on innocent civilians. 
(3) At least one of the attackers carried a fake 
Syrian passport and arrived among the refugees 
from the Syrian conflict. 
(4) The recent attacks in Paris illustrate the se-
riousness of the threats posed by extreme radical Is-
lamic terrorists groups and those sympathetic to 
their cause. 
(5) President Obama has stated that the 
United States will take in at least 10,000 Syrian ref-
ugees. 
(6) The potential of ISIS and other terrorist 
groups inserting terrorists in the flow of refugees is 
high, as demonstrated by the attacks in Paris. 
(7) The governors of Alabama, Arizona, Arkan-
sas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, 
Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, 
Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, 
New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, 
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wis-
consin, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Maryland al-
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ready have stated that they are opposed to receiving 
Syrian refugees in their States. 
(8) The primary responsibility of the Federal 
Government is to provide for the common defense of 
our Nation. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF STATES TO REFUSE RECEIPT OF 
REFUGEES. 
(a) STATES AUTHORIZED TO ACT.—The Governor of 
any State in which it is proposed to place or resettle a 
refugee (as defined in section 101(a)(42) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42))) who is 
an alien described in subsection (b) may refuse such place-
ment or resettlement if the Governor certifies that the 
Governor— 
(1) has not properly been informed of the in-
tended sponsorship process for the refugee; 
(2) has determined that the proposed location 
for the refugee within the State is inappropriate be-
cause the proportion of refugees and comparable en-
trants in the population in the location area is too 
high; or 
(3) is not reasonably satisfied that the refugee 
does not post a security threat. 
(b) ALIENS DESCRIBED.—An alien is described in 
this subsection if the alien— 
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(1) is a national of Syria; or 
(2) has no nationality and the country in which 
the alien last habitually resided is Syria. 
(c) LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.—A State may not be 
held liable in any Federal civil action for any decision de-
scribed in subsection (a). 
SEC. 4. REVIEW OF REFUGEES TO IDENTIFY SECURITY 
THREATS. 
(a) CERTIFICATION.—A covered refugee may not be 
admitted to the United States until the Secretary of 
Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney 
General, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion, and the Director of National Intelligence, certifies 
to Congress that that covered refugee is not a security 
threat to the United States. 
(b) INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEW
OF CERTIFI-
CATIONS.—The Inspector General of the Department of 
Homeland Security shall review 20 percent of all certifi-
cations made under subsection (a) each fiscal year. 
(c) FBI BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION.—The Direc-
tor of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall take all 
actions necessary to ensure that each covered refugee re-
ceives a thorough background investigation prior to admis-
sion. A covered refugee may not be admitted until the Di-
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rector certifies that the covered refugee has received such 
a background investigation. 
(d) DEFINITION.—The term ‘‘covered refugee’’ 
means any alien applying for admission to the United 
States as a refugee who— 
(1) is a national or resident of Iraq or Syria; 
(2) has no nationality and whose last habitual 
residence was in Iraq or Syria; or 
(3) has been present in Iraq or Syria at any 
time on or after March 1, 2011. 
Æ 
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