Fraudulent Overseas Recruitment and Trafficking Elimination Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-4586
Sponsor: Rep. Royce, Edward R. [R-CA-39]
Introduced: 2014-05-07 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Civil actions and liability
Contracts and agency
Crimes against property
Department of Homeland Security
Department of State
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Employee hiring
Foreign aid and international relief
Foreign labor
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Gambling
Government information and archives
Human trafficking
Judicial review and appeals
Legal fees and court costs
Licensing and registrations
Sex offenses
Transportation costs
User charges and fees
Violent crime
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2014-05-07
text: 
Fraudulent Overseas Recruitment and Trafficking Elimination Act of 2014 - Requires a foreign labor contractor (including a third-party foreign labor recruiter) who files a petition, certification, or application for a work-authorized nonimmigrant visa to provide a prospective worker with a copy of the petition and a copy of the approval notification. 
 
Prohibits a foreign labor contractor (including a third-party foreign labor recruiter) from knowingly providing false or misleading information to any worker or prospective worker concerning any required document.
 
 Requires a third-party foreign labor recruiter to disclose in writing in English and in the prospective worker's primary language specified information about fees, contracts, worker protections, and a copy of the work visa petition.
 
Requires a third-party foreign labor recruiter to obtain from the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) a certificate of registration which shall be valid for two years. Establishes a registration fee.
 
Prohibits a third-party foreign labor recruiter, or agent or employee of the recruiter, from assessing any recruitment, placement, legal, or processing fee on a worker or prospective worker. 
 
States that, unless required by the Immigration and Nationality Act, no foreign labor contractor (including a third-party foreign labor recruiter) shall be required to pay for the visa or passport fees or transportation costs to and from the United States of a prospective worker or worker.
 
Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) maintain a publicly available list of all registered third-party foreign labor recruiters that identifies the countries from which the contractors recruit, the visa categories and occupations for which the contractors recruit, and the states where recruited workers are employed; (2) maintain a publicly available list of all third-party foreign labor recruiters whose certificate of registration has been revoked; and (3) provide such lists to the Secretary of State, who shall make them available in written form at, and on the websites of, each U.S. diplomatic mission. 
 
Sets forth worker complaint and related civil and administrative enforcement requirements.
 
Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to require the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State to incorporate anti-trafficking and anti-slavery priorities into other aspects of foreign assistance to ensure that assistance programs do not contribute to human trafficking and slavery.
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require a consular officer, before issuing specified work visas, to: (1) provide the alien with certain trafficking information, and (2) review and include in the alien's visa file the foreign labor recruiter's disclosures.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-07-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
action_date: 2014-07-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
action_date: 2014-05-07
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, 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.
action_date: 2014-05-07
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, 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.
action_date: 2014-05-07
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, 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.
action_date: 2014-05-07
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-05-07
text: Introduced in House