Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016

Bill: 114-hr-5398
Sponsor: Rep. Rice, Tom [R-SC-7]
Introduced: 2016-06-07 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Border security and unlawful immigration
Computer security and identity theft
Congressional oversight
Department of Homeland Security
El Salvador
Employee hiring
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal preemption
Foreign aid and international relief
Foreign labor
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Guatemala
Honduras
Immigration status and procedures
Income tax credits
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Latin America
Licensing and registrations
Mexico
Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor
Personnel records
Poverty and welfare assistance
Public contracts and procurement
State and local government operations
Tax treatment of families
Telephone and wireless communication
Visas and passports
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2016-06-07
text: 

Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016

 
 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce the annual cap for family-sponsored immigrants and increase the annual cap for certain employment-sponsored immigrants.
 
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. (The current paper-based I-9 system is eliminated.) 
 
 An employer shall verify that an individual is not an unauthorized alien by: (1) obtaining the individual's social security account number, and (2) examining an individual's identity and work authorization documents. 

 An individual shall attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States.
 
 The bill establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. 
 
 The bill requires reverification of certain workers who have not been verified under E-verify. 
 
 An employer may voluntarily reverify employees. 
 
Employment recruitment and referral are included within the scope of EEVS. 
 
 The bill provides for the establishment of programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, and (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud. 
 
 DHS shall establish: (1) a program under which parents or legal guardians may suspend or limit the use of the social security account number or other identifying information of a minor for the purposes of the employment eligibility verification system, and (2) an Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot program to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of enrolled new employees.
 
 The Internal Revenue Code is amended to: (1) deny an earned income tax credit and a child care credit to an alien receiving work authorization pursuant to a deferred removal action; and (2) require an individual to include his or her social security number on his or her tax return in order to receive a child tax credit. 
 
The Department of State shall suspend all U.S. foreign assistance to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, except for assistance under the international narcotic control law enforcement program. 
 
 The annual H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural workers) cap is increased.
 
 A specified Department of Labor rule regarding temporary employment certification for nonimmigrant seasonal agricultural workers and enforcement of employer contractual obligations applicable to such workers shall cease to have effect and an earlier Labor rule relating to such matters shall resume effect. 
 
No visa may be issued under this bill unless DHS certifies to Congress that the issuance of such visa would not result in a U.S. security threat.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-08-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.
action_date: 2016-06-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.
action_date: 2016-06-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
action_date: 2016-06-07
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, and Education and the Workforce, 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: 2016-06-07
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, and Education and the Workforce, 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: 2016-06-07
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, and Education and the Workforce, 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: 2016-06-07
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, and Education and the Workforce, 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: 2016-06-07
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, and Education and the Workforce, 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: 2016-06-07
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, and Education and the Workforce, 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: 2016-06-07
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2016-06-07
text: Introduced in House