,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #aghd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #bf1 #bjac    
,mr4 ,peters of ,michigan 7for himself1 
,mr4 ,stivers1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,ms4 ,chu1
 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4    
,hastings of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,honda1 ,mr4
 ,huizenga of ,michigan1 ,mr4 ,johnson  
of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,levin1 ,mr4          
,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mr4 ,polis1   
and ,mr4 ,schiff7 introduced the        
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a    
,,bill  ,to reform and modernize        
domestic refugee resettlement programs1 
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,domestic ,refugee ,resettlement ,reform
 and ,modernization ,act of #bjac4  #b4 
,findings ,the ,congress makes the      
following findings3  7#a7 ,the ,united  
,states has enhanced and accelerated its
 efforts to resettle ,iraqi refugees    
since #bjjg4  7#b7 ,resettlement in the 
,united ,states remains an important    

option for refugees around the world    
that lack any other durable solution4   
7#c7 ,many of these refugees are victims
 of torture and persecution1 or were    
forced to flee because of support they  
gave to ,american military1 ,government1
 or media operations4  7#d7 ,refugees   
are often a product of human rights     
atrocities and war1 making them likely  
to have suffered traumatic events which 
require the ,united ,states to offer    
them protection and meet their needs    
once they arrive here4  7#e7 ,in fiscal 
year year #bjab1 a total of #eh1bch     
refugees were resettled in the ,united  
,states1 including #ab1afc from ,iraq4  
7#f7 ,upon arrival in the ,united       
,states1 there is authorized up to #cf  
months of cash and medical assistance   
available to refugees1 as well as access
 to social services1 such as job        
placement1 from the ,office of ,refugee 
,resettlement1 but in practice refugees 
receive only #h months of cash and      
medical assistance4  7#g7 ,when given   

adequate support through the            
resettlement system1 refugees can       
successfully become self-sufficient and 
contribute positively to their          
communities4  7#h7 ,additional resources
 and better data could strengthen       
refugee services and better respond to  
the need of highly vulnerable refugees4 
7#i7 ,,orr funding formulas are         
retroactive in nature1 using refugee    
admission data from up to #c prior      
years1 so that large increases in       
refugee admissions are not adequately   
reflected in the amount of resources    
provided by ,,orr4  7#aj7 ,the ,united  
,states resettlement policy assumes     
refugees will be able to quickly become 
self-sufficient1 while specifically     
offering resettlement to individuals who
 have specific vulnerabilities that     
inhibit their ability to achieve        
self-sufficiency and integrate into     
society4  7#aa7 ,some refugees will have
 mental health difficulties associated  
with trauma or torture and this is one  

of the significant barriers to          
self-sufficiency and integration into a 
community when it is not addressed with 
adequate and appropriate services4      
7#ab7 ,secondary migration is not       
properly tracked1 and resources are not 
available for ,states and agencies      
experiencing high levels of secondary   
migration4  7#ac7 ,refugee services are 
provided by national resettlement       
agencies1 community based organizations1
 charities1 and nonprofits and          
coordinated locally by ,state refugee   
programs1 and all the organizations     
should be supported in their mission to 
provide refugee services4  #c4          
,effective date ,this ,act shall take   
effect on the date that is #ij days     
after the date of enactment of this     
,act4  #d4 ,assessment of the refugee   
domestic resettlement program  7a7 ,in  
general ,as soon as practicable after   
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united
 ,states shall conduct a study regarding

 the effectiveness of the domestic      
refugee resettlement programs operated  
by the ,office of ,refugee              
,resettlement4  7b7 ,matters ,to be     
studied ,in the study required under    
subsection 7a71 the ,comptroller        
,general shall determine and analyze the
 following3  7#a7 ,how the ,office of   
,refugee ,resettlement defines          
self-sufficiency and if this definition 
is adequate in addressing refugee needs 
in the ,united ,states4  7#b7 ,the      
effectiveness of the ,office of ,refugee
 ,resettlement programs in helping      
refugees to meet self-sufficiency and   
integration4  7#c7 ,an evaluation of the
 ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement's    
budgetary resources and projection of   
the amount of additional resources      
needed to fully address the unmet needs 
of refugees with regard to              
self-sufficiency and integration4  7#d7 
,the role of community based            
organizations in serving refugees in    
areas experiencing a high number of new 

refugee arrivals4  7#e7 ,an analysis of 
how community based organizations can be
 better utilized and supported in the   
,federal domestic resettlement process4 
7#f7 ,recommendations on statutory      
changes to improve the ,office of       
,refugee ,resettlement and the domestic 
refugee program in relation to the      
matters analyzed under paragraphs 7#a7  
through 7#e74  7c7 ,report ,not later   
than #b years after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller
 ,general shall submit the results of   
the study required under subsection 7a7 
to the ,congress4  #e4 ,elevation of the
 office of refugee resettlement  7a7 ,in
 general ,section #daa7;a7 of the       
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aeba7;a77 is amended by      
striking the second sentence and        
inserting the following3 ,the head of   
the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement in
 the ,department of ,health and ,human  
,services shall be an ,assistant        
,secretary of ,health and ,human        

,services for ,refugee and ,asylee      
,resettlement 7hereinafter in this      
chapter referred to as the ,assistant   
,secretary71 to be appointed by the     
,president1 and to report directly to   
the ,secretary44  7b7 ,conforming       
amendments  7#a7 ,section #daa7;b7 of   
the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act  
7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aeba7;b77 is amended by  
striking ,director and inserting        
,assistant ,secretary4  7#b7 ,section   
#dab of the ,immigration and            
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7  
is amended by striking ,director each   
place it appears and inserting          
,assistant ,secretary4  7#c7 ,section   
#dac of the ,immigration and            
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aebc7  
is amended by striking ,director each   
place it appears and inserting          
,assistant ,secretary4  7#d7 ,section   
#dfb of the ,homeland ,security ,act of 
#bjjb 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #bgi7 is amended by 
striking ,director each place it appears
 and inserting ,assistant ,secretary4   

7c7 ,references ,any reference to the   
,director of the ,office of ,refugee    
,resettlement in any other ,federal law1
 ,executive order1 rule1 regulation1    
operating instruction1 or delegation of 
authority1 or any document of or        
pertaining to the ,department of ,health
 and ,human ,services or the ,office of 
,refugee ,resettlement that refers to   
the ,director of the ,office of ,refugee
 ,resettlement1 shall be deemed to refer
 to the ,assistant ,secretary of ,health
 and ,human ,services for ,refugee and  
,asylee ,resettlement4  #f4 ,refugee    
assistance  7a7 ,amendments to the      
social services funding ,section        
#dab7;c77#a77;,b7 of the ,immigration   
and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4     
#aebb7;c77#a77;,b77 is amended to read  
as follows3  7,b7 ,the funds available  
for a fiscal year for grants and        
contracts under subparagraph 7,a7 shall 
be allocated among the ,states based on 
a combination of the total number of    
refugees 7including children and adults7

 who arrived in the ,united ,states not 
more than #cf months before the         
beginning of such fiscal year and who   
are actually residing in each ,state    
7taking into account secondary          
migration7 as of the beginning of the   
fiscal year1 the total number of all    
other eligible populations served by the
 ,office during the period described who
 are residing in the ,state as of the   
beginning of the fiscal year1 and       
projections on the number and nature of 
incoming refugees and other populations 
served by the ,office during the        
subsequent fiscal year4  4  7b7 ,report 
on secondary migration ,section         
#dab7;a77#c7 of the ,immigration and    
,nationality ,act 7#had ,u4,s4,c4       
#aebb7;a77#c77 is amended by striking   
the word periodic to annual and by      
adding at the end the following3 ,at the
 end of each fiscal year1 the ,assistant
 ,secretary shall present a report on   
these findings to the ,congress4 ,the   
information in the report shall include1

 but is not limited to1 ,states         
experiencing departures and arrivals due
 to secondary migration1 likely reasons 
for migration1 the impact of secondary  
migration on ,states hosting secondary  
migrants1 availability of social        
services for secondary migrants in those
 ,states1 and unmet needs of those      
secondary migrants44  7c7 ,assistance   
made available to secondary migrants    
,section #dab7;a77#a7 of the            
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;a77#a77 is amended by  
adding at the end the following3  7,c7  
,when providing such assistance1 the    
,assistant ,secretary shall ensure that 
such assistance is provided to refugees 
who are secondary migrants and meet all 
other eligibility requirements for such 
services4  4  7d7 ,notice and rulemaking
 ,not later than #ij days after the date
 of enactment of this ,act1 but in no   
event later than #cj days before the    
effective date of the amendments made by
 this section1 the ,assistant ,secretary

 shall issue a proposed rule of the new 
formula by which grants and contracts   
are to be allocated pursuant to the     
amendments made by subsection 7c71 and  
solicit public comment4  7e7 ,effective 
date ,the amendment made by this section
 shall become effective on the first day
 of the first fiscal year that begins   
after the date of enactment of this     
,act4  #g4 ,resettlement data ,the      
,assistant ,secretary shall expand the  
,office of ,refugee ,resettlement's data
 analysis1 collection1 and sharing      
activities in accordance with the       
following provisions3  7#a7 ,data on    
mental and physical medical cases ,the  
,assistant ,secretary shall coordinate  
with the ,centers for ,disease ,control1
 national resettlement agencies1        
community based organizations1 and      
,state refugee health programs to track 
national and ,state trends on refugees  
arriving with ,class ,a medical         
conditions and other urgent medical     
needs4 ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall 

utilize initial refugee health screening
 data1 including history of severe      
trauma1 torture1 mental health symptoms1
 depression1 anxiety and ,,ptsd1        
recorded during domestic and            
international health screenings1 and    
,refugee ,medical ,assistance           
utilization rate data in collecting this
 information4  7#b7 ,data on housing    
needs ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall  
partner with ,state refugee programs1   
community based organizations1 and      
national resettlement agencies to       
collect data relating to the housing    
needs of refugees4 ,this data should    
include the number of refugees who have 
become homeless and the number at severe
 risk of becoming homeless4  7#c7 ,data 
on refugee employment and               
self-sufficiency ,the ,assistant        
,secretary shall gather longitudinal    
information relating to refugee         
self-sufficiency and integration and    
employment status for the period of #a-c
 years post-arrival4  7#d7 ,availability

 of data ,the data collected under this 
section shall be updated annually and   
the ,assistant ,secretary shall submit a
 report to the ,congress containing that
 updated data  #h4 ,guidance regarding  
refugee placement decisions ,the        
,secretary of ,state shall provide      
guidance to national resettlement       
agencies and ,state ,refugee            
,coordinators on consultation with local
 stakeholders pertaining to refugee     
resettlement4 ,the ,secretary of ,health
 and ,human ,services1 working in       
collaboration with the ,secretary of    
,state1 shall collect from ,voluntary   
,agencies and ,state ,refugee           
,coordinators and disseminate best      
practices related to the implementation 
of the guidance on stakeholder          
consultation on refugee resettlement4   
#i4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3  7#a7   
,national resettlement agency ,the term 
national resettlement agency means      
voluntary agencies contracting with the 
,state ,department to provide           

sponsorship and initial resettlement    
services to refugees entering the       
,united ,states4  7#b7 ,community based 
organization ,the term community based  
organization means a nonprofit          
organization providing a variety of     
social1 health1 educational and         
community services to a population that 
includes refugees resettled into the    
,united ,states4  7#c7 ,assistant       
secretary ,the term ,assistant          
,secretary means the ,assistant         
,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services for ,refugee and ,asylee      
,resettlement4