,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #hhc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #g1 #bjac ,ms4 ,stabenow introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and 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 #bjab1 a total of #eh1bch refugees were resettled in the ,united ,states1 including #ab1afc from ,iraq4 7#f7 ,upon arrival in the ,united ,states1 refugees are entitled to cash and medical assistance for up to #cf months and access to social services1 such as job placement1 from the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement1 but refugees actually 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 ,funding formulas used by the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement 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 the ,office4 7#aj7 ,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 a significant barrier 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 nonprofit organizations and coordinated locally by ,state refugee programs1 and all the organizations should be supported in their mission to provide refugee services4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,assistant secretary ,the term ,assistant ,secretary means the ,assistant ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services for ,refugee and ,asylee ,resettlement4 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 ,national resettlement agency ,the term national resettlement agency means voluntary agencies contracting with the ,department of ,state to provide sponsorship and initial resettlement services to refugees entering the ,united ,states4 #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-- 7#a7 how the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement defines self-sufficiency and if this definition is adequate in addressing refugee needs in the ,united ,states2 7#b7 the effectiveness of ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement programs in helping refugees to meet self-sufficiency and integration2 7#c7 the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement's budgetary resources and project the amount of additional resources needed to fully address the unmet needs of refugees with regard to self-sufficiency and integration2 7#d7 the role of community based organizations in serving refugees in areas experiencing a high number of new refugee arrivals2 7#e7 how community based organizations can be better utilized and supported in the ,federal domestic resettlement process2 and 7#f7 recommended 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 ,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 to read as follows3 7a7 ,there is established1 within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement 7referred to in this chapter as the ,office74 ,the head of the ,office shall be the ,assistant ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services for ,refugee and ,asylee ,resettlement 7referred to in this chapter as the ,assistant ,secretary71 who shall be appointed by the ,president and shall report directly to the ,secretary4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendments 7#a7 ,immigration and nationality act ,chapter #b of title ,,iv of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aeba et seq47 is amended-- 7,a7 in section #daa7;b71 by striking ,director and inserting ,assistant ,secretary2 7,b7 in section #dab1 by striking ,director each place such term appears and inserting ,assistant ,secretary2 and 7,c7 in section #dac1 by striking ,director each place such term appears and inserting ,assistant ,secretary4 7#b7 ,homeland security act of #bjjb ,section #dfb of the ,homeland ,security ,act of #bjjb 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #bgi7 is amended by striking ,director of the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement each place such term appears and inserting ,assistant ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services for ,refugee and ,asylee ,resettlement4 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 ,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 assistance under this section1 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 7b7 ,report on secondary migration ,section #dab7;a77#c7 of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;a77#c77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking periodic and inserting annual2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 ,at the end of each fiscal year1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall submit a report to ,congress that includes ,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 ,amendments to the social services funding ,section #dab7;c77#a77;,b7 of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;c77#a77;,b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting a combination of after based on2 and 7#b7 by striking the period at the end and inserting the following3 1 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 year44 7d7 ,notice and rulemaking ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act and not later than #cj days before the effective date set forth in subsection 7e71 the ,assistant ,secretary shall issue a proposed rule for a new formula by which grants and contracts are to be allocated pursuant to the amendments made by subsection 7c7 and solicit public comment4 7e7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall become effective on the first day of the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #g4 ,resettlement data 7a7 ,in general ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall expand the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement's data analysis1 collection1 and sharing activities in accordance with the requirements under subsections 7b7 through 7e74 7b7 ,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 posttraumatic stress disorder1 recorded during domestic and international health screenings1 and ,refugee ,medical ,assistance utilization rate data in collecting information under this subsection4 7c7 ,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 refugees1 including-- 7#a7 the number of refugees who have become homeless2 and 7#b7 the number of refugees who are at severe risk of becoming homeless4 7d7 ,data on refugee employment and self-,sufficiency ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall gather longitudinal information relating to refugee self-sufficiency1 integration1 and employment status during the #b-year period beginning #a year after the refugees' arrival in the ,united ,states4 7e7 ,availability of data ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 annually update the data collected under this section2 and 7#b7 submit an annual report to ,congress that contains the updated data4 #h4 ,guidance regarding refugee placement decisions 7a7 ,consultation ,the ,secretary of ,state shall provide guidance to national resettlement agencies and ,state ,refugee ,coordinators on consultation with local stakeholders pertaining to refugee resettlement4 7b7 ,best practices ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 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 ,effective date ,this ,act and the amendments made by this ,act shall take effect on the date that is #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4