,i #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bhci ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #ah1 #bjae ,mr4 ,pascrell 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 ,domestic refugee resettlement reform and modernization 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,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#b7 ,director ,the term ,director means the ,director of the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement in the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services4 7#c7 ,national resettlement agencies ,the term national resettlement agencies means voluntary agencies contracting with the ,department of ,state to provide sponsorship and initial resettlement services to refugees entering the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,assessment of refugee domestic resettlement programs 7#a7 ,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 7#b7 ,matters to be studied ,in the study required under paragraph 7#a71 the ,comptroller ,general shall determine and analyze-- 7,a7 how the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement defines self-sufficiency and integration and if these definitions adequately represent refugees' 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 technological solutions for consistently tracking secondary migration1 including opportunities for interagency data sharing2 7,d7 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,e7 the role of community-based organizations in serving refugees in areas experiencing a high number of new refugee arrivals2 7,f7 how community-based organizations can be better utilized and supported in the ,federal domestic resettlement process2 7,g7 recertification processes for high-skilled refugees1 specifically considering how to decrease barriers for ,special ,immigrant ,visa holders to use their skills2 and 7,h7 recommended statutory changes to improve the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement and the domestic refugee program in relation to the matters analyzed under subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,g74 7#c7 ,report ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit to ,congress the results of the study required under this subsection4 7c7 ,refugee assistance 7#a7 ,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 ,the ,director shall ensure that assistance under this section is provided to refugees who are secondary migrants and meet all other eligibility requirements for such assistance4 4 7#b7 ,report on secondary migration ,section #dab7;a77#c7 of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;a77#c77 is amended-- 7,a7 by inserting 7,a7 after 7#c72 7,b7 by striking periodic and inserting annual2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following3 7,b7 ,at the end of each fiscal year1 the ,director shall submit a report to ,congress that includes-- 7i7 ,states experiencing departures and arrivals due to secondary migration2 7ii7 likely reasons for migration2 7iii7 the impact of secondary migration on ,states hosting secondary migrants2 7iv7 the availability of social services for secondary migrants in those ,states2 and 7v7 unmet needs of those secondary migrants4 4 7#c7 ,amendments to 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 7,b7 by striking the total number and inserting the following3 7i7 the total number 2 and 7,c7 by striking the period at the end and inserting the following3 7ii7 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 year2 and 7iii7 projections on the number and nature of incoming refugees and other populations served by the ,office during the subsequent fiscal year4 4 7#d7 ,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 paragraph 7#e71 the ,director shall-- 7,a7 issue a proposed rule for a new formula by which grants and contracts are to be allocated pursuant to the amendments made by paragraph 7#c72 and 7,b7 solicit public comment regarding such proposed rule4 7#e7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this subsection shall become effective on the first day of the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7d7 ,resettlement data 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall expand the ,office of ,refugee ,resettlement's data analysis1 collection1 and sharing activities in accordance with the requirements set forth in paragraphs 7#b7 through 7#e74 7#b7 ,data on mental and physical medical cases ,the ,director shall-- 7,a7 coordinate with the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 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 needs2 7,b7 examine the information sharing process1 from country of arrival through refugee resettlement1 to determine if access to additional mental health data could-- 7i7 help determine placements2 and 7ii7 enable agencies to better prepare to meet refugee mental health needs2 and 7,c7 in collecting information under this paragraph1 utilize initial refugee health screening data1 including-- 7i7 a history of severe trauma1 torture1 mental health symptoms1 depression1 anxiety1 and posttraumatic stress disorder recorded during domestic and international health screenings2 and 7ii7 ,refugee ,medical ,assistance utilization rate data4 7#c7 ,data on housing needs ,the ,director 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 7#d7 ,data on refugee employment and self-,sufficiency ,the ,director shall gather longitudinal information relating to refugee self-sufficiency1 integration1 and employment status during the #b-year period beginning #a year after the date on which the refugees arrived in the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,availability of data ,the ,director shall annually-- 7,a7 update the data collected under this subsection2 and 7,b7 submit a report to ,congress that contains the updated data4 7e7 ,guidance regarding refugee placement decisions 7#a7 ,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 7#b7 ,best practices ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 in collaboration with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall collect best practices related to the implementation of the guidance on stakeholder consultation on refugee resettlement from voluntary agencies and ,state refugee coordinators and disseminate such best practices to such agencies and coordinators4 7f7 ,effective date ,this section 7except for the amendments made by subsection 7c77 shall take effect on the date that is #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4