,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hjdf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,august #ad1 #bjbj,mr4 ,katko 7for himself and ,mr4 ,mc,adams7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,labor1 in coordination with other agencies1 to conduct a study on the factors affecting the employment opportunities in the ,united ,states of immigrants and refugees who have professional credentials obtained in foreign countries1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,improving ,opportunities for ,new ,americans ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states has a long history of welcoming individuals of diverse national backgrounds who legally travel to the ,united ,states seeking opportunity and prosperity4 7#b7 ,immigrants and refugees in the ,united ,states bring a diverse range of professional backgrounds that strengthens the workforce of the ,united ,states and benefits ,american businesses4 7#c7 ,the underutilization of the skills and experience of immigrants and refugees1 often referred to as brain waste1 comes at a significant cost to the economy of the ,united ,states and to immigrant families4 7#d7 ,in #bjaf1 researchers at the ,migration ,policy ,institute found that nearly #b million immigrants and refugees with college degrees in the ,united ,states were relegated to low-skilled jobs or were unable to find work4 7#e7 ,on an annual basis1 this underutilization is estimated to result in more than #aj billion in unrealized tax receipts from ,federal1 ,state1 and local governments1 and over #ci billion in unrealized wages for college-educated immigrants and refugees4 7#f7 ,many factors contribute to brain waste1 including language barriers1 limits on the recognition of international degrees and credentials1 the accessibility of relicensing processes1 and the availability of professional networks and assistance in finding suitable employment4 7#g7 ,in the interest of strengthening the economy of the ,united ,states and ensuring consistent opportunities for the realization of the full potential of immigrant and refugee families1 substantive efforts must be made to analyze and address the scope of brain waste in the ,united ,states4 #c4 ,study on factors affecting employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees with professional credentials obtained in foreign countries 7a7 ,study required 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall conduct a study on the factors affecting employment opportunities in the ,united ,states for applicable immigrants and refugees with professional credentials obtained in countries other than the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,coordination ,the ,department of ,labor shall conduct this study in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,education1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 the ,secretary of ,commerce1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 the ,administrator of the ,internal ,revenue ,service1 and the ,commissioner of the ,social ,security ,administration4 7#c7 ,work with other entities ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall seek to work with relevant non-profit organizations and ,state agencies to use the existing data and resources of such entities to conduct the study in paragraph 7#a74 7b7 ,inclusions ,the study under subsection 7a77#a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,an analysis of the employment history of applicable immigrants and refugees admitted to the ,united ,states in the last #e years4 ,this analysis shall include1 to the extent practicable1 a comparison of the employment applicable immigrants and refugees held prior to immigrating to the ,united ,states with the employment obtained in the ,united ,states1 if any1 since the arrival of such applicable immigrants and refugees4 ,this analysis shall also note the occupational and professional credentials and academic degrees held by applicable immigrants and refugees prior to immigrating to the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,as assessment of any barriers that prevent applicable immigrants and refugees from using occupational experience obtained outside the ,united ,states to obtain employment opportunities in the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,an analysis of existing public and private resources assisting applicable immigrants and refugees who have professional experience and qualifications obtained outside the ,united ,states with using such professional experience and qualifications to obtain skill-appropriate employment opportunities in the ,united ,states4 7#d7 ,policy recommendations for better enabling applicable immigrants and refugees who have professional experience and qualifications obtained outside the ,united ,states to use such professional experience and qualifications to obtain skill-appropriate employment opportunities in the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,labor shall submit to ,congress and make publically available on the website of the ,department of ,labor a report that describes the results of the study conducted under subsection 7a77#a74 7d7 ,definitions 7#a7 ,applicable immigrants and refugees ,for the purposes of this section1 the term applicable immigrants and refugees means individuals who are-- 7,a7 aliens that are lawfully present and authorized to be employed2 or 7,b7 naturalized citizens born outside of the ,united ,states and its outlying possessions4 7#b7 ,other terms ,except as otherwise defined in this subsection1 terms used in this section have the definitions given such terms under section #aja7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a774