113 HR 4949 IH: New American Success Act of 2014 U.S. House of Representatives 2014-06-24 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4949 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 24, 2014 Mr. Cárdenas (for himself and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 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 A BILL To establish the National Office of New Americans to support the integration of immigrants to the United States into the economic, social, cultural, and civic life of their local communities and the Nation, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the New American Success Act of 2014.

2.

Table of contents

The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title. Sec. 2. Table of contents. Sec. 3. Findings and declaration of policy. Title I—Citizenship and New Americans Sec. 101. National Office of New Americans. Sec. 102. Task Force on New Americans. Sec. 103. Authorization of appropriations. Title II—Grants Sec. 201. Initial Entry, Adjustment, and Citizenship Assistance Grants. Sec. 202. Integration Success Grants. Sec. 203. Integration Success Fund. Title III—English Language Learning Sec. 301. Waiver of English requirement for senior new Americans. Title IV—Rulemaking Sec. 401. Rulemaking requirement.

3.

Findings and declaration of policy

(a)

Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1)According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are 13,400,000 non-citizen residents in the United States with limited proficiency in English. (2)According to the Department of Homeland Security, approximately 1,100,000 legal immigrants enter the country annually. About half of these legal immigrants lack full proficiency in English. (3)According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 70 percent of the unauthorized immigrant population ages 19 and older have limited proficiency in English. (4)According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than two-thirds of the foreign-born population does not have a postsecondary degree, and foreign-born adults are three times more likely to lack a high school diploma or equivalent than native-born adults. (5)According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19 of the 30 fastest growing occupations require workers with some form of postsecondary education or training. (6)These statistics suggest that a lack of English proficiency and limited education serve as serious impediments to labor market success for immigrants. (7)A century ago, during the last great wave of immigration to this country, the public and private sectors promoted the integration of newcomers through the Settlement House movement, the founding of the modern public library system, the establishment of universal public education. (8)Although currently dozens of Federal and State programs support, and thousands of government agencies and nonprofit organizations operate, programs that teach English, promote acquisition of workforce skills, provide citizenship assistance, and otherwise promote the integration of immigrants and their children, such programs are often not coordinated or aligned, limiting the capacity of such programs to identify and test promising practices, leverage resources, or bring effective interventions to scale. (9)It is in the national interest to facilitate the rapid acquisition of English language skills by immigrants to the United States and to otherwise promote the integration of immigrants and their children into the mainstream of our economy and society. (10)Empowering immigrants and their family members to effectively integrate into the mainstream of the economic, social, cultural, and civic life of their local communities and the Nation as a whole will ensure that United States immigration policies result in more productive and competitive local economies and more cohesive and harmonious communities. (11)Data, policies, and programs relevant to immigrant integration crosscut the responsibilities of numerous Federal agencies as well as those of State and local governments and nongovernmental actors. (12)The overlapping nature of integration issues and the lack of coordination of immigration policies and programs make it difficult for the President and Congress to understand and respond to pressing integration challenges and opportunities. (13)Improved coordination of integration goals, policies, and programs across sectors and levels of government would greatly enhance the ability of the Federal Government to create and maintain an immigration system that is more suited to modern times and benefits the interests of the Federal Government, communities with growing immigrant populations, as well as immigrants and their family members. (b)

Declaration of policy

It is the policy of the United States to— (1)promote the civic, linguistic, and economic integration of immigrants and their young children into the United States; (2)establish national goals for integrating immigrants and their young children into the United States, and measure the degree to which such goals are met; (3)assess and coordinate Federal policies, regulations, and programs related to the integration of immigrants, including an assessment of Federal agency jurisdiction and budget concerns; (4)consult with State and local governments on integration challenges and opportunities for the purpose of improving Federal integration policy and program efforts; (5)track the performance of Federal, State, and local integration initiatives, including measures of reach, effectiveness, and cost; and (6)engage stakeholders at different government and nongovernment levels to identify integration opportunities and challenges.