[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 883 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 883

To reform and modernize domestic refugee resettlement programs, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 7, 2013

 Ms. Stabenow introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To reform and modernize domestic refugee resettlement programs, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Domestic Refugee Resettlement Reform 
and Modernization Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The United States has enhanced and accelerated its 
        efforts to resettle Iraqi refugees since 2007.
            (2) Resettlement in the United States remains an important 
        option for refugees around the world that lack any other 
        durable solution.
            (3) Many of these refugees are victims of torture and 
        persecution, or were forced to flee because of support they 
        gave to American military, government, or media operations.
            (4) Refugees are often a product of human rights atrocities 
        and war, making them likely to have suffered traumatic events 
        which require the United States to offer them protection and 
        meet their needs once they arrive here.
            (5) In fiscal year 2012, a total of 58,238 refugees were 
        resettled in the United States, including 12,163 from Iraq.
            (6) Upon arrival in the United States, refugees are 
        entitled to cash and medical assistance for up to 36 months and 
        access to social services, such as job placement, from the 
        Office of Refugee Resettlement, but refugees actually receive 
        only 8 months of cash and medical assistance.
            (7) When given adequate support through the resettlement 
        system, refugees can successfully become self-sufficient and 
        contribute positively to their communities.
            (8) Additional resources and better data could strengthen 
        refugee services and better respond to the need of highly 
        vulnerable refugees.
            (9) Funding formulas used by the Office of Refugee 
        Resettlement are retroactive in nature, using refugee admission 
        data from up to 3 prior years, so that large increases in 
        refugee admissions are not adequately reflected in the amount 
        of resources provided by the Office.
            (10) United States resettlement policy assumes refugees 
        will be able to quickly become self-sufficient, while 
        specifically offering resettlement to individuals who have 
        specific vulnerabilities that inhibit their ability to achieve 
        self-sufficiency and integrate into society.
            (11) 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 
        services.
            (12) Secondary migration is not properly tracked, and 
        resources are not available for States and agencies 
        experiencing high levels of secondary migration.
            (13) Refugee services are provided by national resettlement 
        agencies, community based organizations, charities, and 
        nonprofit organizations and coordinated locally by State 
        refugee programs, and all the organizations should be supported 
        in their mission to provide refugee services.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for 
        Refugee and Asylee Resettlement.
            (2) Community based organization.--The term ``community 
        based organization'' means a nonprofit organization providing a 
        variety of social, health, educational and community services 
        to a population that includes refugees resettled into the 
        United States.
            (3) 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 States.

SEC. 4. ASSESSMENT OF THE REFUGEE DOMESTIC RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, 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 
Resettlement.
    (b) Matters To Be Studied.--In the study required under subsection 
(a), the Comptroller General shall determine and analyze--
            (1) how the Office of Refugee Resettlement defines self-
        sufficiency and if this definition is adequate in addressing 
        refugee needs in the United States;
            (2) the effectiveness of Office of Refugee Resettlement 
        programs in helping refugees to meet self-sufficiency and 
        integration;
            (3) 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 integration;
            (4) the role of community based organizations in serving 
        refugees in areas experiencing a high number of new refugee 
        arrivals;
            (5) how community based organizations can be better 
        utilized and supported in the Federal domestic resettlement 
        process; and
            (6) recommended statutory changes to improve the Office of 
        Refugee Resettlement and the domestic refugee program in 
        relation to the matters analyzed under paragraphs (1) through 
        (5).
    (c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit the results of the 
study required under subsection (a) to Congress.

SEC. 5. ELEVATION OF THE OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 411(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1521(a)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) There is established, within the Department of Health and 
Human Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (referred to in this 
chapter as the `Office'). The head of the Office shall be the Assistant 
Secretary of Health and Human Services for Refugee and Asylee 
Resettlement (referred to in this chapter as the `Assistant 
Secretary'), who shall be appointed by the President and shall report 
directly to the Secretary.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Immigration and nationality act.--Chapter 2 of title IV 
        of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1521 et seq.) 
        is amended--
                    (A) in section 411(b), by striking ``Director'' and 
                inserting ``Assistant Secretary'';
                    (B) in section 412, by striking ``Director'' each 
                place such term appears and inserting ``Assistant 
                Secretary''; and
                    (C) in section 413, by striking ``Director'' each 
                place such term appears and inserting ``Assistant 
                Secretary''.
            (2) Homeland security act of 2002.--Section 462 of the 
        Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279) 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 
        Resettlement''.
    (c) References.--Any reference to the Director of the Office of 
Refugee Resettlement in any other Federal law, Executive order, rule, 
regulation, operating instruction, or delegation of authority, 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 Resettlement, shall be deemed to 
refer to the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for 
Refugee and Asylee Resettlement.

SEC. 6. REFUGEE ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Assistance Made Available to Secondary Migrants.--Section 
412(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1522(a)(1)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(C) When providing assistance under this section, the Assistant 
Secretary shall ensure that such assistance is provided to refugees who 
are secondary migrants and meet all other eligibility requirements for 
such services.''.
    (b) Report on Secondary Migration.--Section 412(a)(3) of such Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1522(a)(3)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``periodic'' and inserting ``annual''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``At the end of 
        each fiscal year, the Assistant Secretary shall submit a report 
        to Congress that includes States experiencing departures and 
        arrivals due to secondary migration, likely reasons for 
        migration, the impact of secondary migration on States hosting 
        secondary migrants, availability of social services for 
        secondary migrants in those States, and unmet needs of those 
        secondary migrants.''.
    (c) Amendments to the Social Services Funding.--Section 
412(c)(1)(B) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)(B)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``a combination of'' after ``based on''; 
        and
            (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting the 
        following: ``, 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 
        year, and projections on the number and nature of incoming 
        refugees and other populations served by the Office during the 
        subsequent fiscal year.''.
    (d) Notice and Rulemaking.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and not later than 30 days before the 
effective date set forth in subsection (e), 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 (c) and solicit public comment.
    (e) 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 Act.

SEC. 7. RESETTLEMENT DATA.

    (a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary shall expand the Office of 
Refugee Resettlement's data analysis, collection, and sharing 
activities in accordance with the requirements under subsections (b) 
through (e).
    (b) Data on Mental and Physical Medical Cases.--The Assistant 
Secretary shall coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control, 
national resettlement agencies, community based organizations, and 
State refugee health programs to track national and State trends on 
refugees arriving with Class A medical conditions and other urgent 
medical needs. The Assistant Secretary shall utilize initial refugee 
health screening data, including history of severe trauma, torture, 
mental health symptoms, depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress 
disorder, recorded during domestic and international health screenings, 
and Refugee Medical Assistance utilization rate data in collecting 
information under this subsection.
    (c) Data on Housing Needs.--The Assistant Secretary shall partner 
with State refugee programs, community based organizations, and 
national resettlement agencies to collect data relating to the housing 
needs of refugees, including--
            (1) the number of refugees who have become homeless; and
            (2) the number of refugees who are at severe risk of 
        becoming homeless.
    (d) Data on Refugee Employment and Self-Sufficiency.--The Assistant 
Secretary shall gather longitudinal information relating to refugee 
self-sufficiency, integration, and employment status during the 2-year 
period beginning 1 year after the refugees' arrival in the United 
States.
    (e) Availability of Data.--The Assistant Secretary shall--
            (1) annually update the data collected under this section; 
        and
            (2) submit an annual report to Congress that contains the 
        updated data.

SEC. 8. GUIDANCE REGARDING REFUGEE PLACEMENT DECISIONS.

    (a) Consultation.--The Secretary of State shall provide guidance to 
national resettlement agencies and State Refugee Coordinators on 
consultation with local stakeholders pertaining to refugee 
resettlement.
    (b) Best Practices.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
collaboration with the Secretary of State, 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 resettlement.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on 
the date that is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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