[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2175 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2175

 To amend section 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce 
the waiting period for employment authorization for asylum applicants, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 22, 2023

Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend section 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce 
the waiting period for employment authorization for asylum applicants, 
                        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 ``Assisting Seekers in Pursuit of 
Integration and Rapid Employment Act'' or the ``ASPIRE Act''.

SEC. 2. EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION FOR ALIENS SEEKING ASYLUM.

    Paragraph (2) of section 208(d) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(d)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(2) Employment authorization.--
                    ``(A) Eligibility.--Subject to subparagraphs (B) 
                and (C), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
                authorize employment for an applicant for asylum whose 
                application for asylum has not been determined 
                frivolous.
                    ``(B) Application.--An applicant for asylum who is 
                not otherwise eligible for employment authorization 
                shall not be granted such authorization prior to 30 
                days after the date of filing of the application for 
                asylum.
                    ``(C) Term.--Employment authorization for an 
                applicant for asylum shall be valid until the date on 
                which an applicant is issued a final denial of the 
                applicable application, including administrative and 
                judicial review.''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to 
        increase the capacity of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
        Services to address the asylum backlog, including by hiring 
        additional asylum officers and providing basic asylum training 
        and translation and interpretation services, $2,000,000,000 for 
        fiscal year 2024, to remain available until expended.
            (2) Use of funds.--Not less than 75 percent of the amount 
        authorized to be appropriated under paragraph (1) shall be used 
        to hire personnel.
    (b) Department of Homeland Security.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Shelter and 
Services Program, administered jointly by U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to provide 
State and local governments and nonprofit organizations with funding 
for the provision of shelter, food, transportation, and other support 
services to migrants encountered by the Secretary $10,000,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2024, to remain available until expended.
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