[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3340 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3340

    To establish the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy, to 
 authorize the admission of climate-displaced persons into the United 
                    States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 15, 2023

 Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Sanders, and Mr. Booker) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy, to 
 authorize the admission of climate-displaced persons into the United 
                    States, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Climate Displaced 
Persons Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings; sense of Congress.
Sec. 3. Definitions in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Sec. 4. Required data collection and reporting.
Sec. 5. Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy.
Sec. 6. Training in climate change resilience.
Sec. 7. Guidance on the humanitarian impacts of climate change.
Sec. 8. Admission of climate-displaced persons.
Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) In the second study of the Sixth Assessment Report of 
        the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), issued in 
        February 2022, the IPCC stated, based on scientific evidence, 
        that the Earth's climate is now changing faster than at any 
        point in human and recent geologic history.
            (2) The Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC and the Fourth 
        National Climate Assessment, issued in November 2018, found 
        that a changing climate is--
                    (A) causing sea levels to rise;
                    (B) contributing to an increase in wildfires and 
                temperature extremes in some parts of the world;
                    (C) contributing to an increase in heavy 
                precipitation in certain locations; and
                    (D) intensifying drought in many regions of the 
                world.
            (3) Forced displacement and forced migration are increasing 
        in the context of environmental changes and climate-induced 
        disruptions, including weather-related disasters, drought, food 
        insecurity, and rising sea levels.
            (4) In 2022, flooding events caused 6 out of 10 disaster 
        displacements within countries, surpassing other types of 
        disaster, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring 
        Centre. Such events include--
                    (A) the weather phenomena affected by El Nino and 
                La Nina, which have recently led to record levels of 
                flood displacement in many countries, including Brazil, 
                Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia;
                    (B) high-impact events, such as the August 2022 
                floods in Pakistan, which displaced millions of people; 
                and
                    (C) floods impacting the most marginalized 
                communities, such as refugees, internally displaced 
                persons, and returnee populations in northern South 
                Sudan.
            (5) Sea level rise, both locally and globally, imperils 
        low-lying communities around the world by threatening water 
        supplies, accelerating coastal erosion and loss of arable land, 
        and inundating coastal areas. This phenomenon affects--
                    (A) low-lying areas of countries, such as 
                Bangladesh, are threatened with land erosion, land 
                loss, salinization, and other effects of sea level rise 
                and extreme weather events; and
                    (B) small-island-developing states, which are 
                particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, which 
                threatens their entire economies and territoriality.
            (6) Climate change is intensifying drought events and 
        conditions in both severity and duration, which imperils 
        agriculture and other livelihoods and can force families and 
        communities to relocate temporarily or permanently. Failed 
        rainy seasons in the Horn of Africa have led to the worst 
        drought conditions on record in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
            (7) A 2022 World Food Program report on the Dry Corridor, a 
        strip of land located in Central America that includes 
        Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, has found that 
        in the region--
                    (A) temperatures have been rising, with climate 
                change projections for the Dry Corridor estimating an 
                increase in temperature of up to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit 
                by 2050 and 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100;
                    (B) rainfall has been dwindling and becoming 
                violently sporadic, with long-term droughts projected 
                to become more severe by 2100 and intensifying by 27 to 
                73 percent across all months;
                    (C) crop failure is becoming rampant with the 
                expected intensification of heat waves, which are 
                expected to affect basic grains and coffee production 
                due to forest fires, lags in sowing, and increased 
                pests; and
                    (D) approximately \2/3\ of the rural population of 
                the Dry Corridor live in poverty and roughly \3/4\ of 
                these people are living in extreme poverty with 
                significant levels of malnutrition, with the average 
                monthly income from farming and other livelihoods 
                estimated at $177.60 per person, leaving little room to 
                cover eventualities linked to droughts, pests, extreme 
                weather events, or socioeconomic shocks.
            (8) Tropical storms, including hurricanes, cyclones, and 
        typhoons, are extreme weather events fueled by climate change 
        that can generate widespread destruction and displacement.
            (9) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        reported that 30 tropical systems were reported during the 2020 
        Atlantic hurricane season, making 2020--
                    (A) the highest-ever recorded Atlantic hurricane 
                season;
                    (B) the fifth consecutive year with an above-normal 
                Atlantic hurricane season; and
                    (C) 1 of the 18 above-normal seasons during a 26-
                year span.
            (10) The negative effects of hurricanes on communities can 
        linger for years, as demonstrated by the lasting impacts on 
        parts of Central America caused by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, 
        which both made landfall in the same area in November 2020.
            (11) Combinations of extreme heat and humidity may create 
        wet-bulb temperatures that may render certain regions of the 
        world uninhabitable in the coming decades.
            (12) In the second study of the Sixth Assessment Report, 
        issued in February 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
        Change affirmed with high-confidence that societal adaptations 
        in the near term can help reduce the risks of climate change 
        throughout the 21st century.
            (13) In the ``Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023'', the 
        IPCC concluded--
                    (A) ``There is a rapidly closing window of 
                opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future 
                for all''; and
                    (B) ``Deep, rapid and sustained mitigation and 
                accelerated implementation of adaptation actions in 
                this decade would reduce projected losses and damages 
                for humans and ecosystems''.
            (14) The United States bears a disproportionate 
        responsibility for climate change since an estimated \1/5\ of 
        all historical worldwide carbon dioxide emissions were released 
        in the United States, which is greater than the amount of such 
        emissions released in any other single country.
            (15) In the ``Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023'', the 
        IPCC concluded, with high confidence, ``Vulnerable communities 
        who have historically contributed the least to current climate 
        change are disproportionately affected.''.
            (16) According to the United Nations Refugee Agency 
        (UNHCR)--
                    (A) 70 percent of refugees originate from countries 
                on the front lines of the climate crisis;
                    (B) climate change affects people inside their own 
                countries; and
                    (C) climate change typically creates internal 
                displacement before it begins displacing people across 
                international borders.
            (17) The Global Compact on Refugees recognizes that 
        ``climate, environmental degradation and natural disasters 
        increasingly interact with the drivers of refugee movements.''.
            (18) The October 2021 White House Report on the Impact of 
        Climate Change on Migration--
                    (A) recommends that Congress should explore ``the 
                need for additional protections for individuals who can 
                establish that they are fleeing serious, credible 
                threats to their life or physical integrity as a result 
                of climate change''; and
                    (B) states ``[t]he United States should identify 
                ways to apply existing protection frameworks in the 
                context of climate change-related displacement and to 
                identify gaps where the United States should forge new 
                legal pathways to protection.''.
            (19) As noted in a March 2023 report by the U.S. Committee 
        for Refugees and Immigrants' International Refugee Assistance 
        Project and the Human Security Initiative, many asylum seekers 
        have cited the destruction of their homes, agricultural lands, 
        and businesses due to climate-related causes as contributing to 
        their decisions to flee, as these climate-related environmental 
        disasters exacerbated their conditions of marginalization.
            (20) The United Nations Human Rights Council has recognized 
        that climate change poses an existential threat that has 
        already negatively affected the fulfillment of human rights, 
        specifically noting that--
                    (A) ``all States should, when taking action to 
                address climate change, respect, promote and consider 
                their respective obligations on human rights''; and
                    (B) ``the adverse effects of climate change are 
                felt most acutely by those segments of the population 
                that are already in vulnerable situations owing to 
                factors such as geography, poverty, gender, age, 
                indigenous or minority status, national or social 
                origin, birth or other status and disability''.
            (21) The effects of climate change also exacerbate social, 
        economic, and political tensions within and among nations.
            (22) The UNHCR Global Trends Report 2020 found, ``95 
        percent of all conflict displacements in 2020 occurred in 
        countries vulnerable or highly vulnerable to climate change. 
        Disasters can also strike populations already uprooted by 
        conflict, forcing them to flee multiple times, as was the case 
        with [internally-displaced persons] in Yemen, Syria and Somalia 
        and refugees in Bangladesh.''.
            (23) Climate-vulnerable states experiencing protracted 
        conflict, such as Afghanistan or Yemen, can be affected by 
        multiple climate-related threats simultaneously, such as--
                    (A) drought and flooding events in Afghanistan; and
                    (B) drought, desertification, and cyclones 
                affecting Yemen.
            (24) In their 2022 report ``Migration as a Climate 
        Adaptation Strategy'' USAID found--
                    (A) ``Migration has the potential to serve as an 
                important adaptation and risk management strategy for 
                climate-impacted populations'';
                    (B) ``Migration is not an adaptation strategy 
                available to everyone due to pre-existing 
                vulnerabilities, a lack of resources, or systemic 
                inequalities''; and
                    (C) ``Voluntary and proactive migration can benefit 
                migrants, their households, sending communities, and 
                receiving communities. Benefits include livelihood 
                diversification, increased income and remittances, and 
                knowledge and skills transfer. Receiving communities 
                can benefit from an increased labor pool and an influx 
                of migrant spending and support services.''.
            (25) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for 
        Human Rights has suggested that a person displaced across 
        borders due to climate related events--
                    (A) has the right to not be returned to a country 
                where such person would have irreparable harm to their 
                right to life;
                    (B) should be considered a victim of forced 
                displacement; and
                    (C) should be granted at least a temporary stay in 
                the country where they have found refuge.
            (26) Displaced individuals, including individuals affected 
        by climate change, can seek protective stay in third countries 
        through humanitarian pathways, family reunification processes, 
        labor-based visas, and other complementary pathways with a 
        humanitarian focus.
            (27) Recognizing the human rights implications of climate 
        change, countries have begun to explore humanitarian pathways 
        for those displaced by climate-related environmental disasters, 
        such as the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, 
        Environment and Climate Change and Argentina's recently 
        announced humanitarian visa program.
            (28) A CARE International report, ``Evicted by Climate 
        Change: Confronting the Gendered Impacts of Climate-Induced 
        Displacement'', which was published in July 2020, notes that--
                    (A) ``the climate crisis exacerbates gender 
                inequality and makes it harder to achieve gender 
                justice'';
                    (B) ``in 2018, more than half of the 41 million 
                people internally displaced were women'';
                    (C) ``[p]oor women and children are up to 14 times 
                more likely to be killed than men by a climate-fueled 
                disaster, such as a hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, or 
                flood''; and
                    (D) ``[w]omen who are displaced by climate change 
                related impacts often have less access to relief 
                resources''.
            (29) Members of LGBTQ+ communities are disproportionately 
        affected by institutional discrimination in the housing, 
        employment, and health sectors, which reduces their capacity to 
        cope with the impacts of climate change.
            (30) Black immigrants and other immigrants of color face 
        higher rates of displacement due to climate change, but are 
        also more often discriminated against in immigration policies 
        and systems.
            (31) A December 2019 Oxfam International report found that 
        climate-related events forced an estimated 20,000,000 people 
        from their homes every year during the previous decade.
            (32) A 2021 national intelligence estimate from the 
        National Intelligence Council, entitled ``Climate Change and 
        International Responses Increasing Challenges to US National 
        Security Through 2040'', predicted ``cross-border migration 
        probably will increase as climate effects put added stress on 
        internally displaced populations''.
            (33) A 2022 study by the Loss and Damage Collaboration 
        found that an estimated 189,000,000 people in low income 
        countries are impacted by extreme weather events exacerbated by 
        climate change every year.
            (34) An October 2023 United Nations International 
        Children's Emergency Fund study found that 43,100,000 children 
        in 44 countries were displaced from 2016 to 2021 due to floods, 
        storms, droughts, and wildfires.
            (35) Ecological Threat Register 2020, which was published 
        by the Institute for Economics & Peace--
                    (A) projects that climate-related threats will 
                continue to cause significant displacement worldwide 
                during the coming decades; and
                    (B) stated that 19 countries, with a combined 
                population of 2,100,000,000 people, are most at risk 
                for displacement given population growth, water stress, 
                food insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones, and rising 
                temperature and sea levels.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should--
            (1) reduce its domestic greenhouse gas emissions on a scale 
        and rate proportionate to its historical responsibility and in 
        recognition of the urgency of the threat of climate change;
            (2) welcome the shared responsibility of climate change 
        adaptation, global disaster risk reduction, resiliency 
        building, and disaster response and recovery;
            (3) assist in providing durable solutions for climate-
        displaced persons;
            (4) aid other countries in their climate change mitigation 
        efforts; and
            (5) work with the international community--
                    (A) to establish a framework to share the 
                responsibilities described in paragraphs (2) through 
                (4); and
                    (B) to ensure that the human rights of climate-
                displaced persons are acknowledged, respected, 
                protected, and fulfilled.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS IN THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT.

    Section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1101(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (8) and inserting the following:
    ``(8) The term `climate-displaced person' means any person who--
            ``(A) is compelled to leave his or her habitual home, 
        either within his or her country of nationality or in another 
        country, due to--
                    ``(i) a climate-related environmental disaster; or
                    ``(ii) the interaction of a climate-related 
                environmental disaster with other factors, including 
                resource constraints, food insecurity, discrimination, 
                persecution, or human rights abuses; and
            ``(B) is unable to otherwise access a durable solution, 
        such as local integration or safe and voluntary returns to his 
        or her habitual place of residence due to a climate-related 
        environmental disaster that--
                    ``(i) has rendered his or her habitual place of 
                residence uninhabitable; or
                    ``(ii) has prevented safe integration or voluntary 
                returns, including through targeted violence, 
                discrimination, human rights abuses, food insecurity, 
                and other forms of harm.
    ``(8A) The term `climate-related environmental disaster'--
            ``(A) means a hydro-meteorological or other climatic event 
        related to the Earth's climate that adversely affects persons' 
        lives, livelihoods, or living conditions; and
            ``(B) includes--
                    ``(i) sudden-onset hydro-meteorological events, 
                including--
                            ``(I) flooding;
                            ``(II) windstorms;
                            ``(III) heatwaves;
                            ``(IV) extreme wet-bulb temperatures;
                            ``(V) violent storms, such as blizzards; 
                        and
                            ``(VI) hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones;
                    ``(ii) sudden-onset events that are exacerbated by 
                conditions related to climate change, including 
                wildfires, mudslides, and avalanches;
                    ``(iii) slow-onset events, including--
                            ``(I) sea level rise or coastal inundation;
                            ``(II) drought;
                            ``(III) desertification;
                            ``(IV) salinization;
                            ``(V) ocean acidification;
                            ``(VI) erosion; and
                            ``(VII) permafrost thaw; and
                    ``(iv) slow- and sudden-onset events with a 
                relationship to climate change that is subsequently 
                attributed by further scientific research.''; and
            (2) by amending paragraph (34) to read as follows:
    ``(34) The term `designated application center' means any United 
States embassy or consulate or other facility delegated by the 
Secretary of State to accept applications for climate-displaced person 
status under section 244A.''.

SEC. 4. REQUIRED DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING.

    (a) Data Collection.--
            (1) In general.--The President shall ensure that the 
        Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, 
        the Department of State, the United States Agency for 
        International Development, the Office of the Director of 
        National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, the 
        Department of Homeland Security, and other relevant Federal 
        agencies collect, maintain, and publish data on displacement 
        caused by climate change.
            (2) Sources.--Sources of the data described in paragraph 
        (1) shall include information from--
                    (A) the International Organization for Migration;
                    (B) the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR);
                    (C) the United Nations Children's Fund; and
                    (D) other international organizations that are 
                collecting such data.
            (3) Disaggregation.--Data shall be collected, maintained, 
        and published pursuant to paragraph (1) at sufficient levels of 
        disaggregation to assess the disparities of the impacts of 
        climate change on a variety of groups and populations, 
        including disaggregation by race, ethnicity, pregnancy status, 
        parental status, socioeconomic status, country of residence, 
        and other relevant demographics to assess and ensure the 
        equitable application of this Act and the amendments made by 
        this Act.
            (4) Mitigation.--The data described in this subsection 
        shall be used to mitigate externally-influenced disparities in 
        other countries to the extent feasible.
    (b) Annual Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the President shall 
submit a report, in unclassified form, to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives that--
            (1) details the collection and analysis of the data 
        described in subsection (a); and
            (2) may include a classified annex.
    (c) List of Climate-Vulnerable Countries.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the 
        Secretary of State, in consultation with the Department of 
        Homeland Security, the United States Agency for International 
        Development, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, shall compile a list of the 100 most climate-
        vulnerable countries and other administrative entities through 
        notice and comment rulemaking.
            (2) Methodology.--In compiling the list of climate-
        vulnerable countries pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        shall--
                    (A) use the best available scientific resources, 
                including relevant data--
                            (i) published by the Intergovernmental 
                        Panel on Climate Change;
                            (ii) available through the World Bank's 
                        Climate Risk Country Profiles; and
                            (iii) available through the Notre Dame 
                        Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) Country 
                        Index;
                    (B) consider the frequency and severity of climate-
                related environmental disasters;
                    (C) consider the impact of both slow- and sudden-
                onset climate-related environmental disasters;
                    (D) consider the interaction of these climate-
                related environmental disasters with each country's 
                preparedness and resilience capacity, including 
                physical and social infrastructure; and
                    (E) consult with a committee of agency experts, 
                including climate scientists, immigration and refugee 
                lawyers, and adaptation specialists.

SEC. 5. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE STRATEGY.

    Section 117 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151p) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(b)''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2)(A) The President is authorized to furnish assistance to 
programs and initiatives, including multilateral initiatives and funds 
that--
            ``(i) promote resilience among communities facing harmful 
        impacts from climate change;
            ``(ii) reduce the vulnerability of persons affected by 
        climate change;
            ``(iii) address permanent loss and damage faced by affected 
        marginalized communities;
            ``(iv) provide support for community recovery, 
        reconstruction, and rehabilitation after climate-related 
        environmental disasters;
            ``(v) promote sustainable peace through cooperation on 
        efforts to protect the earth against environmental threats and 
        to address and minimize climate change; and
            ``(vi) support climate-resilient programming that promotes 
        peacebuilding to avert conflict due to scarcity of resources 
        caused by climate change, including scarcity of water, food, 
        and grazing areas.
    ``(B) There shall be, in the Department of State, a Coordinator of 
Climate Change Resilience, who shall coordinate the assistance 
authorized under subparagraph (A).''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d)(1) The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
(referred to in this subsection as `USAID') and the Special 
Presidential Envoy for Climate, shall establish a 10-year, 
comprehensive, integrated strategy, which shall be known as the `Global 
Climate Change Resilience Strategy', to mitigate the impacts of climate 
change on displacement and humanitarian emergencies.
    ``(2) The Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy shall--
            ``(A) focus on addressing slow-onset and rapid-onset 
        effects of climate change;
            ``(B) consider the effects of climate change;
            ``(C) describe the key features of successful strategies to 
        prevent such conditions;
            ``(D) include specific objectives and multisectoral 
        approaches to the effects of climate change;
            ``(E) describe approaches that ensure national leadership, 
        as appropriate, and substantively engage with civil society, 
        local partners, and the affected communities, including 
        marginalized populations and underserved populations, in the 
        design, implementation, and monitoring of climate change 
        programs to best safeguard the future of those subject to 
        displacement;
            ``(F) assign roles for relevant Federal agencies to avoid 
        duplication of efforts, while ensuring that--
                    ``(i) the Department of State is responsible for--
                            ``(I) leading the Global Climate Change 
                        Resilience Strategy;
                            ``(II) establishing United States foreign 
                        policy with respect to such strategy;
                            ``(III) advancing diplomatic and political 
                        efforts with respect to such strategy;
                            ``(IV) guiding security assistance and 
                        related civilian security efforts to mitigate 
                        climate change threats; and
                            ``(V) providing overseas humanitarian 
                        assistance--
                                    ``(aa) to respond to international 
                                displacement caused by climate change; 
                                and
                                    ``(bb) to coordinate the pursuit of 
                                protection and durable solutions for 
                                climate-displaced persons, including 
                                resettlement into the United States;
                    ``(ii) USAID is--
                            ``(I) responsible for overseeing programs 
                        to prevent the effects of climate change; and
                            ``(II) the lead implementing agency for--
                                    ``(aa) providing overseas 
                                humanitarian assistance to respond to 
                                internal displacement and food 
                                insecurity caused by climate change; 
                                and
                                    ``(bb) developing a related non-
                                security program policy related to 
                                building resilience and achieving 
                                recovery; and
                    ``(iii) other Federal agencies support the 
                activities of the Department of State and USAID, as 
                appropriate, with the concurrence of the Secretary of 
                State and the USAID Administrator;
            ``(G) describe programs that Federal agencies will 
        undertake to achieve the stated objectives, including 
        descriptions of existing programs and funding by fiscal year 
        and account;
            ``(H) identify mechanisms to improve coordination between 
        the United States, foreign governments, and international 
        organizations, including the World Bank, the United Nations, 
        regional organizations, and private sector organizations;
            ``(I) address efforts to expand public-private partnerships 
        and leverage private sector resources;
            ``(J) describe the criteria, metrics, and mechanisms for 
        monitoring and evaluating the programs and objectives in the 
        Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy;
            ``(K) describe how the Global Climate Change Resilience 
        Strategy will ensure that programs are conflict-sensitive, 
        country-led and context-specific; and
            ``(L) describe how the Global Climate Change Resilience 
        Strategy is a means for peacebuilding, and is incorporated into 
        peacebuilding, and post-conflict plans and programs.
    ``(3) Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of 
the Climate Displaced Persons Act, and annually thereafter, the 
President shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives, based in part on the information collected pursuant to 
this section, that details the Global Climate Change Resilience 
Strategy. The report shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 
include a classified annex, if necessary.
    ``(4) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
the Climate Displaced Persons Act, the Secretary of State and the 
Coordinator of Global Climate Change Resilience shall brief the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives on the progress made 
towards implementing the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy.
    ``(5)(A) Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of 
the Climate Displaced Persons Act, and annually thereafter, the 
Comptroller General of the United States, in cooperation and 
consultation with the Secretary of State, shall publish a report 
evaluating the progress that the Federal Government has made toward 
incorporating climate change into policies of the Department of State 
and USAID and describing the resources that have been allocated for 
such purpose.
    ``(B) The report required under subparagraph (A) shall assess--
            ``(i) the degree to which the Department of State and USAID 
        are--
                    ``(I) developing climate change risk assessments; 
                and
                    ``(II) providing guidance to missions on how to 
                include climate change risks in their integrated 
                country strategies;
            ``(ii) whether the Department of State and USAID have 
        sufficient resources to fulfill the requirements described in 
        paragraph (2); and
            ``(iii) any areas in which the Department of State and 
        USAID may lack sufficient resources to fulfill the requirements 
        described in paragraph (2).''.

SEC. 6. TRAINING IN CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE.

    (a) Foreign Service Officers.--Section 708(a)(1) of the Foreign 
Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) for Foreign Service Officers who will be 
                assigned to a country from which climate-displaced 
                persons (as defined in section 101(a)(8) of the 
                Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(8))) 
                have been displaced, instruction on climate 
                displacement, including the Global Climate Change 
                Resilience Strategy established pursuant to section 
                117(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
                2151p(d)).''.
    (b) USCIS Officers.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers who review 
applications for admission as a climate-displaced person (as defined in 
section 101(a)(8) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended by 
section 3) to receive instruction on climate displacement, including 
the Global Climate Change Resilience Strategy established pursuant to 
section 117(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by 
section 5.

SEC. 7. GUIDANCE ON THE HUMANITARIAN IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall provide 
guidance to each United States diplomatic mission, in accordance with 
Executive Order 13677 (79 Fed. Reg. 58229; relating to climate-
resilient international development), to address the humanitarian 
impacts associated with climate change.

SEC. 8. ADMISSION OF CLIMATE-DISPLACED PERSONS.

    (a) Admission of Climate-Displaced Persons.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 1 of title II of the Immigration 
        and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.) is amended by 
        inserting after section 207 the following:

``SEC. 207A. CLIMATE-DISPLACED PERSONS.

    ``(a) Admission Goal.--
            ``(1) In general.--In addition to the refugees admitted 
        pursuant to section 207, the number of climate-displaced 
        persons who may be admitted to the United States under this 
        section in any fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 2024) 
        shall be not fewer than the greater of--
                    ``(A) 100,000; or
                    ``(B) the number that the President determines 
                pursuant to paragraph (2), before the beginning of each 
                such fiscal year, after appropriate consultation with 
                Congress, to be justified by--
                            ``(i) the data collected through the 
                        process established pursuant to section 4 of 
                        the Climate Displaced Persons Act;
                            ``(ii) other humanitarian concerns; or
                            ``(iii) other national interests.
            ``(2) Effect of numerical adjustment.--If a significant 
        climate-related environmental disaster occurs in 1 or more of 
        the climate-vulnerable countries included on the most recent 
        list compiled pursuant to section 4(c) of the Climate Displaced 
        Persons Act or if the President determines that the number of 
        climate-displaced persons who should be admitted to the United 
        States in a fiscal year based on humanitarian concerns or other 
        national interests is greater than the number set forth in 
        paragraph (1)(A), the President shall--
                    ``(A) set the admissions level for climate-
                displaced persons at the same time as the President 
                determines the number of refugees who may be admitted 
                in such fiscal year under section 207; and
                    ``(B) follow all of the procedures relating to 
                refugee admissions under section 207, including 
                determinations of the President, after appropriate 
                consultation with Congress, to fix the number of 
                refugees to be admitted to the United States during the 
                current period (not to exceed 12 months) in response to 
                an emergency refugee situation.
            ``(3) Equitable allocation.--The President, in consultation 
        with the Department of State, the Department of Homeland 
        Security, the United States Agency for International 
        Development, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, and other relevant Federal agencies, shall 
        establish a process by which admissions authorized under this 
        section shall be allocated in an equitable manner, taking into 
        consideration the list of 100 most climate-vulnerable countries 
        and other administrative entities compiled pursuant to section 
        4(c) of the Climate Displaced Persons Act and the demographic 
        data described in section 4(a) of such Act.
    ``(b) Admissibility; Applications.--
            ``(1) In general.--
                    ``(A) Admissibility.--Subject to the numerical 
                limitation set forth in subsection (a), the Secretary 
                of Homeland Security, pursuant to such regulations as 
                the Secretary may prescribe, may admit any climate-
                displaced person under this section who--
                            ``(i) is admissible;
                            ``(ii) is not described in paragraph (2); 
                        and
                            ``(iii) is not described in section 
                        208(b)(2).
                    ``(B) Applications.--Any noncitizen described in 
                subparagraph (A), regardless of such noncitizen's 
                immigration status, may apply for admission as a 
                climate-displaced person if the noncitizen--
                            ``(i) is physically present in the United 
                        States;
                            ``(ii) arrives in the United States 
                        (whether or not at a designated port of arrival 
                        and including a noncitizen who is brought to 
                        the United States after having been interdicted 
                        in international or United States waters); or
                            ``(iii) applies at a designated application 
                        center.
            ``(2) Limitations.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), a 
        noncitizen may not apply for status as a climate-displaced 
        person if--
                    ``(A) the Secretary of Homeland Security determines 
                that such noncitizen may be removed, pursuant to a 
                bilateral or multilateral agreement, to a country 
                (other than the country of the noncitizen's nationality 
                or, in the case of a noncitizen having no nationality, 
                the country of the noncitizen's last habitual 
                residence) that is outside of the zone in which the 
                sudden or progressive change in the environment obliged 
                the noncitizen to leave their residence, provided that 
                such determination does not violate the human rights 
                obligations of the United States;
                    ``(B) the application is not filed within 1 year 
                after the date of the noncitizen's arrival in the 
                United States; or
                    ``(C) an earlier application by the noncitizen for 
                climate-displaced person status has been denied.
            ``(3) Exceptions.--
                    ``(A) Unaccompanied noncitizen children.--Paragraph 
                (2) shall not apply to an unaccompanied alien child (as 
                defined in section 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act 
                of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g))).
                    ``(B) Changed circumstances.--Subparagraphs (B) and 
                (C) of paragraph (2) shall not apply if the noncitizen 
                demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Secretary of 
                Homeland Security, that--
                            ``(i) extraordinary circumstances prevented 
                        the noncitizen from filing an application 
                        within the period specified in paragraph 
                        (2)(B); or
                            ``(ii) changed circumstances materially 
                        affect the applicant's eligibility for climate-
                        displaced person status.
                    ``(C) Referrals authorized.--The Secretary of State 
                may accept applications submitted on behalf of eligible 
                applicants for climate-displaced person status by 
                qualified international agencies.
            ``(4) Contents.--Each application submitted under this 
        subsection shall contain such information as the Secretary of 
        State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
        determines to be necessary to determine whether the applicant 
        is eligible for admission as a climate-displaced person.
            ``(5) Fees.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), an applicant for climate-displaced 
                person status shall not be charged a fee.
                    ``(B) Exception.--If a noncitizen has applied for, 
                and been denied, climate-displaced person status on 2 
                or more previous occasions, the Secretary of Homeland 
                Security may charge a reasonable fee for a third 
                application and any subsequent applications, which 
                shall set at a level equal to the average cost of 
                adjudicating such applications.
    ``(c) Treatment of Climate-Displaced Persons.--
            ``(1) In general.--A noncitizen who qualifies for climate-
        displaced person status under this section shall be eligible 
        for resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other 
        benefits available to refugees and asylees admitted pursuant to 
        section 207.
            ``(2) Treatment of children and spouse.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A spouse or a child (as defined 
                in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), or (E) of section 
                101(b)(1)) of a noncitizen who is granted climate-
                displaced person status under this section may, if not 
                otherwise eligible for such status, be granted the same 
                status as the climate-displaced person if accompanying, 
                or following to join, such noncitizen.
                    ``(B) Treatment of children.--An unmarried 
                noncitizen who seeks to accompany, or follow to join, a 
                parent or guardian granted climate-displaced person 
                status under this section, and who was younger than 21 
                years of age on the date on which such parent or 
                guardian applied for such status, shall continue to be 
                classified as a child for purposes of this subsection 
                and section 209(b)(3), if the noncitizen reaches 21 
                years of age while such application is pending.
    ``(d) Defined Term.--In this section, the term `noncitizen' means 
any person who is not a citizen or national of the United States.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents for the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended 
        by inserting after the item relating to section 207 the 
        following:

``Sec. 207A. Climate-displaced persons.''.
    (b) Adjustment of Status.--Section 209(a)(1) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1159(a)) is amended, in the matter preceding 
subparagraph (A), by inserting ``or 207A'' after ``207''.
    (c) Savings Provision.--
            (1) In general.--Nothing in section 207A of the Immigration 
        and Nationality Act, as added by subsection (a)(1), may be 
        construed to affect the United States commitment to the United 
        States Refugee Admissions Program.
            (2) Additional protections.--The protections described in 
        such section 207A are in addition to the refugee admissions 
        goal established by the Presidential determination described in 
        subsection (a)(1)(B) of such section.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
                                 <all>