[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S146-S147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 29. Mr. MARKEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 5, to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to
take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States
with theft, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the
table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. 4. DESTINATION RECEPTION ASSISTANCE.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Destination Reception Assistance Act''.
(b) Authorization of Destination Reception Services
Program.--Section 412 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1522) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(g) Destination Reception Services Program.--
``(1) Defined term.--In this subsection, the term `eligible
arrival' means an individual who--
``(A) has been granted parole;
``(B) have been placed in removal proceedings; or
``(C) has a pending application for asylum.
``(2) Establishment.--There is established, in the Office,
the Destination Reception Services Program (referred to in
this subsection as the `Program'), which shall carry out the
provisions of this subsection under the direction of the New
Arrival Services Board (referred to in this subsection as the
`Board'). The Program shall coordinate with the Unaccompanied
Children Program and the Refugee Program to ensure that
eligible arrivals receive all of the services for which they
are eligible.
``(3) New arrival services board.--
``(A) Appointments.--Not later than 30 days after the date
of the enactment of the Destination Reception Assistance Act,
the Director shall appoint 9 members to the Board who
represent nongovernmental organizations with experience
providing, evaluating, and offering technical assistance on
eligible services provided through the Program, including
organizations representing individuals with lived experience
of forced migration. The Director shall designate a Chair of
the Board from among its members.
``(B) Functions.--The Board shall--
``(i) identify communities in which concentrations of
eligible arrivals in need of assistance reside; and
``(ii) recommend the amount of funding to be allocated to
such communities in accordance with formulas, policies,
procedures, and guidelines established by the Office.
``(C) Criteria for allocating funding.--In determining the
allocation of Federal funding to communities under this
subsection, the Director shall prioritize funding for
communities with--
``(i) a higher ratio of eligible arrivals compared to other
communities;
``(ii) higher housing and transportation costs; or
``(iii) the most significant medium-term reception needs
(in per capita or absolute terms) in which the level of
direct services provided by nonprofit, faith-based, or
governmental organizations to families and individuals
released by the Department of Homeland Security is most
acute.
``(4) Program structure.--
``(A) Framework.--The framework of the Program shall be
similar to the framework of the Emergency Food and Shelter
Program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to
facilitate the timely delivery of Federal funding in support
of eligible arrivals.
``(B) Distinction from alternatives to detention.--The
Program is not an alternatives to detention program. Prior
participation in an alternatives to detention program is not
an eligibility requirement for eligible arrivals to receive
Program services, nor is participating in monitoring or
surveillance practices a condition while receiving Program
services.
``(C) Recipient organizations.--The Program shall provide
funding to local government entities and private nonprofit
organizations to provide medium-term services to eligible
arrivals who have been processed and released into the United
States by the Department of Homeland Security, including--
``(i) housing transition, rental, and utility assistance
programs;
``(ii) medical and mental health care or insurance for such
care;
``(iii) child care, child care assistance programs, and
out-of-school programming;
``(iv) workforce development, job training, English
language training, paid apprenticeships, work study, and loan
programs;
``(v) local public transportation support;
``(vi) interpretation and translation services;
``(vii) legal services, particularly services supporting
applications for work authorization, asylum, and other types
of humanitarian relief;
``(viii) programs, including case management and social
work services, to provide support to individuals accessing
and navigating available assistance and services;
``(ix) voluntary, coordinated relocation service; and
``(x) other eligible services, as determined by the
Director.
``(5) Local new arrival services boards.--
``(A) Community identification.--The Director shall
identify, in accordance with criteria to be established by
the Board, communities throughout the United States where
eligible arrivals are residing.
``(B) Establishment; designation.--Each community
designated pursuant to subparagraph (A) desiring a grant
under paragraph (7) shall--
``(i) establish a local new arrival services board
(referred to in this paragraph as a `local board'); or
``(ii) at the discretion of the Director, appoint an
existing substantially similar board to carry out the
functions of a local board.
``(C) Membership.--Each local board shall consist of--
``(i) the head of a unit of local government within such
community, or of a relevant department of such local
government;
``(ii) to the extent practicable, representatives of the
organizations that are represented on the Board;
``(iii) representatives of other local, private nonprofit
organizations, as appropriate;
``(iv) representatives of ethnic and community-based
organizations; and
``(v) an asylum seeker or parolee being served by the
Program.
``(D) Chairperson.--Each local board established pursuant
to subparagraph (B) shall elect a chairperson from among its
members.
``(E) Responsibilities.--Each local board established
pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall--
``(i) determine which local government entities or private
nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive grants to
provide the services referred to in paragraph (4)(C);
``(ii) allocate available Federal funding among the
entities and organizations referred to in clause (i);
``(iii) monitor recipient service providers for Program
compliance;
``(iv) reallocate Federal funding among service providers
whenever a particular service provider fails to substantially
comply with Program requirements;
``(v) ensure proper reporting to the Board; and
``(vi) coordinate with other Federal, State, and local
government assistance programs available in the community.
``(6) Eligible services.--
``(A) In general.--The Director, in consultation with the
Board, shall annually establish guidelines specifying which
services for eligible arrivals may be funded under the
Program, which may include--
``(i) noncustodial housing services, including rental and
utility assistance;
``(ii) cultural orientation training;
``(iii) culturally competent interpretation and translation
services;
``(iv) workforce development services, including education,
employment, and training services, work study, loan programs,
and childcare support;
``(v) immigration-related legal services, including
preparation and practice;
``(vi) referral and case management services;
``(vii) medical and mental health services or insurance for
such services;
``(viii) local public transportation support;
``(ix) voluntary, coordinated relocation services; and
``(x) other eligible services, as determined by the
Director.
``(B) Publication.--The Director shall annually publish the
guidelines established pursuant to subparagraph (A) in the
Federal Register before the first day of the fiscal year
during which they will take effect.
``(7) Grants authorized.--
``(A) Competitive grants.--The Director, after considering
recommendation from the Board, may award competitive grants
to communities identified pursuant to paragraph (5)(A) which
have established a local new arrival services board to
provide services to eligible arrivals who are residing in
such communities. The allocation of available Federal funding
among such communities shall be based on a formula developed
by the Office. Grant funds allocated to a community pursuant
to this subparagraph shall be disbursed to government human
services agencies and local nonprofit organizations that have
successfully provided human and social services in accordance
with Federal, State, and local requirements, as applicable.
``(B) Federal block grants.--A portion of the Federal
funding made available to carry out this subsection shall be
reserved for Federal block grants to communities. Communities
receiving funding under this subparagraph shall match every
$1 of Federal funding with $1 of non-Federal funding.
[[Page S147]]
``(C) Purpose of grants.--The primary purpose of the grants
awarded pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) shall be to
increase the capacity of grant recipients to provide medium-
term services and other service navigation assistance to new
arrivals to attain self-sufficiency.
``(D) Recommendations.--In making the determination for
funding levels for grants under this subsection, the Director
shall consider the funding levels recommendations from the
Board. If the Director disagrees with such recommendations,
the Director shall submit a report to the Board that explains
the reasons for rejecting such recommendations.
``(E) Eligible entities.--An entity is eligible to receive
a grant under this subsection if the entity is--
``(i) a local government, an Indian Tribe, or a nonprofit
organization (as such terms are defined in section 200.1 of
title 2, Code of Federal Regulations);
``(ii) a State of the United States, the District of
Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
``(iii) any agency or instrumentality of a governmental
entity listed in clause (ii) (excluding local governments);
or
``(iv) physically located in a State, the District of
Columbia, or a territory of the United States.
``(8) Administrative procedures act.--When issuing
guidelines to carry out this subsection, including setting
eligibility requirements and making program changes, the
Director shall not be subject to the procedural rulemaking
requirements set forth in subchapter II of chapter 5, and
chapter 7, of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as
the `Administrative Procedures Act').
``(9) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated, for each of the fiscal years 2025 through
2028, $3,000,000,000 to carry out the Program.''.
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