National Office of New Americans Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 291 To establish the National Office of New Americans within the Executive Office of the President, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 8, 2021 Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. WARREN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. ROSEN, and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To establish the National Office of New Americans within the Executive Office of the President, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Office of New 4 Americans Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 8 the Director of the National Office of New Ameri- 9 cans. 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 291 IS (2) FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 1 agency’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘agency’’ 2 in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. 3 (3) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the 4 National Office of New Americans established by 5 section 3(a). 6 SEC. 3. NATIONAL OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS. 7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 8 the Executive Office of the President an office to be known 9 as the ‘‘National Office of New Americans’’. 10 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Office are the 11 following: 12 (1) To welcome and support immigrants and 13 refugees in the United States. 14 (2) To promote and support immigrant and ref- 15 ugee integration into, and inclusion in, the social, 16 cultural, economic, and civic life of the United 17 States. 18 (3) To ensure that the Federal Government and 19 Federal agencies promote the pursuit of United 20 States citizenship among immigrants and refugees. 21 (4) To ensure access to quality English lan- 22 guage learning programs that support the successful 23 integration of immigrant adults, including by en- 24 hancing— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 291 IS (A) employment and career prospects and 1 economic integration; and 2 (B) social integration in local communities 3 and participation in civic life, including engage- 4 ment with State and local governments, schools, 5 and private and nonprofit community institu- 6 tions. 7 (5) To improve access to workforce development 8 programs, including by ensuring that such programs 9 meet the demand and the unique language, training, 10 and educational needs of immigrants and refugees. 11 (6) To coordinate the efforts of Federal, State, 12 and local entities to support the effective social, eco- 13 nomic, linguistic, and civic integration of immi- 14 grants, refugees, and the children of immigrants and 15 refugees. 16 (7) To provide advice and leadership to the 17 President, Members of Congress, and other Federal 18 Government officials on the challenges and opportu- 19 nities facing such entities with respect to immigrant 20 and refugee integration. 21 (8) To evaluate the scale, quality, and effective- 22 ness of Federal Government efforts with respect to 23 immigrant and refugee social and economic integra- 24 tion, including access to United States citizenship, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 291 IS English language learning, education, and workforce 1 development programs. 2 (9) To identify the anticipated effects of new 3 Federal policies on existing integration efforts and 4 advise the President on how to address potential in- 5 tegration needs and the effects of such policies. 6 (10) With respect to immigrant and refugee in- 7 tegration efforts, to consult on a biannual basis with 8 State and local government officials on challenges 9 and opportunities presented by such efforts. 10 (11) With respect to the activities described in 11 paragraphs (8) through (10), to ensure the inclusion 12 of the perspectives of immigrants and refugees. 13 (12) To submit to the President and the appro- 14 priate committees of Congress a biannual report 15 that describes the activities of the Office and the re- 16 sults of the consultation processes described in para- 17 graphs (8) through (11). 18 (c) DIRECTOR.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be headed 20 by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Presi- 21 dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Sen- 22 ate. 23 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director shall— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 291 IS (A) establish policies, objectives, and prior- 1 ities for the Office with respect to immigrant 2 and refugee integration; 3 (B) with the assistance of the Deputy Di- 4 rector for Citizenship and Inclusion, the Deputy 5 Director for Workforce and the Economy, the 6 Deputy Director for Children’s Integration Suc- 7 cess, and the Associate Director of State and 8 Local Affairs, carry out the purposes of the Of- 9 fice, as described in subsection (b); 10 (C) serve as the Chair of the Federal Ini- 11 tiative for New Americans established under 12 section 4; 13 (D) make recommendations to the Presi- 14 dent on changes in the organization, manage- 15 ment, programs, and budget of the Federal 16 agencies to promote the integration of immi- 17 grants and refugees; 18 (E) with respect to efforts to promote 19 United States citizenship and the integration of 20 immigrants and refugees, consult, support, and 21 coordinate with State and local governments; 22 and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 291 IS (F) serve as a member of the Domestic 1 Policy Council and the National Economic 2 Council. 3 (3) POWERS OF THE DIRECTOR.—In carrying 4 out the responsibilities under paragraph (2) and the 5 purposes under subsection (b), the Director may— 6 (A) select, appoint, employ, and fix com- 7 pensation of such officers and employees as 8 may be necessary to carry out such responsibil- 9 ities and purposes; 10 (B) with the concurrence of the head of 11 the applicable Federal agency, direct the tem- 12 porary reassignment within the Federal Govern- 13 ment of personnel employed by such Federal 14 agency; 15 (C) use for administrative purposes, on a 16 reimbursable basis, the available services, equip- 17 ment, personnel, and facilities of Federal, State, 18 and local agencies; 19 (D) procure the services of experts and 20 consultants, in accordance with section 3109 of 21 title 5, United States Code (relating to appoint- 22 ments in the Federal service) at rates of com- 23 pensation for individuals not to exceed the daily 24 equivalent of the rate of pay payable for level 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 291 IS GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 1 5332 of title 5, United States Code; 2 (E) accept and use donations of property 3 from Federal, State, and local government 4 agencies; 5 (F) use the mail in the same manner as 6 other Federal agencies; and 7 (G) monitor the implementation of immi- 8 grant and refugee integration-related activities 9 of the Federal Government, including by— 10 (i) conducting program and perform- 11 ance audits and evaluations of each Fed- 12 eral agency; and 13 (ii) requesting assistance from the In- 14 spector General of the applicable Federal 15 agency in such audits and evaluations. 16 (d) DEPUTY DIRECTORS.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Office 18 a Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, a 19 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, 20 and a Deputy Director for Children’s Integration 21 and Success, each of whom shall be appointed by the 22 President, in consultation with the Director. 23 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 291 IS (A) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CITIZENSHIP 1 AND INCLUSION.—The Deputy Director for 2 Citizenship and Inclusion shall, among other 3 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 4 Director in promoting— 5 (i) inclusion of immigrants and refu- 6 gees in the social, economic, and civic life 7 of their communities and the United 8 States; and 9 (ii) access to United States citizen- 10 ship. 11 (B) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR WORKFORCE 12 AND THE ECONOMY.—The Deputy Director for 13 Workforce and the Economy shall, among other 14 duties as assigned by the Director, assist the 15 Director in— 16 (i) promoting participation of immi- 17 grants and refugees in the United States 18 workforce; and 19 (ii) increasing the contributions of im- 20 migrants and refugees to the United States 21 economy. 22 (C) DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN’S 23 INTEGRATION SUCCESS.—The Deputy Director 24 for Children’s Integration Success shall, among 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 291 IS other duties as assigned by the Director, assist 1 the Director in ensuring that Federal policies 2 and programs intended to support the healthy 3 development and educational success of children 4 are effective in reaching and serving the chil- 5 dren of immigrant families. 6 (e) BUREAU OF STATE AND LOCAL AFFAIRS.— 7 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established within 8 the Office a Bureau of State and Local Affairs. 9 (2) ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR.— 10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of State 11 and Local Affairs shall be headed by an Asso- 12 ciate Director of State and Local Affairs, who 13 shall be appointed by the President, in con- 14 sultation with the Director. 15 (B) DUTIES.—The Associate Director of 16 State and Local Affairs shall, among other du- 17 ties as assigned by the Director, assist the Di- 18 rector in coordinating the efforts of State and 19 local entities to support the economic, linguistic, 20 and civic integration of immigrants, refugees, 21 and the children of immigrants and refugees. 22 (f) LIMITATION.—An individual may not serve as Di- 23 rector, Deputy Director for Citizenship and Inclusion, 24 Deputy Director for Workforce and the Economy, Deputy 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 291 IS Director for Children’s Integration Success, or Associate 1 Director of State and Local Affairs while serving in any 2 other position in the Federal Government. 3 (g) ACCESS BY CONGRESS.—The establishment of 4 the Office within the Executive Office of the President 5 shall not affect access to the Office by a Member of Con- 6 gress or any member of a committee of the Senate or the 7 House of Representatives, including access to— 8 (1) any information, document, or study in the 9 possession of, or conducted by or at the direction of, 10 the Director; or 11 (2) personnel of the Office. 12 SEC. 4. FEDERAL INITIATIVE ON NEW AMERICANS. 13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 14 the confirmation of the Director of the Office, the Director 15 shall establish within the Office a Federal Initiative on 16 New Americans (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Initia- 17 tive’’). 18 (b) PURPOSE.—The purposes of the Initiative are— 19 (1) to welcome and support immigrants and 20 refugees in the United States; 21 (2) to establish a coordinated Federal program 22 to respond effectively to immigrant and refugee inte- 23 gration issues; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 291 IS (3) to advise and assist the Director in identi- 1 fying and implementing the necessary policies to 2 carry out such program. 3 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Initiative shall be composed 4 of— 5 (1) the Director, who shall serve as Chair; 6 (2) the Secretary of the Treasury; 7 (3) the Attorney General; 8 (4) the Secretary of Commerce; 9 (5) the Secretary of Labor; 10 (6) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv- 11 ices; 12 (7) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel- 13 opment; 14 (8) the Secretary of Education; 15 (9) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 16 (10) the Secretary of State; 17 (11) the Director of the Office of Refugee Re- 18 settlement; 19 (12) the Director of the Small Business Admin- 20 istration; 21 (13) the Director of the Office of Management 22 and Budget; 23 (14) the Director of the Bureau of Consumer 24 Financial Protection; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 291 IS (15) any other individual— 1 (A) invited by the Director to participate; 2 and 3 (B) who occupies a position listed under 4 level I or II of the Executive Schedule, as pro- 5 vided in sections 5312 and 5313 of title 5, 6 United States Code. 7 (d) DUTIES.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Initiative shall meet at 9 the call of the Chair and perform such duties as the 10 Chair reasonably requires. 11 (2) COORDINATED RESPONSE TO IMMIGRANT 12 AND REFUGEE ISSUES.—The Initiative shall join 13 with Federal agencies in providing a coordinated 14 Federal response to adequately address matters that 15 affect the lives of immigrant and refugee families 16 and local communities with growing immigrant and 17 refugee populations, including access to— 18 (A) English language learning; 19 (B) adult education and workforce train- 20 ing; 21 (C) occupational licensure; 22 (D) early childhood care and education; 23 (E) elementary, secondary, and postsec- 24 ondary education; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Feb 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S291.IS S291 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 291 IS (F) health care; 1 (G) naturalization; 2 (H) civic engagement; 3 (I) immigration assistance and legal serv- 4 ices; 5 (J) economic development; 6 (K) language access services; and 7 (L) other services the Director identifies as 8 aiding the integration of immigrants and refu- 9 gees into the social, cultural, economic, and 10 civic life of the United States. 11 (3) LIAISON WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES.— [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]