Improving Opportunities for New Americans Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Labor to study and report on the factors affecting employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees with professional credentials obtained in other counties, including policy recommendations for assisting those individuals in obtaining skill-appropriate employment in the United States.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4179 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4179
To direct the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with other agencies,
to conduct a study on the factors affecting the employment
opportunities in the United States of immigrants and refugees who have
professional credentials obtained in foreign countries, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2021
Mr. Katko (for himself, Mr. Crow, Mrs. Kim of California, and Mr.
Gottheimer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with other agencies,
to conduct a study on the factors affecting the employment
opportunities in the United States of immigrants and refugees who have
professional credentials obtained in foreign countries, 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 ``Improving Opportunities for New
Americans Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States has a long history of welcoming
individuals of diverse national backgrounds who legally travel
to the United States seeking opportunity and prosperity.
(2) Immigrants and refugees in the United States bring a
diverse range of professional backgrounds that strengthens the
workforce of the United States and benefits American
businesses.
(3) The underutilization of the skills and experience of
immigrants and refugees, often referred to as brain waste,
comes at a significant cost to the economy of the United States
and to immigrant families.
(4) In 2016, researchers at the Migration Policy Institute
found that nearly 2 million immigrants and refugees with
college degrees in the United States were relegated to low-
skilled jobs or were unable to find work.
(5) On an annual basis, this underutilization is estimated
to result in more than $10 billion in unrealized tax receipts
from Federal, State, and local governments, and over $39
billion in unrealized wages for college-educated immigrants and
refugees.
(6) Many factors contribute to brain waste, including
language barriers, limits on the recognition of international
degrees and credentials, the accessibility of relicensing
processes, and the availability of professional networks and
assistance in finding suitable employment.
(7) In the interest of strengthening the economy of the
United States and ensuring consistent opportunities for the
realization of the full potential of immigrant and refugee
families, substantive efforts must be made to analyze and
address the scope of brain waste in the United States.
SEC. 3. STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR
IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES WITH PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
OBTAINED IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
(a) Study Required.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Labor shall conduct a
study on the factors affecting employment opportunities in the
United States for applicable immigrants and refugees with
professional credentials obtained in countries other than the
United States.
(2) Coordination.--The Department of Labor shall conduct
this study in coordination with the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, the Administrator of the Internal Revenue Service,
and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
(3) Work with other entities.--The Secretary of Labor shall
seek to work with relevant non-profit organizations and State
agencies to use the existing data and resources of such
entities to conduct the study in paragraph (1).
(4) Limitations on disclosure.--Any information provided to
the Secretary of Labor under this subsection shall be used only
for the purposes of, and to the extent necessary to ensure the
efficient operation of, the study described in paragraph (1).
No such information shall be disclosed to any other person or
entity except as provided in this subsection.
(b) Inclusions.--The study under subsection (a)(1) shall include
the following:
(1) An analysis of the employment history of applicable
immigrants and refugees admitted to the United States in the
last 5 years. This analysis shall include, to the extent
practicable, a comparison of the employment applicable
immigrants and refugees held prior to immigrating to the United
States with the employment obtained in the United States, if
any, since the arrival of such applicable immigrants and
refugees. This analysis shall also note the occupational and
professional credentials and academic degrees held by
applicable immigrants and refugees prior to immigrating to the
United States.
(2) An assessment of any barriers that prevent applicable
immigrants and refugees from using occupational experience
obtained outside the United States to obtain employment
opportunities in the United States.
(3) An analysis of existing public and private resources
assisting applicable immigrants and refugees who have
professional experience and qualifications obtained outside the
United States with using such professional experience and
qualifications to obtain skill-appropriate employment
opportunities in the United States.
(4) Policy recommendations for better enabling applicable
immigrants and refugees who have professional experience and
qualifications obtained outside the United States to use such
professional experience and qualifications to obtain skill-
appropriate employment opportunities in the United States.
(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to Congress and make
publically available on the website of the Department of Labor a report
that describes the results of the study conducted under subsection
(a)(1).
(d) Definitions.--
(1) Applicable immigrants and refugees.--For the purposes
of this section, the term ``applicable immigrants and
refugees'' means individuals who are--
(A) not citizens or nationals of the United States
but who are lawfully present and authorized to be
employed; or
(B) naturalized citizens born outside of the United
States and its outlying possessions.
(2) Other terms.--Except as otherwise defined in this
subsection, terms used in this section have the definitions
given such terms under section 101(a) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)).
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
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