[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6715 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6715
To require the Secretary of Labor to conduct a study of the factors
affecting employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees with
professional credentials obtained in foreign countries.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 11, 2022
Mr. Katko (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Crow, and Mr. Gottheimer)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Labor to conduct a study of the factors
affecting employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees with
professional credentials obtained in foreign countries.
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 ``Bridging the Gap for New Americans
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Applicable immigrants and refugees.--The term
``applicable immigrants and refugees''--
(A) means individuals who--
(i)(I) are not citizens or nationals of the
United States; and
(II) are lawfully present in the United
States and authorized to be employed in the
United States; or
(ii) are naturalized citizens of the United
States who were born outside of the United
States and its outlying possessions; and
(B) includes individuals described in section
602(b)(2) of the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009
(title VI of division F of Public Law 111-8; 8 U.S.C.
1101 note).
(2) Other terms.--Except as otherwise defined in this
section, terms used in this Act have the definitions given such
terms under section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)).
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, 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, shall conduct a study of the
factors affecting employment opportunities in the United States
for applicable immigrants and refugees who have professional
credentials that were obtained in a country other than the
United States.
(2) Work with other entities.--The Secretary of Labor shall
seek to work with relevant nonprofit organizations and State
agencies to use the existing data and resources of such
entities to conduct the study required under paragraph (1).
(3) Limitations on disclosure.--Any information provided to
the Secretary of Labor in connection with the study required
under paragraph (1)--
(A) may only be used for the purposes of, and to
the extent necessary to ensure the efficient operation
of, such study; and
(B) may not be disclosed to any other person or
entity except as provided under this subsection.
(b) Inclusions.--The study required under subsection (a)(1) shall
include--
(1) an analysis of the employment history of applicable
immigrants and refugees admitted to the United States during
the 5-year period immediately preceding the date of the
enactment of this Act, which shall include, to the extent
practicable--
(A) a comparison of the employment applicable
immigrants and refugees held before immigrating to the
United States with the employment they obtained in the
United States, if any, since their arrival; and
(B) the occupational and professional credentials
and academic degrees held by applicable immigrants and
refugees before 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 in the
United States;
(3) an analysis of available public and private resources
assisting applicable immigrants and refugees who have
professional experience and qualifications obtained outside of
the United States to obtain skill-appropriate employment in the
United States; and
(4) policy recommendations for better enabling applicable
immigrants and refugees who have professional experience and
qualifications obtained outside of the United States to obtain
skill-appropriate employment in the United States.
(c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall--
(1) submit a report to Congress that describes the results
of the study conducted pursuant to subsection (a); and
(2) make such report publically available on the website of
the Department of Labor.
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