Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 3157, the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act. This legislation's journey to the House floor began in my office 3 years ago and was born out of a conversation with Interfaith Works of Central New York, a nonprofit in my district.

Interfaith Works serves the Central New York community by working to resettle individuals and families that have fled unimaginable hardship, seeking opportunity and prosperity legally, legally, in the United States.

As advocates from the organization with firsthand experience described, Interfaith's resettlement efforts consistently encounter a troubling trend; underemployment or unemployment among individuals that come to America with professional degrees and certifications from other countries.

This phenomenon, often referred to as ``brain waste,'' impacts individuals with skills and experiences in a wide range of in-demand fields, and it is by no means isolated to Central New York.

A study by the Migration Policy Institute estimated that 2 million immigrants and refugees with college degrees have been relegated to low-wage jobs or left unemployed in the U.S., with 60 percent of these individuals holding credentials in the healthcare sector.

On an annual basis, this untapped talent is estimated to cost nearly $40 billion in uncollected wages and over $10 billion in unrealized tax receipts.

Simply put, these are individuals who came to our country through the proper channels--and I can't stress that enough--who want to contribute to our economy, and who are now facing significant obstacles in seeking employment through no fault of their own.

Most concerningly, the underutilization of their skills comes in the midst of a nationwide workforce crisis, when our economy needs their contributions more than nearly any point in my lifetime.

So, what is Congress going to do about it?

I am proud to say that the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act takes a significant first step in addressing brain waste and enabling millions of individuals who are already legally present in the United States to participate fully in our economy.

This bill would seek to identify the underlying factors that contribute to brain waste by directing the Department of Labor to study existing barriers and issue recommendations to help combat them.

Critically, the narrowly tailored consensus approach taken by this legislation has already received strong bipartisan support, with the legislation passing in the Senate by unanimous consent earlier this year.

The Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act also has significant support nationwide and has been endorsed by over 200 workforce development groups and community organizations.

I thank Representatives Crow, Fitzpatrick, and Gottheimer for joining me in introducing the House version of this bill in a bipartisan manner, as well as Senators Klobuchar and Cornyn for their work to move this legislation through the Senate.

I also thank the hundreds of national advocates who have worked tirelessly to raise awareness surrounding this brain waste and to build support for this commonsense legislation.

This bill is about upholding the American Dream and unlocking opportunities for millions of workers, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting to send it to the President's desk.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3157) 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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 3157, the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, each year, millions of immigrants and refugees come to the United States to find a better life and achieve the American Dream. Many of these new Americans arrive with valuable experiences in specialized fields and international degrees that could help strengthen our communities and our economy.

Regrettably, we know that these Americans face barriers that prevent them from utilizing their skills and credentials to contribute to our country and pursue their careers. In fact, nearly 2 million highly skilled immigrants are underemployed or working in low-skilled jobs instead of their expert fields.

These barriers directly affect our economy, costing tens of billions of dollars in forgone wages and billions in lost Federal, State, and local tax payments each year.

In response, the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act will help us better understand not only the employment barriers facing immigrants and refugees but also steps we can take to ensure that new Americans can join our economic growth and pursue careers in which they can succeed to their fullest potential.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow), the chair of the Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development of the Small Business Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues have pointed out, the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act is particularly critical as we continue to recover from the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than ever, we must draw from the skills of our Nation's immigrants and refugees to accelerate our recovery and strengthen our communities.

In other words, this bill will ensure that the new Americans can re- establish their careers, succeed to their full potential, and join the effort to build back a brighter future for all Americans.

I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sempolinski), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow), the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), as well as Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota, Senator Cornyn of Texas, Senator Coons of Delaware, and Senator Murkowski from Alaska, for their leadership on this legislative priority.

I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act. I applaud our colleagues in the Senate for approving this bill this summer by unanimous consent. I also acknowledge our colleague, Mr. John Katko, for his work on a companion bill in the House.

S. 3157 directs the Secretary of Labor to conduct a study on barriers to employment for legal immigrants and refugees who earn their professional credentials somewhere other than the United States. The study will also include policy recommendations for better helping these immigrants and refugees obtain skill-appropriate employment in the United States.

Obstacles for foreign-educated immigrants and refugees who are legally in the United States but are unemployed or underemployed include language barriers, credential recognition difficulties, regulatory hurdles, and a lack of professional networks to offer assistance.

This underutilization of skills, or brain waste, is costing the United States billions of dollars per year in lost individual earnings, economic output, and tax revenue.

The healthcare sector is especially impacted by this challenge. Two million immigrants with college degrees in the United States have been relegated to low-wage jobs or unable to find work, often because of licensing, credential recognition, and other barriers. This leaves immigrants and refugees unable to contribute fully to the economy, reach their full potential, or secure the American Dream.

In addition to providing recommendations for addressing these challenges for individual immigrants and their families, S. 3157 will benefit all Americans and our economy. With too many jobs still going unfilled and a rapidly evolving labor market, it is vital we address this issue now.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 3157, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3157, a bill to help eliminate barriers to employment facing immigrants and refugees across the country.

I represent one of the most diverse districts in Colorado, and we know in Colorado and in my community that diversity is our strength.

Many of our immigrant refugee neighbors have skills and professional credentials they can't use because of regulatory hurdles. These hurdles, whether language barriers, difficulty in recognizing credentials, or a lack of professional networks, prevent many from making a good living for their families or contributing fully to our economy in reaching their full potential.

The unemployment and underemployment of these folks is a missed opportunity for our businesses, for our community, and for our country.

In 2016, across the U.S., nearly 2 million immigrants with college degrees were unable to find work or were employed in low-wage jobs. This includes more than one-third of the 11,000 immigrants in the State of Colorado with health-related undergraduate degrees in 2020.

Identifying these barriers to full employment for these immigrants and refugees is an essential first step to overcoming them. This bill would direct the Department of Labor to conduct a collaborative interagency study of the barriers that hold back refugees and immigrants from their full potential.

I thank Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Katko for their diligence in this effort, and I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting passage of this bill today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 3157, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.