Refugee Act Reauthorization: Admissions and Resettlement Issues

The authorization for Federal refugee resettlement assistance provided by the Refugee Act of 1980 expires Sept. 30, 1983. The 97th Congress had extended this assistance authority for one year only pending a more thorough review of the entire Refugee Act including its admissions provisions. Admissions issues that have been of interest to Congress include the role of Congress and the executive branch in establishing annual numerical limits on refugee admissions, and the interpretation of the definition of a refugee. A new block grant refugee assistance program proposed by the Reagan The administration was addressed in hearings on the reauthorization of resettlement assistance; other continuing concerns are refugee dependency on cash assistance and the geographic distribution of refugees in the United states