Amended in Senate April 25, 2013

Amended in Senate April 1, 2013

Senate Bill No. 23

Introduced by Senator Lara

December 3, 2012

An act to add begin insert and repeal end insert Article 8.5 (commencing with Section 12092) begin delete to end delete begin insert of end insert Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to state government.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 23, as amended, Lara. Task Force on begin delete Immigrant end delete begin insert New American end insert Integration.

Existing law establishes the Naturalization Services Program, administered within the Department of Community Services and Development, to fund community-based organizations in assisting legal permanent residents in obtaining citizenship.

This bill would begin insert , until January 1, 2018, end insert establish the Task Force on begin delete Immigrant end delete begin insert New American end insert Integration within the office of the Governor to provide, among other things, recommendations begin insert to the Legislature end insert on protocols and collaboration among governmental agencies to streamline resources to assist immigrant integration.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of
the following:

(a) Immigrants are a vibrant force in California’s changing
demographics. In 2010, the foreign born represented 13 percent
of the United States population and 27 percent called California
home.

(b) In 2009, 31.4 percent of foreign-born individuals were legal
permanent residents and 44 percent were naturalized citizens.

(c) Of the foreign-born immigrants who are over 16 years of
age, 68 percent participate in the labor force.

(d) According to the federal Small Business Administration, 18
percent of all small business owners in the United States are
immigrants. According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, small
businesses owned by immigrants employed an estimated 4.7
million people in 2007, and according to the latest estimates, these
small businesses generated more than $776 billion annually.
According to the United States Census Bureau, despite making up
only 16 percent of the resident population holding a bachelor’s
degree or higher, immigrants represent 33 percent of engineers,
27 percent of mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists,
and 24 percent of physical scientists. In 2011, foreign-born
inventors were credited with contributing to more than 75 percent
of patents issued to the top 10 patent-producing universities,
according to the Partnership for a New American Economy.

(e) Additionally, the purchasing power of Latinos and Asians,
many of whom are immigrants, alone will reach $1.5 trillion and
$775 billion, respectively, by 2015. And, according to the White
House, increased immigration to the United States has increased
the earnings of Americans with more than a high school degree.
Between 1990 and 2004, increased immigration was correlated
with increasing earnings of Americans by 0.7 percent and is
expected to contribute to an increase of 1.8 percent over the long
term.

(f) During the 20th century, the nation launched a movement,
involving federal, state, and local governments, businesses, labor
unions, schools, and social organizations, to help integrate
immigrants into society. Today, however, few programs exist at
the federal or state level to accomplish similar objectives. If they
exist, they are often uncoordinated amongst themselves.

(g) Citizenship and civic participation on the part of all
California residents is vital to the economic and societal well-being
of the state.

(h) It is in the best interest of the state and its residents to
establish an Office of New Americans in state government to
advocate for, and promote cooperation and understanding between,
government agencies and immigrant residents, and to assist
immigrants toward naturalization.

(i) It is in the best interest of the state to support the ability of
all its residents, including immigrants, to be economically
self-sufficient, participate in our nation’s and state’s political
process, and develop a sense of responsibility for their community.

SEC. 2.  

Article 8.5 (commencing with Section 12092) is added
to Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government
Code, to read:

 

Article 8.5.  begin delete Immigrant end delete begin insert New American end insert Integration

 

12092.  

(a) There is in the Governor’s office the Task Force
on begin delete Immigrant end delete begin insert New American end insert Integration to provide begin delete both end delete begin insert all end insert of the
following:

(1) On or before January 1, 2015, recommendations begin insert to the
Legislature end insert on protocols and collaboration among governmental
agencies to streamline resources to assist immigrant begin delete integration
and policy end delete begin insert integration. end insert

begin insert (2) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert On or before January 1, 2015, policy end insert recommendations to
the Legislature on integrating immigrants in the state, including a
recommendation on the establishment of an Office of New
Americans.

begin delete

(2)

end delete

begin insert (3) end insert  No later than six months after the date when changes in
federal immigration law occur to authorize undocumented
immigrants to change their legal status, initial recommendations
to the Legislature to ensure the state is ready to assist new
Americans eligible to change their legal status pursuant to federal
law.

(b) (1) The task force shall be comprised of 15 begin delete members end delete
begin insert members. On or before April 1, 2014, nine members shall be end insert
appointed by the Governor begin insert , three members shall be appointed by
the Senate President pro Tempore, and three members shall be
appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly end insert begin delete on or before April 1,
2014 end delete . In order to be eligible for appointment to the task force, an
individual shall have experience and expertise in immigrant
integration.

(2) Members of the task force shall serve at the pleasure of the
begin delete Governor end delete begin insert appropriate appointing power end insert . Upon the occurrence of
a vacancy, the begin delete Governor end delete begin insert appointing power end insert shall appoint a
replacement within 20 days of the vacancy.

(c) Members of the task force shall not be compensated, but
shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses to attend meetings.

(d) The Governor shall select the chair of the task force from
the members appointed, pursuant to subdivision (b).

(e) Meetings of the task force shall be subject to the open
meeting requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act
(Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part
1).

(f) The task force shall meet at least four times during the
calendar year and meet at least once within the Counties of Fresno,
Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.

begin insert

(g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2018,
and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
is enacted before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends that date.

end insert