SB 10, as amended, Lara. Immigration: Governor’s Office of New Americans.
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 establish the Office of New Americans in the Governor’sbegin delete officeend deletebegin insert office, administered by a director appointed by the Governor,end insert for the purpose of, among other things, coordinating an ongoing multiagency, multisector public and private effort to provide information and services to new Americans, overseeing the creation of a statewidebegin insert
strategicend insert plan for the coordination and implementation of any presidential executive action on immigration reform or federal comprehensive immigration reform, and providing outreach, education, and fraud prevention services to the new American population.begin insert
The bill would require the office to develop and report a comprehensive statewide assessment of integration programs, services, and funding, and a statewide strategic plan for integration of California’s new Americans, to the Governor and Legislature, on or before July 1, 2016. The bill would also require the office to develop an online clearinghouse of immigrant integration information, including services, resources, and programs. The bill would also create the Office of New Americans Fund, would authorize the office to receive private donations, and would require those donations to be deposited into the fund, which, upon appropriation, would fund the cost of establishing the office and performing the duties described above.end insert
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) An estimated 2.6 million Californians are undocumented
4immigrants. One in six children lives with an undocumented parent.
5Eighty percent of these children are native born United States
6citizens who stand to benefit from increased family stability and
7economic security.
8(b) begin deletePresident Obama has recently decided to employ end deletebegin insertLast year,
9President Obama implemented an end insertexecutive
action to expand
10deferred action on millions of Americans. This population will
11need assistance withbegin insert understanding eligibility,end insert accessingbegin delete resourcesend delete
12begin insert resources,end insert and completing the requisite applications for deferred
13action.
14(c) Unfortunately, even with this expanded relief, half of
15California’s undocumented residents, more than one million
16people, are still excluded. Those Californians excluded from relief
17are an integral part of California’s communities and workforce,
18and share households with citizens, lawful permanent residents,
19and immigrants who
are eligible to apply for deportation
20protection. Yet, those community members who are left behind will
21continue to face the threat of family separation and deportation.
22Any statewide immigrant integration strategy must reflect and
23protect the needs of this important population.
10 24(c)
end delete
25begin insert(d)end insert California, which has the largest undocumented population
26in the nation, has more to gain from immigration reform than any
27other state. California’s future depends on our ability to
28successfully integrate immigrants, regardless of their immigration
29status, into thebegin insert
state’send insert economic, social, and political fabric.
15 P3 1(d)
end delete
2begin insert(e)end insert One in 11 workers is an undocumented immigrant.
3Legalization will allow undocumented immigrants to join the
4formal economy and increase their economic contributions. Studies
5show that immigrants are better off, by almost any economic
6measure, after gaining legal status and citizenship. And what is
7good for California’s undocumented residents is good for the state.
21 8(e)
end delete
9begin insert(f)end insert Immigrant workers are important to our state’s economy.
10Studies show that immigrant workers contribute about 31 percent
11of California’s gross domestic product (GDP). Undocumented
12immigrants in our state contribute about $130 billion of California’s
13GDP, which is a figure greater than the entire GDP of the state of
14begin delete Nevada.end deletebegin insert Nevada, and contribute more than $3.2 billion in state
15and local taxes.end insert
27 16(f)
end delete
17begin insert(g)end insert Immigrant households also make up 27 percent of the total
18household income in California, representing a substantial share
19of all spending power in this state.
20(g) The success of a large-scale legalization program will depend
21significantly upon the coordination of a multiagency, multisector,
22statewide public and private effort to provide undocumented
23immigrants accurate, accessible information and services. The
24state must develop a coordinated effort that leverages public and
25private resources to provide education, fraud prevention services,
26application assistance, legal services, English instruction, and
27civics classes to undocumented immigrants.
28(h) There are 1,214,000 undocumented immigrants in California
29who are potentially eligible for deferred action under President
30Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration. If those
31immigrants are able to receive a temporary work permit, it would
32lead to a $940 million increase in tax revenues for California over
33five years.
34(i) Expanding deferred action will significantly strengthen
35California’s economy. When undocumented immigrants can work
36legally, they are able to shield themselves against workplace
37exploitation and move freely across the labor market to find jobs,
38leading to an 8.5 percent increase in their earnings. For the
39average undocumented immigrant, that means that he or she is
40taking home an additional $1,872 each year. As these extra
P4 1earnings are spent
throughout the economy, demand for goods
2and services rises, spurring job creation and raising the wages of
3all American workers.
4(j) Currently, five states, New York, Maryland, Maine,
5Massachusetts, and Illinois have some form of statewide immigrant
6integration office. Yet, despite California’s historic,
7forward-looking reforms and significant investment in new
8Americans, to date, our state still lacks a proactive, statewide
9immigrant integration effort and the most basic infrastructure for
10assessment, planning, and coordination of programs, policies, and
11budget efforts for ongoing new American integration. Absent this
12coordination, undocumented Californians and the state’s economy
13will not see the largest possible return on investment, both in terms
14of social integration and economic potential.
15(k) The success of a large-scale administrative relief
16implementation program and effective implementation of current
17and future state immigrant integration policies will depend
18significantly upon the coordination of a multiagency, multisector,
19statewide, public and private effort led by an experienced director.
20The state must also apply a coordinated effort that leverages
21private and public local, state, and federal resources to help fund
22the key programs and services that provide accurate, accessible
23information and services, including education, naturalization
24services, fraud prevention services, application assistance, legal
25services, and outreach about immigrant integration opportunities
26to immigrants.
Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Sectionbegin delete 12099.10)end delete
28begin insert 12100.10)end insert is added to Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the 29Government Code, to read:
30
There is within the Governor’s office an Office of
35New Americans.begin insert The Governor shall appoint a director to
36administer the office.end insert
The duties of the office shall include, but are not
39limited to, all of the following:
P5 1(a) Coordinating an ongoing multiagency, multisector public
2and private effort to provide accurate, accessible information and
3services to new Americans.
4(b) Overseeing the creation of a statewide plan for the
5coordination and implementation of any presidential executive
6action on immigration reform or federal comprehensive
7immigration reform (CIR).
8(c) Providing outreach, education, and fraud prevention services
9to ensure that the new American population has accurate
10information relating to eligibility requirements with regard to
11presidential
executive action, CIR, federal deferred action for
12childhood arrivals (DACA), and other policies, and where to obtain
13reputable application assistance and legal services.
14(d) Providing citizenship application assistance, legal services,
15and English and civics instruction.
16(e) Monitoring the implementation of the following:
17(1) DACA and any other presidential executive action on
18immigration reform or CIR.
19(2) Chapter 524 of the Statutes of 2013 (Assembly Bill 60 of
20the 2013-14 Regular Session).
21(3) Chapter 17.1 (commencing with Section 7282) of Division
227 of Title 1 of the Government Code, commonly referred to as the
23TRUST Act.
24(4) Chapter 752 of the Statutes of 2014 (Senate Bill 1159 of the
252013-14 Regular Session).
26(f) Creating neighborhood-based connections between new
27Americans and their communities through civic engagement and
28other opportunities.
29(g) Marshaling resources to fund these efforts.
end delete
30(a) Develop a comprehensive statewide assessment of
31integration programs, services, and funding that serve immigrants,
32regardless of status. The assessment shall include, but is not limited
33to, an evaluation of all of the following:
34(1) Federal, state, and local laws and regulations that create
35programs or authorize the access of participation of immigrants,
36regardless of legal status.
37(2) Programs and services currently managed by a state agency
38or department, local governmental agency, including local offices
39of immigrant affairs established by the County of Los Angeles, the
40City and County of San
Francisco, and the County of Santa Clara,
P6 1and nonprofit organizations to support California immigrant
2integration, such as naturalization services and other immigrant
3assistance programs, including their funding levels, source of
4funding, and the agency or department responsible for
5administering the funding or implementing the program.
6(b) On or before July 1, 2016, report the findings of the
7assessment described in subdivision (a) and a statewide strategic
8plan for integration of California’s new Americans to the Governor
9and Legislature, including a strategy for monitoring and
10coordinating implementation of immigrant integration policy and
11programs.
12(1) The plan
shall include, but not be limited to, all of the
13following:
14(A) The steps necessary for, and the feasibility of, interoffice
15and interagency coordination of programs, services, and resources.
16(B) Recommendations for shifting or consolidating programs
17and services, if any.
18(C) Recommendations for tracking implementation of federal,
19state, and local immigrant integration laws, programs, and
20services, including policy recommendations, if any.
21(D) Recommendations for the coordination of outreach,
22education, and fraud prevention services by other public agencies
23and private organizations to ensure that the new American
24population has accurate information relating to eligibility
25requirements with regard to presidential executive action,
26comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), federal Deferred Action
27for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), federal Deferred Action for
28Parental Accountability (DAPA), programs for unaccompanied
29minors, and other policies, and where to obtain reputable
30application assistance and legal services.
31(2) The requirement for submitting a report imposed by this
32subdivision is inoperative on January 1, 2020, pursuant to Section
3310231.5.
34(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall
35be submitted in compliance with Section 9795.
36(c) On or after July 1, 2016, develop an online clearinghouse
37of immigrant integration information, including services, resources,
38and programs.
39(d) Monitor the implementation of state laws and regulations,
40including, but not limited to, all of the following:
P7 1(1) Federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, federal
2Deferred
Action for Parental Accountability, and any other
3presidential executive action on immigration reform or
4comprehensive immigration reform.
5(2) Unaccompanied Minors Program.
end insertbegin insert
6(3) Chapter 524 of the Statutes of 2013 (Assembly Bill 60 of the
72013-14 Regular Session).
8(4) Chapter 17.1 (commencing with Section 7282) of Division
97 of Title 1, commonly referred to as the TRUST Act.
10(5) Chapter 752 of the Statutes of 2014 (Senate Bill 1159 of
the
112013-14 Regular Session).
12(6) Chapter 814 of the Statues of 2001 (Assembly Bill 540 of
13the 2001-02 Regular Session).
14(7) Chapters 93 and 604 of the Statutes of 2011 (Assembly Bills
15130 and 131 of the 2011-12 Regular Session), commonly referred
16to as the Dream Act.
17(8) Chapter 754 of the Statutes of 2014 (Senate Bill 1210 of the
182013-14 Regular Session), commonly referred to as the DREAM
19Loan.
20(e) Create neighborhood-based connections between new
21Americans and their communities through civic engagement and
22other opportunities.
23(f) Marshal resources to fund these efforts.
end insert(a) The Office of New Americans Fund is hereby
25created in the State Treasury. Moneys in the fund shall be used to
26pay the cost of establishing the office, and any other purpose
27authorized by this chapter.
28(b) The Office of New Americans Fund may be funded by both
29private and public funds. The office may accept private cash
30donations to be used for the purposes described in this chapter.
31Cash donations received pursuant to this subdivision shall be
32deposited into the fund and shall be made available upon
33appropriation by the Legislature.
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