BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair
SB 23 (Lara) - Task Force on New American Integration.
Amended: April 25, 2013 Policy Vote: HS 4-2
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: May 6, 2013 Consultant: Mark McKenzie
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: SB 23 would establish the Task Force on New
American Integration (Task Force) in the Governor's Office until
January 1, 2018 to provide recommendations to the Legislature on
protocols and policies to assist immigrant integration, as
specified.
Fiscal Impact:
General fund costs in the range of $125,000 to $150,000
annually through December 31, 2017 for 2 PY of staff to
perform administrative functions related to the Task Force.
General Fund costs in the range of $30,000 to $40,000
annually for four years to reimburse Task Force members for
expenses related to meeting attendance.
Future General Fund pressure, in the range of $3 million
annually, to support efforts assisting immigrants with the
citizenship process through an Office of New Americans, or
through other programs that have historically served a
similar function, such as the currently unfunded
Naturalization Services Program.
Background: Existing law establishes the Naturalization Services
Program (NSP) within the Department of Community Services and
Development (CSD) to assist legal permanent residents in
obtaining citizenship, to the extent funding is appropriated for
that purpose in the Budget Act. From 1998 to 2008, the
Legislature appropriated funds to support the program, which was
distributed through contracts with community-based organizations
that performed the following activities and services: outreach,
intake, referrals, citizenship application assistance,
citizenship testing, interview preparation, and follow up
activities.
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In the last several years of the NSP, through the 2007-08 fiscal
year, CSD received a $3 million General Fund appropriation,
which supported contracts with 23 community based organizations
around the state. During the final year, 9,743 clients were
served, and 5,502 received certificates of naturalization. Over
the 10-year life of the program, a total of 118,488 clients were
served, but the program's budget was eliminated in 2008 due to
General Fund shortfalls.
Proposed Law: SB 23 would establish a 15-member Task Force on
New American Integration in the Governor's Office until January
1, 2018 to provide the following to the Legislature:
Policy recommendations by January 1, 2015 on integrating
immigrants in the state, including the establishment of an
Office of New Americans.
Recommendations by January 1, 2015 on protocols and
collaboration among governmental agencies to assist
immigrant integration.
Initial recommendations within six months of changes to
federal law that authorize undocumented immigrants to change
their legal status to ensure that the state is ready to
assist new Americans.
Those appointed to the Task Force must have experience and
expertise in immigrant integration, and the members would not be
compensated, except for necessary expenses to attend meetings.
The Task Force would be required to meet at least four times
annually, in specified locations, and meetings would be subject
to statutory open meeting requirements. Meetings of the Task
Force would be subject to the open meeting requirements of the
Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act.
Related Legislation: AB 2060 (De La Torre), Chap 515/2006,
formally codified the Naturalization Services Program within the
Department of Community Services and Development to provide
funding to community-based organizations to assist legal
permanent residents in obtaining citizenship. The program is
only implemented to the extent funds are appropriated in the
annual Budget Act.
Staff Comments: Staff assumes that the Task Force would require
2 PY of staff to perform necessary administrative functions,
including the coordination of meetings, preparation of
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materials, public notice requirements, research, analysis, and
drafting of necessary reports. Costs for one office technician
and one staff analyst would be in the range of $125,000 to
$150,000 annually for the four-year life of the Task Force.
Costs to provide for reimbursement of 15 Task Force members'
necessary expenses to attend 4 meetings are estimated at $30,000
to $40,000 annually (General Fund). The bill requires the Task
Force to make specified recommendations to the Legislature by
January 1, 2015, and within six months of federal action on
immigration reform. The functions of the Task Force beyond
these specified duties and timeframes are unclear. The ongoing
costs up to January 1, 2018 assume the Task Force will continue
to meet four times during each calendar year until the sunset
date, and perform related functions.
The bill includes a legislative finding that it is in the best
interests of the state to establish an Office of New Americans
to advocate for, and promote cooperation and understanding
between, government agencies and immigrant residents, and to
assist immigrants toward naturalization. The Task Force is
required to make policy recommendations to the Legislature on
the establishment of an Office of New Americans by January 1,
2015. To the extent that the Task Force recommends the
permanent creation of an Office of New Americans, and
considering the legislative finding noted above, the bill could
result in ongoing cost pressures to establish and administer the
functions of that office. A previous program that served to
assist immigrants with the naturalization process and
integration services, the Naturalization Services Program, was
funded with an annual General Fund appropriation of $3 million
prior to the program being de-funded in 2008. Staff assumes an
Office of New Americans would require a similar funding
commitment.