BILL NUMBER: SB 10 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 2, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Senator Lara
DECEMBER 1, 2014
An act to add Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section
12099.10) 12100.10) to Part 2 of Division 3 of
Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to immigration.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
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's office office, administered by a
director appointed by the Governor, 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 statewide strategic
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.
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.
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 finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) An estimated 2.6 million Californians are undocumented
immigrants. One in six children lives with an undocumented parent.
Eighty percent of these children are native born United States
citizens who stand to benefit from increased family stability and
economic security.
(b) President Obama has recently decided to employ
Last year, President Obama implemented an
executive action to expand deferred action on millions of Americans.
This population will need assistance with understanding
eligibility, accessing resources
resources, and completing the requisite applications for
deferred action.
(c) Unfortunately, even with this expanded relief, half of
California's undocumented residents, more than one million people,
are still excluded. Those Californians excluded from relief are an
integral part of California's communities and workforce, and share
households with citizens, lawful permanent residents, and immigrants
who are eligible to apply for deportation protection. Yet, those
community members who are left behind will continue to face the
threat of family separation and deportation. Any statewide immigrant
integration strategy must reflect and protect the needs of this
important population.
(c)
(d) California, which has the largest undocumented
population in the nation, has more to gain from immigration reform
than any other state. California's future depends on our ability to
successfully integrate immigrants, regardless of their immigration
status, into the state's economic, social, and political
fabric.
(d)
(e) One in 11 workers is an undocumented immigrant.
Legalization will allow undocumented immigrants to join the formal
economy and increase their economic contributions. Studies show that
immigrants are better off, by almost any economic measure, after
gaining legal status and citizenship. And what is good for California'
s undocumented residents is good for the state.
(e)
(f) Immigrant workers are important to our state's
economy. Studies show that immigrant workers contribute about 31
percent of California's gross domestic product (GDP). Undocumented
immigrants in our state contribute about $130 billion of California's
GDP, which is a figure greater than the entire GDP of the state of
Nevada. Nevada, and contribute more than $3.2
billion in state and local taxes.
(f)
(g) Immigrant households also make up 27 percent of the
total household income in California, representing a substantial
share of all spending power in this state.
(g) The success of a large-scale legalization program will depend
significantly upon the coordination of a multiagency, multisector,
statewide public and private effort to provide undocumented
immigrants accurate, accessible information and services. The state
must develop a coordinated effort that leverages public and private
resources to provide education, fraud prevention services,
application assistance, legal services, English instruction, and
civics classes to undocumented immigrants.
(h) There are 1,214,000 undocumented immigrants in California who
are potentially eligible for deferred action under President Obama's
recent executive actions on immigration. If those immigrants are able
to receive a temporary work permit, it would lead to a $940 million
increase in tax revenues for California over five years.
(i) Expanding deferred action will significantly strengthen
California's economy. When undocumented immigrants can work legally,
they are able to shield themselves against workplace exploitation and
move freely across the labor market to find jobs, leading to an 8.5
percent increase in their earnings. For the average undocumented
immigrant, that means that he or she is taking home an additional
$1,872 each year. As these extra earnings are spent throughout the
economy, demand for goods and services rises, spurring job creation
and raising the wages of all American workers.
(j) Currently, five states, New York, Maryland, Maine,
Massachusetts, and Illinois have some form of statewide immigrant
integration office. Yet, despite California's historic,
forward-looking reforms and significant investment in new Americans,
to date, our state still lacks a proactive, statewide immigrant
integration effort and the most basic infrastructure for assessment,
planning, and coordination of programs, policies, and budget efforts
for ongoing new American integration. Absent this coordination,
undocumented Californians and the state's economy will not see the
largest possible return on investment, both in terms of social
integration and economic potential.
(k) The success of a large-scale administrative relief
implementation program and effective implementation of current and
future state immigrant integration policies will depend significantly
upon the coordination of a multiagency, multisector, statewide,
public and private effort led by an experienced director. The state
must also apply a coordinated effort that leverages private and
public local, state, and federal resources to help fund the key
programs and services that provide accurate, accessible information
and services, including education, naturalization services, fraud
prevention services, application assistance, legal services, and
outreach about immigrant integration opportunities to immigrants.
SEC. 2. Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 12099.10)
12100.10) is added to Part 2 of Division 3 of
Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:
CHAPTER 1.7. THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS
12099.10. 12100.10. There is within
the Governor's office an Office of New Americans. The Governor
shall appoint a director to administer the office.
12099.11. 12100.11. The duties of
the office shall include, but are not limited to, all of the
following:
(a) Coordinating an ongoing multiagency, multisector public and
private effort to provide accurate, accessible information and
services to new Americans.
(b) Overseeing the creation of a statewide plan for the
coordination and implementation of any presidential executive action
on immigration reform or federal comprehensive immigration reform
(CIR).
(c) Providing outreach, education, and fraud prevention services
to ensure that the new American population has accurate information
relating to eligibility requirements with regard to presidential
executive action, CIR, federal deferred action for childhood arrivals
(DACA), and other policies, and where to obtain reputable
application assistance and legal services.
(d) Providing citizenship application assistance, legal services,
and English and civics instruction.
(e) Monitoring the implementation of the following:
(1) DACA and any other presidential executive action on
immigration reform or CIR.
(2) Chapter 524 of the Statutes of 2013 (Assembly Bill 60 of the
2013-14 Regular Session).
(3) Chapter 17.1 (commencing with Section 7282) of Division 7 of
Title 1 of the Government Code, commonly referred to as the TRUST
Act.
(4) Chapter 752 of the Statutes of 2014 (Senate Bill 1159 of the
2013-14 Regular Session).
(f) Creating neighborhood-based connections between new Americans
and their communities through civic engagement and other
opportunities.
(g) Marshaling resources to fund these efforts.
(a) Develop a comprehensive statewide assessment of integration
programs, services, and funding that serve immigrants, regardless of
status. The assessment shall include, but is not limited to, an
evaluation of all of the following:
(1) Federal, state, and local laws and regulations that create
programs or authorize the access of participation of immigrants,
regardless of legal status.
(2) Programs and services currently managed by a state agency or
department, local governmental agency, including local offices of
immigrant affairs established by the County of Los Angeles, the City
and County of San Francisco, and the County of Santa Clara, and
nonprofit organizations to support California immigrant integration,
such as naturalization services and other immigrant assistance
programs, including their funding levels, source of funding, and the
agency or department responsible for administering the funding or
implementing the program.
(b) On or before July 1, 2016, report the findings of the
assessment described in subdivision (a) and a statewide strategic
plan for integration of California's new Americans to the Governor
and Legislature, including a strategy for monitoring and coordinating
implementation of immigrant integration policy and programs.
(1) The plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the
following:
(A) The steps necessary for, and the feasibility of, interoffice
and interagency coordination of programs, services, and resources.
(B) Recommendations for shifting or consolidating programs and
services, if any.
(C) Recommendations for tracking implementation of federal, state,
and local immigrant integration laws, programs, and services,
including policy recommendations, if any.
(D) Recommendations for the coordination of outreach, education,
and fraud prevention services by other public agencies and private
organizations to ensure that the new American population has accurate
information relating to eligibility requirements with regard to
presidential executive action, comprehensive immigration reform
(CIR), federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), federal
Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA), programs for
unaccompanied minors, and other policies, and where to obtain
reputable application assistance and legal services.
(2) The requirement for submitting a report imposed by this
subdivision is inoperative on January 1, 2020, pursuant to Section
10231.5.
(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795.
(c) On or after July 1, 2016, develop an online clearinghouse of
immigrant integration information, including services, resources, and
programs.
(d) Monitor the implementation of state laws and regulations,
including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, federal
Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, and any other
presidential executive action on immigration reform or comprehensive
immigration reform.
(2) Unaccompanied Minors Program.
(3) Chapter 524 of the Statutes of 2013 (Assembly Bill 60 of the
2013-14 Regular Session).
(4) Chapter 17.1 (commencing with Section 7282) of Division 7 of
Title 1, commonly referred to as the TRUST Act.
(5) Chapter 752 of the Statutes of 2014 (Senate Bill 1159 of the
2013-14 Regular Session).
(6) Chapter 814 of the Statues of 2001 (Assembly Bill 540 of the
2001-02 Regular Session).
(7) Chapters 93 and 604 of the Statutes of 2011 (Assembly Bills
130 and 131 of the 2011-12 Regular Session), commonly referred to as
the Dream Act.
(8) Chapter 754 of the Statutes of 2014 (Senate Bill 1210 of the
2013-14 Regular Session), commonly referred to as the DREAM Loan.
(e) Create neighborhood-based connections between new Americans
and their communities through civic engagement and other
opportunities.
(f) Marshal resources to fund these efforts.
12100.12. (a) The Office of New Americans Fund is hereby created
in the State Treasury. Moneys in the fund shall be used to pay the
cost of establishing the office, and any other purpose authorized by
this chapter.
(b) The Office of New Americans Fund may be funded by both private
and public funds. The office may accept private cash donations to be
used for the purposes described in this chapter. Cash donations
received pursuant to this subdivision shall be deposited into the
fund and shall be made available upon appropriation by the
Legislature.