Bill Text: NJ S4087 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Office of New Americans in Department of Human Services.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-11-27 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [S4087 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S4087-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Office of New Americans in Department of Human Services.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the Office of New Americans in the Department of Human Services, and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Every New Jersey resident should be valued, supported, and welcomed as an integral part of our communities, economy, and culture.
b. New Jersey is home to over two million immigrants and refugees, who make up nearly one quarter of the State population.
c. New Americans in New Jersey have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and strengths, and make critical contributions that benefit all State residents.
d. New Americans are integral to New Jersey's diverse economy; they are entrepreneurs, workers, students, and family members who contribute to New Jersey's vibrant communities and cultural and social fabric, pay taxes, and create jobs through entrepreneurship.
e. New Americans make up a substantial part of the State's labor force in a wide range of industries, including health care, social assistance, manufacturing, and construction, and assist the State in maintaining its role as a leading innovator in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics field.
f. New Americans play a disproportionately large role in maintaining New Jersey's health and safety by performing essential services during emergencies.
g. New Americans face unique obstacles while contributing to New Jersey's communities and economies. A legacy of inequitable policies has undermined the safety of New American communities, hindered trust between the government and New Americans, and limited New Americans' access to resources, services, and opportunities.
h. Implementing policies and programming that are welcoming, responsive, and respectful to New Americans is essential to New Jersey's success and building trust between immigrant communities and the government.
i. The Office of New Americans was created in the Department of Human Services following the issuance of Executive Order 74 of 2019 to support immigrants and refugees in New Jersey through outreach, education, legal services, and other initiatives.
j. The New Jersey Office of New Americans has played an important role in understanding the needs of immigrants and refugees. The office has also shared its expertise in order to inform and strengthen the State's engagement with New Americans, especially during recent crises, through outreach, training, and technical assistance.
k. The New Jersey Office of New Americans improves access to critical services and resources, including refugee resettlement services, to respond to humanitarian crises and to support New Americans' health, wellbeing, and integration into New Jersey's communities. The office has administered support to over 3,000 refugees who have arrived to the State in the past ten years from countries such as Cuba, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The office also administers a legal services program that has supported nearly 5,000 New Americans over the past five years to prevent separation from families and communities.
l. Maintaining the New Jersey Office of New Americans, and ensuring that the office has funding and resources, will further strengthen the collaborative efforts of the State and immigrant communities to provide, and continue improving access, to services for New Americans.
2. As used in this act, P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill):
a. "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Human Services;
b. "Department" means the Department of Human Services;
c. "Director" means the Director of the Office of New Americans in the Department of Human Services;
d. "Office" means the Office of New Americans in the Department of Human Services; and
e. "New American" means a New Jersey resident or future New Jersey resident who has arrived or will arrive to the United States as a non-citizen, an immigrant, or a refugee, and the children of such persons.
3. There is established in the Department of Human Services the Office of New Americans.
a. The administrator and head of the office shall be the Director of the Office of New Americans. The director shall be a person qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the office and shall devote their entire time to the performance of those duties. The commissioner shall appoint the director, who shall serve at the pleasure of the commissioner. The director shall administer the work of the office under the direction of the commissioner and shall perform such other functions of the department as the commissioner may prescribe.
b. A person's lived experience or work with New American communities shall be considered when hiring decisions are made for staff of the office, as permitted by law.
c. The office shall serve as a centralized location for expertise and data on New Americans and shall engage in programs, initiatives, and policies focused on successful integration for immigrants, refugees, and their children. The office shall provide technical assistance and training to other offices and departments in the Executive Branch on issues pertaining to effective and equitable engagement with New Americans. In addition to the core functions defined in this section, the duties of the office may expand in response to emerging needs and crises that impact New Americans, as determined by the commissioner. The director shall staff the office to effectively meet the goals and intentions of this act, P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), and the future needs of the New Americans community in New Jersey.
4. In addition to other functions, powers, and duties vested in the Department of Human Services by this act, P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), or by any other law, the Department of Human Services shall, through the Office of New Americans,:
a. Administer services for New Americans, including:
(1) Refugee services and services in connection with the department's responsibilities under the Refugee Resettlement Program as authorized by section 412(e)(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act in partnership with the federal government;
(2) Support for the health and wellbeing of refugees and other New Americans settling in New Jersey through the provision of health screenings and services, and by promoting and facilitating, when appropriate, access to State benefits and supports in collaboration with other State agencies; and
(3) Legal services programs for New Americans with low incomes who are in need of such services, as defined by the commissioner. These New Americans may include persons seeking asylum, persons facing detention and deportation, unaccompanied minors, and others who may suffer adverse consequences due to federal immigration policies.
b. Engage directly with immigrant and refugee communities and service providers to understand and address their concerns and the obstacles they face in accessing services and resources by:
(1) Promoting training that informs New Americans of their rights and available services;
(2) In consultation with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, promoting training that advances workforce development and employment services for New Americans;
(3) Publicizing resources, programs, and supports directly provided under the office's auspices; and
(4) Collaborating on priorities to better serve New Americans on an ongoing basis.
c. Support and advise State departments and agencies, as well as other organizations, on community engagement and outreach to promote best practices and improve accessibility of State programs and information by New Americans through:
(1) Examining and developing practices, programs, and policies related to the New Americans population;
(2) Sharing guidance, expertise, and training with other government entities;
(2) Prioritizing and promoting accessibility of services to the New Americans populations, including those who speak languages other than English, among all State departments and agencies;
(3) Consulting on language access initiatives in State government; and
(4) Conducting research on the demographics of New Americans and determining language access needs in New Jersey, providing such information to other State departments and agencies to inform language and other access needs of New Americans with respect to those departments and agencies, and making such information publicly available on an annual basis, subject to the availability of updated data. This information shall be used by State agencies to inform language and other access needs of New Americans.
5. The office shall use data to inform the State's efforts only as authorized under State and federal law to advance integration for immigrants. The office shall not use or share data for the use of civil immigration enforcement.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Office of New Americans in the New Jersey Department of Human Services. This bill codifies the existing Office of New Americans established in 2019 pursuant to Executive Order 74 of 2019.
The commissioner will appoint the director, and the director will be the administrator and head of the office.
The bill requires the office to be a centralized location for expertise and data on New Americans and to engage in programs, initiatives, and policies focused on successful integration for immigrants, refugees, and their children. The office will also provide technical assistance and training to other offices and departments in the Executive Branch on issues pertaining to effective and equitable engagement with New Americans.
The bill also requires the Department of Human Services, through the Office of New Americans, to:
administer services for New Americans;
engage directly with immigrant and refugee communities and service providers to understand and address their concerns and the obstacles they face in accessing services and resources; and
support and advise State departments and agencies, as well as other organizations, on community engagement and outreach to promote best practices and improve the accessibility of State programs and information by New Americans.
Additionally, the bill requires the office to use data for informing the State's efforts only as authorized under State and federal law to advance integration for immigrants. The office will not use or share data for the use of civil immigration enforcement.
