Bill Text: NY A04660 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes the Alex R. Jimenez New York state military immigrant family legacy program within the division of veterans' services.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-6)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-02-01 - REFERRED TO VETERANS, HOMELAND SECURITY AND MILITARY AFFAIRS [A04660 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A04660-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4660--A 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 4, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CRUZ, ASHBY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit- tee AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the Alex R. Jimenez New York state military immigrant family legacy program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 354-f 2 to read as follows: 3 § 354-f. Staff sergeant Alex R. Jimenez New York state military immi- 4 grant family legacy program. 1. For the purposes of this section, the 5 following terms shall have the following meanings: 6 (a) "Uniformed service member" shall mean a member of the army, navy, 7 air force, space corps, marine corps, coast guard, public health service 8 commissioned corps, or national oceanic and atmospheric administration 9 commissioned officer corps serving on active duty. 10 (b) "The program" shall mean the staff sergeant Alex R. Jimenez mili- 11 tary immigrant family legacy program. 12 (c) "Coordinator" shall mean a military immigrant family legacy 13 program coordinator appointed pursuant to subdivision three of this 14 section. 15 (d) "Veteran" shall a person who served in the active military, naval 16 or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other 17 than dishonorable. 18 (e) "Intended recipients" shall mean uniformed service members, veter- 19 ans, reserve component members and their family members. 20 (f) "Reserve component members" shall mean those serving in the army 21 reserve, navy reserve, marine corps reserve, the army national guard or 22 the air national guard during the time the unit was federally recognized 23 as a reserve component. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07199-09-1A. 4660--A 2 1 2. There is hereby established within the division of veterans' 2 services, in conjunction with the division of military and naval 3 affairs, the staff sergeant Alex R. Jimenez New York state military 4 immigrant family legacy program which shall be jointly developed and 5 implemented by the director of veterans' services and the adjutant 6 general of the division of military and naval affairs, in consultation 7 with the office for new Americans established pursuant to section nine- 8 ty-four-b of this chapter, and in accordance with the provisions of this 9 section. The primary purpose of the program shall be to assist intended 10 recipients to secure legal immigration status in the United States, 11 including but not limited to, citizenship. 12 3. Two military immigrant family legacy program coordinators shall be 13 appointed, one appointed by the director of veterans' services and one 14 by the adjutant general of the division of military and naval affairs, 15 to administer the program. Each coordinator shall be a veteran. The 16 coordinators' duties shall include, but not be limited to: 17 (a) assisting intended recipients who may qualify for adjustment of 18 status, special immigration status through the federal Parole in Place 19 program authorized by section 1758 of the 2020 National Defense Authori- 20 zation Act, or any other sort of relief that can lead to citizenship. 21 (b) communication with the director of veterans' services and the 22 adjutant general and the office for new Americans regarding existing 23 policies and regulations pertaining to the needs of intended recipients 24 and to make recommendations regarding the improvement of benefits and 25 services to such intended recipients. 26 (c) serving as liaison between the divisions, the United States citi- 27 zenship and immigration services, immigration and customs enforcement, 28 the United States department of veterans affairs, local veterans' 29 service agencies, state agencies, community groups, advocates, and other 30 veterans and military organizations and interested parties. 31 (d) consulting with qualified immigration attorneys or duly authorized 32 board of immigration appeals approved representatives to facilitate such 33 coordination with the United States citizenship and immigration services 34 or other appropriate agency. 35 (e) advocating for intended recipients. 36 (f) developing and maintaining a clearinghouse for information and 37 resources relating to the program. 38 (g) promoting events and activities that educate and assist intended 39 recipients, including but not limited to, veteran human rights confer- 40 ences, veterans benefit and resources events. 41 (h) including the contributions that intended recipients have made on 42 behalf of the United States and this state on the division's official 43 website. 44 (i) developing information to be made available to congressionally 45 chartered veterans' organizations, and local veterans' services agencies 46 to provide a general overview of the program, including but not limited 47 to, its purpose and the eligibility requirements for adjustment of 48 status, citizenship, or any other form of available relief. 49 (j) preparing reports on topics, including but not limited to, the 50 demographics of intended recipients, the number of such intended recipi- 51 ents by county, and the unique needs of the intended recipients within 52 New York state to the director, the adjutant general of the division of 53 military and naval affairs and the office for new Americans. 54 4. The coordinators shall submit a report to the director and to the 55 adjutant general of the division of military and naval affairs on Janu- 56 ary first each year following the first full year after the effectiveA. 4660--A 3 1 date of this section. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, 2 a description of the coordinators' activities for the preceding calendar 3 year. The director shall submit the report to the governor and the 4 legislature in accordance with the provisions of section three hundred 5 fifty-three of this article. The adjutant general of the division of 6 military and naval affairs shall submit the report to the governor and 7 the legislature in accordance with the provisions of section one hundred 8 sixty-four of this chapter. 9 § 2. Section 353 of the executive law is amended by adding a new 10 subdivision 19-a to read as follows: 11 19-a. To encourage the development of and provide for the establish- 12 ment of a state military immigrant family legacy program coordinator, as 13 provided in section three hundred fifty-four-f of this article. 14 § 3. The military law is amended by adding a new section 255 to read 15 as follows: 16 § 255. State military immigrant family legacy program support. The 17 adjutant general shall encourage the development of and provide for the 18 establishment of a state military immigrant family legacy program coor- 19 dinator, as provided in section three hundred fifty-four-f of the execu- 20 tive law. 21 § 4. Paragraph (l) of subdivision 5 of section 94-b of the executive 22 law, as added by chapter 206 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as 23 follows: 24 (l) (i) Coordinate with other state agencies and otherwise marshal the 25 resources of the state to serve the needs of immigrants, and (ii) advise 26 the state military immigrant family legacy program coordinators pursuant 27 to section three hundred fifty-four-f of this chapter; 28 § 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 29 have become a law.
