Bill Text: NY S06070 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Directs the department of social services to establish a refugee resettlement program with the goals of achieving economic and social self-sufficiency, assisting victims of human trafficking, and assuring proper foster care for unaccompanied refugees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-10 - REFERENCE CHANGED TO SOCIAL SERVICES [S06070 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-S06070-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6070--A 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 28, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern- ment Operations -- recommitted to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to a refugee resettlement program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and 2 declares the following: 3 a. Under federal law 8 U.S.C. §1101 (a) (42), a refugee is a person 4 who is forced to flee their country of origin or last habitation due to 5 persecution, or a well-founded fear of persecution, based upon their 6 race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or 7 political opinion; 8 b. At the end of 2022, there were 108.4 million forcibly displaced 9 people in the world, 35.3 million of which were refugees. This is more 10 than double the recorded number in 2010, and the highest it has ever 11 been; 12 c. Around two-thirds of refugees live in poverty, and many are unable 13 to return to their home countries due to the lack of imminent solutions 14 to conflicts, recurrent violence, and political instability; 15 d. Less than 1 percent of refugees will ever be resettled to a safe 16 third country, enabling them to rebuild their lives in safety and 17 contribute to the cultural and economic fabric of a new home nation; 18 e. Recognizing the importance of refugee resettlement, the United 19 States created the Refugee Act of 1980; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01786-02-4S. 6070--A 2 1 f. Since 1980, the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) 2 has saved more than 3.7 million refugees, and resettled them across the 3 country; 4 g. As of 2021, New York State resettled the third most refugees in the 5 country; 6 h. On September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly unan- 7 imously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, 8 which reaffirms the importance of the international refugee regime and 9 contains a wide range of commitments to strengthen and enhance mech- 10 anisms to protect these individuals; 11 i. Research from reputable sources including the Fiscal Policy Insti- 12 tute, Urban Institute, Pew Research Center, and New American Economy 13 find a positive economic and social impact of refugees across New York 14 State; 15 j. Governor Kathy Hochul reaffirmed New York State's commitment to 16 helping refugees on August 19, 2021 by welcoming those fleeing Afghanis- 17 tan; 18 k. The Statue of Liberty, a national monument and icon of freedom that 19 has been welcoming immigrants from across the world to New York State 20 since 1886, states, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses 21 yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 22 Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside 23 the golden door!"; 24 l. The State of New York has been proud to partner with the United 25 States Citizenship and Immigration Services in assisting and resettling 26 refugees from USRAP through its Bureau of Refugee Services, which is 27 housed within the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance; 28 m. The legislature hereby affirms, with this act, its continued 29 commitment to resettle refugees through the United States Refugee Admis- 30 sions Program within the boundaries of this state for as long as indi- 31 viduals around the world are displaced from their home countries. 32 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 358 of the social services law, as 33 amended by section 39 of part B of chapter 436 of the laws of 1997, is 34 amended to read as follows: 35 3. (a) If and for so long as the federal government provides one 36 hundred percent funding therefor, the department is authorized to oper- 37 ate a Cuban and Haitian entrant program [and a refugee resettlement38program pursuant to title IV of the federal immigration and nationality39act, including provision for refugee cash assistance, refugee medical40assistance, refugee child welfare services, and refugee social services.41The department shall submit the plan for such refugee resettlement42program to the federal department of health and human services and shall43act for the state in any negotiations relative to the submission and44approval of such plan and make any arrangement which may be necessary to45obtain and retain such approval]. 46 (b) The department shall establish a refugee resettlement program, to 47 be administered by the bureau of refugee services housed within the 48 department. The department may contract with public and/or private 49 nonprofit agencies as provided in 8 U.S.C. § 1522(e) in order to provide 50 the services to refugees described in this subdivision. The department 51 shall submit the plan for such refugee resettlement program to the 52 federal department of health and human services and shall act for the 53 state in any negotiations relative to the submission and approval of 54 such plan and make any arrangement which may be necessary to obtain and 55 retain such approval. Provided, however, that the provisions of this 56 paragraph shall not be contingent upon one hundred percent federal fund-S. 6070--A 3 1 ing as described in paragraph (a) of this subdivision. The refugee 2 resettlement program described in this subdivision may be funded from 3 the federal and/or state government or governments, or political subdi- 4 visions thereof. 5 (c) The refugee resettlement program established in paragraph (b) of 6 this subdivision shall have the core mission of directing resources to 7 local public or private entities that assist refugees in: 8 (i) achieving economic and social self-sufficiency; 9 (ii) assisting victims of human trafficking; and 10 (iii) assuring proper foster care for unaccompanied refugees and 11 entrant minors. 12 (d) Such refugee resettlement program administered by the department 13 shall partner with public or private entities which assist refugees in 14 the provision or promotion of: civic and social engagement; mentoring 15 services for youth; comprehensive case management; food, clothing, shel- 16 ter, school supplies, or other basic needs; employment and training 17 services; English language instruction; community school activities; 18 temporary cash and medical assistance; programs to increase health 19 literacy; programs to increase access to public and/or private health 20 insurance; initial medical screenings and immunizations; programs 21 designed to ease the transition of school-aged refugee children into 22 elementary, middle, and high schools; support services for victims of 23 human trafficking; social and supportive services for refugees aged 24 sixty or older; foster care programs for unaccompanied refugee minors; 25 and other social services programs created to meet other needs of refu- 26 gees as such needs arise. 27 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
