Bill Text: NY S06070 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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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-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6070

                               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

        AN  ACT  to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing that it
          is an unlawful discriminatory practice to deny a refugee  resettlement
          in certain instances

          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 all of the following:
     3    a.  Under  federal  law,  a  refugee is a person who is forced to flee
     4  their country of origin due to persecution, or a  well-founded  fear  of
     5  persecution,  based  upon  their  religion, nationality, membership in a
     6  particular social group, or political opinion;
     7    b. At the end of 2020, there  were  82.4  million  forcibly  displaced
     8  people in the world, 25.9 million of which were refugees. This is double
     9  the recorded number in 2010, and the highest it has ever been;
    10    c.  Recognizing  the  importance  of  refugee resettlement, the United
    11  States created the Refugee Act of 1980;
    12    d. Since 1980, the United  States  Refugee  Resettlement  program  has
    13  saved  more  than  3.6  million  refugees, and resettled them across the
    14  country;
    15    e. New York was one of the top four states in the  country  resettling
    16  the most refugees in 2020;
    17    f.  On  September 19, 2016, the United  Nations General Assembly unan-
    18  imously adopted the New York  Declaration  for  Refugees  and  Migrants,
    19  which  reaffirms  the importance of the international refugee regime and
    20  contains a wide range of commitments to  strengthen  and  enhance  mech-
    21  anisms to protect these individuals;
    22    g.  Research from reputable sources including the Fiscal Policy Insti-
    23  tute, Urban Institute, Pew Research Center,  and  New  American  Economy

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01786-01-3
        S. 6070                             2

     1  find  a  positive economic and social impact of refugees across New York
     2  State;
     3    h.  Governor  Kathy  Hochul  reaffirmed New York State's commitment to
     4  helping refugees on August 19, 2021 by welcoming those fleeing Afghanis-
     5  tan;
     6    i. The Statue of Liberty, a national monument and icon of freedom that
     7  has been welcoming immigrants from across the world to  New  York  State
     8  since 1886, states, "Give me your tired, your poor,  your huddled masses
     9  yearning  to  breathe  free,  the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
    10  Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift  my  lamp  beside
    11  the golden door!"
    12    §  2.  The  executive  law is amended by adding a new section 296-e to
    13  read as follows:
    14    § 296-e. Unlawful discriminatory practices relating  to  refugees.  It
    15  shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for the state, or any agen-
    16  cy  or  bureau  thereof,  or  for  any  other  entity  to deny a refugee
    17  resettlement anywhere within the state based on any criterion, method of
    18  administration, or practice that has the purpose or effect of  discrimi-
    19  nating  on  the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, reli-
    20  gion, ethnicity, sexual  orientation,  gender  identity  or  expression,
    21  military  status, familial status, predisposing genetic characteristics,
    22  disability, marital status, or status as a victim of domestic violence.
    23    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.