Bill Text: NY S08558 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Bill 8558

Introduced

Bill Title: Establishes a coordinator for asylum seeker services to oversee the integration of services and benefits available to asylum seekers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-13 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S08558 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08558-Introduced.html




                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8558

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 13, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

        AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a coordi-
          nator for asylum seeker services

          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 4-c
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 4-c. Coordinator of asylum seeker services. 1. The governor and  the
     4  mayor  of  the  city  of New York shall jointly appoint a coordinator of
     5  asylum seeker services. The coordinator shall oversee the integration of
     6  services and benefits available to  asylum  seekers  who  are  currently
     7  living  or arriving in New York state with the following state agencies:
     8  the office of temporary and disability assistance;  the  departments  of
     9  state, education and health; the office of children and family services;
    10  the  division  of  homeland  security and emergency services; as well as
    11  applicable local and federal agencies.
    12    2. The coordinator shall be responsible for a systemic response to the
    13  various needs of asylum seekers including, but not limited  to,  intake,
    14  resettlement  across  the state, support services, health care, housing,
    15  education, language services, transportation, accessing federal programs
    16  and services,  and  advocating  for  federal  legislation  and  policies
    17  related to immigration.
    18    3.  For the purposes of this section "asylum seeker" shall refer to an
    19  individual who changes their country of usual residence to  seek  tempo-
    20  rary  or permanent residence in another country, and who has applied for
    21  asylum under 8 U.S. Code § 1158 or is eligible to apply;  or  who  is  a
    22  refugee  as defined by section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nation-
    23  ality Act (INA).
    24    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10576-05-3