Amended
IN
Assembly
June 18, 2024 |
Amended
IN
Senate
April 17, 2023 |
Amended
IN
Senate
February 23, 2023 |
Introduced by Senator Wiener (Coauthors: Senators Durazo, Gonzalez, Umberg, and Wahab) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Berman, Calderon, Friedman, Jackson, Lowenthal, Pellerin, and Zbur) |
January 13, 2023 |
For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:
(a)“Eligible county” means a county or city and county designated as impacted using a formula developed by the department based upon the refugee arrivals in the county during the preceding 60-month period for which the department has data.
(b)“Qualified nonprofit organization” means a nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal income taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that satisfies any additional eligibility criteria established by the department.
(c)“Refugee
social services” include, but are not limited to, English language and employment training, as funded through federal appropriations, or as funded through state appropriations as described in Section 13282.
(a)(1) After setting aside the necessary state administrative funds, the department shall allocate appropriated federal funds, or appropriated state funds as described in Section 13282, for refugee social services programs to each eligible county and, if the department exercises its discretion pursuant to subdivision (b), to a qualified nonprofit organization, based on the number of refugees receiving aid in the eligible county or the number of refugees who reside in the eligible county. The department may, at its discretion, utilize
funding adjustments based on the length of time that the refugees have resided in the United States.
(2)If an eligible county or qualified nonprofit organization that receives funds under paragraph (1) declines all or part of those funds, or returns unexpended funds, the department may exercise its discretion to reallocate the declined or returned funds among eligible counties and qualified nonprofit organizations.
(3)If the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement provides funding in addition to the annual appropriation described in paragraph (1) or designates funding for services to a specific population of eligible individuals, the department may exercise its discretion to allocate those funds among eligible counties and qualified nonprofit organizations consistent with federal law.
(b)(1) Notwithstanding any other law, and to the extent permitted by federal law, the department may, at its discretion, contract with, or award grants to, qualified nonprofit organizations for the purpose of administering refugee social services programs within a county. An eligible county providing refugee social services pursuant to this chapter may continue to administer those services while a contractor or grantee is also providing refugee social services pursuant to this chapter within the county.
(2)If an eligible county and a qualified nonprofit organization are administering refugee
social services simultaneously within the same county, the department shall, at its discretion, determine the amount of the funds to be distributed to the eligible county and qualified nonprofit organization.
(3)Contracts or grants awarded under this subdivision shall require reporting, monitoring, or audits of services provided, as determined by the department.