Hawaii-2021-SCR96-Introduced

WHEREAS, immigrants have been an important part of the history of the State; are an integral part of Hawaii's diverse, multicultural community; and make extensive contributions as our neighbors, co-workers, employers, community leaders, and taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, despite their value to our community, immigrants continue to face many barriers, including difficulty accessing government services and appropriately responding to government requirements to qualify for various services; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, eighteen percent of the State's population, or 256,000 persons, were immigrants or foreign-born residents, and more than 145,000 persons were naturalized United States citizens; and

WHEREAS, many immigrants live in households having United States citizens such as Hawaii-born children and American-born spouses, and the top six countries of birth for immigrants to Hawaii are the Philippines (sixty percent), Japan (eight percent), China (eight percent), Korea (seven percent), Micronesia (five percent), and Vietnam (three percent); further, about one-third of limited English-speaking persons are native speakers of the Filipino dialects Ilokano and Tagalog; and

WHEREAS, immigrants are well-represented in the State's workforce, in sectors such as agriculture (forty percent), tourism and hospitality (thirty-three percent), and health care (twenty-three percent), and collectively contribute more than $668 million in state and local taxes; and

WHEREAS, foreign-born residents, particularly recent arrivals, often encounter discrimination and cultural misunderstanding and face other barriers to full inclusion and participation in society, partly due to limited knowledge of their rights and responsibilities and limited English-language ability, which in turn limits their access to government and other community-based resources; and

WHEREAS, in 1985, four anti-poverty agencies administering state and federal funds -- the Progressive Neighborhoods Program, Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity, Refugee Resettlement Program, and State Immigrant Services Center -- were consolidated by the Legislature, which established in its place the Office of Community Services, an attached agency to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; and

WHEREAS, as an office whose legislatively-mandated mission is to help low-income individuals and families, refugees, and immigrants to live healthier lives, achieve greater economic self-sufficiency, and increase their contributions to the State, the Office of Community Services is responsible for numerous statewide programs and provides millions of federal and state dollars to low-income communities for food, health services, employment services, and the like; and

WHEREAS, the Office of Community Services' focus on, and funding for, services to immigrant and refugee communities has been seriously eroded, with nearly one hundred percent of staffing and funds currently being used for low-income communities but none for immigrant-specific services; and

WHEREAS, many cities across the nation such as Seattle and San Francisco have established comprehensive government-funded offices for immigrant affairs, and by establishing the Office of Community Services, the Legislature acknowledged that immigrants and refugees need of targeted services; and

WHEREAS, the Counties of Maui and Hawaii demonstrate their commitment by having full-time staff to assist immigrants, yet the City and County of Honolulu's current budget has funding for positions that promote increased immigrant access to City services, but no positions that have been established or filled; and

WHEREAS, President Biden and congressional leaders have proposed significant changes in immigration policy and have also expressed support for immigration programs, creation of a National Office of New Americans, expanding access to citizenship, funding workforce development and English language learning programs, increasing access to justice and due process, and rebuilding the capacity and infrastructure of local communities to welcome refugees; and

WHEREAS, the State would be in a stronger position to gain access to new federal funding if the Office of Community Services is equipped to provide leadership and a renewed focus on responding to immigrant needs; and

WHEREAS, the Office of Community Services is the primary agency established by the Legislature to serve low-income immigrant and refugee communities, but currently has little to no focus on providing supportive services for these communities; however, with improved planning and support, the Office of Community Services can meet its statutory mandate to serve the immigrant and refugee communities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is urged to convene a working group to improve access to government services for immigrants and increase immigrant opportunities to make civic and economic contributions to the community; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations is requested to convene the working group, to consist of the following members or their designees:

(1) The Governor;

(2) The Director of Labor and Industrial Relations;

(3) The Executive Director of the Office of Community Services;

(4) The Executive Director of the Office of Language Access;

(5) A representative from the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, by invitation of the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations;

(6) A representative from the Inter-Agency Council for Immigrant Services, by invitation of the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations; and

(7) A representative from any other government entity or community organization that the working group deems relevant and appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to select one of its members to serve as chairperson; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Director of Labor and Industrial Relations; Executive Director of the Office of Community Services; Executive Director of the Office of Language Access; Executive Director of the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights; and President of the Inter-Agency Council for Immigrant Services.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Office of Community Services; Working Group; Government Services for Immigrants

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	96
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII