Bill Text: NY A00864 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the regional economic development council for each economic development region to establish an immigrant integration advisory board.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - referred to economic development [A00864 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A00864-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           864

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. FORREST -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Economic Development

        AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to  establish-
          ing an immigrant integration advisory board for each economic develop-
          ment region

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The economic development law is amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  section 233 to read as follows:
     3    §  233.  Immigrant  integration  advisory  boards established. 1. Each
     4  regional economic development council shall establish an immigrant inte-
     5  gration advisory board.
     6    2. (a) Each board shall be comprised of nine members, to be  appointed
     7  by each regional economic development council.
     8    (b)  Each  board  shall  include  one  chair  and  one co-chair, to be
     9  appointed by the chair of each regional economic development council.
    10    (c) All members appointed to each board shall be representative of the
    11  immigrant communities within each economic development region.
    12    (d) All members of each board shall be appointed within ninety days of
    13  the effective date of this section.
    14    3. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall  be  filled  in
    15  the same manner provided for original appointments.
    16    4. Each board shall meet no less than four times per year.
    17    5. Each board shall have the powers and duties to:
    18    (a)  Advise each regional economic development council regarding immi-
    19  grant integration in that economic development region and  the  develop-
    20  ment  of  policies designed to meet the needs of the immigrant community
    21  in such economic development region.
    22    (b) (i) Submit an annual report to the chair of each regional economic
    23  development council no later than sixty days prior to the  deadline  for

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02140-01-5
        A. 864                              2

     1  each  regional economic development council to submit requests for fund-
     2  ing from the state.
     3    (ii)  Such report shall detail the actions of the board and any recom-
     4  mendations of the board to address issues of concern and  importance  to
     5  the immigrant community in that economic development region.
     6    (iii)  Such  recommendations shall include how the work of and funding
     7  for each regional economic development council can  better  support  the
     8  educational  attainment, English language acquisitions, workforce devel-
     9  opment, job opportunities, and entrepreneurship assistance for immigrant
    10  communities within each economic development region.
    11    (iv) Such recommendations  shall  be  shared  by  the  chair  of  each
    12  regional  economic development council with all members of such regional
    13  economic development council, and  shall  be  included  in  each  annual
    14  report of each regional economic development council.
    15    6.  For  the  purposes  of this section, "immigrant integration" shall
    16  mean policies and programs that  will  help  to  advance  the  economic,
    17  social, and civic integration of foreign-born New Yorkers.
    18    7. Board members shall receive no compensation for their services, but
    19  shall  be  allowed  their  actual and necessary expenses incurred in the
    20  performance of their duties.
    21    8. To effectuate the purposes of this section, the board  may  request
    22  from  any  department,  board, bureau, commission or other agency of the
    23  state, and the same are authorized  to  provide,  such  cooperation  and
    24  assistance, services and data as will enable the board to properly carry
    25  out its functions pursuant to this section.
    26    §  2. This act shall take effect on the forty-fifth day after it shall
    27  have become a law.