Assembly Bill A9520

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9520
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 16, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Governmental 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:

   Section 1. Legislative findings.  The  legislature  hereby  finds  and
 declares all of the following:
   a.  Under  federal  law,  a  refugee is a person who is forced to flee
 their country of origin due to persecution, or a  well-founded  fear  of
 persecution,  based  upon  their  religion, nationality, membership in a
 particular social group, or political opinion;
   b. At the end of 2020, there  were  82.4  million  forcibly  displaced
 people in the world, 25.9 million of which were refugees. This is double
 the recorded number in 2010, and the highest it has ever been;
   c.  Recognizing  the  importance  of  refugee resettlement, the United
 States created the Refugee Act of 1980;
   d. Since 1980, the United  States  Refugee  Resettlement  program  has
 saved  more  than  3.6  million  refugees, and resettled them across the
 country;
   e. New York was one of the top four states in the  country  resettling
 the most refugees in 2020;
   f.  On  September 19, 2016, the United  Nations General Assembly unan-
 imously adopted the New York  Declaration  for  Refugees  and  Migrants,
 which  reaffirms  the importance of the international refugee regime and
 contains a wide range of commitments to  strengthen  and  enhance  mech-
 anisms to protect these individuals;
   g.  Research from reputable sources including the Fiscal Policy Insti-
 tute, Urban Institute, Pew Research Center,  and  New  American  Economy
 find  a  positive economic and social impact of refugees across New York
 State;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13181-02-1
 A. 9520                             2
              

 
   h. Governor Kathy Hochul reaffirmed New  York  State's  commitment  to
 helping refugees on August 19, 2021 by welcoming those fleeing Afghanis-
 tan;
   i. The Statue of Liberty, a national monument and icon of freedom that
 has  been  welcoming  immigrants from across the world to New York State
 since 1886, states, "Give me your tired, your poor,  your huddled masses
 yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse  of  your  teeming  shore.
 Send  these,  the  homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside
 the golden door!"
   § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a  new  section  296-e  to
 read as follows:
   §  296-E.  UNLAWFUL  DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES RELATING TO REFUGEES. IT
 SHALL BE AN UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE FOR THE STATE, OR ANY AGEN-
 CY OR BUREAU THEREOF,  OR  FOR  ANY  OTHER  ENTITY  TO  DENY  A  REFUGEE
 RESETTLEMENT ANYWHERE WITHIN THE STATE BASED ON ANY CRITERION, METHOD OF
 ADMINISTRATION,  OR PRACTICE THAT HAS THE PURPOSE OR EFFECT OF DISCRIMI-
 NATING ON THE BASIS OF AGE, RACE, CREED, COLOR, NATIONAL  ORIGIN,  RELI-
 GION,  ETHNICITY,  SEXUAL  ORIENTATION,  GENDER  IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION,
 MILITARY STATUS, FAMILIAL STATUS, PREDISPOSING GENETIC  CHARACTERISTICS,
 DISABILITY, MARITAL STATUS, OR STATUS AS A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.