S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7319--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 17, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  SLATER, ANGELINO, BARCLAY, BEEPHAN, BENDETT,
   BLANKENBUSH,  BLUMENCRANZ,  BRABENEC,  K. BROWN,  BYRNES,   DeSTEFANO,
   DiPIETRO,  DURSO,  FLOOD,  GANDOLFO, J. A. GIGLIO, J. M. GIGLIO, GRAY,
   HAWLEY, LEMONDES, MAHER, MANKTELOW, MCGOWAN, MIKULIN, MILLER, MORINEL-
   LO, PALMESANO, PIROZZOLO, RA, REILLY, SIMPSON, SMULLEN, SMITH,  TAGUE,
   TANNOUSIS, WALSH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Govern-
   mental  Operations  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended, ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to directing the division
   of homeland security and emergency  services  to  develop  a  plan  to
   ensure  that  refugee  resettlement agencies monitor certain refugees;
   and directing the office for new Americans  to  conduct  a  background
   check  on  refugees;  to amend the social services law, in relation to
   requiring aliens admitted to the United States as refugees to register
   with the office of temporary and disability assistance; and  to  amend
   the  not-for-profit  corporation law, in relation to requiring refugee
   resettlement agencies to submit quarterly reports  to  the  bureau  of
   refugee  and immigrant assistance and requiring such agencies to moni-
   tor refugees for a certain period of time
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  2  of  section  709  of the executive law is
 amended by adding a new paragraph (w) is added to read as follows:
   (W) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO ENSURE THAT ALL REFUGEE  RESETTLE-
 MENT  AGENCIES COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION ONE THOUSAND FOUR
 HUNDRED THIRTEEN OF THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION LAW.
   § 2. Paragraphs (m) and (n) of subdivision 5 of section  94-b  of  the
 executive  law, as added by chapter 206 of the laws of 2014, are amended
 and a new paragraph (o) is added to read as follows:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11317-02-3
 A. 7319--A                          2
 
              

   (m) Encourage and assist  local  governments  in  the  development  of
 activities to enhance civic engagement among immigrants and in immigrant
 communities; [and]
   (n) Beginning in two thousand fifteen, by June fifteenth of each year,
 produce  a  report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and the
 temporary president of the  senate  describing  the  activities  of  the
 office, including but not limited to, summarizing calls received through
 the  hotline and website, information on ESOL training services provided
 by the office, the number of immigrants assisted through the opportunity
 centers, or an estimation thereof, the status of any workforce  develop-
 ment programs, and any other relevant information[.]; AND
   (O)  SCREEN  AND PERFORM A BACKGROUND SCREENING OF EVERY IMMIGRANT WHO
 REGISTERS PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION NINE OF SECTION TWENTY OF  THE  SOCIAL
 SERVICES  LAW,  TO ENSURE THAT THE IMMIGRANT DOES NOT PRESENT A SECURITY
 RISK TO THE STATE OR THE UNITED STATES. THE  OFFICE  SHALL  PROVIDE  THE
 RESULTS OF EACH SUCH SCREENING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW, THE DIVISION OF
 STATE  POLICE,  THE  NEW  YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE OFFICE OF THE
 COUNTY SHERIFF FOR EACH  COUNTY  IN  THE  STATE,  ALL  MUNICIPAL  POLICE
 DEPARTMENTS   AND  THE  DIVISION  OF  HOMELAND  SECURITY  AND  EMERGENCY
 SERVICES.
   § 3. Paragraphs (i) and (j) of subdivision 3  of  section  20  of  the
 social  services  law, paragraph (i) as added by chapter 304 of the laws
 of 1990 and paragraph (j) as amended by section 20 of part PP of chapter
 56 of the laws of 2022, are amended and a new paragraph (k) is added  to
 read as follows:
   (i)  to  assure  conformance with federal law, by entering into agree-
 ments with the federal social security administration and  public  agen-
 cies  in  other  states  responsible  for  administering  the food stamp
 program or programs under title I, II, IV-A, IV-D, X, XIV, XVI,  or  XIX
 of  the social security act under which the department will provide such
 agencies, when required by  federal  law  and  only  to  the  extent  so
 required,  with  data  which  may be of use in establishing or verifying
 eligibility for or benefit amounts in such programs or  ability  to  pay
 support  for  a  person  receiving support collection services including
 data obtained from the wage  reporting  system  operated  by  the  state
 department  of  taxation  and  finance  pursuant  to section one hundred
 seventy-one-a of the tax  law[.],  AS  ADDED  BY  CHAPTER  FIVE  HUNDRED
 FORTY-FIVE OF THE LAWS OF NINETEEN HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT;
   (j)  to  ensure the provision, on any form required to be completed at
 application or recertification for the purpose  of  obtaining  financial
 assistance  pursuant to this chapter, the form shall contain a check-off
 question asking whether the applicant or recipient or a member of his or
 her family served in the United States military, and an option to answer
 in the affirmative. Where the applicant  or  recipient  answers  in  the
 affirmative  to  such  question,  the office of temporary and disability
 assistance shall ensure that contact information for the  state  depart-
 ment  of  veterans'  services is provided to such applicant or recipient
 addition to any other materials provided[.]; AND
   (K) TO COLLECT AND MAINTAIN REPORTS SUBMITTED BY REFUGEE  RESETTLEMENT
 AGENCIES  PURSUANT  TO SECTION FOURTEEN HUNDRED THIRTEEN OF THE NOT-FOR-
 PROFIT CORPORATION LAW.
   § 4. Section 20 of the social services law is amended by adding a  new
 subdivision 9 to read as follows:
   9. (A) THE BUREAU OF REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT ASSISTANCE OF THE OFFICE OF
 TEMPORARY  AND  DISABILITY  ASSISTANCE  SHALL  PROVIDE TO EACH ALIEN WHO
 RESIDES IN THE STATE, AND WHO WAS ADMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMER-
 A. 7319--A                          3
 
 ICA AS A REFUGEE PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO HUNDRED  SEVEN  OF  THE  UNITED
 STATES  IMMIGRATION  AND  NATIONALITY  ACT  (8 U.S.C. § 1157) OR WHO WAS
 SEEKING ASYLUM PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO HUNDRED  EIGHT  OF  SUCH  ACT  (8
 U.S.C. § 1158), THAT HE OR SHE IS REQUIRED, WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF ENTER-
 ING THE STATE, TO:
   (I)  REGISTER AS A REFUGEE WITH THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY
 ASSISTANCE; AND
   (II) BE INTERVIEWED BY AND PROVIDE HIS OR HER FINGERPRINTS TO AN OFFI-
 CER OR EMPLOYEE OF SUCH OFFICE DESIGNATED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF  TEMPO-
 RARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE.
   (B)  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  TEMPORARY  AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE SHALL
 MAINTAIN ALL REFUGEE REGISTRATION DATA AND INFORMATION IN AN  ELECTRONIC
 DATABASE.  NOT LESS THAN ON A MONTHLY BASIS, THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND
 DISABILITY ASSISTANCE SHALL FORWARD A COPY OF THE REGISTRATION RECORD OF
 EACH REFUGEE WHO REGISTERED DURING THE PRECEDING MONTH, TO THE OFFICE OF
 CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE  OFFICE  FOR
 NEW  AMERICANS, THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW, THE DIVISION OF STATE POLICE, AND
 THE DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES.
   (C) ANNUALLY, ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY FIRST, THE COMMISSIONER OF  TEMPO-
 RARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT ON THE REGISTRATION
 PROGRAM  ESTABLISHED  BY THIS SUBDIVISION TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY
 PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY.    SUCH  REPORT
 SHALL  INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES WHO REGISTERED DURING THE PREVIOUS
 CALENDAR YEAR AND THEIR COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN.
   (D) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERMS "ALIEN" AND "REFU-
 GEE" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS IS ASCRIBED TO SUCH TERMS BY SECTION
 ONE HUNDRED ONE OF THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT  (8
 U.S.C. 1101).
   §  5.  The  not-for-profit  corporation law is amended by adding a new
 section 1413 to read as follows:
 § 1413. REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT AGENCIES.
   (A) DEFINITION. "REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT AGENCY" MEANS A VOLUNTARY  AGEN-
 CY, AS DEFINED PURSUANT TO SECTION 1411 OF THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION
 AND  NATIONALITY  ACT  (8  U.S.C. § 1521), ORGANIZATION, OR AFFILIATE OF
 SUCH AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION THAT RECEIVES FEDERAL  FUNDING  FOR  REFUGEE
 RECEPTION  AND  PLACEMENT  RESETTLEMENT SERVICES OR OTHER FEDERAL GRANTS
 INTENDED FOR THE SUPPORT OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES.
   (B) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.  EACH  REFUGEE  RESETTLEMENT  AGENCY  SHALL
 REPORT,  ON  A  QUARTERLY  BASIS, TO THE BUREAU OF REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT
 ASSISTANCE OF THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE:
   (1) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REFUGEES RESETTLED BY THE AGENCY AND THE TOTAL
 OF SUCH REFUGEES IN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING AGE GROUPS:
   (A) UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE,
   (B) BETWEEN EIGHTEEN AND SIXTY-FOUR YEARS OF AGE, AND
   (C) SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER;
   (2) THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE BENEFITS THE REFUGEES HAVE  APPLIED  FOR  OR
 HAVE BEEN GRANTED; AND
   (3) THE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF THE REFUGEES.
   (C)  MONITORING  REQUIREMENT.  EACH  REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT AGENCY SHALL
 MONITOR REFUGEES WHO HAVE REGISTERED WITH THE OFFICE  OF  TEMPORARY  AND
 DISABILITY  ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION NINE OF SECTION TWENTY OF
 THE SOCIAL SERVICES LAW UNTIL SUCH TIME AS A REFUGEE IS  GRANTED  PERMA-
 NENT  RESIDENT  STATUS  BY THE UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION
 SERVICES.
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.