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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 991
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 5143
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)
AN ACT CONCERNING AC CESS TO LEGAL COUNSEL FOR
INDIGENT INDIVIDUALS IN IMMIGRATION REMOV AL
PROCEEDINGS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Eligible respondent" means an individual who (A) (i) is under 2
eighteen years of age, or was under eighteen years of age at the time a 3
removal proceeding involving the individual commenced, (ii) is a 4
resident of the state, and (iii) is the subject of a removal proceeding 5
pending at the Connecticut Executive Office for Immigration Review; 6
or (B) (i) is eighteen years of age or older, (ii) is a resident of the state, 7
(iii) is being detained by federal officials and is the subject of a removal 8
proceeding pending at the Connecticut Executive Office for 9
Immigration Review, and (iv) has established that he or she is indigent. 10
(2) "Indigent" means having gross annual income that is at or below 11
one hundred twenty-five per cent of the federal poverty level. 12
(b) An eligible respondent shall have the right to legal 13 Raised Bill No. 991
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representation in all proceedings related to a removal taking place at 14
the Connecticut Executive Office for Immigration Review. 15
(c) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and each succeeding 16
fiscal year thereafter, the Office of the Attorney General, utilizing 17
transfer invoices, shall remit each fiscal year, beginning on July 1, 2019, 18
and annually thereafter, two million four hundred fifty thousand 19
dollars to a charitable foundation that has experience administering 20
funds related to advocacy for immigrants from moneys received by the 21
Office of the Attorney General in connection with the settlement of any 22
lawsuit to which the state is a party. Moneys remitted to such 23
charitable foundation shall be used for the provision of legal counsel to 24
eligible respondents, as provided in subsection (b) of this section. 25
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To establish a right to legal representation in immigration removal
proceedings at the federal Executive Office for Immigration Review.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]