Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB838 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Lucio S.B. No. 838
2	2	(Lucio III)
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the functions of the Office of Immigration and Refugee
8	8	Affairs, the Governor's Advisory Committee on Immigration and
9	9	Refugees, and the use of the state's disaster contingency fund for
10	10	purposes related to immigration and refugees.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 418.073, Government Code, is amended by
13	13	adding Subsection (i) to read as follows:
14	14	(i) Money in the disaster contingency fund may be used to
15	15	provide assistance for relief of a humanitarian crisis in
16	16	accordance with Section 752.009(b).
17	17	SECTION 2. Section 752.001, Government Code, is amended to
18	18	read as follows:
19	19	Sec. 752.001. OFFICE OF IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE AFFAIRS.
20	20	(a) The Office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs is [created]
21	21	within the Health and Human Services Commission [Texas Department
22	22	of Human Services].
23	23	(b) The office shall work in conjunction with the office of
24	24	the secretary of state. The office and the secretary of state shall
25	25	enter into a memorandum of understanding that clearly defines the
26	26	responsibilities of each office under this subchapter.
27	27	SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 752, Government Code, is
28	28	amended by adding Section 752.0075 to read as follows:
29	29	Sec. 752.0075. INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS. The secretary of
30	30	state, on behalf of the office, shall arrange meetings with
31	31	appropriate local, state, and federal authorities and the
32	32	appropriate corresponding international authorities, including
33	33	authorities in Mexico, to develop increased communication,
34	34	cooperation, and coordination to establish initiatives and
35	35	government-supported efforts that limit the entrance of unlawful
36	36	aliens into this state.
37	37	SECTION 4. Section 752.009, Government Code, is amended to
38	38	read as follows:
39	39	Sec. 752.009. FUNDING. (a) Except for any unspent
40	40	appropriations transferred under this Act or any gifts, grants, or
41	41	donations accepted under this Act, the Office of Immigration and
42	42	Refugee Affairs may use only federal funds to perform the duties
43	43	prescribed by this Act.
44	44	(b) If the governor by proclamation determines that a mass
45	45	influx of unlawful aliens has created a state of humanitarian
46	46	crisis, the governor may use the state's disaster contingency fund
47	47	to, in coordination with the immigration and refugee coordinator
48	48	for the office, provide assistance to state agencies, local
49	49	governments, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based
50	50	organizations to alleviate the costs associated with addressing the
51	51	crisis.
52	52	SECTION 5. Section 752.021, Government Code, is amended to
53	53	read as follows:
54	54	Sec. 752.021. GOVERNOR'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION
55	55	AND REFUGEES. The Governor's Advisory Committee on Immigration and
56	56	Refugees is created within the office of the governor. The
57	57	committee shall advise and make recommendations to the Office of
58	58	Immigration and Refugee Affairs on immigration and refugee issues,
59	59	including [the SLIAG program authorized by the Immigration Reform
60	60	and Control Act of 1986 (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 et seq.) and the]
61	61	refugee assistance programs [authorized by the Refugee Act of 1980
62	62	(8 U.S.C. Section 1521 et seq.)].
63	63	SECTION 6. Sections 752.022(a) and (c), Government Code,
64	64	are amended to read as follows:
65	65	(a) The committee is composed of 12 members appointed by the
66	66	governor with the advice and consent of the senate as follows:
67	67	(1) two representatives of the refugee population;
68	68	(2) two representatives of the immigrant population;
69	69	(3) three representatives of local provider programs
70	70	that serve immigrants or refugees and that receive federal funds,
71	71	with one each from a public health program, a public assistance
72	72	program, and an education program;
73	73	(4) one representative [three representatives] from a
74	74	faith-based organization that assists local governments with
75	75	matters related to immigrants and refugees;
76	76	(5) two representatives from voluntary resettlement
77	77	agencies that receive state or federal funds;
78	78	(6) [(5)] one representative from a legal
79	79	organization that is involved in issues relating to immigrants or
80	80	refugees; and
81	81	(7) [(6)] one representative from a service
82	82	organization that works with immigrants or refugees.
83	83	(c) The governor shall appoint a member of the committee to
84	84	serve as the chair of the committee [for a one-year term].
85	85	SECTION 7. Subchapter B, Chapter 752, Government Code, is
86	86	amended by adding Section 752.0231 to read as follows:
87	87	Sec. 752.0231. OTHER LAW. Section 2110.008 does not apply
88	88	to the committee.
89	89	SECTION 8. Section 752.024, Government Code, is amended to
90	90	read as follows:
91	91	Sec. 752.024. FUNCTIONS OF COMMITTEE. The committee shall:
92	92	(1) advise and make recommendations to the Office of
93	93	Immigration and Refugee Affairs regarding policy, planning, and
94	94	priorities for matters related to immigrants and refugees [the
95	95	SLIAG program and refugee assistance programs];
96	96	(2) advise and make recommendations to the Office of
97	97	Immigration and Refugee Affairs regarding coordination of the
98	98	efforts of all public agencies involved in health, human services,
99	99	and education matters that relate to federal immigration and
100	100	refugee laws and rules [or implementation of the SLIAG program or
101	101	refugee assistance programs];
102	102	(3) encourage communication and cooperation among
103	103	local agencies and programs, state agencies, immigration-related
104	104	and refugee-related legal and service agencies, and the federal
105	105	government;
106	106	(4) assist the Office of Immigration and Refugee
107	107	Affairs in applying for the maximum amount of federal funds
108	108	available for immigrant-related [SLIAG-related] programs and
109	109	activities and refugee-related programs and activities and in
110	110	identifying local programs and costs relating to immigration or
111	111	refugees for which the state or a political subdivision may receive
112	112	reimbursement;
113	113	(5) provide information to programs and activities
114	114	that serve and encourage legalization and education of residents of
115	115	this state;
116	116	(6) review issues related to immigrants and refugees
117	117	[federal issues regarding the SLIAG program and refugee assistance
118	118	programs] and make recommendations to the Office of Immigration and
119	119	Refugee Affairs to encourage the development of a state response to
120	120	those [federal] issues;
121	121	(7) [review and make recommendations to the Office of
122	122	Immigration and Refugee Affairs and state agencies to ensure that
123	123	the system of fiscal and program operations for the SLIAG program
124	124	and refugee assistance programs is consistent with existing state
125	125	and federal requirements;
126	126	[(8)] assist the Office of Immigration and Refugee
127	127	Affairs in the development of an annual report on the status of
128	128	matters related to immigrants and refugees [the SLIAG program and
129	129	refugee assistance programs] in the state;
130	130	(8) [(9)] advise and make recommendations to the
131	131	Office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs on other related matters
132	132	as directed by the governor; and
133	133	(9) [(10)] assist the Office of Immigration and
134	134	Refugee Affairs to better address issues related to immigrants and
135	135	refugees confronting the state and local communities [in the
136	136	development of a spending plan for fiscal years 1993 and 1994
137	137	proposing spending priorities for SLIAG funds for services to
138	138	eligible legalized aliens and for other federal funds available to
139	139	benefit immigrants or refugees in the state].
140	140	SECTION 9. (a) Not later than January 1, 2016, the
141	141	governor shall appoint the members of the Governor's Advisory
142	142	Committee on Immigration and Refugees as provided by Section
143	143	752.022(a), Government Code, as amended by this Act. The committee
144	144	is re-created on the date the governor makes the appointments as
145	145	provided by this subsection.
146	146	(b) Notwithstanding Section 752.022(b), Government Code,
147	147	the terms of the members of the advisory committee appointed as
148	148	provided by Subsection (a) of this section expire February 1, 2017.
149	149	SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.