BILLASINTRODUCEDANDPASSEDBYSENATE S.56
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S.56
IntroducedbySenatorsGulick,Hardy,Harrison,Hashim,Vyhovsky,Weeks
andWhite
ReferredtoCommitteeonGovernmentOperations
Date:February7,2025
Subject:Executive;OfficeofNewAmericans;report
Statementofpurposeofbillasintroduced:Thisbillproposestocreatethe
OfficeofNewAmericansStudyCommitteetostudyandreportconcerningthe
creationofanindependentOfficeofNewAmericans.
AnactrelatingtocreatinganOfficeofNewAmericans
ItisherebyenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyoftheStateofVermont:
Sec.1.OFFICEOFNEWAMERICANSSTUDYCOMMITTEE;REPORT
(a)Creation.ThereiscreatedtheOfficeofNewAmericansStudy
CommitteetomakerecommendationsforcreatinganindependentOfficeof
NewAmericans.
(b)Membership.TheCommitteeshallbecomposedofthefollowing
members:
(1)theDirectoroftheVermontRefugeeOffice,whoshallbeChair;
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(2)onecurrentmemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives,whoshallbe
appointedbytheSpeakeroftheHouse;
(3)onecurrentmemberoftheSenate,whoshallbeappointedbythe
CommitteeonCommittees;
(4)onemember,appointedbytheSecretaryofHumanServices;
(5)onemember,appointedbytheCommissionerofLabor;
(6)onemember,appointedbytheExecutiveDirectoroftheOfficeof
RacialEquity;
(7)onememberrepresentingtheAssociationofAfricansLivingin
Vermont;and
(8)sevenmembers,appointedbytheGovernor,whoshallinclude:
(A)onemember,nominatedbytheAssociationofAfricansLivingin
Vermont;
(B)onemember,nominatedbytheU.S.CommitteeforRefugeesand
Immigrants;
(C)onemember,nominatedbytheBrattleboroDevelopmentCredit
Corporation;
(D)onemember,nominatedbytheVermontAfghanAlliance;
(E)onemember,nominatedbyWorldEducationServices;
(F)onemember,nominatedbytheVermontAsylumAssistance
Project;and
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(G)onememberwithexperienceorexpertiseservingnonnative
Vermontersonastatewidelevel.
(c)Powersandduties.TheCommitteeshallstudyandsubmitawritten
reporttotheHouseCommitteeonGovernmentOperationsandMilitary
AffairsandtheSenateCommitteeonGovernmentOperationsconcerning
recommendationsforcreatinganindependentOfficeofNewAmericans,
including:
(1)asummaryofthecurrentdemographic,economic,andpublichealth
dataregardingNewAmericansintheStateandinformationregardingthe
governmentservicesbeingutilizedandunderutilizedbyNewAmericans;
(2)asummaryorsurveyofvaryingandsuccessfulapproachesto
providinggovernmentservicestoNewAmericansinotherstates,with
particularfocusonthetopicsoftheroleofeducationandtraininginstitutions,
professionallicensing,housing,andsupportforemployersandmunicipalities;
(3)inconsultationwithcommunity-basedorganizationscomposedofor
servingNewAmericans,Stateagenciesanddepartmentsthatprovidedservices
toNewAmericans,municipalgovernmentleaders,educationalinstitutions,
andbusinessleaders,informationon:
(A)theexistingStateandlocal-levelbarriersforNewAmericansfor
gainfullyparticipatingintheState’sworkforce,economy,andbusiness
communities;
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(B)additionalgovernmentalservicesneededbyNewAmericansbut
notyetofferedbytheState;and
(C)thetransferorconsolidationofexistinggovernmentalservices
forNewAmericansthatwouldbemoreefficientlyprovidedbyanewOffice
ofNewAmericans;
(4)thestructureofato-be-createdindependentOfficeofNew
Americans;and
(5)theproposedstructure,duties,funding,andlaborneedsofanOffice
ofNewAmericans.
(d)TheCommitteeshallbecomposedofthefollowingthree
subcommittees,withdutiesandleadershiptobeassignedbytheChairatthe
firstmeetingoftheCommittee:
(1)LegalServices;
(2)EquityandAccesstoStateProgramsandResources;and
(3)Workforce,EconomicOpportunity,andInclusion.
(e)Assistance.TheCommitteeshallhavetheadministrative,technical,
andlegalassistanceoftheAgencyofHumanServices.
(f)DateofReport.OnorbeforeSeptember1,2026,theCommitteeshall
submitthewrittenreportrequiredbysubsection(c)ofthissection.
(g)Meetings.
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(1)TheChairshallcallthefirstmeetingoftheCommitteetooccuron
orbeforeSeptember1,2025.
(2)Amajorityofthemembershipshallconstituteaquorum.
(3)TheCommitteeshallceasetoexistontheearlierofSeptember1,
2026orthedatethattheCommitteesubmitsitswrittenreport.
(h)Compensationandreimbursement.
(1)ForattendanceatmeetingsduringadjournmentoftheGeneral
Assembly,alegislativememberoftheCommitteeservinginthemember’s
capacityasalegislatorshallbeentitledtoperdiemcompensationand
reimbursementofexpensespursuantto2 V.S.A.§ 23fornotmorethan20
meetings.Thesepaymentsshallbemadefrommoniesappropriatedtothe
GeneralAssembly.
(2)OthermembersoftheCommitteeshallbeentitledtoperdiem
compensationandreimbursementofexpensesaspermittedunder32 V.S.A.
§ 1010fornotmorethan20meetings.Thesepaymentsshallbemadefrom
moniesappropriatedtotheAgencyofHumanServices.
Sec.2.EFFECTIVEDATE
Thisactshalltakeeffectonpassage.
Sec.1.OFFICEOFNEWAMERICANSSTUDYCOMMITTEE;REPORT
(a)Creation.ThereiscreatedtheOfficeofNewAmericansStudy
CommitteetomakerecommendationsforcreatinganindependentOfficeof
NewAmericans.
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(b)Membership.TheCommitteeshallbecomposedofthefollowing
members:
(1)theDirectoroftheVermontRefugeeOffice,whoshallbeChair;
(2)onemember,appointedbytheCommissionerofLabor;
(3)onemember,appointedbytheExecutiveDirectoroftheOfficeof
RacialEquity;and
(4)fivemembers,appointedbytheGovernor,onewhomustbeaNew
Americanwithlivedexperience,whoshallinclude:
(A)onemember,nominatedbytheAssociationofAfricansLivingin
Vermont;
(B)onemember,nominatedbytheU.S.CommitteeforRefugeesand
Immigrants;
(C)onemember,nominatedbytheVermontAfghanAlliance;
(D)onemember,nominatedbytheBrattleboroDevelopmentCredit
Corporation;and
(E)onemember,nominatedbyMigrantJustice.
(c)Powersandduties.TheCommitteeshallstudyandsubmitawritten
reporttotheHouseCommitteesonCommerceandEconomicDevelopmentand
onGovernmentOperationsandMilitaryAffairsandtheSenateCommitteeson
EconomicDevelopment,HousingandGeneralAffairsandonGovernment
OperationsconcerningrecommendationsforcreatinganindependentOfficeof
NewAmericans,including:
(1)asummaryofthecurrentdemographic,economic,andpublichealth
dataregardingNewAmericansintheStateandinformationregardingthe
governmentservicesbeingutilizedandunderutilizedbyNewAmericans;
(2)asummaryorsurveyofvaryingandsuccessfulapproachesto
providinggovernmentservicestoNewAmericansinotherstates,with
particularfocusonthetopicsoftheroleofeducationandtraininginstitutions,
professionallicensing,housing,andsupportforemployersandmunicipalities;
(3)inconsultationwithcommunity-basedorganizationscomposedofor
servingNewAmericans,theVermontAsylumAssistanceProject,State
agenciesanddepartmentsthatprovideservicestoNewAmericans,the
SecretaryofState’sOffice,municipalgovernmentleaders,educational
institutions,andbusinessleaders,informationon: BILLASINTRODUCEDANDPASSEDBYSENATE S.56
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(A)theexistingStateandlocal-levelbarriersforNewAmericansfor
gainfullyparticipatingintheState’sworkforce,economy,andbusiness
communities;
(B)additionalgovernmentalservicesneededbyNewAmericansbut
notyetofferedbytheState;and
(C)thetransferorconsolidationofexistinggovernmentalservices
forNewAmericansthatwouldbemoreefficientlyprovidedbyanewOfficeof
NewAmericans;
(4)theproposedstructure,duties,funding,andlaborneedsofanOffice
ofNewAmericans;and
(5)adefinitionoftheterm“NewAmericans”forthepurposesofan
OfficeofNewAmericans.
(d)TheCommitteemaycreatesubcommittees,withdutiesandleadership
tobeassignedbytheChair.
(e)Assistance.TheCommitteeshallhavetheadministrative,technical,
andlegalassistanceoftheAgencyofHumanServices.
(f)DateofReport.OnorbeforeSeptember1,2026,theCommitteeshall
submitthewrittenreportrequiredbysubsection(c)ofthissection.
(g)Meetings.
(1)TheChairshallcallthefirstmeetingoftheCommitteetooccuron
orbeforeSeptember1,2025.
(2)Amajorityofthemembershipshallconstituteaquorum.
(3)TheCommitteeshallceasetoexistontheearlierofSeptember1,
2026orthedatethattheCommitteesubmitsitswrittenreport.
(h)Compensationandreimbursement.
(1)ForattendanceatmeetingsduringadjournmentoftheGeneral
Assembly,alegislativememberoftheCommitteeservinginthemember’s
capacityasalegislatorshallbeentitledtoperdiemcompensationand
reimbursementofexpensespursuantto2 V.S.A.§ 23fornotmorethan10
meetings.Thesepaymentsshallbemadefrommoniesappropriatedtothe
GeneralAssembly.
(2)OthermembersoftheCommitteeshallbeentitledtoperdiem
compensationandreimbursementofexpensesaspermittedunder32 V.S.A.
§ 1010fornotmorethan10meetings.Thesepaymentsshallbemadefrom
moniesappropriatedtotheAgencyofHumanServices. BILLASINTRODUCEDANDPASSEDBYSENATE S.56
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Sec.2.EFFECTIVEDATE
Thisactshalltakeeffectonpassage.