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		<ns0:Id>20250AB__106699INT</ns0:Id>
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				<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-02-20</ns0:ActionDate>
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			<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Castillo</ns0:AuthorText>
		<ns0:Authors>
			<ns0:Legislator>
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				<ns0:Name>Castillo</ns0:Name>
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		<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 13303 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to immigration services. </ns0:Title>
		<ns0:RelatingClause>immigration services</ns0:RelatingClause>
		<ns0:GeneralSubject>
			<ns0:Subject>Immigration services: grants.</ns0:Subject>
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		<ns0:DigestText>
			<html:p>Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, subject to an appropriation, to provide grants to qualified nonprofit organizations through contracts, in order to provide certain immigration-related legal services to persons residing in, or formerly residing in, the state. Under existing law, those grants are aimed at obtaining certain immigration remedies and benefits, assisting with the naturalization process and an appeal arising from the process, or providing legal training and technical assistance. Existing law prohibits these funds from being used to provide legal services to an individual who has been convicted of, or who is currently appealing a conviction for, a violent felony, as specified, or a serious felony, as specified.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would additionally prohibit these funds from being used to obstruct or interfere with
		federal enforcement actions or legal proceedings against individuals convicted of a felony who are present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. The bill would specify that this restriction includes, but is not limited to, expenditures on litigation, administrative actions, or any other measures intended to shield such individuals from federal apprehension or deportation.</html:p>
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		<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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			<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 13303 of the 
				<ns0:DocName>Welfare and Institutions Code</ns0:DocName>
				 is amended to read:
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					<ns0:Num>13303.</ns0:Num>
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								(a)
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								Subject to the availability of funding in the act that added this section or the annual Budget Act, the department shall provide grants, as described in subdivision (b), to organizations qualified under Section 13304.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(b)
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								Grants provided in accordance with subdivision (a) shall be for the purpose of providing one or more of the following services, as determined by the department:
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							<html:p>
								(1)
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								Services to persons residing in, or formerly residing in, California, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(A)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Services to assist with the application process for initial or renewal requests of deferred action under the DACA policy with
				  the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(B)
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								Services to obtain other immigration remedies and benefits.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(C)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Services to assist with the naturalization process and an appeal arising from the process.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Services to provide legal training and technical assistance.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								(A)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								(i)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Funds available for the purposes of this section shall not be used to provide legal services to an individual who has been convicted of, or who is currently appealing a conviction for, a violent felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5 of the Penal Code, or a serious
				  felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1192.7 of the Penal
				  Code, or to obstruct or interfere with federal enforcement actions or legal proceedings against individuals convicted of a felony who are present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. This restriction includes, but not is not limited to, expenditures on litigation, administrative actions, or any other measures intended to shield such individuals from federal apprehension or deportation.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(ii)
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								For the purposes of this subparagraph, “legal services” does not include activities relating to client intake, which shall be provided regardless of an individual’s criminal history.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(B)
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								Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), this section does not prohibit eligibility for services pursuant to this section for an individual whose criminal record is shown to be inaccurate.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(c)
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								For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“DACA” refers to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status as described in guidelines issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Services to assist” includes, but is not limited to, outreach, workshop presentations, document review, Freedom of Information Act requests, and screening services that seek to assist individuals with the services described in subdivision (b).
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Legal training and technical assistance” includes, but is not limited to, educational and capacity building activities that will augment the competent provision of legal services to immigrants, including for organizations located in and serving underserved communities.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(4)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Immigration remedies” include, but shall not be limited to, U-visas, T-visas, special immigrant juvenile status, Violence Against Women Act self-petitions, family-based petitions, cancellation of removal, and asylum or other remedies that may also include remedies necessary to enable pursuit of immigration protections.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(5)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Immigration benefits” include, but shall not be limited to, advanced parole, employment authorization documents, and lawful Permanent Resident Card renewal.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(d)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								No more than 40 percent of grant funds awarded to an organization qualified under Section 13304 shall be advanced to that organization.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(e)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The department shall update the Legislature on the following information in the course of budget hearings:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The timeline for implementation and administration of this section, including important upcoming dates.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The participating organizations awarded contracts or grants, and the aggregate amounts awarded for each service described in subdivision (b).
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The number of applications submitted, and the aggregate amounts requested for each service described in subdivision (b).
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(4)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The number of clients served.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(5)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The types of services provided and in what language or languages.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(6)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The regions served.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(7)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The ethnic communities served.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(8)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The identification of further barriers and challenges to the provision of services described in subdivision (b).
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(f)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								In accordance with Section 1621(d) of Title 8 of the United States Code, this section provides services for undocumented persons.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(g)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) is hereby appropriated to the Department of Social Services in the 2017–18 fiscal year for immigration services funding to be available for payment to existing entities under contract pursuant to this section for work on behalf of clients involved in, applying for, or subject to federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(h)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Notwithstanding any other law, payments shall be made by the Controller to existing entities under contract pursuant to this
				  chapter upon receipt of written notification from the State Department of Social Services of the amounts, contractors, and timing of the payments.
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