New York A 2374: Relates to a refugee resettlement program

Bill Text

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A02374 Summary:

BILL NOA02374A

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SAME ASSAME AS S02516-A

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SPONSORSayegh

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COSPNSRShimsky, Davila, Simon, Gonzalez-Rojas, Lupardo, Carroll R, Epstein, Raga

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §358, Soc Serv L

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Directs the department of social services to establish a refugee resettlement program with the goals of achieving economic and social self-sufficiency, assisting victims of human trafficking, and assuring proper foster care for unaccompanied refugees.

Go to top A02374 Actions:

BILL NOA02374A

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01/16/2025referred to governmental operations

08/27/2025amend and recommit to governmental operations

08/27/2025print number 2374a

01/07/2026referred to governmental operations

Go to topA02374 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA02374 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA02374 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 2374--A

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 16, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH, SHIMSKY, DAVILA, SIMON, GONZALEZ-ROJAS,
 LUPARDO, R. CARROLL, EPSTEIN, RAGA -- read once and referred to the
 Committee on Governmental Operations -- committee discharged, bill
 amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
 tee

 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to a refugee
 resettlement program

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and
 2 declares the following:
 3 a. Under federal law 8 U.S.C. §1101 (a) (42), a refugee is a person
 4 who is forced to flee their country of origin or last habitation due to
 5 persecution, or a well-founded fear of persecution, based upon their
 6 race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or
 7 political opinion;
 8 b. At the end of 2022, there were 108.4 million forcibly displaced
 9 people in the world, 35.3 million of which were refugees. This is more
 10 than double the recorded number in 2010, and the highest it has ever
 11 been;
 12 c. Around two-thirds of refugees live in poverty, and many are unable
 13 to return to their home countries due to the lack of imminent solutions
 14 to conflicts, recurrent violence, and political instability;
 15 d. Less than 1 percent of refugees will ever be resettled to a safe
 16 third country, enabling them to rebuild their lives in safety and
 17 contribute to the cultural and economic fabric of a new home nation;
 18 e. Recognizing the importance of refugee resettlement, the United
 19 States created the Refugee Act of 1980;
 20 f. Since 1980, the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)
 21 has saved more than 3.7 million refugees, and resettled them across the
 22 country;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD02698-03-5

 A. 2374--A 2

 1 g. As of 2021, New York State resettled the third most refugees in the
 2 country;
 3 h. On September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly unan-
 4 imously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants,
 5 which reaffirms the importance of the international refugee regime and
 6 contains a wide range of commitments to strengthen and enhance mech-
 7 anisms to protect these individuals;
 8 i. Research from reputable sources including the Fiscal Policy Insti-
 9 tute, Urban Institute, Pew Research Center, and New American Economy
 10 find a positive economic and social impact of refugees across New York
 11 State;
 12 j. Governor Kathy Hochul reaffirmed New York State's commitment to
 13 helping refugees on August 19, 2021 by welcoming those fleeing Afghanis-
 14 tan;
 15 k. The Statue of Liberty, a national monument and icon of freedom that
 16 has been welcoming immigrants from across the world to New York State
 17 since 1886, states, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
 18 yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
 19 Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside
 20 the golden door!";
 21 l. The State of New York has been proud to partner with the United
 22 States Citizenship and Immigration Services in assisting an