A 8861: Establishes the community accompaniment and post-release support program in the office for new Americans to provide grants to community-based organizations that offer services to individuals released from immigration detention; defines eligible services; requires the office to establish criteria for awarding grants; requires the office to submit an annual report on the program.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8861 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY June 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. FORREST -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the community accompaniment and post-release support program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 94-b of the executive law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 6 to read as follows: 3 6. Community accompaniment and post-release support program. (a) The 4 office shall establish and administer a community accompaniment and 5 post-release support program to provide grants to qualified community- 6 based organizations for the purpose of offering services to individuals 7 released from immigration detention. 8 (b) Eligible services under the program shall include, but not be 9 limited to: 10 (i) Case management and individualized service plans; 11 (ii) Temporary housing assistance and placement services; 12 (iii) Mental health and trauma-informed care; 13 (iv) Legal services related to immigration, housing, and employment; 14 (v) Job training and employment placement assistance; 15 (vi) Access to food assistance programs and other essential needs; 16 (vii) Language access services and English language instruction; and 17 (viii) Family reunification support and community reintegration 18 assistance. 19 (c) The office shall establish criteria for awarding grants. Such 20 criteria shall include, but not limited to: 21 (i) Demonstrated experience serving immigrant populations; 22 (ii) Capacity to provide culturally and linguistically competent 23 services; 24 (iii) Geographic diversity to ensure statewide access to services; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11602-01-5 
 A. 8861 2 1 (iv) A demonstrated commitment to providing trauma-informed and 2 gender-responsive care. 3 (d) The office shall submit an annual report to the governor and the 4 legislature which shall include, but not be limited to, information on: 5 the number of individuals served under the program; the types of 6 services provided; the geographic distribution of services; and outcomes 7 related to housing stability, employment, and legal case resolutions. 8 § 2. Paragraph (n) of subdivision 5 of section 94-b of the executive 9 law, as amended by chapter 625 of the laws of 2024, is amended to read 10 as follows: 11 (n) Beginning in two thousand fifteen, by June fifteenth of each year, 12 produce a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and the 13 temporary president of the senate describing the activities of the 14 office, including but not limited to, summarizing calls received through 15 the hotline and website, information on ESOL training services provided 16 by the office, the number of immigrants assisted through the opportunity 17 centers, or an estimation thereof, the status of any workforce develop- 18 ment programs, information on the community accompaniment and post-re- 19 lease support program established pursuant to subdivision six of this 20 section, and any other relevant information; 21 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 22 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that if chapter 625 of 23 the laws of 2024 shall not have taken effect on or before such date then 24 section two of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the 25 same manner as such chapter of the laws of 2024 takes effect. Effective 26 immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regu- 27 lation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective 28 date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective 29 date.