SB853 establishes an Immigration Services Trust Fund in Hawaii to support immigration-related work carried out by the Immigration Services and Access Unit within the Office of Community Services. The bill reflects the Legislature’s finding that Hawaii has a significant immigrant population and many families with mixed immigration statuses, and that additional support is needed to help people navigate immigration proceedings and access services with minimal disruption.
The fund would receive legislative appropriations, grants, donations, contributions, and investment earnings. It would be administered by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and used for the purposes of the immigration services and access unit. The bill also requires DLIR to report to the Legislature before each regular session on the fund’s receipts and expenditures, and it appropriates general funds for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to seed the trust fund.
Impact
The bill would add a new section to chapter 371K, Hawaii Revised Statutes, creating a dedicated funding mechanism for immigration-related services. It would shift support for the Office of Community Services’ immigration services and access unit into a trust fund structure, with DLIR responsible for administration and annual reporting. The measure would also authorize state general fund appropriations for the new trust fund, affecting state budgeting and the delivery of immigration assistance services to immigrants, refugees, and low-income residents.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the overall sentiment appears supportive and service-oriented. The measure is framed as a response to Hawaii’s immigrant population and the needs of families with mixed immigration statuses, emphasizing continuity of services and reduced disruption for people with pending immigration matters. No committee testimony or recorded votes were provided, so there is no evidence of formal opposition or debate in the available materials.
Contention
The main policy issue is not whether immigration services should be supported, but how they should be funded and administered. The bill creates a dedicated trust fund and requires reporting, which suggests an emphasis on accountability and sustained financing. Potential points of contention could include the use of general revenues for immigration-related services, the scope of state support for immigrants and refugees, and the choice to place administration with DLIR rather than directly within the Office of Community Services, but no specific objections are documented in the provided record.
A resolution to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to only present to the Governor enrolled House bills finally passed by both houses of the One Hundred Third Legislature.
Relating to nonsubstantive additions to, revisions of, and corrections in enacted codes, to the nonsubstantive codification or disposition of various laws omitted from enacted codes, and to conforming codifications enacted by the 88th Legislature to other Acts of that legislature.