Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024
Issued: July 4, 2019.
Effective: July 4, 2019.
WHEREAS, a primary goal of my administration is to ensure that
every New Jersey resident is valued, supported, and welcomed as an integral
part of our communities, economy, and culture; and
WHEREAS, over 2 million residents are immigrants or refugees,
or new Americans, representing nearly 23 percent of New Jersey's nine million
residents; and
WHEREAS, new Americans are students, entrepreneurs, scientists,
and workers who live and work in our State and are important contributors to
New Jersey's workforce, communities, and social and cultural fabric; and
WHEREAS, new Americans are integral to our state's economy, and
together they:
1) comprise over
121,000 entrepreneurs;
2) are
employers of over 389,000 employees; and
3) contribute over $ 24.2 billion in federal,
State, and local taxes; and
WHEREAS, 43 percent of the State's science, technology,
engineering, and math-focused workforce are new Americans who play a
significant part in maintaining the State's role as a leading innovator in the
STEM field; and
WHEREAS, the growth in the new American population has helped
to strengthen New Jersey's labor force, with younger individuals filling
crucial gaps in the market; and
WHEREAS, new Americans contribute to the vast diversity in our
State and enrich our communities both socially and culturally; and
WHEREAS, increasingly divisive rhetoric and irresponsible and
inhumane immigration policy by the current federal administration have led to
communities and populations feeling fearful instead of welcomed; and
WHEREAS, while immigration policy is set at the federal level,
the benefits of and barriers to immigration integration are felt at the state
and local levels; and
WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey and its partners at the local
level and in the non-profit and private sectors all play important roles in
creating opportunities for improving the integration of new Americans;
and
WHEREAS, New Jersey is fortunate to have many programs and
supports that are working every day to help our residents to thrive, and we
should be taking all available steps to help new Americans access these
supports, in addition to ensuring that new Americans are protected from
exploitation in the workplace; and
WHEREAS, it is critical to the success and future of our state
that we thoughtfully integrate new Americans into our communities, our
workforce, and our economy, further enhancing our culture;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of
New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by
the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
1. The Departments of Human Services and
Labor and Workforce Development shall collaborate to develop methods to further
immigrant and refugee integration, including, but not limited to, the design of
an Office of New Americans that would work to empower immigrants and refugees
throughout the State. Both Departments shall engage with relevant and affected
stakeholders during this process.
2. Within five months of the effective date
of this order, both Departments shall prepare and submit to the Governor a plan
detailing the actions they have undertaken in furtherance of this
Order.
3. Both Departments shall
consider, but not be limited to, the following objectives:
a. Promoting trainings that inform new
Americans of the availability of services and their rights, including in the
employment context;
b. Working with
organizations and advocacy groups to increase accessibility to State programs
for new Americans; and
c. Ensuring
that services are accessible to New American populations, including those who
speak languages other than English.
4. Concurrently, there is hereby established
the Interagency Workgroup on New American Integration ("Interagency
Workgroup"), which shall be responsible for providing advice and
recommendations to the Governor's Office and Executive Branch departments and
agencies on strategies and actions to ensure that new Americans are integrated
into all aspects of New Jersey's communities and economy.
5. The objectives of the Interagency
Workgroup shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
a. Examining and evaluating existing programs
and strategies that are administered by executive departments and agencies
which can assist new Americans in acclimating to life in New Jersey;
b. Conducting a review of existing law and
applicable procedures related to services helpful to new Americans in New
Jersey; and
c. Developing best
practices for departments and agencies to increase coordination of information
and efficient implementation of programs and services to help new Americans
thrive as a part of New Jersey's community and economy.
6. The Interagency Workgroup shall consist of
not less than fourteen (14) members, as follows: two representatives from the
Department of Human Services; two representatives from the Department of Labor
and Workforce Development; and one representative each from the Department of
Health, the Department of Education, the Department of Children and Families,
the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the
Department of Banking and Insurance, the Department of Transportation, the
Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, the Department of Law and Public
Safety, and the Department of State. The Commissioner or head of each
department or agency shall select its respective representative (s). All
members shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing department or agency and
without compensation.
7. The
Interagency Workgroup shall be co-chaired by one member representing the
Department of Human Services and one member representing the Department of
Labor and Workforce Development. These two members shall be designated as
co-chairs by the Governor and serve as co-chairs at the pleasure of the
Governor.
8. The Governor may, as
determined to be appropriate, appoint additional members to the Interagency
Workgroup, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
9. The Interagency Workgroup shall be
authorized to call upon any department, office, division, or agency of this
State to supply it with information or other assistance as the Interagency
Workgroup determines to be necessary to discharge its duties under this Order.
Each Executive Branch department and agency is hereby required, to the extent
not inconsistent with law, to cooperate fully with the Interagency Workgroup
within the limits of its statutory authority and to furnish the Interagency
Workgroup with such assistance on as timely a basis as is necessary to
accomplish the purposes of this Order.
10. The Interagency Workgroup may consult
with experts or other knowledgeable individuals in the public or private sector
with respect to any aspect of its mission, and shall engage with relevant and
affected stakeholders.
11. The
Interagency Workgroup, which shall be purely advisory in nature, shall organize
and meet as soon as practicable to begin performing the charges set forth in
this Order.
12. Nothing in this
Order shall be construed to supersede any federal, State, or local
law.
13. For purposes of this
Order, "Executive Branch departments and agencies" shall mean any of the
principal departments in the Executive Branch of State government and any
agency, authority, board, bureau, commission, division, institution, office, or
other instrumentality within or created by any such department, and any
independent State authority, commission, instrumentality, or agency over which
the Governor exercises executive authority, as determined by the Attorney
General.
14. This order shall take
effect immediately.
