Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 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
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.
