SB 90-OFFICE OF CITIZENSHIP ASSISTANCE  CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT asked Senator Kelly to introduce the bill and noted that it was his intent to hear public testimony and take up final action on the bill at a later meeting. SENATOR PETE KELLY, sponsor of SB 90, said this bill creates a director position under the Office of the Ombudsman to act as a liaison between new citizens and those studying to become citizens. The many state and private services available to citizens and citizen candidates may be inaccessible due to language, social and cultural barriers. The Office of Citizenship Assistance would respectfully help these individuals while remaining sensitive to their various customs and cultures. CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT asked whether the liaison would function under the ombudsman in an ombudsman capacity. SENATOR KELLY said the director would be a liaison between the ombudsman and the individuals so there is someone to go to in the ombudsman's office that will be more sensitive to cultural and language difficulties. SENATOR PHILLIPS asked whether there are other states with this type of division. SENATOR KELLY said no there aren't. SENATOR PHILLIPS said he has difficulty with this bill because both of his parents are immigrants. SENATOR PEARCE thinks the idea is good but wonders whether this helps interface more with state and local services or federal ones. SENATOR KELLY said it will interface more with state services. He reassured Senator Pearce that this position will not help in the naturalization process, rather it will provide help in locating state and local services. JESSIE R. PELAYO, Filipino Community leader, gave lengthy and heart felt testimony in support of SB 90. The full testimony is available in the bill record. MR. PELAYO, said that in the fall of 1989, there was a statewide meeting of Filipino organizations held in Anchorage to discuss solutions to the difficulties Filipino citizen candidates encounter. He found that the difficulties he and his family and friends experienced in Juneau were common in large and small communities across the state. Until the City and Borough of Juneau passed a resolution requesting a permanent immigration officer, immigration problems were commonplace, expensive and lengthy. He went on to outline discriminatory employment practices, difficulty understanding legal issues and housing, medical and educational problems. In closing, Mr. Pelayo urged committee members to support SB 90 so that naturalized citizens would have a place to turn when faced with injustices resulting from a difference in cultures. MARIO D. LIR, Pastor of the Word of Life Christian Center, testified in support of SB 90. As a pastor, he has repeatedly seen the problems naturalized citizens have assimilating with a different culture. The State of Alaska has never before addressed these needs and it is past time for them to do so. Many of these individuals are productive state employees so it is the state's responsibility to help them with difficulties associated with changing countries and cultures. PASTOR LIR also outlined specific immigration, legal, medical and language problems faced by Filipinos and other immigrants and said there needs to be a place these individuals can go and get help dealing with the shock experienced when moving into a different culture. He is proud to be an American citizen but is concerned about the new immigrant population. He closed saying, "You need to walk a mile in my shoes, there are many stories to tell." SENATOR PHILLIPS said both his parents were immigrants, and he's dealt with discrimination as well. MARA KIMMEL is an immigration attorney who has worked in both private practice and, more recently, for a statewide non-profit social service agency providing immigration services. She is also the co-chair of the Immigration Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association. She applauded the efforts of Senators Kelly, Austerman, Ellis and Taylor in putting forth SB 90. The problems listed by Mr. Pelayo and Pastor Lim are those facing her clients every day and she has no place to refer them. SB 90 recognizes the valuable contributions made by Alaska immigrants and acknowledges the fact that they have difficulties in obtaining services that are taken for granted by others who aren't faced with the same language and cultural barriers. Immigrants are frequently overlooked even though they are an integral part of the Alaskan community. Creating the Office of Citizenship reflects an important public policy which is recognition of Alaska as a melting pot and welcoming these newcomers to our state and nation. There is no other agency that offers the services outlined in this bill. Many individuals will benefit from the services The Office of Citizenship will provide. ROBIN BRUNER, Program Director of Immigration and Refugee Services Program at Catholic Social Services in Anchorage, also applauds the efforts of the sponsors. The services are desperately needed by the people her office represents. They are the only agency and organization in Alaska providing legal services to immigrants and refugees. There are six staff members in her office and they worked with 2,700 people in fiscal year 2000. Alaska is a very diverse state with 1,000 Salvadorans on Kodiak Island, 500 Russians in Delta Junction and large communities of Filipinos living in Southeast Alaska, Kodiak Island, Dutch Harbor and the Interior. Naturalization clinics held state wide have helped between 100 and 200 people become citizens each year. Although legal services are provided, other needs mentioned by Mr. Pelayo and Pastor Lim aren't addressed because there isn't anyplace to refer them. There is a great need for an office where individuals could go and get the referral and information services they desperately need. She asked legislators to call her at (907) 276-5590 if there was any way she could help them move the legislation forward. Number 2077 ANDRE MCLEOD, testifying as a private citizen, called SB 90 "one of the most harebrained schemes I have ever seen, to the tune of $310,000 dollars." She thought the money could be better spent elsewhere and that the two testifiers from Juneau appeared to have adjusted to life in the United States very well. The challenges they have met are the same as those faced by every one else. Interfacing with government is always problematic. If there is difficulty with Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) forms then those individuals should deal directly with INS. For problems with discrimination, AS 18.80, The Human Rights Commission, is the place to go. Attorney Kimmel should send individuals experiencing difficulties of these types to either INS or the Human Rights Commission. If there's any other type of difficulty with the state government, there's always AS 24.55, the ombudsman's office. She is sure there are better places to spend $310,000. "If things aren't going right then fix it but don't build another empire." CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT asked for a phone number in case the bill sponsors wanted to contact her directly. C MS. MLEOD said "I've already spoken to the sponsors of the bill and as I've spoken to them, I've tried to see where need for this legislation comes from and I was told that I really didn't need to know that." However, if committee members want to talk to her the number is 561-8595. CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT asked for other testimony. There was none. The bill was held in committee so that Chairman Therriault could discuss several matters with Senator Kelly.