Bill > SB169

This bill establishes the Welcoming Alaska Office, a new state government entity designed to support and assist new immigrants and newcomers in Alaska. The office will provide comprehensive services including employment information, job placement assistance, help with understanding workplace rights, and strategies to reduce employment barriers. It will be led by an executive director appointed by the governor and will have broad responsibilities such as developing statewide strategies to support immigrant workforce integration, offering grants to support economic and social integration, serving as a point of contact for state agencies on immigrant issues, and establishing a Welcoming Alaska Center to provide language instruction, employment services, and assistance accessing government programs. The bill also creates a nine-member Welcoming Alaska Advisory Committee composed of representatives from various sectors like nonprofits, tribal organizations, education, business, and the criminal justice system, who will help develop recommendations and monitor state programs' responsiveness to immigrants' needs. Additionally, the bill requires each executive branch department to designate a liaison to work with the office and mandates a study to determine immigration opportunities and establish performance goals, with a report to be submitted to the legislature by July 1, 2027. The office defines "newcomers" as individuals who have moved to Alaska from another state within the past 36 months and "new immigrants" as individuals or their children who have arrived or will arrive as immigrants or refugees.

Government Affairs

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB169