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IMMIGRANT EQUALITY AGENDA 201
Top State Budget & Policy Priorities for 2014
1. Expand Access to College: Pass the New York State DREAM Act and make it possible for thousands of
young New Yorkers to attend college, fulfill their potential and make critical economic contributions to their communities. 2. Improve Road Safety: Allow access to driver’s licenses for undocumented Americans so they can legally do
things the rest of us take for granted such as driving for employment, medical care or education. Legislation would also improve public safety by making sure that all of New York’s drivers have passed driver’s exams and are driving registered and insured vehicles, and lower insurance premiums for all New Yorkers. 3. Protect and Expand Immigrant Services: Broaden the scope of immigration services, ESL classes and
workforce development services funded by the State; create measures to combat immigration fraud and increase funding to strengthen the infrastructure of organizations authorized to provide immigration legal services; and provide critical resources to support legal representation of immigrants in detention and deportation proceedings. 4. Expand Access to a High School Diploma. Expand opportunities for English language learners (ELLs) to
demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Only one in three English language learners (ELLs) graduates on time, and the ELL graduation rate has dropped for two years in a row. The Board of Regents and NYSED should allow all students to show their knowledge and skills through a series of rigorous projects, require 2 Regents exams (English and Math) instead of 5 to graduate, expand the Regents exam appeal process and provide alternative options for assessing students in Career and Technical Education programs. 5. Enhance Access to Health Care: Fund immigrant organizations to conduct culturally and linguistically
competent outreach to maximize immigrant enrollment in the New York State Health Benefit Exchange; and adopt the Basic Health Plan under the Affordable Care Act, which would provide even more affordable comprehensive coverage for low-income people, and potentially undocumented immigrants. 6. Protect Immigrant Workers: Pass farmworker protection legislation; protect low wage workers from
predatory employment agencies; protect the right to unionize; and strengthen enforcement of labor laws.
New York Immigration Coalition | 137-139 W. 25th Street, 12th Fl., NY, NY 10001-7277 | Tel: 212-627-2227 | www.thenyic.org
7. Protect Immigrants’ Rights: Prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from engaging in federal
immigration enforcement activities. As funding for enforcement has soared, so too have abusive practices that violate the human and civil rights of New York’s residents. Such practices fail to protect public safety and damage community-police relations.
New York Immigration Coalition | 137-139 W. 25th Street, 12th Fl., NY, NY 10001-7277 | Tel: 212-627-2227 | www.thenyic.org
