California lawmakers want to ease the burden on refugees through a legislative package that addresses education and state jobs.
KABC Reporter Jim Roope spoke to Doug McIntryre on McIntyre in the Morning, and he describes the first of two bills in a legislative aid package known as California Welcomes Refugees,
“Tuition Bill, AB 343, makes refugees eligible for in-state tuition at community colleges and in some cases even waives the fees as soon as they arrive in California. Free in some cases for them, although it’s going to cost the taxpayer. The fiscal accountability of these bills hasn’t been established, or at least clearly defined. All we know there is a $5 million allocation for this bill.”
The second bill in the package is state jobs bill, AB 349. Roope tells Doug why it has the potential to be the more controversial of the two.
“It gives Special Immigrant Visa holders or SIV refugees priority and preference when it comes to state jobs in civil service positions. That’s the language in the bill. Priority. Give them priority over these jobs through that civil service program. Not that they’d get every mailman job out there.”
AB 343 passed on a 65-0 vote, while AB 349 passed the Assembly 41-30. The package now advances to the state Senate.
Sharon Reardon
KABC News
