(a)
Subject to the availability of funding in the act that added this section or the annual Budget Act, the department shall provide grants, as described in subdivision (b), to organizations qualified under Section 13304.
(b)
Grants provided in accordance with subdivision (a) shall be for the purpose of providing one or more of the following services, as determined by the department:
(1)
Services to persons living in California, including all of the following:
(A)
Services to assist with the application process for initial or renewal requests of deferred action under the DACA
policy with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
(B)
Services to assist with the application process for initial or renewal requests of deferred action under the DAPA policy with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, as federally established.
(C)
Services to help obtain other immigration remedies for people receiving DACA or DAPA application assistance.
(D)
Services to assist with the application process for naturalization and any appeals arising from the process.
(2)
Services to provide legal training and technical assistance to other organizations qualified under Section 13304.
(c)
For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1)
“DACA” refers to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status as described in guidelines issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
(2)
“DAPA” refers to Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents or Deferred Action for Parental Accountability status as described in guidelines issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
(3)
“Services to assist” includes, but is not limited to, outreach, workshop presentations, document review, Freedom of Information Act requests, and screening services that seek to assist individuals with DACA, DAPA,
naturalization, or other immigration remedies.
(4)
“Legal training and technical assistance” includes, but is not limited to, webinars, in-person trainings, and technical assistance in the form of answering questions via email, fax, or phone from organizations qualified under Section 13304 and their staff and volunteers that assist individuals with DACA, DAPA, naturalization, or other immigration remedies.
(d)
No more than 40 percent of grant funds awarded to an organization qualified under Section 13304 shall be advanced to that organization.
(e)
The department shall update the Legislature on the following information in the course of budget hearings:
(1)
The timeline for
implementation of this section.
(2)
The participating organizations awarded contracts or grants.
(3)
The number of applications submitted.
(4)
The number of clients served.
(5)
The types of services provided and in what language or languages.
(6)
The regions served.
(7)
The ethnic communities served.
(8)
The identification of further barriers and challenges to education, outreach, immigration assistance, and legal
services related to naturalization and deferred action.
(f)
This section shall become operative on January 1, 2016.