RD558 - Office of New Americans Advisory Board Annual Report 2021-2022 – October 12, 2022
Executive Summary: The Office of New Americans Advisory Board (ONAAB) was created in 2020 under § 2.2-2496 and established as an advisory board, within the meaning of § 2.2-2100, in the executive branch of state government. The purpose of the Board is to advise the Governor, cabinet members, and the General Assembly on strategies to improve state policies and programs to support the economic, linguistic, and civic integration of New Americans throughout the Commonwealth. The ONAAB is pleased to submit the second annual board report to the Honorable Glenn A. Youngkin and the Virginia General Assembly. Pursuant to § 2.2-2498 of the Code of Virginia, this report serves as a summary of its activities, findings and recommendations. The foreign-born population in the Commonwealth is estimated to be 1.07 million individuals or roughly 12.4% of the total state population.(*1) This fast-growing segment of Virginia’s overall population ranks as the 10th largest immigrant population in the nation.(*2) Two-thirds of all immigrants live in Northern Virginia, but sizable immigrant communities exist in Richmond, Roanoke and other metropolitan areas throughout the Commonwealth. In fact, certain census tracts in Accomack, Rockingham and Lunenburg Counties have immigrant density similar to many parts of Northern Virginia. Additionally, Virginia is one of the top three recipients of Afghan refugees resettling in the United States. Virginia’s Office of New Americans have provided resettlement services to 6,020 Afghans as of August 22nd, 2022. ONAAB has adopted the following Guiding Principles that provide an overarching focus regarding the work of the board. • Recognizing our Value The Board maintains a committee structure that is flexible but allows for deeper analysis of the far-ranging and multifaceted issues that New American communities face in Virginia. • Access to Services Committee - This committee will focus on building awareness of the specific barriers that newcomers face in accessing services and resources. • Economic Opportunity Committee - This Committee will explore the economic landscape and review what supports are provided by the Commonwealth for workforce development and entrepreneurs. • Inter / Intra Governmental Affairs Committee - This Committee will explore the interconnectivity of governmental policy and changes to those policies that will impact the aspiring and New American communities in the Commonwealth. The Board also has dedicated Language Access and Data Integrity leads in line with our Guiding Principles. The ONAAB defines “New Americans" as: New Americans refer to foreign-born persons residing in Virginia and their children, foreign and native born. The Board has been able to identify several recommendations that would enhance immigrant integration in the Commonwealth as well as support the work of the Board and the Office of New Americans. Committee Recommendations Access to Services • Require all healthcare practitioners to receive at least 2 hours of continued Medical Education on the topics of unconscious bias and cultural humility every two years. • Ensure that all Medicaid eligible Virginians have access to dental health services by o creating pathways and opportunities for more dental providers to be educated and offer services to Medicaid patients o Emphasize a diverse dental health workforce that reflects Virginia’s population o Increase Medicaid reimbursement rates so that more Virginia dentists will accept Medicaid insured patients o Consider expanding access to preventative services by increasing eligibility threshold for children’s Medicaid/CHIP health coverage AND expand coverage to all income eligible children regardless of immigration status. • Expand Medicaid reimbursement to cover interpretation costs and provide incentives for healthcare facilities who provide interpretation services. Economic Opportunity • Fund the Office of New Americans and the Department of Labor to study employment and educational history of New Americans to determine focus of career pathway programs, and New American capacity to fill employment gaps in the state. • Fund the Office of New Americans, the Department of Labor, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and the Department of Education to explore further opportunities to recruit international talent and retain them through statewide employment initiatives. • Provide funding to the Office of New Americans and the Department of Labor to review licensing and certification criteria and develop, translate, and disseminate career pathway maps. • Provide funding to support for and require the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to assess its outreach methods and goals and develop targeted outreach, programs and processes to build small business capacity and assist businesses in obtaining appropriate certifications. • Require the Secretary of Administration to review all Memorandum of Understandings with Tier II and Tier III Higher Education Institutions to further prioritize and make intentional the engagement and utilization of SWaM businesses. • Require the Department of Small Business Supplier Diversity and the Department of General Services to review the annual agency SWaM plans and provide feedback to agency leadership to ensure prioritization and intentional utilization of SWaM businesses. Additionally, procurement progress for the State and agencies, toward the SWaM goal will be made public on the DSBSD SWaM dashboard. Inter/Intragovernmental Affairs • Empower the Office of New Americans with oversight and financial resources to assess, partner and develop programs that address immigrant integration throughout all agencies. • Restore at least $10 million in funding in state financial aid for undocumented students. Additional Language Access Recommendations • Empower the Office of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion to create, and provide oversight of a State Language Access Plan • Fund the Office of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion to oversee the compliance of agencies and departments within the State Language Access Plan. Office of New Americans Advisory Board Recommendations • Support the Afghan Adjustment Act and expansion of immigration legal aid services in Virginia. • Amend the Code to allow for more meetings per year. • Amend the Code to raise the number of appointed non legislative citizen Board members to twenty-one. • Amend the Code to include additional ex-officio members to the Board. • Amend the Code governing Freedom of Information Act to allow for electronic meetings for subcommittee work of advisory boards as defined by Code §2.2-2100. ONAAB Recommendations for the Office of New Americans • Commission a new JLARC study to assess the integration of New Americans in the Commonwealth and update the findings from the 2004 report. • Enhance the Office of New Americans budget to address expanded and unmet needs. |
Menu
Published Documents
