House Bill 382

AN ACT TO CREATE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF IMMIGRANTS ON POVERTY IN MISSISSIPPI; TO SET FORTH THE DUTIES AND PURPOSES OF THE TASK FORCE; TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE TASK FORCE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, the United States of America is a country with a rich heritage as a nation of immigrants, as evidenced by the fact that over half of all Americans are descendants of individuals who immigrated to the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Mississippi Legislature recognizes that the study of the impact of the presence of immigrants on poverty in Mississippi is urgently needed; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) The Task Force to Study the Impact of Immigrants on Poverty in Mississippi is created. The thirteen-member task force shall be composed of the following:

(a) Four (4) members of the Mississippi House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, two (2) of whom shall be the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Poverty Committee of the Mississippi House of Representatives;

(b) Four (4) members of the Mississippi State Senate appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;

(c) One (1) person who represents the State Department of Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education;

(d) One (1) person who represents the Department of Employment Security, appointed by the executive director of that department;

(e) One (1) person who represents the State Workforce Investment Board, appointed by the Governor;

(f) One (1) person who represents the Department of Human Services, appointed by the executive director of that department; and

(g) One (1) person who represents an organization having a primary purpose of protecting the rights of immigrants, appointed by the Governor.

(2) The task force shall:

(a) Review the economic impact, both positive and negative, of immigrants on poverty in Mississippi, including relevant statistics and verifiable information;

(b) Study and evaluate the economic relationship between the presence of immigrants in our state's workforce and any diminished employment opportunities of state residents;

(c) Study the economic issue of the costs to the state associated with providing immigrants residing in our state with public and government benefits, such as health care and education, as offset by the possible positive impact of the businesses and jobs that may be generated by those immigrants, including the buying power and stimulus to our state's economy that may be created by their purchases of consumer goods and services, and the Mississippi income, payroll, sales and property taxes that may have been paid by or on behalf of immigrants for the previous five (5) years;

(d) Review and evaluate all the information collected to appraise the effect that the presence of immigrants in Mississippi has had on the poverty rate in our state; and

(e) Identify any and all additional relevant information and make legislative recommendations to the Mississippi State Legislature.

(3) The task force shall hold its first meeting not later than June 1, 2010, with the date, time and location of the meeting to be designated jointly by the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Lieutenant Governor. At the first meeting, the task force shall elect from among its membership a chairman, vice chairman, and any other officers determined to be necessary, and it shall set the date, time and location of its subsequent meetings. A majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

(4) Members of the task force shall serve without compensation for their services, and the task force shall perform its duties without legislative appropriation or the use of any state funds for that purpose; however, the task force, by approval of a majority of the appointed members of the task force, is authorized to accept funds that may be donated or provided in the form of financial grants from public or private sources. The Mississippi State Legislature shall provide the administrative staff and other support necessary for the task force to perform its duties. In addition, any department, division, board, bureau, commission or agency of the state, or of any political subdivision thereof, shall provide, at the request of the chair of the task force, such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the task force to carry out its duties.

(5) The provisions of this section shall stand repealed from and after July 1, 2013.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.