AB 1544

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing provisions of federal law regulate immigration. Under federal law, state laws regulating immigration are preempted. This bill would, upon the state receiving the necessary authority under federal law, require the Employment Development Department to administer a California Agricultural Jobs and Industry Stabilization Program. This bill would require the Employment Development Department to certify that there are not enough legal residents of California to fill all open agricultural and service industry jobs in California. Once the department makes that certification, this bill would authorize the department to issue permits to undocumented aliens to work in the agricultural and service industries and who meet specified criteria. This bill would also authorize the department to issue permits to reside in California to the immediate family members, as defined, of an undocumented alien permitted as a worker under the program. This bill would require, prior to the issuance of a permit, an undocumented alien to pay a fee to the department and would require those fees to be deposited into the California Agricultural Jobs and Industry Stabilization Program Fund, established by this bill. This bill would also require the department, in conjunction with the Legislative Analyst's Office, to annually publish a report analyzing whether the program has caused the displacement of employable legal residents of California in the agricultural and service industries.