AUGUSTA - Rep. Deqa Dhalac, D-South Portland, presented legislation Tuesday before the Legislature's State and Local Government Committee that would establish the Office of New Americans (ONA) within Maine State Government.
The bill would establish the two-person office, housed within the Governors Office of Policy, Innovation and the Future, and would create a 19-member advisory council to oversee the ONA on matters related to the long-term economic and civic integration of New Mainers.
"By establishing a central hub of information and resources for New Mainers, I believe this office will help usher in a new era of opportunity for all of Maine," said Dhalac. "When immigrants enter the labor force, they increase the productive capacity of the economy and raise GDP. Their incomes rise, but so do those of people born in the United States."
The ONA would focus on strengthening English-language acquisition opportunities for New Mainers, building workforce pathways and support for entrepreneurs and improving coordination of organizations and entities that support immigrants. The office would also track federal immigration policy and support collaboration with Maine's congressional delegation on policies that benefit the state. Lastly, the ONA would improve Maine's data collection regarding the state's immigrant populations.
Improving how Maine introduces and integrates New Americans into our communities and economy is viewed as one key strategy to address our state's demographic challenges and contribute to broad-based efforts to strengthen Maine's workforce," said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governors Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. "The proposed Office of New Americans in our plan and in LD 2167 reflects the strong consensus from hundreds of people and organizations around the state on the need to improve how Maine welcomes and integrates immigrants into our communities and economy."
The Legislature's State and Local Government Committee will hold a work session on the bill in the coming days, at which time members of the committee will have the opportunity to debate the bill before voting on a recommendation to the full Legislature.
Dhalac is serving her first term in the Maine House and serves on the State and Local Government Committee. After fleeing civil war in Somalia, she became the first Somali-American mayor in the country.
Contact: Brian Lee [Dhalac], 305-965-2744