Substitute Bill No. 991 Summary

• The Judicial Branch shall establish a legal aid program providing grants to federally tax-exempt charitable organizations to deliver legal counsel to eligible minors in immigration removal proceedings at the Connecticut Executive Office for Immigration Review.

• Eligible respondents include unaccompanied minors and individuals under age 18 with no lawful immigration status in federal Department of Health and Human Services custody at the time their removal proceedings commence.

• Legal counsel services cover representation in removal proceedings, family reunification or sponsor placement for detained minors, and applications for temporary or permanent immigration status.

• The Office of the Attorney General shall remit $800,000 annually to the Judicial Branch from lawsuit settlement moneys starting July 1, 2019, with funding dedicated to providing legal counsel for eligible respondents.

• The Judicial Branch must submit annual reports by December 31, 2020 and thereafter detailing grant recipients, number of respondents served, cases opened and closed, family reunifications assisted, and immigration status outcomes achieved through the program.

• A task force shall study unmet legal needs of indigent removal proceeding respondents and available legal representation delivery mechanisms, with findings due by December 31, 2020.