Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff
The California State Senate passed on June 2, a legislation supporting the retraining of laid off and out-of-field teachers to fill critical math and education teaching positions by a vote of 21-13. SB 956.
The bill, authored by Senator Gloria Romero, redirects $5 million of federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds to the Employment Development Department (EDD) to allocate to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide preparation for teachers to teach science, mathematics, or industrial and technology education.
SB 956 is part of a package of 27 bills focused on jobs, smart investments, education and families that is expected to create and sustain 140,000 jobs without dismantling workplace or environmental protections and with no increases in taxes. The bill will now go to the Assembly.
Temporary protected status extended for two nations
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Nicaragua and Honduras from the current expiration of Jul. 5, 2010, to the new expiration date of Jan. 5, 2012. During the past year, DHS and the Department of State have reviewed the conditions in these two countries.
Based on this review, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has determined that an 18- month extension is warranted because the conditions that prompted the TPS designation in 1999 following the environmental disaster caused by Hurricane Mitch persist and prevent Nicaragua and Honduras from adequately handling the return of its nationals.
Under the extension, individuals who have been granted TPS are eligible to re-register and maintain their status for an additional 18 months provided they remain otherwise eligible for TPS. There are approximately 3,000 nationals of Nicaragua and 66,000 nationals of Honduras (and people having no nationality who last habitually resided in Nicaragua and Honduras) who may be eligible for re-registration. TPS does not apply to Nicaraguan and Honduran nationals who entered the United States after Dec. 30, 1998.
To maintain TPS status, Nicaraguan and Honduran TPS beneficiaries must reregister during the re-registration period from May 5 until July 6, 2010. It is important to re-register as soon as the re-registration period opens to allow suffi cient time for USCIS to complete all the routine background checks and further application processing. Applications from Nicaraguan and Honduran TPS beneficiaries will not be accepted before May 5, 2010.
USCIS will issue a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to eligible TPS benefi ciaries who timely re-register and apply for EADs. However, USCIS will automatically extend the validity of existing EADs held by Nicaraguan and Honduran TPS beneficiaries for six months, through Jan. 5, 2011. This automatic extension will allow suffi cient time for eligible TPS benefi ciaries to re-register and receive new EADs without any lapse in employment authorization. The Federal Register Notice explains how TPS benefi ciaries and their employers may determine which EADs are automatically extended.
TPS beneficiaries must submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, to re-register. Applicants seeking an extension of employment authorization must file an Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-765, with the required fee. If an individual is only seeking to re-register for TPS, the applicant must still file Form I-765 for data-gathering purposes; the fi ling fee is not required. Re-registrants age 14 and older must submit the biometric fee.
Applicants who are able to demonstrate an inability to pay may request a fee waiver for the application, biometric service fees or both. Failure to submit the required application and biometric fees or a properly documented fee waiver request will result in the rejection of the re-registration application. For information on fee waivers, visit the Fee Waiver Guidance Web page at www.uscis.gov
