Deferred action for childhood arrivals.

(1) Under existing federal law, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has issued a directive allowing certain undocumented individuals who meet several key criteria for relief from removal from the United States or from entering into removal proceedings to be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of 2 years, subject to renewal, and who will be eligible to apply for work authorization. Existing law provides for the regulation of immigration consultants by the Department of Consumer Affairs, the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, and the commission of notaries public by the Secretary of State. A violation of certain of these provisions is a crime. This bill would provide that immigration consultants, attorneys, notaries public, and organizations accredited by the United States Board of Immigration Appeals shall be the only individuals authorized to charge clients or prospective clients a fee for providing services associated with filing an application under the deferred action program. The bill also would prohibit immigration consultants, attorneys, notaries public, and organizations accredited by the United States Board of Immigration Appeals from participating in practices that amount to price gouging, as defined, when a client or prospective client solicits these services. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Commencing January 1, 2013, state law provides that any federal document demonstrating favorable action by the federal government for acceptance of a person into this deferred action program shall satisfy specified requirements for the purposes of being authorized to receive an original driver's license from the Department of Motor Vehicles, as described. This bill would provide that these provisions also apply for the purposes of being authorized to receive a California identification card. (3) Existing law provides for unemployment compensation benefits to eligible persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Existing law establishes the Unemployment Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for the receipt of employer contributions and the payment of employment compensation benefits. Existing law makes it a crime for a person to commit various acts, including making or signing a false statement or supplying false information in connection with obtaining unemployment benefits, as specified. Existing law provides that unemployment compensation benefits, and other related benefits, as specified, shall not be payable on the basis of services performed by a person who is not a citizen of the United States, unless that person is an individual who was lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time the services were performed, was lawfully present for purposes of performing the services, or was permanently residing in the United States under color of law at the time the services were performed. This bill would provide that, to the extent authorized by federal law, if a person has received a notice of decision from the federal government granting deferred action under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and if that person performed the services while he or she was in receipt of a valid employment authorization from the federal government, he or she is a person who was lawfully present for purposes of performing the services and is eligible for unemployment compensation benefits, as specified. (4) The bill would state that the provisions of the bill are declarative of existing law. (5) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.