Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Recruiting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate moves bill to allow qualified noncitizens and dispatchers in peace-officer roles, adds training clarification
Summary
The Senate advanced a substitute to SB102 to include dispatchers under peace-officer training statutes and to remove a strict citizenship requirement for some roles, allowing permanent residents with five years' residence and legal work authorization to apply after meeting POST requirements.
The Senate adopted a substitute to SB102 and moved the bill to the third-reading calendar. Sponsor Senator Maine said the change adds "dispatchers" into the protective-classification of safety officers covered by the bill and removes a statute provision that required citizenship for certain positions.
Maine described cases where noncitizen residents, including Deferred Action/DREAMer-era residents, are otherwise qualified and have completed university and training requirements but were blocked from employment due to a citizenship requirement. The substitute sets requirements for eligibility: permanent-resident status for five years and legal authorization to work in the United States, plus the existing POST training and background checks. Supporters framed the change as a diversity and recruitment measure; no organized opposition was reported on the floor.
Senator Iwamoto and other senators spoke in support, recounting constituent stories and messages urging the change. The substitute was adopted in a unanimous or near-unanimous vote and the bill was moved to third reading.
