Raised Bill No. 5451, introduced in the February Session, 2024, aims to enhance immigrant and multilingual learner access to state and local government by establishing the position of Advocate for Immigrant and Multilingual Learner Families within the Department of Education. The bill stipulates that the Commissioner of Education will appoint an individual who is either an immigrant or multilingual learner of at least sixteen years of age, or the parent, guardian, or familial caretaker of such an individual, to serve as the advocate. This advocate will be granted a minimum of ten minutes within the first hour of any State Board of Education meeting to report on issues concerning immigrants and multilingual learners. The advocate will not receive compensation but will be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred while performing their duties.

Furthermore, the bill requires that any school district with a total population containing at least two percent of immigrants or multilingual learners establish a similar advocate position. The superintendent of the local or regional board of education will appoint the advocate, subject to the board's majority approval. The appointed advocate will have the opportunity to report on relevant issues during board meetings, under the same conditions as the state-level advocate. Alternatively, a board of education may choose to establish a nonvoting seat for an individual with the same qualifications instead of appointing an advocate. The bill is set to be effective from July 1, 2024, and does not include any deletions from current law. The purpose of the bill is to ensure that immigrant and multilingual learner families have a voice in the education system at both the state and local levels.