Refugee Fund Gains Widespread Support

Feb 18, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) Good Samaritans could soon have the option to donate money directly to Utah's burgeoning refugee population. Representative Christopher Herrod, a Provo Republican, is running a bill to create a fund to help meet the needs of refugees.

"Refugees are legal immigrants, although they're a little bit different than traditional immigrants in that they do not have sponsors, or a family member. And they do not have a choice of where they want to go -  the U.S. places them," Herrod says. "And we have a growing refugee community in Salt Lake City."

The refugee fund is the result of a task force organized by Governor John Huntsman and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon to determine how the state can better serve the needs of refugees. Representative David Litvak, a Salt Lake County Democrat, says the refugee fund is critical to help the large number of refugees living in his district.

"These are individuals who are forced out of their home for reasons of genocide, political retribution," Litvak says. "And so I really think looking at House Bill 336 as a way that we welcome them to our community and help the refugee community succeed."

The fund will activate immediately after the bill is signed by the Governor. While this is expected, HB 336 must first go to the Senate for consideration. There, it is likely to gain widespread support, as it did in the House Friday, when it received a unanimous vote of approval.

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