Source: https://www.azag.gov/sgo-opinions/public-benefits-and-ars-%C2%A7%C2%A7-1-501-and-502?page=2
Timestamp: 2018-01-20 14:31:43
Document Index: 609986259

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1621', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1611', '§ 1611', '§ 1611', '§ 1611', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1611', '§ 1641', '§ 1642', '§ 435', '§ 41', '§ 41', '§ 41', '§ 1', '§ 1621']

Public Benefits and A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 | Page 3 | Arizona Attorney General
Public Benefits and A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502
I10-008 (R09-041)
Answer: “State or local public benefit” as used in A.R.S. § 1-502(A) includes grants, contracts and loans.
Does the term “person” in A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 apply to individuals only or to fictitious persons such as business entities as well?
Answer: The term “person” in A.R.S. §§ 1-501(A) and -502(A) is limited to individuals.
Do A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 apply to all employees, volunteers, contractors, sub-contractors and vendors alike?
Answer: The verification requirements apply to employees of government agencies and to private entities contracting with those agencies to determine eligibility. The reporting requirements and associated criminal penalties in subsections E of A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 apply to government employees of agencies who are administering public benefits.
If the State administers a benefit program funded by a private funding source, do the requirements in A.R.S. § 1-502 still apply?
Answer: The requirements of A.R.S. § 1-502 apply to state or local public benefits that are provided by state or local government even if they are funded through private sources.
How do A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 affect doing business with companies that are headquartered outside of the United States?
Answer: Because A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 apply only to natural persons, they do not affect companies headquartered outside the United States.
Does a permanent resident card qualify as an “employment authorization document” pursuant to sections A.R.S. §§ 1-501(A)(7) and -502(A)(7)?
Answer: Because lawful permanent residents are authorized to work in the United States, presentation of proof of lawful permanent residence would suffice as evidence of work authorization for the purposes of A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502.
Would including a section regarding compliance with E-verify in grant agreements demonstrate compliance with A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502?
Answer: Including a section in a grant requiring E-verify does not satisfy A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 because E-verify is for use by employers in hiring employees; it is not for use when verifying the immigration status of an applicant for a public benefit.
The documents listed in A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 do not appear to meet the requirements for providing federal and state public benefits, as defined in the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (“PRWORA”). Please provide guidance regarding compliance with current state statutes and PRWORA.
Answer: The documents listed in A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 do not all satisfy the citizenship or immigration status requirements that the federal government has established for public benefits other than Medicaid. The lists also fail to include other documents that would suffice for proof of U.S. citizenship or the required immigration status. For federal public benefits, agencies should comply with federal guidance to verify eligibility. For state and local public benefits, agencies should comply with A.R.S. § 1-502 and take additional steps as necessary to ensure that recipients of the benefits satisfy the eligibility requirements in 8 U.S.C § 1621.
Must the sworn affidavits required in A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 be notarized statements? If so, some agencies do not have notaries on staff and will be required to use notaries who may charge fees. Is it permissible to charge applicants or contractors the notarization fees?
Answer: Agencies must comply with federal requirements and limitations as to establishing eligibility for federal public benefits. For state or local public benefits, agencies may, but are not required to, obtain notarized statements as to the authenticity of documents presented. If the entity determining eligibility for the state or local public benefit decides to require a notarized affidavit, it may charge an applicant or contractor a notary fee not to exceed $2.00.
With regard to privacy matters, is it permissible to include the documentation and affidavits in the employee or applicant’s file? In other words, please provide guidance regarding storage and retention of the required documentation and affidavits.
Additionally, if federal law permits, state and local governments may accept alternate “documentation as specified in section 6036 of the federal deficit reduction act of 2005”(1) and related guidance as to “the elderly and persons with disabilities or incapacity of the mind or body.” A.R.S. § 1-501(C). Persons applying for federal public benefits are to “sign a sworn affidavit stating that the documents presented pursuant to subsection A are true under penalty of perjury.” A.R.S. § 1-501(D).
“Federal public benefit” is defined in subsection I of A.R.S. § 1-501 to have the same meaning as in 8 U.S.C. § 1611. In 8 U.S.C. § 1611, Congress specified that, with certain exceptions, “an alien who is not a qualified alien . . . is not eligible for any Federal public benefit.” “Federal public benefit” is defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1611(c) to include, with some exceptions:
Congress exempted certain federal public benefits from this eligibility requirement. See 8 U.S.C. § 1611(b)(1). These exceptions are described in Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op. I05-009.
State or Local Public Benefits and A.R.S. § 1-502
Failure to report discovered violations of federal immigration law by an employee of an agency of this state or a political subdivision of this state that administers any state or local public benefit is a class 2 misdemeanor. If that employee’s supervisor knew of the failure to report and failed to direct the employee to make the report, the supervisor is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.
(Emphasis added.) This language creates a duty for state and local government employees to report violations. See Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op. I10-004. The statutes do not mention volunteers, contractors, sub-contractors, and vendors administering benefits on behalf of the government. In general, courts will not look beyond clear and unambiguous statutory language to derive another meaning for terms. Calik, 195 Ariz. at 498, ¶ 10, 990 P.2d at 1057. Here, the statutes clearly state that “an employee” of the government agency that administers public benefits has a duty to report violations of immigration laws. A.R.S. §§ 1-501(E), -502(E). The statute does not extend this duty beyond employees.
IV. The Requirements of A.R.S. § 1-502 Apply to State or Local Public Benefits That Are Funded by Appropriated State or Local Monies.
You have asked for guidance regarding compliance with documentation requirements under A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502 and PRWORA. In general, to receive federal public benefits subject to 8 U.S.C. § 1611, a person must be a citizen or a qualified alien as defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1641. Although the federal government did not issue regulations pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1642 for verifying qualified alien status for a federal public benefit, as noted above, the Department of Justice issued Interim Guidance on the subject in 1997. The Interim Guidance addresses verification of U.S. citizenship and U.S. non-citizen national status (Attachment 4 to Interim Guidance) and qualified alien status (Attachment 5 to Interim Guidance). For many federal public benefits there are also program-specific federal statutes and rules governing verification of both citizenship and immigration status. The Interim Guidance continues to supplement program-specific laws and establish requirements for federal public benefit programs that do not have their own verification laws. The Interim Guidance specifically cautions that “[t]hese lists [of acceptable documents] are not exhaustive; you should refer to guidance issued by the agency or department overseeing your program to determine if it accepts documents or other evidence of citizenship not listed below.” 62 Fed. Reg. at 61,363.
In addition, since the issuance of the Interim Guidance in November 1997, Congress has added categories of immigrants to the qualified alien group(9) and determined that additional documentation is acceptable evidence of U.S. citizenship. Medicaid regulations reflect some of these modifications. See 42 C.F.R. §§ 435.406-.407. Therefore, states must follow federal verification requirements when determining eligibility for federal public benefits, unless Congress has given the states discretion to adopt different procedures.
For federal public benefit eligibility, however, agencies should ensure the eligibility process is consistent with any given federal public benefit’s statutes and rules.
You have also asked if state entities administering public benefits may charge applicants or potential contractors a fee for notarizing an affidavit.(14) Section 41-316(A) mandates the promulgation of rules establishing fees that notaries may charge for notarial acts. Pursuant to administrative rule, notaries may charge up to $2.00 per notarial act.(15) See Arizona Administrative Code (“A.A.C.”) R2-12-1102. Notaries may also assess expenses, including mileage and a per diem subsistence established for state employees. See A.R.S. § 41-316(B). Employers of a notary may not limit the notary’s services to customers or other persons designated by the employer. See A.R.S. § 41-312(C)(3). Employers may retain any fees collected by an employee notary during hours the notary works for the employer. See A.R.S. § 41-312(C)(2).
A state or local government entity administering state or local public benefits that chooses to require notarized documents may therefore assess up to a $2.00 fee per notarial act performed by its employees who are notaries if it wishes.
X. Government Entities Have Discretion as to Where to File Documentation Required by A.R.S. §§ 1-501 and -502.
Subsection I exempts “commercial or professional licenses, benefits provided by the public retirement systems and plans of this state or services widely available to the general population as a whole” from the requirements of that section.
Subsection (c)(2) of 8 U.S.C § 1621 exempts the following from the definition:
In the July 2010 Notary Public Reference Manual (“Notary Manual”) issued by the Arizona Secretary of State, notaries are advised that they need not charge any fee, but that if they do it should be done consistently.