WHEREAS, The How to Live in America Program, created by Community Communications, Inc., is an innovative program designed to teach non-English-speaking persons who have committed traffic and other minor offenses about the United States legal system; and

WHEREAS, The goals of the program are to generate a change of behavior among immigrants through increased awareness of general United States customs and laws, as well as specific legal issues such as bail bonds, warrants, and plea bargains; and

WHEREAS, The program assists immigrants in becoming productive members of society, and benefits the judicial process, by reducing repeat offenses; and

WHEREAS, The program creates awareness among immigrants of the serious consequences of breaking the law and how it can affect their lives in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The program presents information in a step-by-step format, with each aspect of the program presented in simple language so that it is easy for immigrants to understand; and

WHEREAS, In Eagle County, Colorado, where the program first began, recidivism rates among Latinos have dropped significantly for drunk driving, domestic violence, and for repeat occurrences of any type of violation; and

WHEREAS, The program has been implemented in Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and San Mateo Counties, and is successfully educating and guiding Latino and other non-English-speaking defendants through the judicial system, and providing basic information on United States laws, possible penalties, and consequences for breaking the law, as well as an important orientation to living in the United States; now, therefore, be it