2024 was a budget year for the Kentucky General Assembly.

During the session, state lawmakers earmarked more than $400 million for the University of Louisville.

Just over 1 million will go towards an immigration law clinic at U of L's Brandeis School of Law.

Republican lawmakers and Louisville business leaders say this will get more people into the workforce.

The shortage is really continuing to cause headaches for businesses and and creates operational challenges.

But it also hinders our ability as a regional economic development organization to attract new businesses.

We have to be able to fill the jobs that we have in order to attract new companies to the region.

The immigrant community represents the fastest growing demographic in our city, and they face unique barriers to work.

One of the biggest hurdles is obtaining the proper documentation to work through the U.S. immigration system.

You're talking about hundreds, if not thousands of people who get help in a workforce, who have a really good reputation for being very honest and having a good working thing.

So it made sense for us to partner with the university to create this, to create the legal capacity to have these individual who are here again, legally, to stay here, be here, and be productive.

It's anyone that has a chance for legal and document status to work here.

And we want to help them do that because we don't want them underground, not paying taxes, not being able to get a good job as a citizen that they are going to become.

It's not that we are processing hundreds of cases.

Our focus is on training the next generation of immigration law attorneys.

You, of all students, will work with newcomers and well-settled immigrants aiding those with temporary status to extend their stays and get work permits or helping permanent residents become citizens.

The clinic will not serve undocumented immigrants.

The program has state funding for five years.