Jan 29, 2014 - NHLA: PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION PRIORITIES WILL EXPAND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL HISPANIC FAMILIES

PRESS RELEASE
January 28, 2014

HECTOR SANCHEZ: PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION PRIORITIES WILL EXPAND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL HISPANIC FAMILIES
Reducing Income Inequality, Effectively Implementing Affordable Care Act, Passing Immigration Reform Will Strengthen Hispanic Community

Washington, D.C. -- Hector Sanchez, Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Last week NHLA, a coalition of 36 preeminent national Latino organizations in the country, sent a letter to the President urging him to focus on seven priorities in the address: immigration, the economy and budget, education, health, Latino inclusion in the federal government, voting rights, and support for Latino Veterans. Full text of the letter can be found here.

Hector E. Sanchez, Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, stated:

“Tonight, President Obama made a forceful argument for maximizing the potential of America by expanding opportunity for all. Like the president, NHLA has been calling for a pro-growth economic strategy with investments in education -- especially our Hispanic Serving Institutions, job training and small businesses that create the types of jobs that enable families to achieve the American dream. Successive rounds of budget cuts and sequestration have constrained our nation’s ability to invest in job creation. Now that the deficit is on the decline, talk of further cuts should be off the table. It’s time to invest in our future again.

“The President’s announcement that new federal contractors will need to abide by a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour will ensure many Latino workers have a living wage, and will be especially important for Latinas who earn only 55 cents of each dollar that a man is paid, resulting in an average loss of $23,298 in wages each year. The President is right: women deserve equal pay for equal work.

“The President said that America does not stand still and that neither will he; that wherever and whenever he can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity, he would do so. As we wait with growing impatience for Washington to reform our nation’s immigration laws, we welcome the President's support, and respectfully call on him to use his executive powers, which he is using to advance other priorities, to prevent more families from being ripped apart by arbitrary detention and deportation policies. More than five out of every six immigrants who have been deported are non-criminal, and over 5,000 American children have been sent into foster care because their parents were deported. This needs to stop.

“The President also addressed the Affordable Care Act. While it had a very rocky roll-out, the fact is that it is providing life-saving health insurance coverage to millions of previously uninsured and an historic opportunity to reduce Latino health disparities. We still have a long way to go and will be counting on the Administration’s strong partnership to do all it can to enroll the 10 million eligible uninsured Latinos into quality, affordable health insurance plans.

“The inclusion of so many inspiring Latinos in the First Lady’s box sent a positive message about the contributions our community makes to the nation. The appointment of qualified Latinos to senior government positions provides a lasting opportunity to send a similarly positive message year-round -- not just for one evening. This is especially needed as Latinos are by far the most under-represented population group in the federal government. We look forward to working with President Obama and the Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta to improve Latino inclusion across the federal workforce through executive action.

“The President’s endorsement of the bipartisan Sensenbrenner-Conyers bill to restore voting rights protections is welcome, as is the President’s recognition of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the need to do right by our veterans. And while the Voting Rights Amendment Act marks significant progress on this issue, we believe there is room for improvement.”

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Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. Earlier this year, NHLA launched the Latinos United for a Fair Economy campaign. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

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