October 1, 2018 - NHLA 2020 Hispanic Public Policy Agenda

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October 1, 2020

NHLA 2020 HISPANIC PUBLIC POLICY AGENDA

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Latinos are disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and consistently make up a larger share of COVID-19-related deaths in many states, when compared to other groups.

This disproportionate impact is one of the most important issues facing the nation’s largest minority group, and it is included in a comprehensive policy agenda that the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of more than 40 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, released today.

NHLA’s plan includes recommendations and a blueprint for addressing some of the long-standing issues facing the Latino community, as well as new concerns that have emerged in the wake of COVID-19 and the economic crisis affecting millions of households in the U.S., including Puerto Rico.

"NHLA proudly presents this agenda for a prosperous United States of the future," said Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Chair and MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) president and general counsel. "An inclusive nation that attends fully to the interests of the growing Latino community will thrive through policies that utilize and reward the talents and efforts of all its residents from all communities."

The pandemic’s toll on the Latino community reflects long-standing systemic inequities such as the lack of access to health insurance, inadequate safety protections for low-income workers, as well as the over-representation of Latinos in frontline jobs, including farmworkers, cleaning crews, and hospital support staff.

“The NHLA policy agenda is an American agenda that brings the major issues of our time into focus through the lens of the Hispanic community,” said Amy L. Hinojosa, President and CEO of MANA, A National Latina Organization. “With this information in hand, and the continual advocacy from our coalition and members, our expectation is that all policy recommendations by government -- from the White House to local municipalities -- take the more than 60 million Hispanics in the United States into account.”

COVID-19 is also driving up poverty. An estimated 59 percent of Latinos reported someone in their home had lost a job or had their pay cut as a result of the pandemic, compared to 43 percent of U.S. households overall, according to a survey done this summer by the Pew Research Center.

NHLA’s 2020 Public Policy Agenda sets out the following 10 areas as priorities for the Latino community through 2024:

Economic Security and Empowerment: Latinos continue to face a wealth gap as well as other financial obstacles. COVID-19 has further widened the gap, particularly as some segments of the community are excluded from receiving critical stimulus funds.
Education: Latinos comprise more than a quarter of all public K-12 students yet they continue to face hurdles accessing educational opportunities and resources. Those challenges may grow more acute as COVID-19 creates new issues resulting from distance learning.
Immigration: Despite a decrease in immigration from Latin America - with the exception of Central Americans who have been seeking a safe haven from violence - anti-immigrant fervor is on the rise. At the same time meaningful reforms to the nation’s broken immigration system remain unaddressed, creating uncertainty for many, including recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), farmworkers deemed essential workers, and mixed-status families struggling financially in the wake of COVID-19.
Government Accountability: NHLA is committed to improving the representation of Hispanics in the federal government career workforce, in appointments to state and federal political positions, and in federal procurement.
Civil Rights: Latinos continue to face institutional and purposefully discriminatory actions in the areas of the decennial census, criminal justice, the judiciary, and voting rights.
Environment and Energy: Latinos live in areas that are increasingly experiencing the devastating impacts of global warming, such as Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico, longer and stronger wildfires in California, flooding from sea-level rise in Florida, and historic drought and heatwaves in Texas.
Health: Latinos face barriers to healthcare, with many uninsured and unable to secure access to culturally and linguistically appropriate services. The lack of access has grown more acute in the wake of the pandemic, with Latinos unable to secure care, even as they face greater exposure because they are deemed essential workers.
Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico is home to over 3 million people who are denied some of the basic rights and federal benefits of citizens living on the U.S. mainland, despite paying billions of dollars in federal taxes each year. These issues are more acute given the island’s struggles to recover from devastating hurricanes, an ineffective federal response to the disasters, an overreliance on public debt by the local government, and the harsh austerity measures enacted in recent years.
Women: Latinas often encounter additional systemic barriers to advancement across all areas of life. Latinas too often face a gender pay gap, limited access to meaningful reproductive healthcare, inadequate protections against violence and sexual assault in immigration detention system, and more.
LBGTQ: The Latinx community in the United States includes at least 1.4 million lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adults and several hundred thousand children and youth. LGBTQ rights, however, vary greatly depending on the location of the workplace or residence. Some states and localities offer comprehensive protections against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, family relations, and credit, while others offer little or no protection at all.