Jan 6, 2014 - LATINO LEADERS URGE SENATORS TO SUPPORT EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS

PRESS RELEASE
January 6, 2014

LATINO LEADERS URGE SENATORS TO SUPPORT EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS
Votes May Be Included In NHLA's Congressional Scorecard

WASHINGTON, DC -- This afternoon the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 36 preeminent national Latino organizations in the country, sent a letter to the United States Senate urging each senator to support extending unemployment insurance benefits to the long-term unemployed. The organization announced that any associated votes may be included in NHLA's Congressional Scorecard for the 113th Congress.

Full text of the letter follows.

January 6, 2014

United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of the 36 leading Hispanic organizations in the United States, we respectfully urge you to support the extension of unemployment insurance benefits to the long-term unemployed and vote in favor of the bipartisan Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (S. 1845). Votes associated with this legislation and others that extend unemployment insurance benefits may be included in NHLA's Congressional Scorecard for the 113th Congress.

While the economy has been creating more jobs and unemployment has been falling, the harsh economic realities for many seeking employment remains, especially during cold winter months when energy costs increase, further squeezing already tight household budgets. An estimated 1.3 million job-seekers will be left in the cold if Congress does not act now to extend unemployment insurance benefits.

With Latino unemployment at 8.7 percent, above the national average of 7 percent, Latinos know the hardships of living through periods of unemployment. A timely extension of unemployment insurance benefits will be critical for many Americans, who have already been squeezed by multiple rounds of federal budget cuts in recent years, leading to less support for job training, child care, rental assistance, and education.

Thank you for considering our views and the needs of your Latino constituents as you make important decisions impacting the economic well-being of their families. For additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Melody Gonzales at (202) 508-6919 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sincerely,

Javier Palomarez Co-Chair, NHLA Economic Empowerment Policy Committee

Eric Rodriguez Co-Chair, NHLA Economic Empowerment Policy Committee

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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.latinosunited.org/faireconomy or www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda.