September 15, 2015 - HISPANIC LEADERS KICK OFF CAMPAIGN TO ENGAGE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON LATINO POLICY PRIORITIES

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

September 15, 2015

HISPANIC LEADERS KICK OFF CAMPAIGN TO ENGAGE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON LATINO POLICY PRIORITIES

NHLA Requests Meeting with Presidential Candidates to Lay Out Priorities on the Economy, Immigration Reform, Civil Rights and Other Issues

Washington, D.C. – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, today released a letter it sent to each candidate for the Democratic and Republican presidential nomination, detailing the policy priorities of the Hispanic community and requesting a meeting with each candidate. In a non-partisan effort, the letter kicks off a campaign to educate the candidates on the depth and breadth of issues that are important to Latinos. In it, the coalition identifies eight categories of recommendations that will help Latinos close gaps with the rest of the country's population on various socio-economic issues and representation in government, business, and media. NHLA has already begun scheduling meetings with various candidates and will make their responses public in the coming weeks.

“It is time to talk about real solutions and proposals. The Latino community is growing rapidly in the United States, both in population and in our contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of the nation. And yet, some presidential candidates have been more interested in seeing Latinos as a punchline or scapegoat than as voters. Our voters are eager to find a candidate who takes them seriously and is ready to invest in the economy, improve our schools and our immigration system, and defend our rights. We invite and fully expect the candidates to review our recommendations and meet with us to discuss their plans to address these issues,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

The letter details NHLA's policy positions in eight areas:

Budget: Advancing a fair federal budget that invests in our economy and shifts the burden of deficit reduction away from working families.

Economy: Ensuring that hard work pays off by reforming overtime rules, increasing the minimum wage, and supporting equal pay initiatives.

Immigration: Reforming our broken immigration laws and respecting the dignity of all immigrants.

Education: Holding states and school districts accountable for improving the educational outcomes of Latino and English learner students.

Healthcare: Continuing to implement the Affordable Care Act, which has dramatically reduced the rate of uninsured Latinos.

Civil Rights: Protecting our civil rights, as hate crimes, racial profiling, police abuse, and other forms of discrimination continue to take place far too often.

Voting Rights: Restoring and protect voting rights.

Public Service: Increasing the representation of Latinos in the federal workforce.

The complete letter can be found here:

http://nationalhispanicleadership.org/images/advocacy_letters/9-8-15_NHLA_Letter_Requesting_Meeting_with_Presidential_Candidates.pdf

###

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. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Teresa Acuña | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 508-6917 |

| Estuardo Rodriguez | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202)463-4806 |