WASHINGTON, DC –This morning the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of the 30 leading Hispanic organizations from across the country, released the 2012 Hispanic Public Policy Agenda at a Washington, D.C. news conference. The quadrennial document makes specific policy recommendations to all three branches of the federal government in the areas of economic security and empowerment, education, immigration, government accountability, civil rights, and health.

The report can be found here: http://nationalhispanicleadership.org/agenda/

The Hispanic community was the ethnic group hit hardest by the Great Recession. Nonetheless, Latinos have become foundation of our nation's economy, with the fastest growing number of small business owners, a growing labor force helping to rebuild our cities and infrastructure, and the promise of a next generation work force in the STEM fields as more Latinos are attending college than ever before. Today's Latino story is a reflection of the American Dream, but it will only continue with the respect and support of our nation's leaders as outlined in the agenda.

"The NHLA represents a unique coalition of the nation's top Latino advocates and is an effective platform to confront the challenges and obstacles that the Hispanic community faces on a daily basis. Already, there has been progress on some of the agenda's policy recommendations, including the continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the granting of deferred action for DREAM Act-eligible youth. This agenda represents our goals and aspirations for a better future. We seek to work with government, political parties, organizations and the public to make the aims of this agenda a reality. Latino priorities are, by definition, the priorities of the United States as a whole," said Hector E. Sanchez, Chair of the NHLA.

“HACU is pleased to be a part of NHLA’s 2012 Public Policy Agenda. As Hispanic students become the nation’s largest minority group in colleges and universities and the overwhelming majority of new entrants to the American workforce, addressing the persistent achievement gaps in education remains a critical priority," said Dr. Antonio Flores, CEO of Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

“At this critical time, it is important to re-invigorate our nation’s Workforce Development System to help the millions of Americans trying to rejoin the job market," said Ignacio Salazar, President and CEO SER-Jobs for Progress National Inc.

“As the leading organization working to improve the lives of Hispanic older adults, their families, and caregivers, NHCOA is honored to join NHLA's efforts to make a lasting impact on our country's public policy. In particular, the NHLA's health policy recommendations to promote health equity can have a positive and lasting impact on Latino older adults, the Hispanic community, and the entire country," said Dr. Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA).

“NHLA’s 2012 Public Policy Agenda is an excellent resource for anyone that seeks to understand the challenges and aspirations of the Latino community, including the harms of hateful rhetoric in our media," said Alex Nogales, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC).

"The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators cares deeply about advancing the social and economic needs of the communities our members represent. We add our support to this report as it contains consensus views for our community," said David Ferriera, Executive Director of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL).

"NACOPRW is proud to collaborate with NHLA and its unveiling of its 2012 Policy Agenda, as it strives to ensure that the policymakers have the pulse of the Hispanic Community. Government accountability and the severe under representation of Hispanics in the Federal Government is one of NACOPRW's main area of concern," said Vilma Colom, National President National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. (NCPRW).

"As champions on issues like economic development, Hispanic inclusion in the federal government, education, health, and civil rights, NHLA's new agenda represents the blueprint of our community. The National Puerto Rican Coalition is proud to be part of NHLA," said Rafael Fantauzzi, President and CEO for NPRC.

"In order for our nation to thrive in these challenging times, Latinos – the second-largest population group in the United States – must be active and engaged in the American political process. With our NHLA colleagues, we look to policymakers to facilitate full Latino political participation by ensuring that naturalization is an affordable and accessible process; that every citizen can freely exercise the right to vote; and that the Census Bureau has the resources it needs to accurately document the growth and strengths of Latinos and all Americans," said Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund.

"We applaud the leadership of the NHLA in putting forth policy recommendations on health reform access, prevention, and workforce to Improve the health of Hispanics in the US which is so critical to have a more productive society," said Elena Rios, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association.

“The NHLA Latino Public Policy Agenda presents the Presidential candidates with a comprehensive set of critical issues confronting the 56 million Latinos in the United States today. The product of the combined policy agendas of 30 of the leading Latino civic organizations in the country, it represents an important challenge to rebuild the America of equal opportunity that Latinos and so many others have struggled so hard to achieve,” said Angelo Falcón, President of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP).

In the weeks following the official Washington, D.C. release of the 2012 Hispanic Public Policy Agenda, NHLA leadership will bring their recommendations directly to lawmakers and party leaders with presentations during the national party conventions. The presentation at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. will take place at the Straz Center on Monday, August 27, at 2:30 p.m. The presentation at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. will take place at the Bechtler Museum on Tuesday, September 4, at 10:30 a.m. For media inquires about these events, contact Estuardo Rodriguez at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..