Monthly Archives: June 2013

Guess Who’s Coming to Our Annual Conference!

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MichelleObamaThat’s right, First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama will join the NCLR familia in New Orleans next month at our 2013 NCLR Annual Conference.

The Conference this year, themed “Rise as One,” title-sponsored by Toyota and Walmart, will feature more than 60 workshops, four town halls, five key meal events including the Latinas Brunch and the NCLR Awards Gala and multiple networking opportunities. It also features a list of other impressive speakers including legendary entertainer Rita Moreno, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, W.K. Kellogg Foundation President and CEO Sterling Speirn, Telemundo news anchors José Díaz-Balart and María Celeste Arrarás, Girl Scouts of America CEO Anna Maria Chávez, baseball great Minnie Miñoso and many more.

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Healthcare.gov Gets a Face Lift

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HealthCaredotgovPicOctober 1, 2013.  Remember that date.  Write it down.  Commit it to memory.  Why? Because that’s when health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will become available across the country and states will begin signing people up for health insurance.  Efforts are already under way to provide consumers with greater accessibility through online technology, including a web portal that allows people to choose their insurance and get information on affordability.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) just relaunched its health reform website to provide resources that make us better consumers as we shop for health insurance.

The relaunch of www.healthcare.gov couldn’t come at a better time.  An April 2013 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found that 42% of Americans are unaware that the ACA is still law.  Some of that confusion may be due to the politics of the ACA.  Nonetheless, if the Kaiser Poll results are any indication, there is a lot of work ahead to raise awareness of the law and help those who are eligible enroll—especially Latinos.

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In Puerto Rico, Mixed Reviews on Child Well-being

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The 2012 KIDS Count Puerto Rico Data Book is out and it reveals some mixed news for our Puerto Rican youth. It focuses on youth 18 and under and measures trends in demography, health, education and socioeconomic well-being. According to the report, economic circumstances that have a direct impact on children continue to worsen on the island, but there have been improvements made in the teen birthrate, the percent of premature births and the infant mortality rate.

Find out more about Puerto Rico and all 50 states or use the widget above.

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Tell Your Senator to Vote YES on Leahy 1183!

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April10_Leahy1183amendmentpicLate this afternoon, the Senate will vote on a critical amendment that could decide the future of immigration reform. The vote is on Leahy amendment 1183, which includes an agreement negotiated by a group of senators including Senator Corker (R–Tenn.) and Senator Hoeven (R–N.D.). This amendment represents a compromise that will allow for a strong bipartisan vote on the legislation in the Senate and send a strong signal to the House.

Call (877) 746-2575 now and tell your senators to vote YES on Leahy amendment 1183!

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Trying to Survive Our Broken Immigration System

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By Jessica Sanchez Rodriguez, ACTION Institute N.C.

Jessica Sanchez PhotoI have spent more than 99 percent of my life in the United States.  I may not have been born here, but it’s the only country I have ever known, and I feel I am an American.  It wasn’t my choice to be born disabled in another country.  Now I am 18 years old and can’t get the surgery I need to save my life.

Currently, aspiring Americans like me are not eligible for assistance programs, such as nonemergency Medicaid, or the economic support to purchase coverage through state health marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act.  The Senate’s immigration bill would extend this ban to immigrants who qualify for provisional legal status.  Worse, immigrants would be banned from these programs and benefits for ten years, despite paying into them with their taxes.

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This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending June 21

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Week Ending June 21

This week in immigration reform: the Senate is ready to move to a final vote on S. 744 after it agrees on a significant border security amendment, the product of a hard-fought compromise that comes at the cost of excessive border security but maintains a road to citizenship; meanwhile, a select group of House members choose to take a markedly different approach by advancing ill-advised legislation that would give states the authority to create a chaotic patchwork of Arizona-copycat immigration laws; stay tuned to NCLR’s blog and follow NLCR on Twitter for the latest updates on the Senate and House processes; also this week, the Congressional Budget Office publishes its cost estimate for the Senate bill and announces that S. 744 will reduce the deficit; and NCLR staff and Affiliates organize community leaders to call Senate offices urging senators to stand by S. 744 and maintain a real and accessible path to citizenship, while also helping new citizens register to vote, meeting with members of Congress, and rallying in support of reform.  NCLR kept the community informed in a busy week for immigration, with staff quoted in stories by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, as well as pieces by the Associated Press and MSNBC.

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