National Hispanic Leadership Agenda Issues Congressional Scorecard
PRESS RELEASE
Members of the 113th Congress to be Scored on Immigration, Economic Issues, and Votes to Confirm Latino Nominees
Washington, D.C. – Today the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation’s premier Latino advocacy organizations, released to the press an advance copy of its Congressional Scorecard for the 113th Congress, covering how Congress performed on issues that impact the Latino community. The scorecard considers 15 votes in the House and Senate on immigration and economic issues as well as five additional Senate votes on confirmation of Latino presidential appointees. The document also includes an addendum assessing votes in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on immigration reform.
A live-stream video of the event — which also includes leaders’ responses to the President’s recent decision to delay executive action on immigration reform — can be viewed at nationalhispanicleadership.org.
Following today’s press event, NHLA leaders who spoke at the event made the following statements:
“Time and again, the issues that matter to the Latino community receive nothing but lip service from our elected officials. Promises and assurances that our issues matter to our leaders are followed by no real actions. That is why we believe this scorecard is so important. It explains how Members of Congress acted when it came to helping struggling families, bringing justice to our immigration system, and ensuring our community is represented in government,” said Hector Sanchez, Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.
“We must make sure that what happened to our community in 2014 never happens again,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR. “That means that we must make sure that Latinos are becoming citizens, registering to vote, and going to the polls in every election, not just in presidential years. Only until we are a force to be reckoned with, in every election, will we stop being vilified or taken for granted.”
“The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is proud of our Latino appointments project which has recommended hundreds of outstanding Latino candidates for the President’s consideration,” stated LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “While we now have three Latinos serving in the cabinet, it is disappointing that many of our candidates are having to wait up to hundreds of days for Senate confirmation and that some in Congress failed to vote for a single one of the five nominations that we scored. In the NHLA scorecard the public will be able to see how their Senators voted when given the chance to confirm outstanding Hispanic leaders to important posts that ultimately influence public policy and shape the work of the federal government.”
“In 2012, the Latino voting community demonstrated that it cares deeply about critical policy issues and about holding elected officials accountable,” stated Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF President and General Counsel. “Elected representatives should be informed of the specific votes that matter to the Latino community, and the NHLA scorecard provides officials with that awareness.”
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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. For more information, please follow @NHLAgenda and visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org, LatinosUnited.org and latinoappointments.org.
[Photo by Speaker John Boehner/Flickr]
