JACL LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Updates on Immigration Reform

Since the last DC Digest, there has been a lot of progress and momentum in the Immigration Reform movement. This includes the introduction of a racial profiling bill in Arizona, marches in almost every U.S. city coming up on May 1, and several U.S. Senators stepping up on Immigration Reform. Read more below.  

Racist Arizona Law
 The Arizona legislature passed the "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act" (SB 1070) which would require police to check a person's immigration status if they think that person is in the United States without documentation.  This bill, if it becomes law, will likely affect not only unauthorized immigrants, but all immigrants, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans in general. This will without doubt lead to racial profiling and harassment. The JACL strongly opposes this legislation calls upon Arizona Governor Brewer to Veto the bill.
Take one minute to ask Governor Brewer to veto this bill: Click Here
Read More: Click Here

 Marches Around America
The JACL encourages you to march on May Day in support of passing immigration reform this year. Every day that Congress and the Obama Administration do not pass comprehensive immigration reform, millions of families and communities suffer as the nation's economy and security have the opportunity to be improved.

On May Day tens of thousands of people will attend hundreds of marches all across the country. All of us, immigrants and native-born citizens, will be united to show the world that this country needs comprehensive immigration reform now.
 
Find a march near you: Click here
 

Senators Taking on Reform

This week, President Obama called Senator Scott Brown asking him to take on immigration reform. Senator Brown is the Republican whose special election prevented Democrats from moving on health care at the beginning of the year. Read more here: Click here

Senator Richard Lugar (Republican-Indiana) and Richard Durbin (Democrat-Illinois) asked the Obama administration to hold off on removing immigrants who could earn legal status under the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would allow qualifying undocumented youth to have a pathway to citizenship after completing a college degree or serving in the military for 2 years. Read more: Click here
 
Before the March for America last month which turned out 200,000 supporters, Senators Schumer (Democrat-New York) and Graham (Republican-South Carolina) wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post about the pillars of the Compressive Immigration Bill they will try to push this year. Read the op-ed: Click here

With Democratic and Republican Senators moving on immigration issues around the nation, the JACL urges you to call your senator and ask them to take on immigration reform this year.

*THE DC OFFICE HAS MOVED!*
Come Visit Us at:
1850 M St. NW Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036

If you are trying to contact the office, please bear with us during our Transition.

Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act

Tuesday, President Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 which included the last bit of health care reforms for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed last week. However, the bill's title also emphasizes another important issue for the Obama Administration: Education. Hence the reason why the signing of the bill was at Northern Virginia Community College, where the Vice President's wife, Jill Biden teaches English.

As reported in the New York Times,  "the new law will eliminate fees paid to private banks to act as intermediaries in providing loans to college students and use much of the nearly $68 billion in savings over 11 years to expand Pell Grants and make it easier for students to repay outstanding loans after graduating. The law also invests $2 billion in community colleges over the next four years to provide education and career training programs to workers eligible for Trade Adjustment aid."

Here are some things in the bill that will specifically help the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community:

• The maximum for the federal Pell Grant, which helps to fund a lot of college students, will be raised from $5,550 to $5,975 by 2017 and the law will provide 820,000 more grants by 2020. According to the Department of Education (DOE), an estimate of 40,000 additional Pell Grant awards would be made to Asian American and Pacific Islander students due to the changes in the law.

• Starting in 2014, there will be measures to help the loan repayment program to be more generous for new borrowers. It will cap their loan repayment at 10% of their discretionary income. According to the DOE, between 2014 and 2020, more than 50,000 AAPI's are expected to qualify for this expanded program.

• The bill will designate $50 million to America's Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) in mandatory funding over ten years. The funding can be used to renew, reform, and expand programming to ensure that students at these colleges and universities are given every chance to live up to their full potential.

Click here for a PDF version from the White House about hwo the bill will help AAPIs

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation Presents:
The 12th Annual Cherry Blossom Freedom Walk
Event to Honor Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and Former Secretary Norman Mineta
The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation

This Saturday, April 3, 2010
At the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism
Located at the intersection of Louisiana and New Jersey Avenues and D Street NW.

Check-in starts at 9:00AM and the opening ceremony begins at 9:30AM
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A Message from CMS about their NEW Online Medicare Application

Americans who want to apply for Medicare now can do so online at: www.socialsecurity.gov. 

Simply select the "Retirement/Medicare" link in the middle of the page.  The whole process can take less than 10 minutes.


To help promote this new online application, Social Security has reunited the cast of The Patty Duke Show for a series of public service announcements. Watch these entertaining and informative spots at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly

Click here for a PDF of version of how to use the online application
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Summer Internship Opportunity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) was able to work with the Department of Energy (DOE) to enter into another Interagency
Agreement (IA) for this year under their Minority Education Institution
Student Partnership Program. 

Positions involve scientific research or a focus on policy, business, and government relations. All internships include paid lodging, round trip airfare, and monetary compensation.

The program will start on May 28 and end on August 6, 2010. For more information, please visit http://www.doeminorityinternships.org.
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GoodSearch: Search and Shop to Benefit the JACL

You can help the JACL raise funds by using www.goodsearch.com (powered by Yahoo) to do your searches and to shop online.  Just go to the Goodsearch website and sign up with the Japanese American Citizens League as the nonprofit for which you do your searches.  A GoodSearch toolbar may be downloaded to your computer to make it easy to search and shop to benefit the JACL.  Thanks in advance to all who are helping in this effort!

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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account! Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:

• RT @nytimes: Obama Signs Bill on Student Loans and Health Care http://nyti.ms/d6vY5S
• Beginning in late April to July, Census workers will visit households that have not responded to the Census by the deadline.
• We're moved into our NEW office! 1850 M st. NW Suite 1100 !
• RT @whitehouse: It's officially Census Day: See a pic of Obama filling out his form in the Oval and learn more http://bit.ly/dpU2Qh
• If you've been trying to call our office, please bear with us with call fwd-ing. Emailing is the way to go! For now inouyefellow@jacl.org

Census Short Story #20/20: It's Not Too Late! Mail It Back!

Across the nation, April 1, 2010 was celebrated as 'Census day.' Although April 1, 2010 was coined 'Census Day' it was not the deadline to mail in your form. You still have from now until April 15 to mail it back.


The Census Bureau is strongly encouraging everyone to turn in their form by mail. According to the Bureau's director, Robert Groves, if everyone is to turn their form in by mail, it will save the federal government over $1 billion dollars. Rather than spending about $1 billion dollars to fund Census workers to count unresponsive households, the Bureau would be required to give back the unused funds to the Department of Treasury which it turn would be used on other important government spending.


Addresses that still have not responded will be visited in person by a census worker beginning in late April through July. (Census workers can be identified by a census badge and bag.)  If you don't want a census worker to visit you, fill out and mail back your census form by April 15, 2010!

Health Care is Passed!

Last night concluded the last vote pertaining to health care when both the US Senate and the House of Representatives passed the reconciliation bill with a vote of 56-43 in the Senate and a vote of 220-207 in the House. The Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 is expected to be signed by President Obama sometime next week which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed by the President earlier this week. The reconciliation legislation includes not only health care measures, but also provisions to reconstruct and expand student loan programs such as the Pell Grants.

Here is a quick breakdown of what will take into effect within the next 6 months:

Effective Immediately upon Enactment

• Small businesses will be provided tax credits of up to 35% of premiums to make employee coverage more affordable
• Seniors will be provided a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the drug prescription "donut hole" in 2010.

 
Effective after 90 Days:

• For families who are uninsured and could not receive insurance due to pre-existing conditions, they will have access deemed through a temporary high risk pool

 
Effective after 6 months:

• No health plans will be able to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions (Beginning in 2014, this will apply to all)
• Health plans will be required to allow young persons to be under their parents' insurance plan until their 26th birthday.
• Health plans will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they are sick
• Health plans will be banned from placing lifetime caps on coverage
• There will be tight restrictions on new insurance plans' use of annual limits to ensure access to needed care. These tight restrictions will be defined by HHS

Click here for the full Document from House Majority Leader Hoyer's Office

The JACL thanks Congress and the White House for working tirelessly on health care reform and will work closely with them to ensure effective implementation. 

JACL Marches for America in Washington, D.C.

On Sunday, March 21, the JACL joined a massive crowd of 200,000 strong in the March for America to demand Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) from President Obama and Congress in 2010. JACL members from DC, Seattle, Chicago, and Philly carried signs saying "JACL Supports Immigration Reform", "4th Generation 4 Reform", and "Nisei for Reform".

The days following the March, the JACL along with a coalition of national AAPI organizations delivered 1,500 postcards to 32 U.S. Senate offices for a national lobby day. They  urged Congress to reform the family immigration system which affects many AAPI family members.

National Executive Director Floyd Mori stated, "Japanese and Chinese Americans have known the trials and tribulations of a faulty immigration system that actually excluded them from citizenship.  Today, new immigrants face similar discriminatory issues of the past.  It is time we understand that most of us are from immigrant stock and that the productivity of this nation is built upon the dreams that motivated them to come to this country of opportunity."

For more photos, please go to JACL's Picasa Album. (Thanks to Kris Ikejiri, DC Chapter, and Misha Tsukerman, Asian American Justice Center, for sharing their photos!)

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

Cherry Blossom Festival

Tomorrow officially kicks off the Cherry Blossom Festival here in DC! Here are a few events worth noting:

National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day
Kick off cherry blossom season with lots of crafty, kid-friendly activities.
National Building Museum
401 F St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-547-1500

Smithsonian Kite Festival
One of the opening events of the annual Cherry Blossom madness, the kite festival is a yearly reminder that spring has come.
Washington Monument
15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC | 202-485-9880

Target Performance Stage at the National Cherry Blossom Festival
Live entertainment, from traditional Japanese dance to local musicians, is offered every day at noon as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Sylvan Theater
15th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC

The Art of Gaman
A showcase of arts and crafts created by the Japanese kept in internment camps during World War II.
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC | 202-633-1000

Click here for a full listing from the Cherry Blossom Committee website
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GoodSearch: Search and Shop to Benefit the JACL

You can help the JACL raise funds by using www.goodsearch.com (powered by Yahoo) to do your searches and to shop online.  Just go to the Goodsearch website and sign up with the Japanese American Citizens League as the nonprofit for which you do your searches.  A GoodSearch toolbar may be downloaded to your computer to make it easy to search and shop to benefit the JACL.  Thanks in advance to all who are helping in this effort!

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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account! Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:

• RT @huffingtonpost: Vicki Kennedy visited Ted's grave on day of historic health care vote http://huff.to/auEOLU
• RT @NJAMF: Register for our freedom walk here- http://www.ncbfreedomwalk.org/
• Watch the Presdient sign the Bill LIVE @ 11:15 am : http://bit.ly/19NzSg
• Salazar Announces National Park Service Will Waive Entrance Fees During National Park Week http://bit.ly/aqCvOD
• RT @FamiliesUSA: GREAT myths vs. facts on financing reform piece: http://www.cbpp.org/research/index.cfm?fa=topic&id=71

CENSUS SHORT STORY #19/20: WWW.FILLINOURFUTURE.ORG

The Asian-American community is one the most undercounted communities. For this Census, there are nationwide collective community efforts to ensure that the Asian American and Pacific Islander community will not be undercounted. One of the campaigns that is leading Asian American outreach is www.fillinourfuture.org. This website has the most up-to-date comprehensive Census Outreach materials for Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities.


There are multiple in-language resources available for download and print. The website has an inclusive resource center for every AAPI community from Bengali to Vietnamese. This website is very user-friendly and has labeled tabs for easy access to all information.


If you have any questions and concerns about the Census - maybe confused about who should be head of household in a biracial family? Or, where do college students count if living away from home? - Please do not hesitate to visit this site for answers and please spread the word among friends and family! 

Health Care Update: The Final Push

Today marked a historic day for Inouye Fellow, Jean Shiraki as she got to shake President Obama's hand at his "Final March for Health Care Reform" event before the big vote this weekend. Held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, the event was the last of multiple health care events (such as the ones in Ohio and Missouri) that the President has been holding for the past week.

Lots of activity spurred on Capitol Hill this week when the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its report on the health care bill yesterday, and reported that the the bill would approximately cut the federal deficit by $130 billion over the next ten years. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced later that day that that the House will convene on Sunday to vote.  In the late evening, the reconciliation bill was also released which is a group of amendments by the House in reference to the Senate Health Care bill.

Click here for a side by side comparison of the Senate Bill and the Reconciliation Measures

As we wind down to the last grind, the process of how the bill will be voted on Sunday is still being decided on, and then Washingto Post breaks it down in simple terms:

The House will probably vote Sunday on the health-care reform bill approved by the Senate in December, plus a separate package of changes negotiated by the two chambers that is designed to make the bill more palatable to House Democrats. (Reconciliation package)

The JACL can only hope that Congress will see health care reform to the end, and will be anxiously awaiting what happens on Sunday.

2 Days Until the March for America

On Thursday, the JACL and the Asian American Justice Center hosted an API (Asian Pacific Islander) Poster Making Party to prepare for the Sunday, March 21 March for America. There were about 25 people from different local and national organizations who used their time, talent, and creativity to make dozens of API friendly posters. The posters will be distributed at Sunday's March for America during the API pre-rally in DC's Franklin Park at noon.

Some posters read "Change Takes Courage" and "Reform Immigration Now" in Korean, Urdu, Chinese, and Tagalog, along with English. Groups wish to show the diversity of the API community and our need for reform to the nation. Posters made by JACL Executive Director, Floyd Mori, and JACL Mineta Fellow Phillip Ozaki, said, "Nisei for Reform" and "4th Generation 4 Reform" respectively.

Like any good party, there was a lot of fun and energy as we build momentum to demand immigration reform from President Obama and Congress during the March for America: Change Takes Courage.

Check out more pictures at JACL's Picasa Page

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

MARCH FOR AMERICA: MARCH 21

This Sunday, we will march in Washington, DC to demand immigration reform. People from all across America will lend their voice in the fight for reform. We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America - for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security.

Join thousands from across the country in the March For America in DC on March 21st, and demand Congress to act NOW to pass immigration reform and move quickly to put all Americans back to work

Where: Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
When: March 21st, 2010 - Interfaith Service at 1:00 pm, March at 2:00 pm

http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/
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GoodSearch: Search and Shop to Benefit the JACL

You can help the JACL raise funds by using www.goodsearch.com (powered by Yahoo) to do your searches and to shop online.  Just go to the Goodsearch website and sign up with the Japanese American Citizens League as the nonprofit for which you do your searches.  A GoodSearch toolbar may be downloaded to your computer to make it easy to search and shop to benefit the JACL.  Thanks in advance to all who are helping in this effort!

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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account!

Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:

Census Short Story #18/20

The JACL Washington DC office encourages you to take part in the Census Week of Action from March 22 to 29 . We need help on the individual and chapter levels to make sure everyone is counted. Here are some highlights of why Chapters should get involved:

• The Census determines funding for local communities over the next ten years. If one person is missed, his/her region will lose $1300 over 10 years.
• JACL Chapters can use this as an opportunity to outreach about the census and contact their members. This benefits both the local community and the JACL Chapter
• The Washington DC office is available to help with your Chapter's Census outreach. Please contact us if you have any questions

How can I participate in the JACL Census Week of Action?
There are many ways to get involved with Census outreach work. A great way to outreach to a greater number without leaving home is through social media networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Mixi, J-Spot.

Another way to outreach from home is by phone banking, which any one individual or a group of folks get together and call members of the community to make sure they fill out their forms.  

If you prefer to outreach outside of home, you can table at events and hand out information or create your own event! Remember, we will be more than happy to assist in any of these local outreach efforts, so please don't hesitate to contact our office. 
Carla Pineda, JACL Census Intern or
Phillip Ozaki, Mineta Fellow
Office: 202-223-1240
census@jacl.org

Every little bit helps and every effort that everyone contributes is appreciated not only from JACL, but also the US Census Bureau and your local community. Census forms have been sent out- make sure EVERYONE counts.

Health Care Update

This morning, the White House announced that President Obama will be postponing his trip to Indonesia, Guam, and Australia to be present for the final push on health care reform. The Obama Administration has been pushing the House of Representatives to vote on the Senate health care bill and then a reconciliation bill (which includes adjustments or amendments) will be put on the floor later to be voted on.

As it has been in the past, the controversial issues that are taking time to resolve within the House of Representatives include abortion and immigration, and of course the huge question about whether the Senate bill will truly make health insurance affordable.

If you support health care reform and have not called your member of Congress, click here to quickly find your Representative's number. Please urge them to vote yes on health care reform and express why it is important to you.

Click here for the Organizing for America, the Final March for Reform site

A reminder from the Obama Administration about the Cost of Inaction-
  IF WE DO NOT PASS HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM:
Up to 17 million more people will be uninsured by 2019 than today. [1]

The average family's health care costs will nearly double by 2020, from $13,000 to $24,000 - meaning they'll be paying a quarter of their income toward health care costs. [2]

Insurers can continue the massive and arbitrary premium rate increases we've heard about recently - such as Anthem Blue Cross raising rates for customers in California by nearly 40%, and rates in Illinois going up by as much as 60%.

As many as 275,000 people could die prematurely over the next 10 years because they don't have health insurance. [3]

Health care costs will take up a staggering amount of our national budget. In 1960, it was 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), last year it was 17 percent. Costs will reach 21 percent of our economy by 2020 if we fail to act. [4]

Rapidly rising costs will make it harder for employers - particularly small businesses - to provide quality health insurance to employees, leading many to drop coverage or shift to plans that cover less. [5]

Even those who have insurance today will be less secure, and more likely to lose coverage if they switch jobs or lose their job due to rising costs on the individual market or being denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition. [6]
 
Sources:
1. http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411965_failure_to_enact.pdf
2. Commonwealth Fund, via NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/weekinreview/28abelson.html
3. Families USA, via NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/weekinreview/28abelson.html
4. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Blog/The-Costs-of-Failure.aspx
5. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Blog/The-Costs-of-Failure.aspx
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/opinion/07sun1.html?pagewanted=all

JACL OCA Leadership Conference

Tuesday afternoon concluded the annual JACL OCA Leadership Conference here in Washington DC sponsored by State Farm. Participants from all over the nation were educated on issues concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community along with learning about the legislative process that happens here in the nation's capital. One of the main hopes of the Conference is for the participants to learn more about social justice issues and go home to be leaders back in their communities at the grassroots level. Key panels included leaders from NCAPA (National Council on Asian Pacific Americans), various local coalition groups, and staffers from the hill. On Sunday night, the participants were fortunate to have dinner and hear from former Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta. The next night, Congressman Mike Honda, (D-California) another long time supporter of the Conference who is also the Chair of CAPAC (Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus) came and addressed the participants.

The group was also fortunate to visit the White House grounds and hear from key White House staff including Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Miya Chen, staff for Kiran Ahuja, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders, Benjamin Chang, Deputy Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs at the National Security Council , Ray Rivera, Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of the Interior , Shin Inouye, Director of Specialty Media in the White House, and Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu.

The Conference ended at Capitol Hill for visits to various congressional offices and also got to meet and and hear from Senator Daniel Inouye, Congresswomen Mazie Hirono, Madeleine Bordallo, and Judy Chu, and Congressmen Eni Faleomavaega, Mike Honda, and David Wu.

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

MARCH FOR AMERICA: MARCH 21

On the 21st of March, we will march in Washington, DC to demand immigration reform. People from all across America will lend their voice in the fight for reform. We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America - for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security.

Join thousands from across the country in the March For America in DC on March 21st, and demand Congress to act NOW to pass immigration reform and move quickly to put all Americans back to work

Where: Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
When: March 21st, 2010 - Interfaith Service at 1:00 pm, March at 2:00 pm

http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/
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GoodSearch: Search and Shop to Benefit the JACL

You can help the JACL raise funds by using www.goodsearch.com (powered by Yahoo) to do your searches and to shop online.  Just go to the Goodsearch website and sign up with the Japanese American Citizens League as the nonprofit for which you do your searches.  A GoodSearch toolbar may be downloaded to your computer to make it easy to search and shop to benefit the JACL.  Thanks in advance to all who are helping in this effort!

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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account!

Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:

• Thank you to all who made the JACL OCA Leadership Conference a success!
• RT @asiance: Intro to Asian American Studies now offered at Penn State | Asiance Magazine http://is.gd/a47Bn
• RT @whitehouse: #imtiredofseeing numbers like this one: http://bit.ly/bKiF5q -- If you are too then RT #8
• Listening in on a Families USA Conference call with White House Staffers on Health Care Reform
• RT @cnnbrk: President Obama gives $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award to 10 charities. http://on.cnn.com/9ml7lP

Census Short Story #17/20: LGBT Asian Americans

Because of the JACL's belief in the Constitution's guarantee that all citizens be protected equally under the law, the JACL in 1994 became the first non-gay national civil rights organization after the ACLU to support marriage equality for same-sex couples. This Census Short Story is about counting gay and lesbian families as the JACL believes everyone counts.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender members within our community should be able to be counted in the Census without feeling discriminated against since there is no category for sexual orientation. There are thousands of same-sex Asian American Pacific Islander couples and as many as half are raising children. The more we count in, the more we all benefit.

In the 2010 Census form, there is no question about sexual orientation, however same-sex families and couples will be counted, here's how:

Counting Same-Sex Families
The Census does not ask sexual orientation. The Census does ask about relationships and through this question, the Census counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners. The Census found that there are 565,000 same-sex couples in the United States, including married couples and unmarried partners.

Counting Biracial Same-Sex Couples
The census only counts mixed-race same-sex households if the person of color completes the form as Person #1. In an unfortunate and complicated quirk in data collection, for same-sex couples where one partner is Asian and the other partner is not Asian, the Asian American partner should complete the form. Asian Americans are historically undercounted, and it is important to make sure this question does not allow us to be overlooked.

Counting Gender & Gender-Identity
The Census asks the sex of the respondent, but respondents may only check "male" or "female." People of transgender experience may select their preferred gender identity between the two, albeit, binary choices. Advocates are lobbying to add a "transgender" box for future government surveys.

For the Census, we ALL count. Be sure to fill out those forms and turn them in!

Health Care Update

Wednesday, President Obama called on Congress to act and to get health care reform done. While Republicans have reiterated time and again to reject the current bills and start over, the President and Democrats disagree on that approach. The President stressed that the American people are waiting for their leadership and he does not agree with the incremental change that the Republicans have proposed. 

To emphasize his true commitment to reforming the health insurance industry, President Obama made an announced visit to a meeting between insurance industry executives and his Health and Human Services Director, Kathleen Sebelius. The meeting was called to discuss the recent increased rates of premiums all over the country, one of the most notable ones being Anthem Blue Cross of California. The President has continuously stated that he believes that the true decisions of the patient should be in the hands of their doctors, not the insurance companies as all the health professionals in the room on Wednesday's event applauded loudly.

In terms of timing and process, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has stated that the Administration believes the House of Representatives can vote and pass the Senate approved health care bill in a couple weeks before the President leaves to Indonesia and Australia on March 18.  The House passing the Senate approved health care bill is one of the steps towards a highly buzzed process called, Reconciliation that the Republicans are completely against.  If the House votes and passes the Senate approved health care bill, then another "reconciliation" bill will include amendments and adjustments and that too will need to be passed, but most likely will come at a later time.

As the President stated on Wednesday:

So at stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem. The American people want to know if it's still possible for Washington to look out for their interests and their future. They are waiting for us to act. They are waiting for us to lead. And as long as I hold this office, I intend to provide that leadership. I do not know how this plays politically, but I know it's right. (Applause.) And so I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law.

The JACL will continue its efforts in health care reform and hope that Congress and the President will get it done soon.

Click here to watch the President's remarks on Wednesday
 Click here for today's Washington Post Article

Census Kick-Off Hosted at the Hill

WASHINGTON - On Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) hosted an event to officially kick off the 2010 Census countdown. Hoyer along with the Census Director, Dr. Robert Groves, and all three Congressional minority caucus leaders Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) for the Hispanic Caucus, Barbara Lee (D-CA) for the Black Caucus, and Mike Honda (D-CA) for Asian/Pacific American Caucus all emphasized the importance of everybody participating in the Census for the good of every community - "We are all in this together."

"An undercount", Hoyer said, will lead to insufficient resources for the community. "It goes from counting that one person," Hoyer said, "to having those dollars to meet the needs that one person creates for the community, 10 fold, 100 fold, 1,000 fold, 100,000 fold -- That's why the census is about community."

Every community is important and in this time of financial need, it is extremely necessary for everybody in the United States, regardless of citizenship status, to be counted.

A Common Experience

Deepa Iyer, Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) wrote an article featured in the Huffington Post yesterday entitled "Looking ahead to 9/11/2011: The Time for National Healing Begins Now." The article draws on the common experience of Japanese Americans during WWII and South Asians, Arab Americans, and Muslims after September 11. A few weeks ago, Japanese Americans around the nation attended Day of Remembrance events to remember those who were affected by President Roosevelt signing Executive Order 9066 and the inhumanity that resulted during the time. However, sometimes history tends to repeat itself as South Asians, Arab Americans, and Muslims are facing a new wave of discrimination.

With the Christmas Day attack last December, the Transportation Security Administration has issued new screening standards and anyone traveling from a list of 14 countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) to be screened further. The racial profiling that results from these policies are ineffective and discriminatory.

As Iyer states:

"As we come up on the ten-year anniversary of September 11th in 2011, Congress and the President can lead the way towards national healing and a return to our country's fundamental values by supporting measures and practices that will acknowledge and rectify the injustices of the past ten years.The movement towards national healing must begin now."

As always, the JACL will continue to works towards eliminating racial profiling and unjust discrimination that stands today.
Click here for the full Huffington Post Article

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

GoodSearch: Search and Shop to Benefit the JACL

You can help the JACL raise funds by using www.goodsearch.com (powered by Yahoo) to do your searches and to shop online.  Just go to the Goodsearch website and sign up with the Japanese American Citizens League as the nonprofit for which you do your searches.  A GoodSearch toolbar may be downloaded to your computer to make it easy to search and shop to benefit the JACL.  Thanks in advance to all who are helping in this effort!

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 MARCH FOR AMERICA: MARCH 21

On the 21st of March, we will march in Washington, DC to demand immigration reform. People from all across America will lend their voice in the fight for reform. We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America - for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security.

Join thousands from across the country in the March For America in DC on March 21st, and demand Congress to act NOW to pass immigration reform and move quickly to put all Americans back to work.

Where: Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
When: March 21st, 2010 - Interfaith Service at 1:00 pm, March at 2:00 pm
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/
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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account! Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:

• Our annual Leadership Conference with OCA starts this Friday! Getting last minute things done!
• RT @whitehouse: On tap: More "Education in Focus" Guest posts up from Chu, Salazar; 5:30 chat today with Duncan/ Barnes http://bit.ly/4BLAW5
• Attending a health care disparity panel on the hill with featured speaker, Senator Cardin
• President Obama's letter to leaders of Congress following up on Health Care Summit: http://bit.ly/bLpIic
• Tell 5 friends to join you in the nationwide march for Immigration Reform on 3/21 & get a free t-shirt : http://bit.ly/9llnDB
• On our way to a Census Kickoff Event hosted by Congressman Hoyer and Becerra at the Hill!
• RT @politico44: Kathleen Sebelius is demanding more transparency from insurers on rate increases. www.politico.com/politico44
• RT @huffingtonpost: 'Race To The Top' Finalists Named http://bit.ly/907Bls

Census Short Story #16/20: The Race Question

Did you know that in 1997, a federal task force recommended abandoning the idea of adding a multiracial classification on census forms? To not count for those of mixed race would not fully capture the cultural landscape of the United States as well as give inaccurate numbers of multiple communities. Racial minorities are historically undercounted and this would not help. Fortunately, the recommendation did not happen.

Here is what the 2010 Race Question looks like:

If someone is full Japanese or another Asian group, they can simply check off the correct box or write it in. What if someone is mixed race or ethnicity?

Those of mixed race/ethnicity are able to check more than one category in response to the race question. This allows, for example, a person who has a White parent and a Japanese parent to check both the White box and the Japanese box.

Although checking the multiple boxes for those of mixed race may seem simple, identity is not as easy as checking the box. The State of the JACL and numerous studies show the high rate of out marriage among Japanese Americans in the later generations. Here are concerns to be aware of:

• Mixed Race/Ethnicity: Those of mixed race/ethnicity are able to check more than one category in response to the race question. This allows, for example, a person who has a White parent and a Japaneseparent to check both the White box and the Japanese box. 
• Race and Head of Household:Counting a household is different from counting all the individuals in it. The census only counts mixed-race households if the person of color completes the form as Person #1. As Asian Americans are historically undercounted, it is important that mixed families report the person of color as the head of household.
• Racial Identity: Some mixed people may identify more with one part of their race than others and fill out incomplete data. In order to get an accurate portrait of the Japanese and all American community, it is important for mixed people to check off all appropriate boxes even if they do not identify with each category.
This Census Short Story is about how to fill out your form. The 2010 Census is in 4 weeks. Make sure you count!

Health Care Summit

Yesterday, the highly anticipated Health Care Summit was televised for all Americans to see how both political parties and President Obama view health care reform.  Although there were many differences, there were a few issues that the two parties actually found common ground on. Such issues include reforming the insurance market, helping small businesses get coverage, and addressing medical malpractice reform. However, how to actually address the issues may not be fully agreed on.

Republicans disagree with Democrats about how much the federal government should be involved in assisting families and small businesses getting insurance in the insurance market, which would eventually be the 'Exchange.' The current proposal in the Senate bill and also supported by the President is to allow States more control to assist in the matter, but Republicans are hesitant with this issue as well.  One of the biggest debates between the two political parties is to expand health care coverage to more Americans through expanding existing programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.  Republicans argue against expansion because of cost, and Democrats argue that it would actually reduce the deficit in the long run based on analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). There was also a lot of disagreement about insurance premiums where President Obama wanted to make very clear that the premiums would not rise, which is what Republicans have been arguing for quite some time. 

At the end of the day, Republicans stressed repeatedly that they would like to start over and work on incremental change in health care reform.  President Obama has made it clear that health care reform cannot wait and that American families cannot afford to suffer longer than they already have. There is a mixed review of whether or not the Summit was productive or not, but the national broadcast at least gave the American people a chance to see where the two political parties stand, united or divided. Nonetheless, the JACL will continue to support health care reform until it is passed, hopefully in the very near future.

Click here for video highlights of the Summit
Click here for multiple resources on the Summit from Families USA

2010 AAPCHO Conference and Gala

Tuesday, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) held their Conference, Cultivating Traditions of Wellness: Building Sustainable Health Care Homes here in Washington DC. The conference opened with keynote speaker, Dr. Howard Koh who is the first Asian American to be elected as the Assistant Secretary for Health for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). With participants coming from across the nation from government agencies to grassroots organizations, the conference focused on health care starting with community efforts.

During lunch, Kiran Ahuja, the newly appointed Executive Director for the White House Initiative on Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI), gave an update on how the Initiative is forming and asked groups for any feedback about what they believe should be key priorities for the AAPI community. Following the conference, the AAPCHO Gala featured Vice Admiral Regina Benjamin, Surgeon General as their keynote speaker. They honored  AlohaCare, a non-profit health plan that provides financial incentives to community health centers in Hawaii. In addition, AAPCHO honored Father Vien Nguyen from the Mary Queen Of Vietnam Community Development Corporation in New Orleans with their Organizational Leadership Award. The JACL worked with Father Vien after Hurricane Katrine and recently on Environmental issues and congratulates him on this award.

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

MARCH FOR AMERICA: MARCH 21

On the 21st of March, we will march in Washington, DC to demand immigration reform. People from all across America will lend their voice in the fight for reform. We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America - for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security.

Join thousands from across the country in the March For America in DC on March 21st, and demand Congress to act NOW to pass immigration reform and move quickly to put all Americans back to work

Where: Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
When: March 21st, 2010 - Interfaith Service at 1:00 pm, March at 2:00 pm
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/
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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account!

Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:

• Maryland decision to recognize same-sex marriages from other places
• RT @washingtonpost: Obama health-care proposal targets insurance-rate increases: http://bit.ly/bYvKIg #HCR #health
• At HCAN's health rally- RT @HCAN: Harkin: I'm not going to be the chairman that sees Ted Kennedy's dream die.
• RT @BarackObama: About to begin the bipartisan meeting on health reform. Watch live at http://j.mp/aIfX8t. #HCRMeeting Education Secretary
• Arne Duncan argues for direct student loans as a better way to invest in education: http://bit.ly/cIynZK #college

Really useful resource to understand the Health Care Summit from Families USA http://bit.ly/cUJHXK

Census Short Story #15/20: Concerns for Seniors

As people live longer, the U.S. population is rapidly aging. Among the older adult community, senior citizens (65+) account for 37 million of the population. This Short Census Story is about why we need to get our seniors counted and some problems they may have with filling out their forms.

Census data on age helps policy makers target funds and services to senior citizens. The following provides examples of how policy makers use census data to develop programs and allocate approximately $200 billion in federal funds: 

• State and county agencies use the data to forecast the number of people eligible for Social Security and Medicare;
• Planners use it to determine the number and location of hospitals, health service centers, and retirement homes;
• Funds are distributed through programs developed for people with disabilities and the elderly under the Rehabilitation Act;
• The Prevention of Elderly Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation program coordinates state and local adult protective efforts with other state and local service programs that focus on elderly abuse prevention and intervention;
• The Long Term Care Ombudsman Services for Older Americans program allows state and local long term care ombudsmen to speak and act on behalf of the residents of nursing homes by investigating nursing facility complaints and providing community support to those who often cannot speak or act on their own behalf.

Most seniors, who do not live on their own or with their adult children, usually live in nursing home facilities. In the 2000 Census, senior citizens living in nursing homes made up 1,557,800 of the population. How are nursing home residents counted? Similar to college students in dormitories, the Census Bureau considers nursing homes as "group quarters". Since they are under the care of trained staff who have responsibility for their safekeeping and supervision, the staff and census workers decide on ways to count those living in nursing homes.

Another concern for senior citizens is that they might forget to fill out their forms or might forget that it is a census year. Please remind our seniors to fill out their forms or help them fill it out. You can also call your Region Census Office for assistance. The importance of funding for seniors cannot be stressed enough.

There is a great need to take care of those who have come before us and funding programs makes it possible. The 2010 Census is in 5 weeks! Make sure everybody is counted! 

Search and Shop to Benefit the JACL

You can help the JACL raise funds by using www.goodsearch.com (powered by Yahoo) to do your searches and to shop online.  Just go to the Goodsearch website and sign up with the Japanese American Citizens League as the nonprofit for which you do your searches.  A Goodsearch toolbar may be downloaded to your computer to make it easy to search and shop to benefit the JACL.  Thanks to all who are helping in this effort.

A Day of Action for the Day of Remembrance

The 100th Battalion Infantry, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service tell a unique American story of patriotism and bravery during World War II. Congress has the opportunity to award these heroes the highest civilian medal in the country called the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. With the Day of Remembrance around the corner, we ask you to write your Senators and forward this Action Alert onto friends, especially in target states, on or around February 19, 2010.  Click below to download more information:
A Day of ACTION for the Day of Remembrance.doc

Health Care Update

As we countdown to next week's Health Care Summit, we must remember why health care reform needs to be accomplished soon. Recently, Anthem Blue Cross of California announced that its individual market premiums would rise by as much as 39 percent in the upcoming months.  When Secretary Sebelius of Health and Human Services (HHS)  asked for a public statement regarding the price hikes, Anthem delayed their cost rises for a couple months.

However, California is not the only state where insurance companies are requesting higher premiums. In Maine, Anthem is asking for a 23% increase while in 2009, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan requested a 56% increase, Regency Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon requested a 20% increase, UnitedHealth, Tufts, and Blue Cross requested 13-16% increases in Rhode Island, and Washington state increased up to 40%.

Again, Health Care Reform cannot wait! Taken from HealthReform.gov, Health Care Reform will:

• Place additional oversight on health insurance companies to ensure that people get value for the premiums they pay.
• End arbitrary limits placed on coverage by insurance companies.
• End insurance company discrimination.
• Create competition among insurers with a fealth insurance exchange
• Ensure value in our health care system.
• Lower premiums.

It has been announced by the White House that President Obama will post specific proposals for a comprehensive plan on the Internet by Monday, after being criticized for not being clear about what he wants in health care reform. We can only hope that next week's Health Summit will be a productive bipartisan meeting where Congress remembers why health care reform needs to be done soon.
Click here for the full update on Insurance Companies Report
Click here for Secretary Sebelius' thoughts on the Summit

Legal Perspectives of the Census

On Thursday, Mineta Fellow Phillip Ozaki attended a Legal Training on the Census for immigrants. The JACL co-sponsored the event held by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and discussed how immigration, security, and getting everyone counted in the 2010 Census are top priorities. More co-sponsored events will take place in various cities. If you would like to join or get your Chapter leaders involved, please contact minetafellow@jacl.org. Event details are below:

Legal Training on the Census:
Confidentiality, Rights, Responsibilities, and Benefits for Immigrants
Dates and Cities:
Thursday, Feb. 25 at 12 noon and 6 PM - San Francisco
Friday, Feb. 26 at 12 noon - San Jose
Monday, March 1 at 12 noon - Boston
Tuesday, March 2 at 12 noon - New York
Friday, March 5 at 12 noon - Philadelphia

Federal law states that census information is confidential.  At this legal training, AALDEF attorneys will provide:

• a legal analysis about the strength of the confidentiality protections, including a review of compliance efforts, enforcement mechanisms, and results of Freedom of Information Requests to the government
• legal procedures dealing with census employees who violate confidentiality
• an explanation of the confidentiality protections in light of the Illegal Immigration Reform Act of 1996 and USA Patriot Act of 2001
• the rights and responsibilities of community-based organizations in advising their clients to participate in the census
• the individual benefits for undocumented immigrants to participate in the census
• This training is for immigrant service providers, attorneys, and community leaders. CLE credits may be available.

AALDEF is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. AALDEF"s 2010 Census Project is designed to ensure a complete and accurate count of the nation's Asian American population.

Reception for Kiran Ahuja

Tuesday, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum's DC chapter (NAPAWF) hosted a reception at OCA National for the newly appointed Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), Kiran Ahuja. Housed in the Department of Education, the Initiative is still starting to restructure and decide on major priorities for the AAPI community. As of right now, the Advisory Commission is still in the process of being formed. The JACL looks forward to hearing the Initiative's goals and working with Kiran in the near future.

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

As a co-sponsor, the JACL would like to invite you to the
Annual Day of Remembrance at the Smithsonian Museum

To mark the 68th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt which led to the imprisonment of 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program welcomes award-winning playwright Philip Kan Gotanda and historian Dr. Scott Kurashige to the American History Museum stage.

Time:
Saturday, February 20, 2010, 2:00 p.m.

Location:
Carmichael Auditorium
National Museum of American History
14th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW

Metro:
Smithsonian
(Blue or Orange lines)
Visit the Smithsonian website here
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A Photographic Exploration of the Japanese American Relocation During World War II
Wednesday, February 24, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater

From 1942 to 1945, photographers for the War Relocation Authority (WRA) documented the evacuation and relocation of Japanese Americans. Why were these photographs created; what role have they played; and how have they been interpreted in American history? Frank H. Wu, professor of law at Howard Law School, moderates a panel discussion featuring rare WRA photographs in the National Archives. Panelists include Todd Stewart, assistant professor of photography at the University of Oklahoma and the author of Placing Memory: A Photographic Exploration of Japanese American Internment; Jasmine Alinder, assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and author of Moving Images: Photography and the Japanese American Incarceration; and Elena Tajima Creef, associate professor of women's studies at Wellesley College and author of Imaging Japanese America. Book signings of the three books will follow the program.
  Visit: www.archives.gov/nae
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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account! Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:

• On this Day of Remembrance, we never forget those who were mistreated during WWII
• NY TIMES: States Consider Medicaid Cuts as Use Grows http://nyti.ms/ccEuYR
• RT @nprpolitics: Obama Creates Bipartisan Debt-Busting Panel http://su.pr/2pekii

• Come join us for a Day of Remembrance event this Saturday @ the Smithsonian!

http://bit.ly/d3m5ep

Census Short Story #14/20: What are the Legal Perspectives on the Census?

Today's Census Short Story is about legal aspects of the Census. Mineta Fellow Phillip Ozaki attended a census event (see above) and will share three interesting points about why everyone should fill out your census form:

1. It is against the law to not fill out your form
That's right! If you do not fill out your Census form, you are subject to a $100 fine. Even undocumented immigrants have to fill it out by law because they live here. If you give false information, you are subject to a $500 fine. Lastly, if you do not fill out your American Community Survey (read more in the Feb 1-5 Digest), you are subject to a $5000 fine. Refusal to submit your form will not only cause your community a loss in numbers and funding, it is also illegal.

2. If Comprehensive Immigration Reform passes, how will undocumented immigrants prove they resided in the U.S.?
Currently, the JACL and our nation are in an immigration reform debate. The JACL supports a fair legalization process for undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens after taking the proper steps and paying a fine. Historically, immigration laws that provide amnesty, legalization, or other special benefits to undocumented immigrants in the U.S. require proof that the immigrant has been present in the U.S. since a specific date. How would an undocumented immigrant do this?

No one, not even the government, can access census data. However, it is possible for individuals to obtain a transcript of his or her census record. He or she must complete an application and pay a fee (currently $65) and could use their census form to prove this and become eligible for citizenship. Although many immigrant communities have concerns about the census, an additional benefit of filling out a form is proof of residency. As reported below, this information is 100% confidential.

3. Census Data is 100% Safe
As reported over and over in Census Short Stories, census data is protected under Title 13 of the law. Even the Patriot Act can not breach census data. This has been guaranteed by high level officials including Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke who emphasizes that "information collected is used for statistical purposes only".

This Census Short Story speaks to the importance of filling out your census for legal and legalization reasons and reminds you that it is confidential by law. The 2010 Census is in 6 weeks! Make sure you count!

Sources: https://www.aaldef.org, http://www.fillinourfuture.org

Major Snow Storm Shuts Down Nation's Capital

This week marked a historic amount of snow fall in Washington DC that caused the Federal Government to be closed since last Friday. It has been recorded to be the biggest snow fall since 1922 in the DC area. The first storm over the weekend averaged about 30 inches and the second storm on Wednesday added another 8-10 inches.

The snow has caused major delays for airports and all types of transport including the Metro system. Workers have been struggling to clear all the snow from major roads, and has been more difficult to reach the suburbia neighborhoods. A lot of areas have also been without power, forcing some to go to hotels or bundle up with multiple layers to keep warm in their homes without any heat.

Despite all the snow days declared this week by the Federal government, this Monday's President's Day will still be a Holiday for Federal workers.

Click here for the White House video of the Storm

Health Care Summit - February 25

Even though the Federal government has been closed up until today, the discussion around President Obama's Health Care Summit was still a hot topic. Scheduled for February 25, the Summit is an attempt to bring bipartisanship to health care reform. However, both political parties have not been very enthusiastic about the event. Some Republicans have stated that they are not willing to attend and are adamant about starting over and creating a new bill.  Democrats are not content at how the Republicans have been all along in this health care debate, and unless they change their ways dramatically, the Democrats feel that the only way to continue with health care reform would be to pass the Senate version of the bill and an additional bill with negotiations that would fix things the House does not agree with in the Senate bill.  Both parties have expressed how the Summit could just lead to political theatre and the skepticism behind it.

President Obama has stated that he is looking forward to hearing proposals from the Republican party in light of moving health care reform forward.  He and his Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, have reiterated that "what he will not do, however, is walk away from reform and the millions of American families and small business counting on it."

Click here for today's Washington Post Article
Click here for the Republican Party and Press Secretary Gibb's Comments

Top Tweets and Announcement Board

As a co-sponsor, the JACL would like to invite you to the
Annual Day of Remembrance at the Smithsonian Museum

To mark the 68th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt which led to the imprisonment of 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program welcomes award-winning playwright Philip Kan Gotanda and historian Dr. Scott Kurashige to the American History Museum stage.

Time:
Saturday, February 20, 2010, 2:00 p.m.
 
Location:
Carmichael Auditorium
National Museum of American History
14th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW

Metro:
Smithsonian
(Blue or Orange lines)

Visit the Smithsonian website here
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If you're in the DC area, the National Archives Experience is pleased to present programs in conjunction with our exhibit "Fighting for Democracy," on display through February 28 in the Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery. Here are few events:

The Principled Politician: Governor Ralph Carr and the Fight Against Japanese American Internment
Wednesday, February 17, at noon
Jefferson Room

Broadcast journalist and author Adam Schrager discusses his book, The Principled Politician, which tells the story of the only political leader in the country to welcome Japanese Americans to his state during World War II. Colorado Governor Ralph Carr was an up-and-coming member of the Republican Party when he took a courageous, yet unpopular, stance on the internment of Japanese Americans and Japanese American rights. A book signing will follow the program.

A Photographic Exploration of the Japanese American Relocation During World War II
Wednesday, February 24, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater

From 1942 to 1945, photographers for the War Relocation Authority (WRA) documented the evacuation and relocation of Japanese Americans. Why were these photographs created; what role have they played; and how have they been interpreted in American history? Frank H. Wu, professor of law at Howard Law School, moderates a panel discussion featuring rare WRA photographs in the National Archives. Panelists include Todd Stewart, assistant professor of photography at the University of Oklahoma and the author of Placing Memory: A Photographic Exploration of Japanese American Internment; Jasmine Alinder, assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and author of Moving Images: Photography and the Japanese American Incarceration; and Elena Tajima Creef, associate professor of women's studies at Wellesley College and author of Imaging Japanese America. Book signings of the three books will follow the program.

Visit: www.archives.gov/nae
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To get a quick glance of the headlines for this week, check out the JACL DC office's Twitter account!

Follow us @JACL_DC ! Here are this week's top tweets:
RT @nytimes: Senate Confirms 2 Dozen Obama Nominees http://nyti.ms/9QN5OM

Listening to a Conference Call on Health Care Reform. Even with Snowmageddon, we still need to push Health Care Reform forward!

RT @washingtonpost: Federal government closed Thursday; MARC, MTA and DASH commuter transit will not operate. - http://wpo.st/sXV

RT @nprpolitics: Michelle Obama: 'Let's Move' To Fight Childhood Obesity http://su.pr/7hedZb

RT @washingtonpost: RT @capitalweather Closing in on D.C.'s snowiest winter on record: http://bit.ly/9xJlGI #snowverkill

RT @thehill: Reid to offer jobs bill Tuesday: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will introduce a jobs bill on Tuesday http://bit.ly/bO1Ujk

Census Short Story #13/20: February - National African American History Month

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial, the week was expanded to Black History Month. Each year, U.S. presidents proclaim February as National African-American History Month.

In recognition of African American History Month, consider these census-related facts:

• As of July 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the nation's Black population (including those of one or more races) was 41.1 million.
• In 23 of the 50 States, Blacks were the largest minority in 2008. The states with the highest proportions are Mississippi with 38 percent,  Louisiana with 32 percent, and Georgia with 31 percent. They comprise 56 percent of the population in the District of Columbia.
• The number of Black voters increased from the 2004 to 2008 presidential elections by approximately 2.1 million. Overall, 65 percent of registered Black voters participated in the 2008 elections, an increase of approximately 5 percent over 2004.Looking at voter turnout by race and Hispanic origin, non-Hispanic whites and blacks had the highest turnout levels.
• In 2008, 83% of blacks 25 and older had at least a high school diploma, 20% had a bachelor's degree, and 1.4 million had an advanced degree like a master's, doctorate, medical, or law.
• $34,218 was the annual median income of single-race black households in 2008, a decline of 2.8 percent (in 2008 constant dollars) from 2007. The poverty rate was 24.7%, statistically unchanged from 2007. 
• 19.1% of single-race blacks lacked health insurance in 2008
• In 2050, the population with African American heritage is estimated to grow to 65.7 million which would constitute 15 percent of the nation's total population.
Sources: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/014487.html

FY2011 Federal Budget and Asian Pacific American Islander Opportunities

Monday, President Obama revealed the FY2011 Federal Budget. The Administration focused the Budget to boost economic security by making efficient investments in education, clean energy, infrastructure, and innovation. In particular, the JACL is extremely thrilled to report that the Budget includes $3 million allocated to National Park Services (NPS) to assist in the preservation and restoration of national Japanese American concentration camp sites. This is a great victory since the JACL has been continuously advocating for camp funding by meeting with the Department of Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar and NPS Director, Jon Jarvis. Nonetheless, here are some key points from the Administration on how the Budget will help the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community:

Job Force
A main focus for the Administration includes job creation.  The Budget will work to help small businesses grow, a key measure for the AAPI community and its many small business owners. Other labor assistance includes unemployment insurance benefits, COBRA tax credits, relief for states to prevent layoffs, and an extension of emergency assistance to seniors and families affected by the recession.  In total, the Budget will provide $261 million in the Department of Labor (DOL) to help support the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).  Both the Department of Education and Labor will work together to innovate more effective job training including $85 million alone for green job training.

Anti-Discrimination
In order to strengthen civil rights enforcement against discrimination by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and gender, the Budget includes an 11% increase in funding to the Department of Justice's  (DOJ) Civil Rights Division. This investment will also help the Division handle implementation of a historic new hate crimes law, something the JACL has worked on for many years.

Also, the Budget increases support for integration of new immigrants, with $18 million identified to promote citizenship through education and preparation programs, replication of promising practices in integration for use by communities across the Nation, and expansion of innovative English learning tools.

Health Care
The budget has set aside $2.5 billion dollars for health centers to help provide more affordable primary and preventative care for the uninsured and underinsured.  Health centers are important for AAPI's because immigrant families tend to feel comfortable reaching out to health care in their own communities.  Also, more funding has been allocated for the Aging Caregivers Initiative which will allow for better care for our seniors and allow caregivers to better manage their multiple responsibilities. In addition the Budget allows $50 million for the State Paid Leave Fund in DOL. This is to assist individuals especially when it comes to an unexpected medical leave, since the current Family and Medical Leave Act only allows workers to take job-protected time off unpaid.

Housing
The Budget requests $88 million for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support home ownership and foreclosure prevention through Housing Counseling and $20 million to combat mortgage fraud. In addition, the Budget requests $250 million for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation's (NRC) grant and training programs. These funds will help the Administration's vision for more local sustainable development patterns such as reducing greenhouse gases and increasing more transit accessible housing choices the AAPI community.

Education
The Obama Administration has a new vision for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also known as "No Child Left Behind". They request $1 billion in additional funding if Congress successfully completes ESEA reauthorization.  For higher education, the Budget proposes higher Pell Grant amounts to help the new Graduation Initiative which is a vision to graduate 5 million more students by 2020.

Washington D.C. Leadership Summit

On Wednesday and Thursday, the JACL co-sponsored the first ever Japanese American Leadership Summit in Washington DC. The summit focused on the preservation and interpretation of the World War II Concentration camps and the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grants in the amount of $3 million from the federal government. The event was also sponsored by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Japanese American National Heritage Coalition with high attendance from national historic preservation organizations.

The summit kicked off with speeches from former Senator Alan Simpson (Wyoming) and former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Services (NPS), also spoke about NPS's support for the available grant programs. The three key speakers shared personal stories about why they care about the sites and why they are important. Senator Simpson and Norman Mineta are old friends. They first met at a Boy Scouts meeting in the concentration camp at Heart Mountain and have stayed close through their elections to office.

After discussing specific projects across the ten WWII Concentration Camps, fundraising, and advocacy to Congress, delegates attended a reception hosted by Representative Mike Honda on Capitol Hill. Special recognition was given to members of Congress for their efforts in support of WWII internment camp preservation and several attended the reception including Senator John Barrasso (WY) and Representatives Norm Dicks (WA), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Mazie Hirono (HI), Judy Chu (CA), and Walt Minnick (ID).

At the end of the conference, Summit attendees discussed steps for moving forward. In light of the successful and productive program from this first Japanese American Leadership Summit, everyone in attendance agreed that this should be an annual event in order to continue our work for these important historic sites. We look forward to progress in the grant program and to seeing you at the next summit.

Smart Growth Conference

National Executive Director, Floyd Mori, and Pacific Northwest Regional Director, Karen Yoshitomi, attended the Smart Growth Conference in Seattle, Washington on February 4-6, 2010. The Conference's theme " Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities" included panels and workshops on environmental justice, building green jobs, innovation in transportation, climate issues, public health, and strategies and advice on how grass-root organizations can work together to achieve sustainable systems. Keynote speakers included Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Lisa Jackson, and Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary, Ray LaHood. 

For the first time, various Asian American leaders and renown Father Vien from Mary Queen of Vietnam (MQVN) in New Orleans met together apart from the conference to discuss how the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community can be more involved with environmental justice issues.  Mathy Stanislaus, EPA Assistant Administrator and Lisa Garcia, Senior Advisor to Administrator Jackson were in attendance to discuss how the AAPI community and the EPA can work together on green issues. Floyd Mori proposed on-going discussions with the EPA in which Mathy Stanislaus happily accepted. Mori hopes to further discuss the possibility of forming an AAPI committee within the EPA in which the JACL will offer to take the lead role.

JACL D.C. Chapter Installation Luncheon

Last Saturday, National Executive Director, Floyd Mori installed the new JACL DC Chapter Board, with Michelle Amano continuing to serve as chapter president.  New board members include the youngest board member in JACL history, 13 year old Jack Tobe, Program Chair, Janice Faden, Program Chair, Linda Sato Adams, Program Chair, and Jeff Moy, Youth Chair.  A past president's pin was awarded to Emily Ihara, who served with Michelle as co-president during the past term of office.  

Guest speaker for the luncheon was Mark Keam, newly elected Delegate for the 35th District in the House of Delegates for the State of Virginia.  He was born in Seoul, Korea, and is the first Korean American and first generation immigrant to serve in the Delegate.  Besides being a Delegate, he currently is at Verizon Communications as Vice President and Counsel.   Prior to being elected, Keam worked for the Federal Communications Commission, the Small Business Administration, and the United States Senate Judiciary Committee for Senator Dick Durbin.  Keam has been very supportive of the JACL in the past and we hope to continue to work together in the future.

Census Short Story #12/20: What is the American Community Survey?

Aside from conducting a Census every 10 years, the US Census Bureau also conducts the American Community Survey (ACS) every month for 250,000 households. It replaces the long form in which the 2000 Census asked 52 questions. That's a lot compared to the 10 questions that will take about 10 minutes for the 2010 Census!

While the every-ten-years census counts the number of people who live in the United States, the ACS allows us to get a current update on what the nation looks like and how it is changing. Imagine the 2000 through 2010 Census giving us a once-a-decade snapshot of your community, and the ACS giving us a new picture every year.

Every household will receive a 2010 Census form in mid-March, but some households will also receive an ACS form. What should you do if you receive both? If you received both, it means that you have to fill out your 2010 and that your address happens to also to be a part of the sample of addresses for the ACS. Both the 2010 Census and the ACS are vitally important to ensure your community receives government funding for education, transportation, neighborhood improvements and much more.

Be sure to fill out your 2010 Census form and your American Community Survey form. The 2010 Census is in 9 weeks! Make sure you fill in our future!

Source: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/index.html

President's State of the Union Address

Wednesday night marked an important night as President Obama delivered his first State of the Union Address in front of Congress on Capitol Hill. Some major issues he addressed include: job creation, health care, financial reform, climate and environment, immigration reform, education, Wars abroad, and "Don't Ask Don't Tell". We can only hope that Congress and the White House Administration can work together to provide the leadership our country needs to tackle these complex issues.

National Executive Director, Floyd Mori comments: "As the JACL focuses on improving the lives of individual people, we are encouraged that President Obama's State of the Union address emphasizes many elements that will bring a positive impact upon people to improve their lives.  The larger institutions of the nation rely on lobbyists and large funds to maintain their place in society.  We, the people, depend on and work with public servants that try to fulfill the obligation of the government to assure an atmosphere where we can seek to maintain life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Click here for the transcript of the President's Address

Health Care Reform: Let's Get It Done

On Wednesday, JACL's Mineta Fellow attended a press conference with the National Coalition on Health Care about moving forward with health care reform. After last week's special election in Massachusetts in which Republican Scott Brown vowed to be the critical vote against the health care bill, advocacy groups and Democrats gathered to re-think new strategies on passing health care legislation.

Ralph Neas, CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care Action Fund, started the press event by saying: "The effort to fix our dysfunctional, inequitable and unsustainable health care system is at a crucial point. Without prompt and decisive leadership, defeat, as it has for over a century, will again prevail... Now is not the time to change course. Rather it is the time to redouble our efforts."

The JACL sponsors the coalition's urgency and fight for a better health care system. One pathway that Congress may take is vote on the Senate health care bill after a budget reconciliation bill is negotiated. Under a congressional rule called budget reconciliation, the Senate still has a chance to make corrections to the bill they passed in December 2009, as long as it affects the budget. However, this can be troublesome for health care reform because not all measures in the health care bill affect the budget.

The JACL calls on Congress to move forward with health care reform and supports the President's request in his State of the Union Address:

"Here's what I ask Congress, though:  Don't walk away from reform.  Not now.  Not when we are so close.  Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.  Let's get it done."

Click here for the White House site on The State of the Union & the State of Health Reform

Congressional Gold Medals

On Wednesday, the JACL Washington DC office worked in coalition with other concerned organizations to actively push forward S. 1055. If supported by 67 Senators and signed by the President, this bill will grant a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 100th Battalion Infantry and 442nd Regimental Combat Team who served in World War II. At the end of 2009, momentum on gathering Senate co-sponsors slowed. With about half a year until the bill expires, it is crucial to add 30 more co-sponsors to the 37 Senators who already support the bill. Look out for Action Alerts from JACL and other groups as your support will help pass this bill for our Japanese American veterans, our community, and our nation.

2010 Conference on Environmental Justice

This week, National Executive Director, Floyd Mori, and Inouye Fellow, Jean Shiraki, attended the 2010 Conference on Environmental Justice, Air Quality, Goods Movement, and Green Jobs: Evolution and Innovation in New Orleans, Louisiana (also known as the Who Dat Nation, Home of the Saints). The conference included participants from city/county/state governments, colleges/universities, faith-based organizations, non-profits, tribes, businesses, community leaders and others interested in learning about opportunities to move toward environmental justice in their communities.  

Last year, President Obama signed the Executive Order to reinstate the White House Initiative on Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and for the first time ever, the environment is an issue stated in the Initiative. The JACL has a partnership with the AAPI Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Initiative and will continue working with them to bring more awareness of environmental issues and green jobs to the AAPI community.  

The Conference opened with remarks from EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, as she announced her latest work on the new national air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which will help protect individuals from getting respiratory diseases, especially in urban areas. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences presented research on the correlation between the environment and health. The findings of this research help advocacy groups like the JACL to present cases about their respective environment and health to officials. 

The Conference also had many panelists discuss the importance of building and training for Green Jobs. The importance of Green Jobs is not limited to people working for environmentally friendly causes such as installing solar panels or energy efficient light bulbs, but it also ties in economic factors, especially in urban areas. Many speakers presented how their organization has received generous funding (some of the funders were there to speak about their grant opportunities) to train individuals for Green Jobs which helps them sustain a promising, well-paying career. This is relevant to the President's address this past Thursday on job creation; Green jobs address the need for new jobs, but also can be seen as a long term investment in environmental efficiency and sustainable careers. 

Upcoming Events to Remember

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HOLDING QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSIONS FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

The National Park Service is accepting applications for $3 million in grants for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II.  Announced on January 4, the Japanese American Confinement Site Grant Program applications are due Thursday, March 4. The National Park Service is holding Question-and-Answer sessions on the grant program from late January through early February 2010 for interested grant applicants to meet with NPS staff and discuss any questions they may have about the Fiscal Year 2010 grant application process and grant program.  

Meetings are scheduled for Denver, Honolulu, Little Rock, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.  The details of the meetings are up on their website under "Upcoming Informational Meetings"

Please also visit the grant program website for FY2010 grant application materials and additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/history/HPS/hpg/JACS/index.html
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The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Japanese American Citizens League announces the

Washington DC Leadership Summit
February 3-4, 2010
at the Madison Hotel
1177 15th St, NW, Washington, D.C

Speakers and topics will focus on an overview and update from the National Park Service, tips on fundraising, goals for Fiscal Year 2011, and presentations from former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and retired U.S. Senator Alan Simpson. 

The Registration fee is $50 and the Madison Hotel is offering a rate of $239 per night for the attendees of the summit. To register for the Leadership Summit, please contact Jean Shiraki in the JACL Washington DC office at 202-223-1240 or email inouyefellow.dc@gmail.com

Census Short Story #11/20: Ready. Set. Go! The 2010 Countdown Begins

Check out this location on GoogleMaps. Check it out and then zoom out. (Don't worry. It's a safe link). Where are you looking at?

You're looking at Noorvik, Alaska, the official launch site of the 2010 Census. On Monday, January 25, 2010, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves visited the town by dogsled where he was welcomed by a day of festivities by a local school. Groves and his colleagues enjoyed traditional dances, a fashion show, and a feast of interesting foods including moose and caribou.

Just as there is a special way for counting residents in college dorms, army barracks, and Americans abroad, there is also a special way the Census Bureau counts rural villages that are not connected by roads. Since 1990, villages like Noovik are counted by trained Census officials and trained locals who interview residents and ensure a complete count. They use the same short and simple 10-question form that most households will receive in the middle of March. Census workers also will visit 217 other rural Alaska communities in the coming weeks before the terrain becomes muddy and harder to navigate in the spring.

The 2010 Census is in 10 weeks! Make sure you count!

Sources:
Photos of Noovik and the 2010 Census Launch: Anchorage New Daily Photos
Anchorage Daily News article: Alaska Village Up First in Census

Health Care Reform Update

Earlier this week, Republican Scott Brown won Massachusetts' special election to fill former senior Senator Ted Kennedy's seat. Since then, the question of how to move forward with health care reform lingers on Capitol Hill. With Brown's win, Democrats do not have the necessary 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster, thus new strategies must be developed.

Yesterday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a statement that the House will not pass the Senate bill as it stands: "There are certain things the members simply cannot support," Pelosi said. This means two options for Congress. One is to start over completely and rewrite the bill, and two is to amend the Senate bill. Starting over does not seem to be as favored since all the time and efforts in the past months would be wasted. It would also push the time line of achieving health care reform to a much overdue date.  

Therefore, strategies of how to fix the Senate bill seem to be in discussion among Congress. This process involves what is called budget reconciliation. Today's Washington Post article describes budget reconciliation as a "fast-track budget procedure designed to make it easier to approve politically difficult measures that cut spending or raise taxes. Reconciliation bills cannot be filibustered, so Senate Democrats could pass the legislation with only 51 votes. The drawback is that such bills are generally barred from including provisions that do not affect the federal budget, meaning much of the health-care package might have to be scrapped under such a scenario."

As Congress tries to reorganize and re-strategize, it is hoped that health care reform will be done right and that Congress will not listen to the media who has sent a lot of messages of "killing reform." Congress should remember how many people in America really need affordable, sustainable, and accessible health care now.

Click here for the Washington Post Article

Immigration Reform

January 12 - 20 was the AAPI Week of Action for Immigration Reform. AAPI stands for Asian American Pacific Islander and is used as a term to show that AAPIs have special needs in the immigration debate and are willing to fight for them.

The JACL also took action. Almost 100 JACL members from around the nation text messaged "AAPI" to 69866 to show support. Alerts were sent out via email and the JACL Youth and JACL Facebook groups. On January 20, JACL Staff joined in on an AAPI Tele-Townhall over the phone discussing the AAPI Week of Action. One question from the call was about how Republican Scott Brown's election as the new Senator of Massachusetts affects immigration reform. Legislation will and always has needed bi-partisan support. Immigration Reform Supporters must keep fighting in order to fix the broken system of immigration.

Another way AAPIs took action was by blogging since community education is crucial for reform. JACL National Staff and Board also blogged. Check out the links below:

Japanese Americans and Immigration: Where We Fit (01/19)
by Kristin Fukushima, PSW Policy Coordinator

The Dollars and Cents of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (01/20)
by Tim Koide, JACL Membership Coordinator (SF Office)

The Dirty Pinball Machine Detention System (01/20)
by Brandon Mita, JACL National Board - Youth Representative

The "I-word" in Health Care Reform (01/14)
by Jean Shiraki, Inouye Fellow (DC Office)

National AAPI Text-In Day Jan. 19 (01/13)
by Phillip Ozaki, Mineta Fellow (DC Office)

CAPAC Meeting with AAPI Organizations

Thursday, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and various Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations met at Capitol Hill to have an open discussion about their organizations priorities and to meet the staffers of members of Congress who belong to CAPAC.  Representative Mike Honda (D-CA) is the chair of CAPAC which has 29 Congress members committed "to promote and secure equal rights for not only Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), but all Americans. Additionally, CAPAC has served to educate other Members of Congress about the history, contributions and concerns of AAPIs."  It was a great event to thank Congress members and their staff for the support they have shown the AAPI community, in addition to letting them know of certain issues that are important to each respective organization. The AAPI groups and CAPAC look forward to working together in the new year.

Temporary Protective Status Granted to U.S. Haitians

Shortly after a devastating earthquake destroyed the homes and lives of innumerable Haitians, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano announced the designation of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for the roughly 100,000-200,000 eligible Haiti nationals currently in the United States as of January 12, 2010. They will not be subject to removal as long as there is no functioning country to which they can return, and provided that they do not have criminal records. This does not grant them permanent residence or "amnesty". As the world continues to respond with an outpouring of relief efforts, TPS is a temporary, humanitarian form of relief from the U.S. to help alleviate the crisis. For more information on TPS visit the Immigration Policy Center.

Upcoming Events

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HOLDING QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSIONS FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

The National Park Service is accepting applications for $3 million in grants for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.  Announced on January 4, the Japanese American Confinement Site Grant Program applications are due Thursday, March 4. The National Park Service is holding Question-and-Answer sessions on the grant program from late January through early February 2010 for interested grant applicants to meet with NPS staff and discuss any questions they may have about the Fiscal Year 2010 grant application process and grant program.  
Meetings are scheduled for Denver, Honolulu, Little Rock, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.  The details of the meetings are up on their website under "Upcoming Informational Meetings"

Please also visit the grant program website for FY2010 grant application materials and additional information: http://www.nps.gov/history/HPS/hpg/JACS/index.html
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The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Japanese American Citizens League announces the

Washington DC Leadership Summit
February 3-4, 2010
at the Madison Hotel
1177 15th St, NW, Washington, D.C

Speakers and topics will focus on an overview and update from the National Park Service, tips on fundraising, goals for Fiscal Year 2011, and presentations from former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and retired U.S. Senator Alan Simpson. 

The Registration fee is $50 and the Madison Hotel is offering a rate of $239 per night for the attendees of the summit.

To register for the Leadership Summit, please contact Jean Shiraki in the JACL Washington DC office at 202-223-1240 or email inouyefellow.dc@gmail.com

Census Short Story #10/20: What Happened Last Decade? Hurricane Katrina

In 2006, Hurricane Katrina devastated countless homes, businesses, and lives in the Gulf Coast region. To get an accurate count will be exceptionally challenging in places struck hard by Katrina.

The demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the region already made it vulnerable to an undercount before the catastrophe. With massive housing destruction, depopulation, and distrust of government enhanced by the failures of preparedness, response, and recovery, the Gulf Coast has become even harder to count. Some challenges include:

• Housing issues like large numbers of people in temporary housing, high rates of vacant housing units, and more renters than property owners
• Many households without phone service for two full years after the storm or without mailing addresses
• An influx of people with low English proficiency, many of them undocumented migrant workers who are hard to reach and distrust the census even though it is confidential
• Some of the hardest-hit communities have for the past couple of years shown the highest population growth rates in the country
• Ongoing re-development, including rehabilitation of damaged properties and new large-scale projects, are creating significant growth in new housing units and population shifts within the region

If states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi have a massive undercount, they will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal funding over 10 years. Louisiana is already expected to lose one seat in the House of Representatives because of the many constituents who have left the state for safety, security, and job opportunities. New Orleans is an example of a declining population with a population of 484,674 before Katrina, and a current population of 311,800.

The Census Bureau has recognized the unique circumstances in the Gulf Coast region and has taken some steps to help ensure an accurate count. For example, they have expanded the amount of door-to-door outreach and have educated local and national leaders about these issues. In addition, Congress and the Obama administration included additional funding in this year's economic recovery legislation for the Census Bureau to invest in outreach to hard-to-count populations. Also recommended is to authorize a federally funded special census in 2012 or 2013 in designated Gulf Coast communities still recovering from Hurricane Katrina at the time of the 2010 Census. This would allow those returning to their homes to be counted there instead of the place where they were displaced.

This Census Short Story speaks to the importance of filling out your census form to bring resources to your community as well as how events from last decade impact the 2010 Census. The 2010 Census is in 11 weeks! Make sure you count!
Sources: Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Washington Post Article

Health Care Reform Update - Finish Line is Nearing

This week, President Obama and key legislators from both the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate began negotiating and working out details for a final health care bill.  The final bill is projected to be out either tonight or tomorrow and the final cost of the bill is projected to be out by next week. One major topic of discussion is what kind of health insurance exchange the bill should have. In general, President Obama has stated that he favors more of the provisions in the Senate bill, but he supports the House version of a national exchange program rather than the Senate version of a state-to-state one.

Another major topic has been about how to tax high costing insurance plans. This has been referred to a lot as the "Cadillac Tax." Supported by President Obama, insurance plans that are higher in cost would be taxed and would raise approximately $150 billion dollars in revenue over ten years. However, the tax could hurt high-risk employees such as steelworkers, police officers, and constructions workers who have higher-cost insurance plans due to work related health problems.

However, from last night and into the wee hours of this morning, the White House, Congress members, and labor union members reached an agreement to exempt labor unions from the tax until 2018. With this agreement under their belt, the White House and members of Congress can almost see the blur of the finish line. Health care reform is projected to be passed by President Obama's State of the Union address in early February, but this time frame is only a goal, not a deadline.

Click here for the Washington Post Article

Immigration Reform

January 12-20  is the National AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Week of Action for Immigration Reform. The JACL is an endorsing organization of this collaborative effort among national, state and local AAPI organizations and allies to demonstrate the collective power and voice of AAPIs in the comprehensive immigration reform debate. Coordinated outreach and events across the nation will engage community members in the broader Reform Immigration FOR America campaign and show Congress that the AAPI community is serious about demanding reform this year. Here's how to get involved:

Here are ways to TAKE ACTION:

•   Text "AAPI" to 69866 with your cell phone to receive timely action alerts and updates. The JACL National Youth Student Council has taken the lead on the texting campaign (http://bit.ly/4TikwW) and all JACL members should take advantage of this easy and innovative opportunity to learn more about the immigration reform debate.
•   Write in your Chapter Newsletter to engage local JACL members about immigration reform and start a discussion among members.

 

Write your JACL Policy Office in DC The JACL Washington DC Office would like to hear your thoughts on immigration reform policy. Feel free to email any comments, concerns, or questions to minetafellow@jacl.org with your current JACL Chapter affiliation (if applicable).

Marriage Equality

On Monday, the Supreme Court in California started a trial to determine the constitutionality of Proposition 8. In the summer of 2008, same-sex marriage was legalized in California but was later taken away by a referendum called Proposition 8 in the November 2008 elections. On Monday, two same-sex couples testified about how not having the right to marry affects their lives. Then on Tuesday, two historians presented about the history of stereotyping and demoralizing gays, and the changing gender roles in U.S. marriages.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker will make a ruling at the trial's end in two to three weeks. Regardless of the outcome, the case is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it ultimately could become a landmark that determines if gay Americans have the right to marriage.

Links:
JACL's Statement on Marriage Equality: Press Release
NPR Article: Gay Marriage Ban Goes On Trial In Cali

Racial Profiling Briefing on Capitol Hill

On Monday, the Arab American Institute (AAI) held a briefing on "Airport Profiling, 'Countries of Interest', and American Security" on the Hill.  They discussed the new airport screening standards issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and how it will continue to negatively affect racial and ethnic profiling. Groups on the panel included American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Rights Working Group (RWG), and the Sikh Coalition.  The new guidelines are for anyone (including US citizens) traveling through Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

The concerns for the new guidelines include following the footsteps of the procedures outlined by the National Security Entry/Exit Registration System (NSEERS) that was implemented after 9/11. After tracking 83,000 individuals from Middle Eastern and Muslim-majority countries, the NSEERS program did not result in a single terrorism conviction. Therefore, the briefing focused on how standards should divert attention and resources to identifying suspicious behavior and how racial profiling is unjust and wasteful of resources.
 
The key message is that profiling can happen to any group of minorities- the Rights Working Group mentioned Japanese Americans and Redress.  It must be understood that terrorism is not ethnically or geographically confined, and that ignorance and discrimination will only hinder our nation.

Click here for information from the Arab American Institute

Census Short Story #9/20: What Happened Last Decade? Civil Rights and Barack Obama

"I am somebody. I am a person." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18, and the one year mark since the inauguration of the first African American U.S. President Barack Obama, this Census Short Story reports on the census as a civil rights issue.

Despite more resources and better planning, the 2000 census missed an estimated 16 million people and double-counted 17 million more. Low-income communities, particularly low-income communities of color, were disproportionately undercounted in the census. As a result, many individuals were denied an equal voice in their government and many communities were shortchanged on federal and state funding for schools, crime prevention, health care, and transportation.

The census also helps enforce civil rights legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. This landmark law prohibits racial discrimination in public accommodations, publicly owned or operated facilities, employment and union membership, and voter registration.

Then in 1965 the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was made into law. The VRA bans racial discrimination in voting practices at all levels of government. Congress has reauthorized the VRA five times, most recently in 2006, when both the House and the Senate approved the measure overwhelmingly in a bipartisan manner. The 2006 reauthorization renewed several key protections, providing for language assistance, Election Day monitors, and Justice Department pre-approval of voting changes. The protections are currently set to expire in 2031.  The VRA is widely regarded as enabling the enfranchisement of millions of minority voters after decades of exclusion and diversifying the electorate and legislative bodies at all levels of American government.

This Census Short Story speaks to the importance of the census as a civil rights issue. The 2010 Census is 12 weeks! Make sure you count!

Check out the NEW JACL 2010 Census Web page!
www.jacl.org/public_policy/census2010

Health Care Reform Update

After a historic vote on Christmas Eve by the U.S. Senate, health care reform was put on pause to enjoy the holidays. This week, majority leaders from both the House of Representatives and Senate have met with the President and other officials behind closed doors.  One of the major topics being discussed is whether to have a formal or informal conference.  Democrats are trying to strategize against any Republican delays by pushing for an informal conference.  On the other hand, Republicans are criticizing the Democrats for not being transparent with closed door talks and not opting for a formal conference which would mean a full debate on the floor.

With the House and Senate bills being so different from each other, there is much concern of how the bills will be merged.  Yesterday, House Democrats held a conference call to build a strategy before returning back to the Capital next week.  They felt that the conference call was crucial since President Obama seems to be favoring a lot of measures in the Senate bill, and also since he stated this week that he favors the "Cadillac tax."  This tax is part of the Senate bill, and it would tax insurance companies that offer more expensive health care plans.  We will have to wait until next week to hear about what kind of conference Congress will hold as Democrats hope to have a bill for the President to sign by his State of Union address later this month or early February.

Click here for a Washington Post article
Click here for more details about Conference procedures and definitions
Click here for major differences between the House and Senate Bills

Hate Crimes - Meeting with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

On Wednesday, JACL Executive Director Floyd Mori and Mineta Fellow Phillip Ozaki attended a hate crimes coalition meeting at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. This was an exciting meeting for the coalition because advocacy groups had the opportunity to discuss the implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act (HCPA) with the Justice Department's Community Relations Service (CRS) Senior Councilwoman, Becky Monroe, and Deputy Director, Diane Mitchum. The JACL had advocated for the HCPA for over a decade before it was signed by the President last October.

Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the CRS is a "peacemaker" for community conflicts and tensions arising from differences in race, color, and national origin. With the new legislation, the JACL is pleased that the CRS now has extended authority to ease community conflicts by the categories of religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability. The CRS is the only Federal agency dedicated to assist State and local units of government, private and public organizations, and community groups with preventing and resolving community tensions, incidents, and civil disorders, and in restoring stability and harmony.

Even though CRS is the smallest division of the Justice Department, Monroe and Mitchum pointed out that they are very active and momentous in the work CRS does. CRS's strength is that their local offices, located all over the nation, can deploy highly skilled professional conciliators to regions that request assistance. With the new legislation, the department will bring all of the conciliators around the nation to DC for formal training on how to mediate tensions and prevent hate crimes for community conflicts of religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability.

For more information on CRS check out their website: http://www.justice.gov/crs/

H1N1 Vaccinations

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sebelius have urged for everyone to get the H1N1 and seasonal vaccine in their January vaccination campaign.  As of today, most states are offering the H1N1 to everybody, not just the high risk groups (pregnant women, children ages 6 months to 24, people working with children, people with chronic diseases, and hospital workers).  It's critical for everyone to understand that flu season is not over, and that the best way for prevention is to get vaccinated. The CDC has estimated that approximately 60 million have been vaccinated and hopes that the number will increase now that there are more vaccines available and accessible in more locations as well. 

Visit www.flu.gov for more detailed information to find the closest location with a vaccine available for you.

Click here to watch HHS Secretary Sebelius get her H1N1 vaccine
Click here for a New York Times article on getting vaccinated

Leadership Conferences

The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Japanese American Citizens League announces the

Washington DC Leadership Summit
February 3-4, 2010
at the Madison Hotel
1177 15th St, NW, Washington, D.C

Speakers and topics will focus on an overview and update from the National Park Service, tips on fundraising, goals for Fiscal Year 2011, and presentations from former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and retired U.S. Senator Alan Simpson. 

The Registration fee is $50 and the Madison Hotel is offering a rate of $239 per night for the attendees of the summit.

To register for the Leadership Summit, please contact Jean Shiraki in the JACL Washington DC office at 202-223-1240 or email inouyefellow.dc@gmail.com
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The JACL would like to remind members to send in your applications for the:

Washington DC Leadership Conference
March 5-9, 2010
at the Sheraton Four Points
1201 K Street NW, Washington, DC

This annual leadership training conference is a joint program organized by the JACL which includes participants from OCA National (formerly the Organization of Chinese Americans), the second largest Asian Pacific American civil rights organizations in the United States and is sponsored by State Farm. This four-day conference provides an opportunity for thirty emerging leaders of the JACL and OCA National to learn first hand about current national public policy issues facing our communities.

Click here for the application and more details from our website

Census Short Story #8/20: What Happened Last Decade? The Economic Crisis

An event that still affects us all from the last decade is the economic crisis. Community organizations like the JACL are particularly important for the census during an economic downturn because state and local governments have less money to invest in getting an accurate count. For example, California spent $25 million to encourage participation in the 2000 census, but because of the state's budget crisis, it will only spend $2 million for the 2010 Census. That's less than one-tenth of the spending from ten years ago! If community organizations don't help to overcome this gap, states and their harder-to-count communities could lose out on billions of dollars over the next decade.

Another difficulty in getting everyone counted is foreclosures and transient housing. Nationally, millions of Americans have lost their homes. Some have moved back in with relatives while others have become homeless.  Last year, Detroit's Oakland County had 9,200 foreclosures. "The foreclosure crisis is an obstacle. We need to find these people. They haven't left. They are here somewhere," said the county's census liaison in a Detroit News article. The county is taking special efforts to get everyone counted because communities hit hardest by the economic crisis have the most to lose by not filling out a census form. That is, they will lose funding for much needed services in their area.

Another difficulty is that the economic crisis creates fear for Americans who are facing financial difficulties. Many are struggling to deal with debts and creditors and may fear that giving information to the Census Bureau could expose them to debt collectors or others. Some who are sharing housing in ways that violate leases may fear that answering honestly about their living arrangements could get them in trouble. However, the Census Bureau will not share anyone's census information with government agencies, banks, employers, credit agencies, or anyone. The Census is completely confidential under Title 13 of the law.

This Census Short Story speaks to three census issues. First, filling out your form is important for funding. Second, the census is completely confidential and secure. Lastly, it is important for community groups and individuals like yourself to do census outreach as state and local governments lack funding. The 2010 Census is in 13 weeks. Make sure you count!

Check out the NEW JACL Census Web page!
www.jacl.org/public_policy/census2010

A Message from the JACL National Executive Director

Dear Friend,

This time of the year we often refer to the "Spirit of the Season."  Whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, or other, we can all relate to the phrase " Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men."  It is a time when we seem to turn an ear toward tolerance, kindness and sharing while our actions reflect this humanitarian sense of being.  Family and community become a major focus of our attention and actions.  The resulting feelings that come within the soul of our existence are happiness and real joy.

I mention this because it is within this context that I have the privilege of working day to day with others who are working for the same end.  In a real sense, this is what the JACL is all about.  Our work towards tolerance and justice recognizes that all people should have access to all of the bounties and blessings that this good nation has to offer.  We contend that there should be no place for hate, and fairness should be part of every institution and community.  So we find it cause for celebration when people treat each other with respect and good will.

This year has been a year full of victories from expanding health coverage to children, preventing hate crimes, preserving our Japanese American history, and a wider recognition that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are a part of this great nation.  We have much to celebrate and many blessings for which to be grateful.  We have helped other institutions recognize the value in the character of the Asian American culture by working to remove damaging stereotypes from advertising and other media.

This good has come from a small band of Asian Americans who are committed to doing good works year around.  May I express my thanks to our JACL membership and our coalition friends who work hard to make the attitudes of this season a year long spirit of goodness.   Thank you also to our dedicated JACL staff and all leaders.

Happy Holidays,
Floyd Mori, National Executive Director

Health Care Update

This week marked another historic step for the Senate and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Around 1 a.m. Monday, the Senate moved forward with a 60 to 40 vote, the first major vote out of three for the health care bill.  Yesterday, Fellows in the DC office were able to attend a press conference with Senators Reid, Baucus, Dodd, and Harkin after they voted on the second major vote. Their main message was that they will work tirelessly to have this bill passed by Christmas.  They also recognized and thanked all of the non-profit and other organizations present for all of their tireless efforts and support for the bill, including the JACL.

The last major vote is scheduled for tomorrow evening, which is a historic event in itself since the Senate has not had a Christmas Eve session since 1963 during the Vietnam War.  However, health care reform is nowhere near done.  Both the Senate and House of Representatives still need to sort out differences in their respective bills before it reaches the President's desk.
Click here for the Washington Post Article

Walt Misaka Honored by New York Knicks

The JACL is happy to congratulate Wat Misaka for being honored by the New York Knicks for being the first non-white person to play in the National Basketball Association .  Floyd Mori, National Executive Director of the JACL and a personal friend of Misaka's, attended the ceremony. 

A Nisei Japanese American (second generation born in this country of immigrant parents from Japan), Misaka was born in Ogden, Utah, on December 21, 1923.  Except for his stint with the Knicks and his military service, he has lived in Utah his entire life.  He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.  In 2009 President Obama heard of Misaka's outstanding achievement and invited him to attend a ceremony at the White House at which he mentioned Misaka's accomplishments in his speech.

Census Short Story #6/20: The Census and the Holidays

Monday marked the 100 day countdown until Census Day on April 1, 2010. The Census Bureau does a lot of outreach to make sure hard-to-count groups know about the census. They depend on non-profit organizations, like the JACL, to use their trust and expertise with the community to make sure these groups are not missed. To reach out to Latino groups for the Holidays and show that the census is safe, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) created a faith-targeted poster that says, "This is how Jesus was born: Joseph and Mary participated in the Census". The poster can be viewed here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, of whom the JACL works with on a Census taskforce, encourages census participation through religious leadership. One of their outreach brochures says, "According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus decreed that a Census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Joseph's hometown, Bethlehem, to register... Jesus' Birth fulfilled old testament prophesy that a new King of Israel would be born in Bethlehem."

A Washington Post article discusses some of the controversies of using faith messaging for the Census. However, NALEO commented that the posters "are being well received by the congregations that we're working with, and they're reminding people of the Gospel story of how Jesus was born."

Groups like the JACL and NALEO work to make sure everyone is counted. NALEO's poster ties the story of Jesus to the census because they feel that their community is receptive to it. The 2010 Census is in 15 weeks. Make sure you and your community count and have a Happy Holiday!
Sources: www.nonprofitscount.org, www.civilrights.org/census

Health Care Debate Summary

Yesterday, the Senate voted to put the health care debate on hold to discuss the appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) Bill. The Senate hopes to vote on the DOD bill by Saturday and continue debating on health care late Saturday night.  This coming Monday could mark the important vote for cloture (a way to expedite a bill and end a filibuster) which would involve the highly talked about 60 votes from all Democrats. However, the Democrats are still divided on issues involving the health care bill, one key player being Senator Nelson (D-Nebraska). He has openly stated that he will not vote for the bill unless there are restrictions on federal funding of abortions.  Earlier in the week, Senate Democrats were a little worried about Senator Lieberman (Independent- Connecticut). However, after removing language to expand Medicare to 55 year olds, Senator Lieberman is on board to vote with the Democrats. This weekend, Democrats are hoping to secure all 60 votes for Monday so that the health care bill can be on the President's desk before the New Year.

Click here for the New York Times Article

Amendments for the Week of December 14-18th
On Tuesday Senator Baucus (D-Montana) filed Amendment 3183 which would protect middle class families from tax increases. The amendment passed with a 97 - 1 yea-nay vote.
 
Also on Tuesday, Senator Dorgan (D-North Dakota) and Senator Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) filed amendments (Amendments 2793 and  3156 respectively) for the importation of prescription drugs from foreign countries.  Both were rejected.  

Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR)

Luis Gutierrez Releases CIR ASAP Bill
At a press conference on Tuesday, Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP Act). The CIR ASAP Act would address some of the problems with the current immigration system. Congressman Gutierrez expressed optimism that this bill will pass even though previous efforts have failed. The last immigration reform bill started with only 25 co-sponsors, but CIR ASAP emerged strong with 92 co-sponsors. He said:

"It keeps families together, but understands we must secure our borders.  It keeps people working, but understands the needs of our economy.  It gives a pathway to citizenship, but understands that immigrants must learn English, pay taxes and contribute to their communities."

For a summary of the bill, click here: Immigration Policy Center
Read more: NY Times - New Immigration Bill Introduced in the House

Two Cabinet Members Push for CIR
On Wednesday, the JACL Mineta Fellow attended an event at the Center for American Progress (CAP) where Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, and Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, discussed the need for immigration reform. Secretary Solis was the first Latino American elected to the California state senate and Secretary Locke was the nation's first Asian American governor in Washington.  

After sharing personal stories about their campaigns for office, they went on to discuss undocumented immigration. Secretary Solis emphasized that the nation benefits by giving undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. Those immigrants will be able to come out of the shadows, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy and community. She also mentioned the need for stricter border patrol and enforcement. Secretary Locke added that it is unfair that some workplaces hire undocumented immigrants while others play by the rules. Decent wages and a fair pathway to citizenship- with fines, citizenship classes, and other provision- are needed. Both secretaries wish to educate the public about why CIR is important and that finding solutions to illegal immigration is a crucial part of reform.

To watch the entire event, please go here: www.americanprogress.org

AAPI Tele-Townhall on CIR
On Thursday, Representative Mike Honda hosted an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Tele-Town Hall focusing on Immigration Reform and the new CIR ASAP Act. Over 150 leaders from 20 states dialed in to hear about the AAPI community's stake in reform. This includes shorter waiting times for family-based visas and work visas which may keep families apart for up to 22 and 6 years respectively. Legalization is also important as 10% of the Asian American community is undocumented. If the AAPI community does not push for these needs, they will not be part of reform.

In order to bring attention to AAPIs and Immigration Reform, there will be an AAPI National Week of Action from January 12 - 20, 2010. Click here for a community toolkit and look out for future JACL event announcements.

NCAPA Retreat

On Monday, the the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) met for their annual retreat. NCAPA is a coalition of twenty-seven Asian Pacific American organizations around the country that serves to represent the interests of the greater Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Special guests discussed pressing issues affecting AAPIs such as universal broadband access, the 2010 Census, and health care reform. Doctor Howard Koh, Assistant Director for the Department of Health and Human Services, talked about reducing health disparities in the AAPI community. On her first day of work, Kiran Ahuja, the newly appointed Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHI-AAPI) joined NCAPA for lunch. In a recent press release, the JACL congratulated Ms. Ahuja for her appointment and looks forward to working with her in the years to come. She hopes to work with NCAPA and other groups to coordinate executive branch efforts to improve the quality of life of AAPIs.

This was the last meeting for JACL National Executive Director, Floyd Mori as the Chair of NCAPA. Mr. Mori has served as Chair since 2008, a critical time for NCAPA since the new administration has taken steps to further engage with the AAPI community. The new chair for NCAPA will be George Wu, Executive Director of OCA-National. Mr. Mori says, "While NCAPA has struggled for identity in the past, I believe that the past two years have brought us to the forefront of AAPI policy in Washington DC.  Our participation with the White House during the transition period and in recent months signals a new era when AAPIs have become a stronger voice in dialog with the Administration and Congress.  I congratulate George Wu for his willingness to take over the reigns of NCAPA. The JACL will continue to add a strong voice to the organization and remain a full partner in the important work."

JACL DC Office Insider

MOCHITSUKI
Last Saturday, the JACL DC Chapter hosted its annual Mochitsuki Festival. It was a great family event with lots of food and, of course, mochi pounding! The Crafty Ladies also provided home made Christmas crafts and manju. Thank you to the DC Chapter for hosting the event and everyone who came out!

WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY RECEPTION
Tuesday afternoon, Floyd Mori, National Executive Director, attended a holiday reception at the White House. Mr. Mori got to mingle and enjoy tasty treats with President Obama and First Lady Michelle, Chris Lu, Cabinet Secretary, Kalpen Modi, Associate Director for the White House Office of Public Engagement, and many others.

DC STAFF VISITS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
The DC Office took a field-trip to the Festival of Lights at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Washington DC. Besides seeing the wonderful display of lights, they saw a mini holiday concert for a local Barbershop quartet. Afterward, the office had a farewell/holiday dinner for Fellows Shirley Tang and Scott Sakakihara.

Farewell to Fellows

The JACL thanks the Daniel K. Inouye Fellow, Shirley Tang, and Masaoka Fellow, Scott Sakakihara for all their contributions and hard work during their fellowships. This week marked their last as staff at JACL, but it is definitely not a goodbye.  Shirley has moved on to take a position at the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in Washington DC which was established by Congress through the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act signed by President Obama earlier this year.  Scott will be moving back to California in search of a new endeavor to gain experience on a political campaign. Their presence will be missed here in the DC office and we wish the both of them all the best!

Census Short Story #5/20: Counting College Students

Imagine parents filling out a census form for their kid away at college and the kid also filling it out. That would be a double count! Worse off, what if both think the other will fill it out and neither do it? Then the student is not counted! Historically, college students living away from home have been a hard-to-count population because they are mobile, moving between two homes. With college students coming home for the Holidays, this Census Short Story reports how they are properly counted.

As stated in the last Census Story, people are counted at their "usual place of residence" defined as where a person lives and sleeps most of the time during the year". Hence, the simple answer is that college students are counted at school and not at home. Also, Students studying abroad are not counted in the 2010 Census, while foreign students studying in the U.S. will be counted. In the case of a double count, the Census Bureau has back-up methods to fix the numbers.

On-campus residence halls, dorms, fraternities, and sororities are considered "Group Quarters." Census workers partner with schools to make sure students in group quarters are counted. They even ask for ideal enumeration dates as to avoid off days such as Spring Break. The schools and census workers decide on ways to distribute and collect forms that work best for the schools' policies and students' needs. Off-campus residences where students live are not considered Group Quarters.

This Census Short Story speaks to the importance of making sure everyone in your family is counted correctly. Share this information with your family to make sure everyone is counted. The 2010 Census is in 16 weeks. Make sure you and your family count!

Source: www.2010.census.gov, www.civilrights.org

Health Care Debate Summary

This week, the Senate addressed several key issues of the health care debate:
Abortion
On Tuesday, an amendment proposed by Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) to restrict abortion coverage was defeated. If the amendment had passed, it would have banned insurance companies in the exchange to offer abortion coverage to anyone receiving a government subsidy. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) motioned to table the amendment, which resulted in a 54 to 45 defeated vote.  This could pose problems later when voting for the overall legislation, where many Republicans and Moderate Democrats (including Senator Nelson) have vowed to not vote for the bill unless some type of abortion amendment is accepted.
Click here to see how your Senator voted

Public Option
Tuesday night, the Senate reached a different compromise regarding public option. The newly proposed deal, negotiated mostly between a group of five moderate democrats and five liberals, includes a low-cost national health plan overseen by the Office of Personnel Management. The office currently oversees the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to negotiate with private insurance companies. If private insurance companies do not sign up with the Office of Personnel Management to offer a national plan, the office would be authorized to implement a direct government-run plan. 

Expansion of Medicare
Another negotiation made Tuesday night included expanding Medicare to individuals aged 55-64.  An estimated 2-3 million people would be allowed to buy into the Medicare program at subsidized rates, including those who have lost their jobs.  Some applaud this expansion as a way to help those who are nearing retirement to overcome the difficulty of obtaining insurance and paying an affordable price for it. Others criticize this Medicare buy-in since Medicare payment rates are known to be insufficient in covering the cost of hospitals and doctors.

The proposals have been submitted to the Congressional Budget Office, and the cost analysis is expected to possibly be revealed this weekend.

Click here for more about the compromises

The Senate has been working tirelessly through weekends, and has even vowed to give up their holiday schedules to work on health care reform.

Funding for the AANAPISI Program through House and Senate Committees on Appropriations

On December 8, 2009, the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations finalized the Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included funding for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program.

The AANAPISI Program provides grants to eligible colleges and universities that serve large numbers of low-income students and large numbers of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) students.  These grants could be used to help schools improve and expand their services, including:

 -  Curriculum development and academic instruction, including  
      instruction in disciplines in which AAPIs are underrepresented;
   -  Student support services such as tutoring and counseling;
   -  Research and data collection for AAPI populations and
      subpopulations;
   -  Purchase of educational materials such as scientific or laboratory
      equipment and library books;
   -  Renovation and improvement of instructional facilities;
   -  Partnerships with community-based organizations serving AAPIs;
   -  and Outreach programs to K-12 students to pursue higher
      education.

The overall bill provides $603 million for all MSIs, which includes $3.6 million for the AANAPISI Program.  Before this compromise, the funding levels were as follows:

U.S. Senate Bill-- $2.625 million
U.S. House of Representatives Bill-- $4.575 million
Final Conference Bill-- $3.6 million

This is the first time the AANAPISI Program has been funded through the regular appropriations process and while this provides a good foundation for the new program, there is much work to be done to increase funding for future years to come.

Another avenue to increase funding for the AANAPISI Program for FY 2010 is through the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (SAFRA), HR 3221, which would provide $5 million per year to the AANAPISI Program for the next 10 years.  SAFRA was passed by the House of Representatives in September and has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for further consideration.  The Senate will write and vote on its own version of SAFRA, and then the House and Senate will come together to reconcile the differences.

What You Can Do Now:
Urge your senators to prioritize and support the House-passed AANAPISI funding in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which would ensure $5 million a year for the next 10 years for the AANAPISI Program.

JACL DC Office Insider

AAPI YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NETWORKING EVENT
On Monday, the JACL DC Office held its 3rd monthly AAPI Young Professionals Networking event. The event was hosted at the Japan Embassy's Japanese Information and Cultural Center (JICC) in Washington DC and had over 60 in attendance. The event featured video clips from Transcending- The Wat Misaka Story. Mr. Misaka was the first person of color to be drafted into what is now the NBA despite anti-Japanese attitudes after World War II. For more information on the documentary visit: www.watmisaka.com

WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING
Floyd Mori, National Executive Director of the JACL, attended a White House Briefing that discussed several major issues, including health reform and Afghanistan. The meeting's focus was on the 2010 personnel.

HEPATITIS B AND C
Floyd Mori, National Executive Director and Jean Shiraki, Inouye Fellow, and Corinna Dan from the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPACHO) met with Senator Hatch's office concerning legislation that would help fund hepatitis education, prevention, treatment, and management. The Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Prevention & Control Act of 2009 (HR3974) has already been introduced in the House, and we will continue to work together with AAPACHO to gather support from the Senate.

MEETING WITH KEI KOZUMI
The JACL DC office met with Kei Koizumi, Assistant Director for Federal R&D in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to discuss how the JACL could assist in issues such as green jobs, broadband internet, and an Inter-Asian task force concerning science and technology. The JACL hopes to explore Asian American involvement in these issues.

Visit http://www.ostp.gov/ to learn more about the Office of Science and Technology Policy

SCREENING OF 9500 LIBERTY
On Thursday, the JACL DC office attended a screening of 9500 Liberty, a documentary that follows the divide between two communities as a law passed that required police officers to pull over and check documentation for anyone they suspect to be an undocumented immigrant. The documentary, created by Annabel Park and Eric Byler, also shows how bloggers, Youtube videos, and the internet was a powerful organizing tool for both immigrant groups and their anti-immigrant counterparts in Prince William County, Virginia. Watch the trailer at www.9500liberty.com.

Census Short Story #4/20: Counting the Overseas Population

With family members coming home for the holidays, the next two Census Short Stories report on how the census counts overseas Americans and college students living away from home.

Since the first US Census in 1790, people in the country have been counted at their "usual place of residence" defined as the place where a person lives and sleeps most of the time. While usual place of residence is an easy question for most, it is a complicated question for overseas Americans.

The first time overseas residents were counted in the census was in 1830 when people on US naval vessels at sea were enumerated. From 1900 to 1940, the census counted Americans abroad in different ways. Some censuses enumerated with the general population form while others used special forms, and the 1940 Census reported populations through the War, Navy, and State Departments. Finally in 1950, official provisions were made to count US military personal, federal employees, their dependents, and US merchant ships docked at foreign ports.

The 1990 Census included Americans overseas using a rule called "home of record" which is similar to usual residence. Home of record enumerated persons abroad based on where they reported their permanent home at the time of entry into the military or federal agency. This allowed states to include their overseas residents into the final reapportionment process in hopes of gaining more seats in the House of Representatives.

Total Population Abroad*
1830 Census: 5,318
1900 Census: 91,219
1950 Census: 481,545
1960 Census: 1,374,421
1970 Census: 1,737,836**
1980 Census: 995,546
1990 Census: 925,845
2000 Census: 576,367

*Each Census used a different method to enumerate
**note: the overseas population raises during times of war

This Census Short Story speaks to the importance of filling out your census form for political representation. The 2010 Census is in 17 weeks. Make sure you count!

Source: www.census.gov/history
Full Article: Americans Overseas in US Census
 

Health Care Debates and Amendments

Yesterday, the Senate broke the standstill and finally started voting on amendments for their health care bill.  The debates started Monday, but have proven to be difficult since the first votes for the amendments didn't occur until Thursday.  Below is a quick summary of some of the amendments that the Senate voted on:

Preventative Health Care for Women
Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) introduced an amendment would require health insurance companies to provide free mammograms and other preventive services to women.  The amendment passed by a 61 to 39 vote, and touches on the recent controversial announcement from the US Preventative Services Task Force that they recommend against routine mammograms in women ages 40 to 49.  Mikulski has been quoted in the New York Times that "[her amendment] does not tell women, 'You will have a mammogram at 40.' It says, 'You will have access to that mammogram if you and your doctor decide it's medically necessary or medically appropriate.' "

Medicare Cuts
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) proposed an amendment to send the health care bill back to the Senate Finance Committee to remove the provisions regarding Medicare cuts. The amendment was defeated by a 58 to 42 vote; if the amendment had passed, it would have "killed" the current bill and would have been a major set back in health care reform.  Republicans argue that the cuts would slow the growth of Medicare by trimming payments to hospitals, nursing homes, private Medicare Advantage plans and other health care providers.  They believe that any cuts should be directed towards preserving the program since it's projected to be low in funds by 2017.  However, to show their commitment to Medicare, Democrats responded with an amendment proposed by Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) to establish a guarantee that Medicare benefits would not be taken away as a result of the legislation.  The amendment passed unanimously by a 100 to 0 vote. The Medicare cuts in the current bill are important in offsetting the cost which is a concern for both political parties.

Cilck here for the full New York Times Article

Santa Claus and President Obama Spread Holiday Cheer at the Nation's Capital

On a crisp Thursday evening, crowds, including some JACL DC fellows, gathered at President's Park in Washington, D.C. to participate in the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, an annual tradition since the 1920s. Every president has presided over the tree lighting since Calvin Coolidge in 1923. This year's ceremony was especially special because it is the first time public television stations nationwide have broadcasted the 2009 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony across the country.

The evening was full of holiday cheer, music, and even a visit from Santa Claus himself. Fans caroled to "Jingle Bell Rock," performed by Sheryl Crow, as they awaited President Obama to hit the switch to light the 40-foot Colorado blue spruce. Other musical guests of the evening included: American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, Common, Celtic Woman, Joshua Redman and Ray LaMontagne. Mrs. Obama even made an appearance on stage herself and read "The Night Before Christmas" to children on stage.

To read or see more about the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, click here.

Furthermore, National Executive Director Floyd Mori will has been invited to a Holiday Reception at the White House hosted by the President and Mrs. Obama on December 15th.  He will have his invitation and identification in hand so as to avoid being labled a "party crasher".  

D.C. Chapter's Mochitsuki

The JACL DC Chapter is pleased to invite you to a luncheon that will include mochi pounding demonstrations, mochi-making, origami folding, and Japanese arts and crafts for sale by the Crafty Ladies.

When:        Saturday, December 12, 2009 12:30p.m. - 2:30p.m.
Sponsor:    Japanese American Citizens League, Washington DC Chapter
Location:    North Bethesda Middle School
                  8935 Bradmoor Dr., Bethesda, MD 20817-3470
                 Click here for the School's website

Contact:     Donna Shimoda Hollingshead, donna_hollingshead@mcpsmd.org

Please pre-order your luncheon selections now by emailing Donna Hollingshead! The entrees are prepared by Yosaku Restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue in DC. Volunteers will be making ozoni as well.
Prices for the luncheon vary depending upon choices (see menu below).
Bento boxes: $12
  Chicken teriyaki
  Beef teriyaki
  Salmon teriyaki
  Vegetarian bent
All bento boxes include, rice, green salad, tsukemono, and/or oshinko

Sides:  $4
  Bowl of Beef Curry and Rice
  Yakisoba
  Bowl of Ozoni:  $2
  Soft drinks (bottled water, soda, other) : $1

SPECIAL MEAL DEAL:  $15
Select one bento box from above + either curry or yaki soba + one soft drink a $17 value for the special price of $15.  Also, if you are one of the first 100 orders, we will also include a bowl of ozoni! 

Please make your check payable to JACL DC Chapter and send to

Donna Shimoda Hollingshead
4721 Cherry Valley Drive
Rockville, MD 20853

Census Short Story #3/20: The 2000 Census and Japanese Americans

December 1st marked the four month countdown until Census Day on April 1, 2010. This week's Short Census Story reports the face of Japanese Americans from last decade. In 2000, there were 1,148,932 people who reported being of Japanese ancestry. By state, California had 25% of the nation's Japanese American population (288,854) followed by Hawaii (201,764) and New York (37,279). Though California had the most by state, Honolulu had the most by city with over 85,000 followed by Los Angeles with 36,000. Compared to other Asian Americans, Japanese Americans had the highest proportion of native born US citizens at 58% compared to one third of Asian Americans as a whole. Almost 30% of those with Japanese ancestry reported being mixed race (look out for a future Census Short Story about the 2010 Census and persons of more than one race).

The 2010 Census is in 18 weeks. Make sure you count! 

Health Care

Last Saturday, the Senate voted on moving on to Conference which means they will debate with the House on their respective health care bills.  It was a victory for Senate Democrats since they defeated the Republican filibuster (a filibuster is a Republican strategy to obstruct/delay legislation). Now, we await as Congress comes back from their Thanksgiving recess and begin debating and accepting amendments on Monday, November 30th. We will have to see in the upcoming weeks whether a bill will really be on the President's desk to sign before the year ends.

To see how your Senator voted last Saturday, click here

FBI Releases New Hate Crimes Report

On November 23, the FBI released its annual publication, Hate Crime Statistics 2008.  This publication details reported hate crimes by states, cities, towns, and colleges and universities.  The report can be viewed exclusively online on the FBI website .  The report is user-friendly, with links to individual state hate crime data information.  The FBI also released their press release on their HCSA statistics.  A useful Fact Sheet on the HCSA can be found here.    

Some of the highlights from the 2008 report include: 

• Reported hate crimes are at their highest level since 2001  and the FBI report documents the highest number of crimes directed at Blacks, Jews, and gay men and lesbians since 2001.   In 2008, the FBI reported 7,783 hate crimes, an increase over the 7,624 reported in 2007.
• 13,690 law enforcement agencies in the United States participated in the 2008 data collection effort - the largest number of police agencies in the eighteen-year history of the Act.  Yet, only 2,145 of these participating agencies - 15.6 percent - reported even a single hate crime to the FBI.   
• Religion-based crimes increased from 1,400 in 2007 to 1,519 in 2008, and the number of reported anti-Jewish crimes also increased, from 969 in 2007 to 1,013 in 2008.  Reported crimes against Muslims decreased from 115 to 105, the lowest level since 2000. 
• Continuing a disturbing trend, the number of hate crimes directed at gay men and lesbians increased for the third year in a row - from 1,265 in 2007 to 1,297 in 2008.  
• For the first time in five years, the number of reported crimes directed against Hispanics decreased - from 595 in 2007 to 561 in 2008.   
• As in past years, the vast majority of the participating agencies (84.4%) reported 0 (zero) hate crimes.  This does not mean that they did not report hate crimes; it means that they affirmatively reported to the FBI that NO HATE CRIME INCIDENTS occurred in their jurisdiction.   
• In addition, thousands of police agencies across the nation did not participate in this HCSA data collection effort at all - including at least five agencies in cities of over 250,000 population and at least eleven agencies in cities between 100,000 and 250,000.  

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) will continually work with other organizations to build strong coalitions to expand education and anti-bullying initiatives in schools, increase training and outreach to law enforcement authorities, and begin building upon the new tools and partnerships available through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act. 

Lunch with Norman Mineta

Congress's recess during the week of Thanksgiving left a great opportunity for the JACL DC Office's Mineta Fellow, Phillip Ozaki, to have lunch with Mr. Mineta himself. Joined by JACL Executive Director, Floyd Mori, the three enjoyed an intimate lunch at Ceiba restaurant near the White House.  

It is expected that lunch with Mr. Mineta and Mr. Mori would have interesting conversations. Mr. Mineta told the story of how he became the first Asian American Mayor of a large US City - San Jose.  He also shared his experience as Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton and Secretary of Transportation under President Bush.

This is an example of the great experiences that the JACL provides through its fellowship programs. After graduating in May 2009, Mr. Ozaki moved to Washington DC from Chicago to serve as the JACL Mineta Fellow. Mr. Ozaki and the DC office encourage young graduates to apply for fellowship positions to learn about national politics, the work of the JACL, and personal stories from big shots like Norman Mineta. For more information on JACL Fellowships, click here.

Census Short Story #2/20: Thanksgiving and Counting Native Americans

Thanksgiving started when the Pilgrims and Native Americans joined together for a feast almost 300 years ago. President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official national holiday in 1863. Without coincidence, 1860 is the first time Native Americans were counted in the census. To be more specific, Native Americans were subcategorized under the "Color" question as "Indians not taxed" and "Taxed Indians". The total number of Native Americans was 339,421, but only 13% (44,000 tax-paying Native Americans) were included in the enumeration for purposes of political representation and federal funding to those areas.

However, since 1890 all Native Americans, regardless of tax-paying status, have been counted as one person. Unfortunately, a fire in 1921 burned away all records of the 1890 Census which would have provided useful data about Native American tribes and ancestry in our nation. The 2000 Census reported 4.9 million people with Native American ancestry. That is 1.6% of the total population. The 2010 Census will ask a race question with a checkbox that indicates "Native Americans". Respondent can then write in their tribe.

This Census Short Story is related to the recent Vitter Amendment in which a Senator wished to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census to take away political representation from immigrant communities. Many immigrant rights organizations, including the JACL, alluded to the exclusion of Native Americans from the 1960 - 1980 censuses to argue that undocumented immigrants ought to still be counted.

The 2010 Census is in 19 weeks. Make sure you count!      
Source: www.census.gov/history
Complete Story: www.archives.gov

Senate Expected to Vote on Health Bill on Saturday

On Wednesday night, the long awaited Senate health care bill was revealed. The estimated $848 billion bill will extend health care coverage to approximately 31 million people. The bill is estimated to cut federal deficits by $130 billion. Senator Reid (D-Nevada) has planned on a rare Saturday vote to see if the Senate will take up the legislation.  Democrats would need 60 votes this Saturday for cloture. Cloture would mean that the Senate could move on to conference with the House after the Thanksgiving break. However, if the Senate Democrats do not get all 60 votes, the Republicans will continue to filibuster, meaning that they will continue to obstruct the process of the bill to move on to conference.

The New York Times reports some key differences between the House and Senate Bills:

Public Option:
The House's Public Plan would negotiate payment rates with doctors and hospitals (rather than using Medicare rates set by the government). The Senate's plan would negotiate rates with doctors and hospitals, however states could refuse to participate in the public plan by adopting a law to opt out.

Insurance Exchange:
The House plan would create a national insurance exchange. States could operate their own exchanges, with federal approval. The Senate's plan would allow states to form their own exchanges. Several states could join together to form a regional exchange.

Expansion of Medicaid:
The House plan would cover everyone with incomes less than 150 percent of the poverty level while the Senate plan would cover everyone with incomes less than 133 percent of the poverty level.

Abortion: 
For the House, health plans could choose whether to cover abortion, however low- and middle-income people who receive federal subsidies to buy insurance could not choose a health plan that covers elective abortions. In addition, their public plan would not provide abortion coverage. 
For the Senate, health plans could choose whether to cover abortion. In each state, there would have to be at least one plan that covers abortions and one that does not. Low- and middle-income people who receive federal subsidies to buy insurance could enroll in health plans that cover abortion, but insurers would be required to segregate their federal subsidies into separate accounts and use only the premium money and co-payments contributed by consumers to cover the procedure. Also,the public plan could provide abortion coverage but would have to segregate federal dollars, just like the private plans

Undocumented Immigrants:
The House allows undocumented immigrants to buy insurance from the exchanges, but could not get federal subsidies to help pay the costs. The Senate bill would not allow illegal immigrants to buy insurance from the exchanges, even if they were able to pay the full cost themselves, without federal subsidies.

For more analysis on comparing the bills click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/19/us/politics/1119-plan-comparison.html?hp#tab=0 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/health/policy/20health.html?_r=1&hpw

Congressional Gold Medals to the 442nd and 100th

This week, the JACL Washington DC office visited Senators to ask for their support and co-sponsorship of S. 1055, a bill that would collectively award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Battalion Infantry. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award in the United States. The bill currently has 35 co-sponsors on a bi-partisan measure and needs 67 votes to guarantee passage to the President. The House version of the bill passed with 411 yeas to 0 nays. For a list of co-sponsors click here.

Immigration Reform: A Successful National Town Hall Over the Phone

On Wednesday, more than 60,000 people dialed into a telephonic town hall meeting about immigration reform. Reformers hosted more than 1,000 house parties in 45 states to join Congressman Luis Gutierrez. The JACL Washington DC's house party was one of these. In October, Congressmen Gutierrez announced his principles for a comprehensive reform bill and on Wednesday, November 18, announced that he will have a bill drafted by December. Immigration reform is one of the promises of the Obama campaign and advocates are hoping to fix the broken system early in 2010.

If you listened into the call, tell the JACL Washington DC office your thoughts by contacting minetafellow@jacl.org or (202) 223-1240.

Listen to the town hall: http://actions.reformimmigrationforamerica.org/t/5354/signUp.jsp?key=2864

Read more: It's time for action on immigration reform

Census Short Story #1/20: The First Census

In honor of the DC Digest's first Census Short Story, this story is about the first census. The first US Census was conducted under President Washington and Census Director Thomas Jefferson in 1790. The law required that every household be visited and census schedules be posted in "two of the most public places within [each jurisdiction]". In 2009, it is is hard to imagine visiting every house and communicating information through posters in the town square. The five categories of people reported by each household were free white males over 16, free white males under 16, free white females, other free persons, and slaves. The final count for the 1790 Census was 3.9 million. Times have changed greatly since 1790 and more comparisons to the 2000 Census are below.

1790 Census vs. 2000 Census
US Population 1790: 3,929,214
US Population 2000: 281,421,906
Number of States 1790: 13
Number of States 2000: 50
Cost of Census 1790: $44,000
Cost of Census 2000: $6.5 Billion
Number of Enumerators 1790: 650
Number of Enumerators 2000: 550,000
Number of Questions 1790: 6
Number of Questions 2000:7 short form; 52 long form
Largest City 1790: New York City (33,131)
Largest City 2000: New York City (8,008,278)

The 2010 Census is in 20 Weeks, make sure you count! 
(Source: www.census.gov/history) 

JACL Meets with Paramount Pictures

On Thursday, the JACL was represented at a meeting with Paramount Pictures by Floyd Mori, National Executive Director, and Craig Ishii, Regional Director of the Pacific Southwest District.  Paramount Pictures President and CEO, Adam Goodman had invited Mori to meet to discuss problems of racial stereotyping and racial casting by Paramount.  Bill Imada, CEO of the IW Group (formerly Imada Wong Communications Group), and Guy Aoki, co-founder of MAANA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans), also attended the meeting that included Paramount executives, Sharon Keyser and Katie Martinelli.  The meeting was a result of a letter Mori wrote to Goodman condemning the negative stereotype portrayed in the Paramount movie, The Goods:  Live Hard, Sell Hard.

Goodman, who became the CEO of Paramount after the filming of the movie, had apologized for the racially demeaning scene and with this meeting had made good on his promise to meet with Mori and other community leaders.  In the meeting Goodman committed to further dialog and requested that ongoing meetings be held to monitor and evaluate Paramount's performance in providing a diverse platform in their productions.

Mori was pleased with the outcome of the meeting and stated, "Adam Goodman was receptive to our concerns and expressed an attitude of further cooperation to make Paramount a model for reflecting the diversity that exists in contemporary society.  We look forward to a close working relationship with the studio in eliminating the perpetuation of negative stereotyping of ethnic minorities.  Through this dialog, we hope to avoid the type of debacle which resulted from The Goods."

The JACL belongs to a coalition of Asian American organizations which meet with the television networks in trying to bring more diversity and more opportunity for Asian American actors.  Because the visual media provides a particular view of society, the goal is for a truer reflection within all media of the role of all ethnicities in the American mainstream.

House Healthcare Bill Passes, Waiting for the Senate

As we commend the House for passing their version of the Health Care Bill last Saturday by a 220-215 vote, we now anxiously await for the Senate's bill. Senate Majority Leader Reid has stated that he plans on finishing a bill by next week and to have a completed bill for the President to sign by the end of the year. The public option and abortion services, which were major topics of debate in the House bill, are still topics of interest in the Senate as they are woking to reach a compromise. 

Here are summarized points from the House Bill, H.R 3962 Affordable Health Care for America Act provided by the Committees on Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, and Education & Labor:

A Public Health Insurance Option. One of the many choices of health insurance within the Health Insurance Exchange is a public health insurance option. It will be a new choice in many areas of our country dominated by just one or two private insurers today.

Health Insurance Exchange. The new Health Insurance Exchange (starting in 2013) creates a transparent and functional marketplace for individuals and small employers to comparison shop among private and public insurers, including new health insurance co-ops.

Guaranteed coverage and insurance market reforms. Insurance companies will no longer be able to engage in discriminatory practices that enable them to refuse to sell or renew policies today due to an individual's health status. In addition, they can no longer exclude coverage of treatments for pre-existing health conditions.

Expands Medicaid. Individuals and families with incomes at or below 150% percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for an expanded and improved Medicaid program. Recognizing the budget challenges in many states, this expansion will initially be fully federally financed then transition to include a 9% contribution from states starting in 2015. To improve provider participation in this vital safety net - particularly for low-income children, individuals with disabilities and people with mental illnesses -
reimbursement rates for primary care services will be increased to Medicare rates with new federal funding.

Improves Medicare. Senior citizens and people with disabilities will benefit from provisions that fill the donut hole over time in the Part D drug program, eliminate cost-sharing for preventive services, improve the low-income subsidy programs in Medicare, increase access to primary care providers, and make other program improvements. The bill will also address future fiscal challenges by improving payment accuracy, encouraging delivery system reforms and extending solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund. Companion legislation will permanently reform Medicare's payment formula for physicians.

Assistance for small employers. Recognizing the special needs of small businesses, the smallest businesses (payroll that does not exceed $500,000) are exempt from the employer responsibility requirement. In addition, a new small business tax credit will be available for two years for low-wage, small firms who choose to provide health coverage to their workers.

Click here for the full Summary of the House Health Care Bill
Click here for the New York Times Article

Participate in November Town Hall Meeting on Immigration Reform

Following up on his promises for Immigration Reform,Representative Luis Gutierrez will hold a national telephonic town hall meeting on November 18. The JACL encourages members to plan house parties where they can share their family's immigration story and then call into the town hall to listen and discuss principles of Immigration Reform with Congressman Gutierrez. 

The call takes place on Wednesday, November 18, at 8:00PM Eastern Time. For more info visit the JACL's Action Alert page: http://jacl.org/public_policy/alertnetwork.htm

JACL Celebrates Veteran's Day with JAVA

On Wednesday, the JACL DC office attended the Japanese American Veterans Association's (JAVA) Ninth Annual Veteran's Day Program held at the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism. Despite the cold and damp weather, guests congregated after lunch to pay tribute to all the soldiers of war for their dedication and service to our country. Col Bruce Hollywood, LTG Joseph Peterson, Ms. Christine Sato-Yamazaki (President & CEO, Go For Broke National Education Center), and Mr. Bob Nakamoto (President, JAVA) were all in attendance and gave brief remarks at the ceremony.

The JACL is grateful and would like to thank current soldiers and veterans for their service and sacrifice to our country.

Japanese American Confinement Sites Program - Upcoming Listening Sessions

In preparation for the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriation and the next grant cycle, the National Park Service (NPS) would like to hear your thoughts on this first year of the grant program.  Individuals are encouraged to provide comments on the components of the grant program that they would like to see continued, and any aspects of the grant program that they would like to see changed.  As part of that information-gathering process, the NPS will host a series of "Listening Sessions" in early December at several locations throughout the country. NPS invites you to provide your thoughts in person at one of these Listening Sessions, which are scheduled as follows:

INTERMOUNTAIN REGION
 Denver, Colorado
Date:  Monday, November 30, 2009
Time:  10 am-12 noon
Location:  National Park Service
Intermountain Regional Office
12795 W. Alameda Parkway
Phone:  303-969-2885 (RSVP encouraged)

MIDWEST REGION
Chicago, Illinois
Date:  Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Time:  7:00 pm-9:00 pm
Location:  Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Chicago Chapter
5415 North Clark Street
Phone:  402-661-1928 (NPS)
312-728-7170 (JACL)
Website:   http://www.jaclchicago.org

Little Rock, Arkansas
Date:  Thursday, December 3, 2009
Time:  2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Location:  Little Rock Central High School
NHS Visitor Center
2120 Daisy Bates Drive
Phone:  402-661-1928 (NPS)
501-374-1957 (Little Rock NHS)
Website:   http://www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm
Directions:   http://www.nps.gov/chsc/planyourvisit/directions.htm

PACIFIC WEST REGION

Seattle, Washington
Date:  Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Time:  6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Location:  Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
1416 S. Jackson Street
Phone:  925-943-1531, ext. 122 (NPS)
206-320-0095 (DENSHO)
Website:  www.densho.org/

Los Angeles, California
Date:  Thursday, December 3, 2009
Time:  6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Location:  Japanese American Cultural and Community Center
244 S. San Pedro Street, Suite 505
Phone:  925-943-1531, ext. 122 (NPS)
213-628-2725 (JACCC)
Website:   http://www.jaccc.org/index.htm
Directions:   http://www.jaccc.org/directions.htm

San Francisco, California
Date:  Friday, December 4, 2009
Time:  6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Location:  Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California
1840 Sutter Street, Suite 201
Phone:  925-943-1531, ext. 122 (NPS)
415-567-5505 (JCCCNC)
Website:   http://www.jcccnc.org/

Honolulu, Hawai`i
Date:  Thursday, December 3, 2009
Time:  6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Location:  Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai`i
2454 South Beretania Street
Phone:  808-541-2693, ext. 723 (NPS)
808-945-7633 (JCCH)
Website:   http://www.jcch.com/
 
If you cannot attend one of the listening sessions, NPS encourages you to provide your comments directly to the NPS via the public comment website at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/imro or by sending your written comments to the NPS to the address listed below:

National Park Service
Intermountain Region
Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program
Attention: Kara Miyagishima
12795 W. Alameda Parkway
Lakewood, CO 80228

For additional information on the upcoming listening sessions, FY 2009 Grant Awards, and additional program information, please visit the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program website at:  http://www.nps.gov/history/HPS/hpg/JACS/index.html

JACL Expresses Condolences and Sadness on Fort Hood Incident

JACL joins the nation in expressing sincere condolences to the families and colleagues of those slain and injured yesterday at Ft. Hood, Texas.  The JACL community is saddened that brave and patriotic soldiers were sacrificed in such a defenseless manner.  The JACL strongly condemns this senseless taking of innocent lives regardless of the motivation. 

House Plans to Vote on Health Bill this Weekend

Earlier this week, the House agreed on a vote on their health reform bill H.R. 3962, known as the Affordable Health Care for America Act this weekend. Late Tuesday, House leaders released the Manager's Amendment, drafted by Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Emeritus John Dingell (D-Michigan).  A Manager's Amendment, as defined by CSPAN, "is a package of numerous individual amendments agreed to by both sides in advance." However, controversies remain in the House over two major issues: federal funding for abortion and undocumented immigrants.  Conservative Democrats were hoping to see legislative language confirming that no federal funding could be used for abortions or undocumented immigrants.  The debate over these two issues has slowed the voting process, in addition to the total cost of the bill as a whole. 

This past Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their analysis of the Republican Health Care Bill.  It would only provide coverage for 3 million people and leave 52 million uninsured over the next ten years. The Washington Post writes: "Republicans said their plan was not intended to rapidly expand coverage, but to take a step-by-step approach that begins with lower insurance costs. Rep. Dave Camp (Mich.), the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, hailed the CBO's assessment as confirmation that the GOP plan would bring insurance premiums down by as much as 10 percent in the small group market, a significant improvement over the Democratic bill." Democrats have strongly accused the Republicans of sticking to the status quo and not supporting the urgent need of health care reform.

As heated debates continue in our nation's capital, there is definite hope for a major change:

"'We are right on the brink of passing historic legislation to provide quality, affordable, accessible health care for all Americans,' Pelosi told reporters. Asked whether she had the votes to bring the bill to the House floor, the California Democrat pledged, 'We will.'" - Washington Post.
Click here for the first Washington Post Article
Click here for the second Washington Post Article

Camp Preservation

Last week,the JACL was successful in securing funding for World War II Concentration Camp preservation projects. President Obama signed the legislation for the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Interior appropriations bill last Friday. The bill includes $3 million for the camp preservation program, $900,000 for barracks reconstruction at Manzanar, California, and $350,000 for park boundary expansion of Minidoka National Historic Site, Idaho. The bill also address an initiative to save Minidoka from a power line that may be built through it, land expansions for Heart Mountain in Wyoming, and a research study to determine Honouliuli Gulch's feasibility to become a National Park in Hawaii. The JACL strongly supports camp preservation to remember the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and looks forward to the results of the bill.
 
PDF of Press Release: Click Here

Vitter Amendment Rejected

After weeks of stalling, the Vitter Amendment proposed by Senator David Vitter (Louisiana) was rejected by the Senate on Wednesday with a vote of 60 to 39. The amendment would have required a citizenship question on the 2010 census. If the amendment passed, it would have discouraged immigrant communities from filling out their census forms causing their districts to lose funding and political representation from the government. The amendment would have wasted $7 billion and prevented the Census Bureau from reaching deadlines. By law, new questions to the census must be proposed to congress three years before the census.

NOLA Article: Vitter amendment on census falls in Senate vote

Immigration

Following up on his promises for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) which were announced on October 13 at a rally in Washington, DC, Representative Luis Gutierrez will hold a national telephonic town hall meeting on November 18. CIR supporters are asking community members to plan house parties where they can share their family's immigration story and then call into the town hall to listen and discuss principles of CIR with Congressman Gutierrez.

The call takes place on Wednesday, November 18, at 8:00PM Eastern Time. For more info or to find an event near you: Click Here

The Future of our Military

There has been growing concern that younger recruits for the military are being disqualified due to increasing rates of obesity and poor education. As reported by the Washington Post on Thursday, "about 75 percent of the country's 17- to 24-year-olds are ineligible for military service, largely because they are poorly educated, overweight and have physical ailments that make them unfit for the armed forces." In addition to other concerning factors such as drug use, criminal record, and mental problems, the issues of obesity and poor education weakens our military's numbers and threatens our country's ability to successfully defend itself.

To read more about this issue in detail and learn about actions being taken to combat this problem, view the Washington Post article.    

President Signs Hate Crime Legislation into Law

On Wednesday, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law. The Act expands coverage of the 1969 federal hate crimes law to include victims targeted based on their sexual orientation, disability, and gender identity as it strengthens existing hate crimes protections for other categories, including race, color, religion, national origin, and ethnicity. 

The Hate Crimes provision further grants federal officials greater authority to:

• Investigate and prosecute hate crimes
• Provides greater funding for state and local agencies to investigate hate crimes
• For the first time, allows hate crimes prosecution without requiring proof that the victim was attacked because he or she was engaged in a federally protected activity.

The bill was first introduced in 1999, a year after Mathew Shepard, a homosexual teenager from Wyoming, was beaten to death due to his sexual orientation, and James Byrd, Jr., an African American from Texas, was tied to a pick-up truck and dragged to death because of his race. The hate crimes bill languished in Congress for ten years, unable to gain enough support for its passage. However, an increase of hate crimes within the previous years has prompted renewed urgency of the need to pass federal hate crimes legislation.

Ethnic and racial groups will benefit from this increased protection as they continue to be subjected to bias-motivated violence and intimation. Floyd Mori, National Executive Director of the JACL, who was in attendance at the White House celebration of the passage and signing, stated:  "We were happy to be on the frontlines working to improve the hate crimes law that now will include additional categories of impacted communities.  The critical provision that allows the federal authorities to broaden their jurisdiction to assist local law enforcement will aid in future prosecutions against those who commit hate crimes."

Click here to view video of the President's remarks regarding the signing of the Hate Crimes Legislation

House Unveils Merged Health Care Bill

Thursday morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed the 1,990 page merged House Health Care bill. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the House bill will cost $1.05 trillion, about $150 billion dollars over-budget of the projected $900 billion President Obama had hoped for.  As soon as the Senate announces their merged heath bill, the floor debate to reconcile the Senate and House bills can begin here in the Nation's capital.

Here are some key points of the merged House bill:

Access: Gives 36 million more people access to insurance, extending coverage to about 96 percent of the U.S. population.

Public option: Creates a public option in which the government would negotiate rates with providers instead of tying rates to Medicare.

Insurance exchange: Greatly expands an insurance exchange under which people not covered by employers or working for small businesses could choose private plans or the public option.

Restrictions: Bans insurers from canceling policies when people get sick and limiting lifetime coverage, while giving people access to the exchange who can't otherwise get coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Surtax: Imposes a 5.4 percent surtax on individuals earning more than $500,000 a year and couples earning $1 million.

- San Francisco Chronicle
Click here for the San Francisco Chronicle Article

Japanese Latin American Commission Bill Passes House Judiciary Committee

This past Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee voted to favorably report the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act (H.R. 42). This bill would create a study for Japanese Latin American internees during World War II, similar to the 1980 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians that created an official governmental study of Executive Order 9066 (the order to force Japanese Americans to internment camps during WWII).

We ask that our supporters spread the word to their contacts to push for passage of the bill in the House of Representatives. For more information, please contact Christine Oh, CFJ Legislative Director, at (213) 500-9346 or info@campaignforjusticejla.org. 
Visit the CFJ website

Hate Crime Bill Passes!

The JACL's long fought battle for Hate Crime Bill (Mathew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act) is over! The Bill just passed this evening! We anticipate the President will sign it next week.

Efforts to Freeze Medicare Cuts Disabled

Wednesday afternoon, the Senate voted on a bill known as the 'Doc Fix' bill which would have put a freeze on Medicare payment cuts to physicians over the next ten years. The bill was defeated by a 53-47 vote, indicating a big loss for American Medical Association and AARP who were lobbying heavily for the bill. Physicians who treat Medicare patients are reimbursed through government funding, and under current law a 21% drop in payments to doctors will begin in January 2010 and a 40% drop by 2016. These cuts would be extremely detrimental to Medicare patients because physicians, especially those who run their own clinics, would have to turn away Medicare patients.

A major reason for the bill's defeat has been speculated to be due to the estimated cost of the bill. If approved, the 'Doc Fix' bill would have cost $247 billion over 10 years and the proponents of the bill did not offer an offset to this cost therefore adding to future deficits. The Senate Finance Committee's bill has a one-year fix (freezing Medicare payments for only a year versus ten years) in their bill for broader health care reform which is still being discussed for the merged Senate bill.
 New York Times Article

Public Option Gains Support

A new poll issued by the Washington Post-ABC reveals that an increasing majority of Americans now favor a public option in health care reform. The findings of the poll come as a bit of a surprise after heated debates broke out nation wide at Congressional Townhall meetings this past summer. According to the poll, "57 percent of all Americans now favor a public insurance option, while 40 percent oppose it. Data from the poll also reveals that support has risen since mid-August, when a bare majority, 52 percent, said they favored it. Additionally, 76 percent of Americans would support the public plan if it "were run by the states and available only to those who lack affordable private options." The poll also surprisingly reveal majority support from Republicans, 56 percent of whom would support a public option if it were state-ran and only available to those who lacked affordable alternatives.
 To read more about the findings of the poll, view The Washington Post Article 

Ending Anti-Trust Exemption for Insurance Companies

This morning, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, stated that the House health care bill will include legislation to end anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies:

"It will include the Leahy amendment which is eliminating the exemption of health insurance companies ... from antitrust law," Pelosi said, referring to a Senate provision authored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). - The Hill

Since 1945, health insurance companies have been exempt from anti-trust laws, which allowed them to create a dishonest market and eventually contributed to the overall health care problem we face today.  If the amendment passes, "it would outlaw price-fixing, bid rigging and 'market allocations' by companies that sell health insurance or medical malpractice insurance."  - New York Times
New York Times Article
Article from The Hill

Press Conferences Opposing Vitter Amendment

This week, two press conferences were held in DC opposing an Amendment proposed by Senator David Vitter of Louisiana would require an 11th question on the 2010 Census asking about citizenship status.  Opponents of the Vitter Amendment emphasized the Senator's intention is to discourage Latinos and immigrants from participating in the census in order to take away their political power. Since census data draws district lines for political representation Vitter argues, "[Undocumented immigrants]  shouldn't be included for the purposes of determining representation in Congress."

On Tuesday's press conference with civil and immigrant rights organizations, Wade Henderson from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights said, "[The Vitter amendment] contradicts what America stands for - the idea that all people are created equal. The 14th Amendment clearly requires a count of every resident for apportionment of U.S. House seats, yet the Vitter amendment echoes a shameful period when the census counted most African Americans as three-fifths of a person. The ideals that our country was founded on, and the sacrifice and struggle of generations of Americans to realize them, deserve better than this."

On Thursday's press conference, representatives from the tri-caucus, or the minority caucus of Asian, Latino, and African American representative also opposed the amendment. "Every census since 1790 has included citizens and noncitizens alike..."  said Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Eight previous Census Bureau directors advised congress that a last-minute question to the census would cost an extra $7 billion in tax dollars. Despite the cost of adding the question, Vitter claims that gathering this information is worth it.

Related Articles:
 JACL ACTION ALERT (Senators still need to be contacted): SAVE THE CENSUS & OPPOSE THE VITTER AMENDMENT
NY Times Editorial: How to Waste Money and Ruin the Census
SF Gate: Minority lawmakers: No census citizenship question

Immigration News

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill that would allow widows of American citizens to apply for residency, something they could not do before. This big win relieves a small problem within the broken immigration system and should call for more action comprehensive immigration reform.

Read more: Senate Measure Gives Rights to Widows of Citizens

The link below is a Hill blog entry by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) who introduced the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) of 2009. UAFA would allow gay and lesbian partners of U.S. citizens to have the same immigration rights that heterosexual couples have.

Read more: Pass the Uniting American Families Act
 

Health Care Reform: Time to Merge Bills

This past Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee Bill passed their bill with a 14-9 vote, establishing yet another historic moment in health care reform. The following day, White House officials met with Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Chairman of the Health Committee, Senator Christopher Dodd (Sitting in for the late Senator Kennedy) to discuss the legislation.

Now, the major hurdle will be to merge the two Senate bills (one from the Finance Committee and one from the HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee) into one coherent bill. In the U.S. House of Representatives, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Maryland) and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, are working together to merge the three House bills into one bill that will ultimately be voted upon by the House.

The major difference between the merged Senate and House bills will most likely be the presence or absence of a public option. Speaker Pelosi has adamantly vowed that the House bill will include a public option. In the Senate, there have been talks of a possible compromise by including Senator Olympia Snowe's (R-Maine) proposal of a "trigger."  The "trigger" would establish a non-profit government corporation, that would provide coverage for states where at least 95% of its residents cannot afford coverage in the health exchange; it is noted to be a "safety net" plan and a lot of the details are yet to be sorted out.

The challenge to find compromise in the bills will be a long and arduous task here in the Nation's capital. Talks behind doors have already begun, and we will just have to wait and see if Congress will really have a bill for the President to sign by the end of this year.

Click here for New York Times Article
Click here for an additional New York Times Article on Public Option

AAPI White House Initiative

President Barack Obama, at a special White House Ceremony Wednesday afternoon, signed an Executive Order to reestablish the President's Advisory Commission and White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).  The Initiative, which was first established by President Bill Clinton ten years ago, will significantly improve data collection and research as well as expand the Federal government's outreach and service to the AAPI community.

The Initiative will mitigate health, educational, and economic disparities as it functions to "advance relevant evidence-based research, data collection, and analysis for AAPI populations and subpopulations."  As specifically stated in the Executive Order, the Initiative will "improve the quality of life of AAPIs through increased participation in the Federal programs in which AAPIs may be underserved."

The Initiative is authorized through October 14, 2011 and will be housed within the U.S. Department of Education, where Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will co-chair the Initiative. 

Floyd Mori, National Executive Director of JACL, who was in attendance at Wednesday's ceremony states: "The White House Initiative on AAPI's will play a key role as a liaison between the AAPI communities and the various agencies in the Government. This has been missing for some time, and this will give us access and impact."

Click here to view the President's remarks and the signing of the Executive Order: CSPAN coverage of Signing

Immigration Reform: 10/13 Rally in D.C.

On Tuesday, October 13 thousands gathered in the nation's capital urging Congress to move on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). Congressman Louis Gutierrez (IL-4) took the spotlight by unveiling his principles for a new CIR bill including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers, effective border control, immigrant integration programs, and the DREAM Act, which allows undocumented high school graduates to become citizens after 2 years of college or military service. Congressman Gutierrez also spoke about improving worker's rights.  

The rally highlighted the urgency of reforming immigration to keep American families together as deportation rates rise and broken immigration systems split apart families. The busloads of activists, immigrants, and speakers carried a message that comprehensive immigration reform should be a top priority for President Obama, who said his administration would pursue reform this year but expected no action on legislation before 2010.

Related Links: 
New York Times: Immigration Rally Draws Thousands
Congressman Gutierrez's 10/13 Speech on YouTube

2010 Census Threatened by the Vitter Amendment

Last week, Senator David Vitter (Louisiana) proposed an amendment to the 2010 Fiscal Year budget that would require a question about legal immigration status on the 2010 Census. Immigrant and civil rights organizations including the JACL are concerned that this will scare many immigrants from filling out their forms ultimately resulting in a loss of federal funding and political representation to regions with many immigrants. In a press release, Vitter argues that "Illegal aliens should not be included for the purposes of determining representation in Congress, and that's the bottom line here." JACL wrote a letter to senators reminding them that the role of the census as stated in the Constitution is to count people regardless of gender, race, or status.

Also opposing the Vitter Amendment is the Census Bureau who reported that the amendment would prevent them from fulfilling the constitutional deadline to report to the president by December 2010. Census questions are researched and tested over each decade. In 2008, congress approved the 10 questions which already exist on the 425 million of 600 million census forms that have already been printed. Overall, the amendment would waste $7 billion tax dollars on research, planing, and printing.  Final voting for the Vitter Amendment will take place next week.

Related Links:
Contact Your Senator: JACL Action Alert
NOLA Times: Census Bureau knocks Sen. David Vitter's proposal

JACL Hosts Another Successful AAPI Happy Hour

On Wednesday, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) hosted its second Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Young Professionals Networking Happy Hour, coordinated with OCA. The networking event featured the local AAPI community and drew support from Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN), Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Washington DC Chapter (APABA), Asian Pacific Employees for eXcellence (APEX), Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Group (DVRP), Deloitte Asian American Alliance Business Resource Group Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) and Thai Alliance in America (TAA). Attendees of the happy hour were able to learn more about the supporting organizations and about upcoming OCA young professional events.   

The happy hour was to benefit the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a celebration to be held from June 23 through July 5, 2010 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Next summer, the Folklife Festival will celebrate the Asian Pacific American community through displays and booths featuring APA music, dance, crafts and food. The Folklife Festival also provides a unique opportunity to gather oral histories of the local APA community as they will be preserved for posterity in the official Smithsonian archives. In order to showcase the AAPI community's heritage and achievements on the National Mall next summer, the Smithsonian must raise $450,000. The happy hour attracted more than 60 individuals and rose over $400 for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

In addition to raising money for the Folklife Festival, Wednesday's happy hour was also dedicated to raising awareness for October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In attendance was the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Group (DVRP), a valuable resource for non-English speaking AAPI victims, who shared about volunteer opportunities and their October 22nd benefit dinner. During the month of October it is especially important to recognize groups like DVRP that assist victims of domestic violence in escaping violent and traumatizing situations since DVRP and other domestic violence shelters and resource centers across the country have been financially stressed due to cuts in funding.

To donate money to the 2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival or for additional information, please contact: Phil Nash (pnash@umd.edu).

For additional information about Domestic Violence Awareness Month, DVRP, and which domestic violence shelters have been affected by cuts in funding, please visit:DVRP Website

Domestic Violence Shelter Funding Crisis in California: Message from California State Senator Leland Yee

Positive Movement in the Healthcare Debate

Last week Friday at 2:00 a.m, the Senate Finance Committee finished their markup hearing and awaited the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  The numbers were revealed this Wednesday and it seems to have added some positive momentum in the health care debate.  The bill is estimated to cut $81 billion of the federal deficit over a ten year period, and the total cost is just under $900 billion which is what President Obama had projected. However, one key criticism as The New York Times points out is that "despite the expansion of coverage at a cost of $829 billion over 10 years, the budget office said 25 million people - about one-third of them illegal immigrants - would still be uninsured in 2019."  Most of the funding is taken from Medicare and other government insurance programs, but Democrats state that it will not affect the quality of patient care.

Here are some key numbers in the CBO estimate from the Wall Street Journal:

94%: The percentage of legal U.S. residents under 65 who will have health insurance in 2019. That's up from about 83% today. The bill doesn't provide coverage for illegal immigrants. U.S. citizens 65 and older already have near universal access to health insurance, through Medicare.

29 million: The decrease over a decade in the number of people who are under 65 and uninsured.

25 million: The number of people under 65 who would still be uninsured in a decade. About a third would be illegal immigrants.

$829 billion: The gross total cost to the federal government, over 10 years, of expanding insurance coverage. This includes credits and subsidies to help people buy insurance on exchanges; higher funding for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and tax credits for small employers.

$911 billion: Savings and new revenue, over 10 years, resulting from the bill. Among the contributors: A new tax on so-called Cadillac health-insurance plans (initially defined as those with annual annual premiums over $8,000 for individuals and over $21,000 for families, with some exceptions).

Click here for the Wall Street Journal Article with "Key Numbers"

With the CBO report out, key Swing Senators such as Senator Snowe (R-Maine) and Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) are under a lot of pressure to take a real position on the health care bill. Cost has definitely been a major concern for all, and Congress still has a lot of issues to sort out as the Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on Baucus' bill next Tuesday.

Click here for the full Wall Street Journal Article

Victory for Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the House

Beginning Tuesday of this week, members of Congress began to conference on H.R. 2647 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The bill contains the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which will provide state and local law enforcement the tools and resources they need to prevent and prosecute hate crimes. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act has passed the Congress several times over the last few years - each time by bipartisan majorities. In April, the House passed these provisions on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 249 to 175.

Prior to discussion of H.R. 2647, Senate opponents attempted to instruct House of Representatives conferees to strip the hate crimes provisions from the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The House of Representatives successfully defeated the Motion to Instruct conferees to strip the hate crime provisions by a vote of 178-234. On Thursday, October 8, the House of Representatives approved the FY 2010 Department of Defense Authorization Conference Report by a 281-146 vote, which included the federal hate crime law improvements that JACL has actively supported in the past.

The Senate-passed hate crime provisions have been retained and renamed "The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act." For the first time, gender and gender identity have been added to the existing federal hate crime penalty enhancement provision [Section 280003 (a) of Public Law 103-322]. It is expected that the Senate will pass this measure very soon - and then, finally go to President Obama for his signature.

Immigration Rally in Washington D.C.

On October 13, more than 3,000 supporters of Comprehensive Immigration Reform from across the U.S. will come together for a national mobilization with legislative visits, procession, and a rally organized by the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign. The rally will focus on keeping families together. Representative Luis Gutierrez (IL-4) is expected to announce the principles of his Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill which he promises to mobilize on soon.

When: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Washington, D.C
Program Agenda: 
· 10:00 AM: Registration at Church of the Reformation, 212 E Capitol St NE, Washington, DC 20003
· 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM: Visit your Member of Congress
· 2:00 PM: Family Procession from Church of Reformation to West Lawn of the US Capitol
· 3:00 PM: Closing event on West Lawn of the US Capitol

To participate in any of the day's events or for more information, contact NAKASEC at 202.339.9349 or soh@nakasec.org.

An Incentive for One, A Penalty for Another

Currently, Congress is considering provisions in the health care legislation to allow employers and insurers to offer insurance premium discounts to employees who enroll in workplace wellness programs and meet specific health goals. The concept of the wellness plan is simple: since nearly 40 percent of annual deaths are attributed to preventable diseases like smoking, alcohol, poor diet and exercise, the plan encourages individuals to change their bad habits and keep their weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure within healthy ranges. By doing so, they are eligible to receive a discount in insurance premiums. The premium discounts could range from 20 percent to as much as 50 percent.

On the surface wellness programs are perceived to be an ingenious plan to motivate individuals to stay healthy while reducing healthcare cost, but this posed a detrimental affect for those who are not able to meet targeted health goals. If individuals do not meet specific health goals, they run the risk of being penalized as their premiums increase. This ultimately will have an effect on minority and low-income populations, as they are the least likely to have access to nutritious foods and gym membership.

In theory, wellness programs provide great incentives for individuals to be more responsible for their health, but linking it to premiums has a detrimental effect. These wellness provisions currently being considered by Congress will ultimately discriminate against those who cannot meet health goals, as their habits (smoking, lack of exercise, drinking habits, etc.) will be treated as pre-existing conditions, increasing the risk of these individuals of becoming uninsured due to unsustainable insurance premiums. (Andrews, New York Times, 10/8) 

For additional stories about risks and the debate over wellness programs, view:
 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113557622 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113549864

Prepared by Crystal Xu, Mineta Fellow

On Wednesday, May 20, 2009, US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), along with Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) introduced legislation to re-emphasize family unity in the US immigration system.  The Reuniting Families Act would help legal immigrants to reunite with their families and end decade-long waiting times for legal immigrant visas.   JACL fully supports this Act.

Click here to read more

Prepared by Crystal Xu, Mineta Fellow

Wednesday, May 6, 2009, the Obama Administration and the Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack made an announcement regarding the Pigford Class Action Lawsuit that was first filed by Black famers against the United States Department of Agriculture back in 1997.  The settlement announced that it will provide $1.25 billion dollars in payments to qualified plaintiffs for past discriminatory treatment. 

On Thursday, May 14, 2009, HR 347, introduced by Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) which grants the congressional gold medal, collectively to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team from the United States Army in recognition of their services and bravery during World War II and was passed by the House.  The findings in the bill outline some of the history of the Japanese American experience during World War II and some of the specific experiences of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.  The 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team received 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze Stars, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier's Medals, and over 4,000 Purple Hearts, among numerous additional distinctions.   

By Crystal Xu, Mineta Fellow

On Wednesday April 29, 2009, Congress passed a nonbinding $3.56 trillion budget resolution for the upcoming 2010 fiscal year.  The resolution was first passed by the House with a vote of 233-193, and then followed by the Senate with a vote of 53-43.  No Republican in either house voted in support of the resolution, where 17 Democrats voted against it in the House and four in the Senate.  There is still much talk from Republican members that this budget will actually increase our deficit in 2014, however this budget does, “honor(s) the three pillars of the Obama initiatives: energy, health care and education,” states House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  JACL hopes that we can move forward from these differences to address the many issues that our nation has been facing. 

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Refugees, held his first hearing “Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do It and How?” on Thursday, April 30, 2009 .  He is expected to use this hearing to explore our nation’s need for immigration reform and for possible legislation to be out by the end of this year.   Asian American and Asian communities across the nation have been affected by broken immigration laws.  JACL supports Comprehensive Immigration Reform and urges for legislation in support of reform. 

The US House of Representatives has passed the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act with bipartisan support and a final vote of 249-175.   Earlier this week, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has reintroduced the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the Senate and we hope that Congress will continue to work together to enact the hate crimes bill into law this year.  JACL has always supported hate crime legislation and encouraged its members to be push in support of this legislation with their own representatives.

Prepared by Crystal Xu, Mineta Fellow

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA) will strengthen any existing federal hate crime laws.  This bill will bring uniformity to current federal hate crime laws by strengthening the ability of the federal, state and local governments to investigate and prosecute any hate crimes based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation and disabilities.   LLEHCPA will also allow the Department of Justice to assist them in any investigations or prosecutions of hate crimes.  This will be introduced as early as next Wednesday April 29, 2009 in the House so we urge JACL members to show support by calling their representatives to ask to support this bill.

Prepared by Crystal Xu, Mineta Fellow

In the past two weeks, there has been much discussion about President Obama’s commitment to place immigration as one of his priorities for this year.  Obama has stated that he will look for a path for currently undocumented and illegal immigrants to become legal.   President Obama has planned to speak about this issue publicly come May of this year; over the summer Obama plans on working with legislators from both parties as well as immigration groups to push for legislation as early as this fall.  Comprehensive immigration reform has been stated that it will be a priority for President Obama in his first year of office and JACL has always supported comprehensive immigration reform. 

On April 10, 2009, The US Census Bureau submitted its proposed recovery plan to Congress highlighting that it will create jobs, strengthen the economy and conduct a successful 2010 Census.  This will be done with the $1 billion the Census  received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  “The Census Bureau’s proposed investments will improve our ability to conduct an accurate census and will create thousands of good-paying jobs,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “A successful census is critical for ensuring that communities have proper representation and the resources needed for health care, law enforcement and education.”  The Bureau has dedicated $250 million to partnerships for outreach efforts to minority and hard-to-count populations, which has always been important to the JACL as AAPI’s have continued to be considered a hard-to-count population.

Prepared by Crystal Xu, Mineta Fellow

The Serve America Act, introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), was approved by the Senate on Thursday March 26.  The House approved the Senate amendments by a bipartisan vote of 275-149 on March 31, 2009.  This legislation will expand federally sponsored volunteer programs for Americans of all ages.  The Serve America Act will create new “corps” focused on health care, education, clean energy and disaster response amongst other initiatives. The House version was approved but will have to vote again because of some amendments.  The JACL has supported this bill.

On Thursday April 2, President Obama has chosen Robert M. Groves, a prominent survey researcher, to lead the Census Bureau, which is less than a year before the 2010 census begins. If Mr. Groves is confirmed as the agency's director, he will face many concerns surrounding this mandated head count. The bureau is under pressure from Congress and many advocacy groups to provide a more accurate tally of minority and hard to count groups, especially the AAPI community.  The JACL encourages community members and organizations and its affiliates to ensure that there is a more accurate count within the AAPI community for the 2010 Census. 

If you have any questions, please contact Crystal Xu at minetafellow@jacl.org. 

Prepared by Crystal Xu, Mineta Fellow

The Serve America Act, introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), was approved by the Senate on Thursday March 26.  This legislation will expand federally sponsored volunteer programs for Americans of all ages.  The Serve America Act will create new “corps” focused on health care, education, clean energy and disaster response amongst other initiatives. The House version was approved but will have to vote again because of some amendments.  The JACL has supported this bill.

Gary Locke, former Washington State Governor, nominated for US Commerce secretary by President Obama was confirmed by the US Senate on Tuesday March 24th, placing the first Chinese American for the job.  JACL has supported Locke’s nomination from the beginning. 

The Omnibus Lands Bill passed the House last Wednesday, March 25 on a simple majority vote and President Obama is expected to sign it into law shortly.  This bill will create 2 million acres of wilderness, create new national monuments and three national parks.  This legislation also protects lands in nine states predominately on the West and Pacific Northwest regions which include funding for Minidoka and Tule Lake.  The JACL has strongly supported this bill.

The House Budget Committee passed a budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2010 on Wednesday March 25.  This resolution embraces the President’s goal of cutting the deficit by 2013 while still funding critical initiatives on health care, energy and education.  Follow up on the stimulus is also in the budget.

The Fair Elections Now Act was introduced on Wednesday March 25 by Senator Dick Drubin (D-IL) and Arlen Specter (R-PA).  This act would create a public election financing system that would keep the candidates competitive while banning lobbyist money in elections.  President Obama is said to likely support this.

Prepared by Debee Yamamoto

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348) sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), co-sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Ken Salazar (D-CO) with support from President George Bush.
There are rumors that CIR debate may be revived again, but nothing concrete.

Next Steps: research must be done to collect data to better represent how Asian American and Pacific Islanders are affected.

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HATE CRIMES PREVENTION

Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (HR 1592) sponsored by Rep. John Conyers and (S 1105) sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Defines “hate crime” as a violent act causing death or bodily injury because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability of the victim.

Sept 27 - S 1105 passed the Senate (HR 1592 passed in May) but President Bush has indicated he will veto if this reaches his desk.

Related activity: Because of failure to pass Immigration reform, call for action has moved from the federal level to the local state level. Our concern with this patchwork approach to immigration reform is that there is much variance in the type of reform and level of proposed enforcement. There are some cases where this is more susceptibility to greater exposure to hate crimes due to the ‘enforcement’ heavy focus of some legislation.

HABEAS CORPUS AND MILITARY COMMISSIONS ACT

Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 (S. 185) sponsored by Sen.Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), (H.R. 1416) sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NJ)
This bill repeals provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 which eliminated the jurisdiction of any court to hear or consider applications for a writ of habeas corpus filed by aliens who have been determined to be enemy combatants and actions against the US relating to the detention of such aliens and to military commissions. It also allows courts to hear or consider legal challenges to military commissions only as provided by the Code of Military Justice or by a habeas corpus proceeding. This bill became the Leahy-Specter Amendment of the Defense Authorization bill.
Sept 19 – cloture vote failed (56 yays-43 nays) 4 votes short
Update: While the vote failed, this was still seen as a positive vote as there was a majority in the Senate who backed this amendment.

Amendment to Titles 28 and 10, United States Code, to restore habeas corpus (H.R. 2826) sponsored by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO)
Amends the federal code to allow an alien enemy combatant detained by the US to apply for a writ of habeas corpus.
Sept 6 – Referred to the Full Committee (House Judiciary) from the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties (7-4).

Update: Rep. Steny Hoyer’s office is saying there needs to be a narrower bill than Skelton’s bill in order to move forward on habeas legislation.

Next Steps: Looks as though movement on the Hill on habeas legislation will be difficult. Despite this, we are pursuing retooled messaging regarding habeas corpus directed at Republicans and Freshman Democrats.

Related activity: The Supreme Court will hear two cases on Dec 5 (Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. US) testing the legal rights of Guantanamo Bays detainees. These cases will examine whether Guantanamo Bay detainees have a constitutional or common law right to challenge their detention through habeas claims in US federal courts.

Related legislation:

National Security Letters Reform Act of 2007 (HR 3189) Sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and S 2088 sponsored by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI)
This bill would provide crucial checks against the National Security Letters (NSL) authority expanded under the USA PATRIOT Act by giving an NSL recipient the right to challenge the letter and its nondisclosure requirement, placing a time limit on the NSL gag order and allow for court approved extensions, giving notice to the target of an NSL if the US seeks to use the records obtained from the SNL in a subsequent proceeding and giving the target an opportunity to receive legal counsel and challenge the use of those records.
Sept 10 – HR 3180 referred to two House Judiciary subcommittees: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
Sept 25 – S 2088 introduced and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

American Anti-Torture Act of 2007 (HR 4114) sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) This bill includes an extension to all US government agencies and personnel of the current prohibition in the Army Field Manual against the use of certain interrogation techniques.
Nov 8 – Introduced and Referred to House Committee on Armed Services.

Update: May be considered as part of the Iraq Troop Redeployment Funding bill.

Next Steps: An action alert and press release will be sent out in support of this new legislation.

HEALTH DISPARITIES

Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) (S 764) sponsored by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) or (HR 1308) sponsored by Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
In 1996 a law was passed creating a five-year ban to access to health care under Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to newly arrived legal immigrants. Unfortunately, this action has widened racial and ethnic disparities in health care. ICHIA would amend the Social Security Act to permit States the option of coverage of legal immigrants under the Medicaid program and SCHIP.
Update: this bill was dropped from SCHIP in September.

 

State Children’s Health Insurance Program Act of 2007 (HR 976)

National program that provides health insurance for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford to buy private insurance. The program was initially created to address the growing number of children in the US without health insurance. This bill would expand coverage to over 4 million more participants as well as continue to cover the approximate 6.5 million already covered by SCHIP. Cost= $35 billion funded by federal tax on cigarettes.

• Sept 27 – Passed both houses of Congress
• Oct 3 – President Bush vetoed the bill
• Oct 18 – attempt to override the president’s veto fell short by 13 votes in the House.
• Nov 2 – Another attempt at a veto override passed the Senate by 64-30 vote.

Next Steps: In the House, there is concern regarding the kinds of compromise that may be asked for in order to offer a bill that would garner the 13 Republican votes needed to override a veto. Concessions may disproportionately affect minority populations.

SCHIP Veoto Override Target List (PDF)

CAMP RELATED LEGISLATION

Japanese American Confinement Sites PL 109-441

Because there is no money included in the Interior Appropriations Report Language, we are advocating for funding in the appropriations cycle for funding in FY2009. The National Park Service (NPS) has held listening sessions throughout the country and collected comments through their website through Nov 2. NPS will provide grants to nonfederal entities to restore and preserve sites associated with the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The grants would be used for up to 50 percent of the costs of protecting significant sites, including those to identify, acquire, and interpret them.

Next Steps: continue meeting with appropriations committee members to ensure adequate funding. Appropriations activity will begin in February.

HAWAIIAN SOVEREIGNTY

Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act (S 310) sponsored by Sen. Akaka D-HI) and (HR 505) sponsored by Rep. Abercrombie (D-HI). This bill recognizes the right of the Native Hawaiian people to reorganize the single Native Hawaiian governing entity to provide for their common welfare and to adopt appropriate governing documents. Extends federal recognition to the governing entity as the representative governing body of the Native Hawaiian people.
Oct 24 – passed the House (261-153)
Oct 25 – Received in the Senate and placed on the Legislative Calendar

Next Steps: This may be a struggle to get through the Senate. Outreach and advocacy is needed.

Sample Letter of Support (Microsoft Word Format)

FILIPINO VETS

Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 (H.R. 760). This bill would restore full veterans’ status to Filipino veterans of WWII who had this taken away under the Rescission Acts of 1946, permit Filipino vets to receive compensation, benefits, pensions, and death pensions at the same rate as other US veterans under the same conditions. Non-US citizen Filipino veterans residing outside the US would be eligible for a pension and death pension paid at a flat rate.
This bill has been voted out of the House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee (HR 760) and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (S. 1315) and is currently awaiting a schedule for a floor vote in both houses

Next Steps: As the Chair of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, Senator Burr’s support is crucial. Unfortunately, he’s not been fully supportive. Outreach to him and republican colleagues will be done.

JAPANESE LATIN AMERICANS

Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act. This would establish a fact-finding Commission to extend the study of a prior Commission to investigate and determine facts and circumstances surrounding the relocation, internment, and deportation of Latin Americans of Japanese descent from December 1941 through February 1948, and the impact of those actions by the US, and to recommend appropriate remedies. We are looking for an appropriate vehicle to attach this legislation to. May be attached to an omnibus bill.

Next Steps: Outreach to Republicans in the next few months.

ASIAN AMERICAN SERVING INSTITUTIONS

Asian American Serving Institutions (H.R. 629) sponsored by Rep. David Wu (D-OR)
This bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Education to provide grants and assistance to higher education institutions to increase the capacity of colleges and universities serving low income and underrepresented Asian Americans and Pacific Islander students. Serving Institution designation would make available funding from a variety of federal departments which use designation status to determine allocation of funding to targeted beneficiaries.
Sept 27 – Became law: PL 110-84

Next Steps: Assist in determination of designation parameters to help target areas of greatest need.

DC VOTING RIGHTS

DC Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act H.R. 1905 sponsored by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) or S. 1257 sponsored by Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 20 senators.
This bill would provide representation in the House of Representatives to District of Columbia as well as provide an additional Representative for the State of Utah. Currently approximately 600,000 residents of the District have no voting representative. The District of Columbia is served by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton who is a non voting delegate.
April 19 – House bill passed 216-203
Sept 18 – although a majority of the Senate voted to move the bill to a final vote, 57-42, a minority of Senators led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) were able to maintain a filibuster.

Next Steps: Calls to the Senate to end the filibuster.