Jul 15, 2024

NHCSL holds Summer Meeting in Scottsdale, Calls for Better Immigration Policies

Check out the photos of the event here.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — This past weekend, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) held its 2024 Summer Executive Committee and BBA Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Hispanic state legislators from all over the country convened to attend policy sessions, discuss the Caucus’ resolutions, and denounce harmful immigration measures in partnership with ABIC Action.

Arizona Governor Kate Hobbs and Scottsdale Mayor Dave Ortega gave keynote remarks, sharing insights as leaders in the host city and state. They highlighted the challenges of 2024 and emphasized community and collaboration.

"Our meeting in Arizona during this pivotal election year is deliberate," stated NHCSL President Rep. Angela Romero (UT) during the Welcome Reception. "The legislative session ahead and beyond November presents numerous challenges. It is crucial that we, as state legislators, are prepared to effectively represent our constituents."

Housing, one of the key priorities for Latinos nationwide, was at the center of the discussion, starting with a policy session about potentiating homeownership with opening remarks by Nic Smith from Chicanos Por La Causa, and a panel discussion with Chad Maisel, Special Assistant to the President for Housing and Urban Policy at the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Enrique Davis-Mazlum, PhD, Arizona State Director for Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS, moderated by NHCSL’s Housing Task Force Vice-Chair Rep. Javier Mabrey (CO).

Additionally, Rep. Mabrey opened the legislative exchange addressing the just cause eviction bill he spearheaded, which was recently signed into law by Colorado Governor Jared Polis, and led the discussion and passing of the Caucus’ Emergency Resolution 2024-09, Declaring a Housing Emergency and Calling for Multi-Government Initiatives on Housing Construction, Access, Security and Affordability, alongside co-sponsors Sen. Anna Hernández (AZ), NHCSL Vice President for Policy Sen. Cristina Castro (IL), and Rep. Veronica Paiz (MI).

Furthermore, state legislators, partners and advocates also discussed A.I. and Election Integrity, with remarks from Arizona’s Secretary of State Adrián Fontes and Google’s Global Election Policy Lead and Manager of External Affairs, David López; as well as broadband deployment with Sam Marullo, of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Stephanie Healy of Cox Communications, also featuring a short documentary about broadband deployment from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

State Legislators also received a briefing from PhRMA about 340B, discussed pain management innovations with Vertex, and learn about combating hate online from the ADL.

During the Executive Committee Meeting, the Caucus also approved Emergency Resolution 2024-11, Opposition to Arizona Bill HCR2060, Now Proposition 314. They also moved for ratification of the Caucus at-large Resolution 2024-10, Affordability and Coverage of Reproductive and Transgender Healthcare; and through consent agenda Resolution 2024-05, Enhancing Safety Standards for Baby Food and Mandating Compliance Disclosure of Toxic Heavy Metals; Resolution 2024-06, Mandating Seat Belts on All School Buses and Ensuring Compliance and Safety Measures in School Bus Transportation; Resolution 2024-07, Expanding Language Accessibility for Commercial Driver’s Licenses Facilitating Inclusivity; Resolution No. 2024-08, Removing Barriers to Access to Alternative Therapies for the Treatment of Pain; and Resolution 2024-12, Supporting Responsible Development and Deployment of Artificial Intelligence.

The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators will reconvene from November 21st to the 24th for its 22nd Annual Summit in Denver, Colorado.

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The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 450 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.