News Clippings

For employers, being able to have interns back in person has been a huge boost. Before the pandemic, Kenneth Romero, executive director of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, said interns played a crucial role in researching policy, writing reports and helping organize the organization’s conferences.

“These DREAMers are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every way but one: on paper. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated. It’s about who we are as a people – and who we want to be be.” - Former President Barack Obama

As we approach Hispanic Heritage Month, Americans of Latino descent have much to be proud of. Our community’s impact on the socioeconomic wellbeing of this nation is at its peak. Latino purchasing power in the U.S. is worth $1.3 trillion, according to Nielsen. That is more than the GDP of Australia or Spain. In the arts, sciences and every other facet of American life, from the No. 1 song of the summer to the Supreme Court, Latinos have become an integral part of this nation’s diverse mosaic. Our community is not only the largest minority but is projected to become close to a quarter of the entire country’s population in just a few decades.

For almost 30 years, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators has represented Hispanic state legislators across the country, who today number over 400, through our advocacy in Washington, DC and in state capitols. We work in a bipartisan manner on a wide array of issues, ranging from criminal justice reform, equal access to technology, quality health care, and affordable housing, to promoting respect and equality for all people.

Our nation was founded on the principles of freedom, equality and the notion that all men were created equal. Any nation based on those principles should not have as a representative a person who seeks to deny its citizens their rights and freedoms. Choosing a candidate who does not know who his or her fellow citizens are, or the basic rights of our Constitution, is dangerous, and it would be detrimental to all freedom-loving Americans.

Las organizaciones en defensa de los derechos latinos califican la decisión de un juez federal de reactivar el programa migratorio DACA como "una gran derrota para el Gobierno de Trump", e instan a los políticos a reafirmar esta iniciativa en el Congreso . El magistrado, John D. Bates, con tribunal en Washington, consideró "inexplicada" la derogación de programa de la Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA, por su sigla en inglés) y ordena al presidente a continuar con la admisión de nuevos solicitantes, además de seguir renovando a sus actuales beneficiarios.

Miembros del Caucus Nacional de Legisladores Estatales Hispanos condenaron hoy la decisión de la administración del presidente Donald Trump, de incluir en el Censo de 2020 una pregunta sobrela ciudadanía de las personas.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – From the news media and Hollywood to the halls of Congress, the explosion of attention to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement makes up the backdrop for a record number of women running for political office. But while Hispanic women, in particular, have made significant ground winning seats for political office, Latinas confront a layered set of ethnic and gendered advantages and disadvantages both outside and within their community.

The Trump administration is preparing to ask for at least $10 billion more in federal relief for disaster recovery in the wake of the latest deadly hurricane to strike U.S. shores, according to multiple people familiar with the plans. The White House is expected ask for another short-term infusion of cash to pay for the response to the damage caused by Hurricane Maria across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to top congressional aides. In the case of Puerto Rico, officials there and some lawmakers on the mainland are clamoring for legislation that would provide tens of billions of dollars in relief and address Puerto Rico's long-simmering fiscal crisis, shore up its bankrupt electric company and plug a shortfall in Medicaid funding. Work on a more comprehensive relief package will continue into the fall, the aides said.

Washington - El Concilio de Legisladores Estatales Hispanos de Estados Unidos (NHCSL) solicitó al presidente Donald Trump que el paquete legislativo dirigido a atender la emergencia en Puerto Rico tras el huracán María, incluya un plan abarcador para impulsar la economía de la Isla. Conoce más sobre el Huracán María “Cualquier plan de recuperación debe actuar, en primer lugar, y principalmente, como un Plan Marshall”, indicaron el presidente del Concilio, el representante estatal boricua de Pensilvania, Angel Cruz, y el director ejecutivo de la organización, Kenneth Romero, en una carta al presidente Trump.

The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators has called for the decriminalization of cannabis nationwide, a first in its history. The organization is also seeking stronger protections against discrimination of members of the LGBTQ community and is asking President Donald Trump to reconsider his plans to ban transgender people from military service. The two resolutions are aimed at “correcting chronic injustices committed against Latinos and many other Americans,” the NHCSL wrote in a press statement on Wednesday.

The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators is moving its annual convention from Houston to Chicago in protest of Texas' "sanctuary cities" bill, SB4. In a press release Wednesday, the group called SB4 the "'show me your papers law' on steroids," and said Chicago is a city that welcomes immigrants, unlike cities in Texas.

Congress has the unique opportunity to save billions of dollars by preventing Puerto Rico from falling off the Medicaid fiscal cliff. If current federal Medicaid spending there is preserved it would also prevent approximately 500,000 Puerto Ricans from losing health insurance.

There are not enough Latinas in political and elected positions, and those who have gotten there know it takes a lot more than the energy and desire to do it. Patricia Torres Ray had thought about running for office, so when there was an open seat in the Minnesota Senate in 2006, she didn’t hesitate to announce her candidacy.