The content in Legislative Update is crossposted from Siskind Susser’s blogs, and follows the federal and state laws, regulations, and legislative proposals that impact the lives of immigrants. Click on any of the articles’ links for similar stories.
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The US House passed a bill that got little attention this week that was a step in the right direction. Here is a press release from the ACLU offering details:
House Passes Bill To Expand Reporting Of Immigrant Deaths In Detention
Deaths In Custody Reporting Act Provides Overdue And Welcome Accountability, Says ACLU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2009
WASHINGTON – In the wake of recent reports about the November death of an immigrant detainee at the Piedmont Regional Jail in Virginia, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill today that encourages detention facilities to promptly report detainee deaths to the U.S. attorney general. Under the Deaths In Custody Reporting Act, which reauthorizes and expands an existing Bureau of Justice Statistics program, state and federally-run facilities that receive funding from the federal government will lose ten percent of their allotment if they fail to provide details of detainee deaths in a timely fashion. The American Civil Liberties Union urges the Senate to follow suit and also pass the law, which is sponsored by Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA).
The following can be attributed to Joanne Lin, ACLU Legislative Counsel:
“All too often, family and friends of immigrant detainees find out about the tragic deaths of their loved ones by word-of-mouth or through news reports instead of by prompt and direct communication. The ACLU applauds the House for taking action to prevent unreported deaths of immigrants in U.S. detention facilities. When detention facilities know that they could lose federal funding if they don’t report the details of deaths that occur in their custody, their incentive to avoid these tragic instances will increase.
“The ACLU commends Representative Bobby Scott and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for leading the effort to bring about badly needed transparency and accountability in our state and federal detention facilities.”
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Yesterday, the Senate passed by voice vote an amendment relating to H-1B applications by banks that received bailout money. I've prepared a detailed post about the provision, but have held off on putting it up because there was a last minute modification to the language posted online and I am still trying to get the final language. A number of web sites have been summarizing the version of the language that is posted online, but I have reason to believe the final version had significant changes. So please be patient and I'll make sure I've got the right language before I start telling folks what it means.
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The House passed this even before the President was sworn in. The bill now brings in a large number of legal immigrant children in to the Children's Health Insurance Program. Pro-immigrant groups are applauding the measure. From a press release from the National Conference of La Raza:
Legal immigrant children in the U.S. are today one step closer to accessing critical health care services. The Senate approved the “Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act,” (SCHIP) a bill that will provide more health insurance opportunities for approximately four million children in the U.S. and includes legal immigrant children and pregnant women in the scope of its coverage. The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., fought to end a five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children and pregnant women that has shut hundreds of thousands out of Medicaid and SCHIP for a decade. The bill was passed by a vote of 66-32. The bill’s passage affirms President Barack Obama’s recent actions and statements supporting healthcare for every child in the U.S.
“Including legal immigrant children in the reauthorization of SCHIP affirms American values. America is not a country that chooses which children get health coverage and which do not,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “Latino children continue to be the most uninsured ethnic group in the country. Yesterday’s vote provides a strong signal that the new Congress is committed to addressing the issues that affect the Latino community.”
Murguía also lauded the leadership of several Senators who helped advance the legislation in spite of receiving public criticism for their support of the bill. “We are glad that Congress chose not to play games with the health care of America’s children. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) and Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Senators Jay Rockefeller (D–WV), Olympia Snowe (R–ME), and Robert Menendez (D–NJ) should be especially commended for their sustained efforts in the fight to achieve healthcare for our littlest ones,” noted Murguía.
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I'm proud of my former hometown (though I'm there often enough for work that it still is a home away from home). The city has been known for its hospitality over the years - it once actually garnered an award for the friendliest city in America. But in recent years, it's hostile treatment of immigrants has been making national headlines. That largely stems from the city's aggressive sheriff and the use of its police force as immigration agents.
The city made headlines again in recent months for its attempt to pass a measure that would require require all city business be conducted in English.
The proposal was controversial enough to garner the warning of another large city that passed an English-only amendment - Miami. The Miami Herald last week ran this editorial warning the voters of Nashville about a host of unintended consequences that city experienced and why voters eventually decided to kill the requirement. I grew up in Miami and remember the chaos that surrounded that referendum.
So yesterday voters in Nashville could have voted to continue down the same anti-immigrant path. Instead, they soundly rejected the proposal by a 56-44 percent margin.
I'm also glad to see the main sponsor of the proposal taking a civil tone in defeat:
On the losing side was Eric Crafton, a Metro Councilman from Bellevue. Crafton had pushed a measure to make English the official language of Metro government for two years. After a failed attempt to pass a Council bill, Crafton gathered signatures of Davidson County voters.
His first attempt, which would have put the proposal on the November presidential election ballot, was disallowed by the Davidson County Election Commission. Crafton went back to the drawing board and gathered more signatures to force the special election.
In defeat, Crafton promised to abide by the “wisdom of the voters,” adding that he was glad the issue was finally decided at the ballot.
“I think it’s been a net-positive for Nashville,” Crafton said. “We’ve had a discussion, the people have decided. I always said I would support the collective wisdom of the citizens and they gave a clear statement tonight.”
