Washington Bureau

2014 Legislative Priorities

“Criminal Justice”

Criminal Justice issues are the foundation of the National Action Network. NAN continues to examine the criminal justice system on the whole; and to speak out on issues that disproportionately affect African American communities such as wrongful convictions, racial profiling, stand your ground laws, police brutality, shopping while black, and mandatory minimum sentencing. These issues can and do cause undue burdens on our communities to provide safe havens for our families. It perpetuates the cycle of violence and robs citizens of “clean slate” opportunities upon re-entry from prison; this can lead them back into the criminal justice system.

2013 was a year that many Americans will never forget, especially African Americans. Tragedy after tragedy, have taken the lives of young people in our communities. We have witnessed the shocking and tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Elementary school children were brutally gunned down for no other reason than being in school. We witnessed a high school scholar and musician, who played in her high school band during the President’s Inauguration, gunned down in front of her home. We were shocked at the shooting death of Jordan Davis over loud music. And we cannot forget the exoneration of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Every day, all across the country too many African Americans fall victim to gun violence. The National Action Network will continue to agitate and advocate for a review of all gun laws in order to better monitor and limit the easy access to guns.

“Voting Rights”

Voter Suppression laws, including changes in voting/polling sites, early voting and photo ID, continue to be a major road block affecting African Americans in securing access to a free and fair election process. These issues are further compounded by the recent U.S. Supreme Court‘s ruling to strip key provisions from the Voting Rights Act. There is much work to be done to restore these major provisions, particularly Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act.

In the true civil rights tradition, NAN Chapters are on the ground protecting citizens’ rights to vote. NAN members have registered voters, monitored elections, marched across the country from Texas, Selma, Stanford, Florida, and North Carolina. The National Action Network remains vigilant in securing the right to vote for all Americans. Now more than ever, National, state and local elections are the target of voting rights rollbacks. We must be the guardians of the vote for which our friends and family members have died to obtain.

In 2014 NAN will:

Support Federal and state legislation that will focus on restoring Voting Rights protection
Meet and educate Members of Congress to support Voting Rights Legislation
NAN will continue to partner with our Voting Rights coalitions and grassroots organizations, working to protect and restore the precious right to vote
Provide support for voting rights hearings in NAN cities by
- Providing witnesses to testify
- Providing written testimony
- Providing chapter engagement on voting rights through field operations
Educate NAN chapters and their communities on Voting Rights issues designed to dilute our vote locally and Nationally

“Jobs and the Economy”

In 1963 the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Justice highlighted the need to put Americans to work. In 2013 on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, jobs and justice continued to be our highest priority. NAN chapters rallied their local officials to increase the Federal minimum wage to levels that would sustain a decent livable wage above the poverty level.

Over the last 44 months, 7.4 million private sector jobs have been added to the economy. However, over the same period, Federal, state and local government jobs have declined. Many of these jobs were held by African Americans and Latinos. Additionally, we are seeing more and more American families falling into poverty. The unemployment rate for African Americans still lingers close to 14% and 9% for Latinos. Yet, the National federal minimum wage stands at just $7.85 per hour. This does not allow for the average family of four to rise above the poverty level.

The National Budget and the Economy:

The last time Congress passed a full and comprehensive budget was in 1997. Since that time the federal government has operated on Continuing Resolutions and stop-gap spending measures to keep the government running. This is unprecedented. No business can operate without a budget in place. In 2012 Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which called for sweeping cuts to all Federal agency budgets and took affect in March of 2014. This legislation, known as Sequestration, negatively affected every aspect of American Life.

The Government shutdown of October 2013, cost the country’s 850,000 federal employees three weeks of income. It also affected those industries associated with them. This would bring the total number of people affected by the shutdown to be almost 1.5 million. Had the shut down continued, it would have cost the country billions more. Nationwide, the economy stood to lose an estimated $55 billion if the shutdown had lasted 3-4 weeks more. This piecemeal method of governance is forcing more families into poverty and more businesses into bankruptcy.

“Gun Violence and Safety”

In 2014 NAN will:

Support President Obama’s policy on gun control.
Challenge “Stand Your Ground Laws” across the country.
Monitor Federal and local criminal justice legislation.
Support legislation that provides safeguards such as background checks, mental health screenings and seek to prevent guns sale to persons with mental illness history or criminal history.
Support bans on high velocity semi – automatic weapons.
Provide testimony on Federal and local levels on lax gun policies and practices.
Provide assistance to those re-entering society in finding opportunities for jobs, housing and overall financial stability.
Work with local law enforcement to end racial profiling and racially targeted public policies that target African American communities
Reach out to organizations such as the National Rifle Association to develop fair and reasonable policies to reduce the amount of gun violence.
Support legislation that provides more oversight of gun shows and interstate gun trafficking.

“Immigration Reform”

National Action Network is committed to work with all stakeholders in developing immigration reform that does not punish undocumented immigrants who are living here as law abiding citizens; and who are working to help make a better life for themselves and their families. During the 50^th Anniversary of the March on Washington, NAN and our allies called for comprehensive Immigration reform.

In 2014, NAN will:

Support federal comprehensive immigration reform legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship.
Continue to work with allied organizations, on comprehensive immigration reform .
Continue to fight against State or Federal legislation that allows law enforcement officials to racially profile individuals whom they believe are illegal immigrants.
Work with State legislatures to pass fair comprehensive laws and resolutions related to immigration.

“Education”

National Action Network has identified education as the critical civil rights issue of the 21st century.

NAN has partnered with liberals and conservatives alike to advance the agenda for improving educational opportunities for all students; and closing the achievement gap for minority and poor students.

National Action Network continues to promote activities that will build a high quality educational system that serves the needs of all students, especially those in urban communities. We will build bridges between policymakers and the classrooms by supporting innovations in the delivery of education. This will require creating dialogue between policymakers, community leaders, educators, parents, and the students. We also will examine those policies that negatively target African American students disproportionately such as the “Pre-K to prison pipeline”; and the high number of suspensions and expulsions of black and brown students.

In 2014 NAN will:

Continue to work with the U.S. Department of Education, Congress and state legislators to address funding and equity disparities between schools throughout the nation.
Work with State Education Agencies to ensure equitable implementation of the National Common Core Standards.
Continue to work with Congress and state legislators to develop early childhood interventions, school readiness and access to high quality early childhood and pre K-12 education for students in urban communities.
Work with the Telecom Industry to address student achievement gaps and especially the “digital divide”. In many communities and schools that lack access to technology.
Work to curtail the educational impact on children of color from low-income homes without computers or internet service.
Continue to partner with Education for a Better America to address college access and success for students across the country, particularly Black students who graduate at rates far lower than their white and Latino counterparts.

“Health Care”

National Action Network is committed to protecting the fundamental rights of access to quality healthcare.On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the landmark legislation, The Affordable Care Act , putting in place comprehensive reforms that improve access to affordable health coverage for everyone; and protects consumers from abusive insurance company practices. In 2013, NAN worked with the White House, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Enroll America, as well as many other groups, to spread awareness of the Affordable Care Act. We helped to educate the uninsured about the new health coverage options, engaging our 75 chapters and their communities across the country. All NAN Chapters around the country sponsored ACA registration events to ensure that their communities are enrolled in a health plan by the March 31st deadline.

In 2014, National Action Network will:

Continue to work with the White House, and HHS to provide access for the uninsured elderly, men, women, and families in our communities across the country.

“Telecommunications”

In 1996 President Clinton signed into law the Telecommunication Act of 1996. It was the first significant overhaul of the United States telecommunications law in more than sixty years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. The Act represented a major change in American telecommunication law, since it was the first time that the internet was included in broadcasting and spectrum allotment.

The significance of this Act meant that for the first time average Americans had access to the “Information Super Highway” also known as the Internet. However, with progress there comes challenge. The challenge with this new innovation was to connect individuals and families to the internet, particularly in African American communities. Today connecting individuals and families to high speed internet, also known as closing the digital divide, is the challenge. Telecommunication dominates every aspect of our lives from PDAs, education, job search and healthcare. Providing African American and minority communities’ access is the primary step to closing the “digital divide”.

In 2014 NAN will:

Work with the Administration to ensure that African Americans communities have access to broadband through the E-Rate program initiative.
Ensure that schools and libraries in African American communities have access and are connected to the internet.
Work with telecommunication industry companies to secure software and hardware for students, particularly in elementary and high schools in minority communities.