Roybal-Allard RSS Articles

House Passes Fire Grants Legislation

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) voted to provide local firefighters with the tools and resources they need to prevent and fight fires, and keep our communities safe. At a time when many towns and cities are facing budget shortfalls and cuts to basic services, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act (HR 3791) invests in vital firefighter assistance programs that allow local fire departments to provide training, purchase equipment and vehicles, and hire personnel.

The legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 395 to 31.

“This bill provides critical federal funding to assist our fire departments in purchasing equipment, fire trucks and hire additional firefighters,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. “Amidst the current economic downturn, this federal support for our nation’s fire departments is even more important as our local leaders struggle to maintain services, including for public safety, with fewer resources.”

This bipartisan bill reauthorizes two popular, critically important firefighter assistance programs – the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program – for the next five years. Since the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program was created in 2000, nearly $5 billion has gone directly to fire departments to purchase equipment, training, fire trucks and other resources. Since the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program was created in 2004, nearly $700 million has gone to fire departments to help hire additional firefighters.

The bill, which will now be forwarded to the U.S. Senate for consideration, has the support of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute.

The Opening of the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard joins community leaders for the official opening ceremony of the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension light rail. Named after the congresswoman's late father and former congressman, the new six-mile light rail extension connects Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles with Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. The congresswoman led the effort with other key lawmakers to secure the federal commitment necessary to construct the Eastside Extension. Click here to read the full release about the Eastside Extension opening.

The congresswoman made the following remarks at the East Los Angeles Civic Center metro stop:

“As I stand here for today’s dedication I cannot help but reflect on my childhood growing up in Boyle Heights.

It was a time when Angelenos like my sister and I, together with friends, would take the R car to downtown Los Angeles to go shopping, to work and to the movies at the beautiful theaters on Broadway.

With the opening of the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, Angelenos will once again travel by train between downtown LA and East Los Angeles.

With me today are my sister and many aunts, uncles and cousins who also grew up in Boyle Heights and share similar memories as we connect with our past by using rail to help address our growing transportation and environmental challenges.

As you know, the Eastside Extension will join the Red, Blue, Green, and Gold lines as the newest spoke in LA’s growing transportation rail system.

This new rail line will benefit our transit-dependent communities and provide increased opportunities for employment, education, recreation and commerce.

Getting to this day however has been a long and hard fought journey which began with my father, Congressman Edward R. Roybal over thirty years ago.

In partnership with Eastside residents he fought against overwhelming odds to fulfill the community’s dream of affordable, clean and efficient transportation.

In the beginning he was often a lone warrior in Washington D.C.

But in time he gained some very important allies in bringing rail service to the communities of East Los Angeles.

Since I took on the fight on behalf of the community in Washington, DC, I too have been fortunate to have the support of many allies.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a few of them:
• Former Mayor James Hahn who was a reliable supporter of our efforts;
• Former Councilman Richard Alatorre, a strong supporter and former MTA Board member
• Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a key supporter as Mayor, Speaker of the Assembly, City Councilman and chair of the Metro Board;
• Supervisor Gloria Molina who has been a strong and vocal advocate for the community
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who provided state funding at a critical junction;
• My colleagues in Congress who were instrumental in helping me secure scarce federal funding, particularly:
o the late Congressman Julian Dixon my trusted friend and mentor who was an early and strong supporter, and
o former Congressman Esteban Torres.

I also want to acknowledge members of the Mobility 21 Coalition, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, George Kieffer and my dear friend the late Rusty Hammer who early on led transportation stakeholders in support of the Eastside Extension.

Mobility 21’s shared transportation vision was a powerful force in Washington, DC and a model of what can be accomplished when we work together as partners sharing a common goal and a common vision for the future.

Thanks also go to Metro who carefully led the way around the numerous challenges we faced throughout our long struggle to plan, finance, and build the Eastside Extension.

In particular I thank the Metro Board of Directors, CEO Art Leahy and former MTA chiefs Julian Burke and Roger Snoble.

Special thanks also goes to the entire engineering, artist, and construction crews who not only built the line on time and on budget, as was mentioned earlier, but set a national safety record, racking up an unprecedented 3.8 million construction work hours without a single lost-time injury.

Our Eastside Extension Light Rail project has become a model for the rest of the country and we can all take pride in that achievement!

No mention of Metro is complete however without acknowledging the community relations and legislative staffs who kept me and the community informed and provided details and information I needed to keep the project viable in Washington, D.C.

I also want to thank my staff, Victor Castillo in my Washington, DC office and Kim Tachiki in my District Office for their work on the project.

But without a doubt my most heartfelt thanks go to you, the area residents, community leaders, and the members of the Review Advisory Committee many of whom have been involved with this project for over 15 years.

Reaching today’s milestone of returning rail service to our community is largely due to your commitment, determination, and perseverance in working through countless hours of meetings and delicate negotiations.

Throughout the journey which brought us to this day, you fought for the protection and betterment of our community, endured years of inconvenience and disruption as a result of the construction and you overcame what at times seemed insurmountable obstacles.
The value of your contribution to our community is reflected in the story of Ramona Opportunity High School.

Because of YOU, with the support of LAUSD, METRO, and the L.A. Board of Supervisors who made the difficult decision to invest the needed resources, we have a new and better school.

And the winners are the students of Ramona who will continue to have the education and the guidance they need as they strive for a better life.

I am confident that in the same spirit of determination and cooperation we will carry on and work together to insure any remaining concerns the community has with this new line will be addressed.

In closing, let me simply say that while this day of celebration is special for all of us, it is especially meaningful to me and my family.

On behalf of my mother, my brother, my sister, our children and grandchildren, and the many family members who have traveled across the country to be with us today,
I thank you for the recognition and tribute you pay to my father by naming the Eastside Extension the Edward R. Roybal Gold Line and the station at First and Soto in his honor.

As a loyal public servant dedicated to our country, our state and our community my father would have taken great pride in your victory today.

While my family wishes he could be here to ride the train WITH YOU, the members of the community he loved so deeply, we thank you for celebrating this momentous occasion with us and for demonstrating that his spirit is ageless and his community organizing and legislative accomplishments timeless.

In closing, I extend my most sincere congratulations to our community and to my father who I know is listening I say, “Pop, job well done.”

Thank you.”

Congresswoman Honored for Health Care Reform Leadership

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Health Care for America Now presented Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) with a plaque in recognition of her leadership in support of health care reform and making sure all families in our country have access to quality and affordable health care insurance coverage. Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is the largest health care campaign in the country. At the gathering held at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Downtown, the congresswoman made the following remarks:

“Good Afternoon! Muy buenas tardes!!! Y muchas gracias por la oportunidad de estar aquí!!!

I extend my sincere thanks to the organizers of today’s event for bringing us together to celebrate the passage by the House of Representatives of the Affordable Health Care for America Act and for bringing us together to recommit ourselves to making sure the final bill passed by Congress has a strong public option.

Today’s organizers are:

• The Health Care for America Now Coalition
• Organizing for America and
• The Dolores Huerta Foundation

Other outstanding leaders of our community who are here today are:

Father Estrada—a champion for immigrant rights and the
disenfranchised

I also want to acknowledge the presence of our the Mayor Pro-tem of Maywood Anna Rosa Rizo.

We are fortunate to have such outstanding leaders and advocates for our community.
The passage of the House Health Care Bill which I am happy to say includes a PUBLIC OPTION is a major victory due to the unrelenting work of the Progressive, Hispanic, Black and Asian Caucuses, who fought for a public option against extensive lobbying to eliminate it.

Though we did not get all we wanted, the House bill is an important first step in addressing our broken health care system and preventing the tragedy of doing nothing.
If we do nothing it means:
– families in our community and across our nation will face a 50 percent chance of losing their insurance within the next ten years,

– it means families will see their health costs increase on average $1,800 every year

-it means families will continue to be denied health insurance due to pre-existing conditions

-and it means a person could lose their insurance when they get sick because their insurance company determines their illness is too costly.

To this injustice the House of Representatives has said: NO, Ya Basta by passing a bill that gives security to those that have insurance and access to coverage to the millions in our country who don’t.

That is certainly true for my 34th Congressional District—where the average annual household income is less than $36,000 and where 40 percent of my constituents are currently uninsured.

If the provisions in the House bill were to pass into law, it would provide access to 240,000 of my constituents who are currently uninsured.

It would also protect those in my district who have insurance but are finding it difficult to pay their high premiums and uncovered health care costs.
This can result in tragic consequences.

Last year for example, 1,120 families in my district alone were forced to file health care-related bankruptcies.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act will help seniors including the 4,100 in the 34th district who hit the Medicare Part D Donut hole every year and are required to pay the full cost of their medications which they already cannot afford.

The provision in the House bill would reduce by 50% the costs of brand name drugs and it will ultimately eliminate the donut hole altogether.

The House bill would also help our small businesses to be more competitive by providing tax credits of up to 50% of the cost of insurance for their employees.

In my district, this means over 15,000 small businesses would qualify for these credits.

In addition to these positive impacts the Affordable Health Care for America Act represents an achievement of another kind and a milestone in the advancement of civil rights for our community and other communities of color.

As Chair of the Health Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus,
I am proud that the bill aggressively takes on the challenge to reduce health disparities and improve minority access to culturally and linguistically competent care.

The bill accomplishes this by expanding Community Health Centers—which have been a cornerstone to communities of color.

And the House bill formalizes the Office of Minority Health and establishes Minority Health Offices throughout all agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services.

This will help ensure minority access to affordable and quality care is considered in every office of our nation’s public health system.

As co-chair of the Congressional Study Group on Public Health, I am also proud of the fact that for the first time federal health legislation prioritizes preventative and public health in our country and helps finance the training of the next generation of minority health care professionals.

This focus on prevention and culturally appropriate public health services is especially important to our Latino communities which are disproportionately affected by obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other preventable conditions.

This new focus on prevention and minority health is a huge victory for our community.

While this is a day of celebration, it is also a day to recommit ourselves to the hard work that lies ahead
As you know, in the House of Representatives, it was a battle to ensure that the House bill included a public option that would give real competition to the health insurance industry.

And It was a battle that I along with my colleagues in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had to fight to ensure that every person had the right to use their own hard-earned money to buy health insurance through the Exchange, which will be a new marketplace for buying health insurance plans.

These and other battles will be even more fierce in the Senate.
If we are to be victorious in the Senate, we need your active support and advocacy as we take the next step in our hard fought journey to achieve affordable, accessible and quality health care.

We need you to call the offices of your Senator and tell them you want a bill with a strong public option that includes the provisions of the House bill.

After you call your Senator, get five people to call their Senator and have them get five people to call their Senator.

It is also important that you ask your family and friends around the country to call their Senators and tell them to pass a Senate bill that includes a strong Public Option and the key provisions of the House passed bill.

Every call you make to your U.S. Senator counts.

You have the power to make a difference for your family, your children, your grandchildren, and the future of our country as a whole.

The power of positive change lies in your hands. And together we can and we will emerge victorious.

Muchas gracias! Lo lograremos juntos porque juntos si se puede!”

A Veterans Day Tribute to the late World War II veteran and community activist, Ross Valencia

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) and community members joined Councilman José Huizar on Veterans Day to recognize the late World War II veteran and community activist, Ross Valencia, by naming the pocket park at the corner of 1st and Chicago in his honor. Pictured from left to right: Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; Councilman José Huizar; Carmen Valencia (Ross’ widow); Hollenbeck Police Division Captain Anita Ortega; and Monsignor John Moretta.

During the ceremony, the congresswoman made the following remarks: “Good morning and thank you to Councilman José Huizar for inviting me to share this very special occasion with you today.

Ross Valencia was a man of conviction and a patriot who loved his country and his community with all his heart. It was that love and devotion that propelled him to be a grass roots leader who fought for a better community and for giving our men and women in uniform the recognition and respect they deserve.

As an honored veteran who served in the U.S. Navy it is only fitting that this day has been chosen to name this pocket park in his honor.

It is even more fitting that this location which is considered the heart of Boyle Heights is being dedicated to Ross Valencia, the man known as Mr. Boyle Heights for his extensive work and participation in our community.

This weekend we will be celebrating the opening of the Eastside extension to the Gold Line. I wish he could be there to join in the celebration. For as an early member of the Review Advisory Committee he was a strong voice for the protection and betterment of our community.

But my husband Ed and I will remember him most as a proud veteran and patriot standing at Cinco Puntos on Memorial Day as we honored those who paid the ultimate price in defense of our country.

To our veterans present here today: As the wife of a former Marine Officer and Vietnam veteran and the step-mother of an Iraq veteran, I am fully aware of the fact that we can never truly repay our debt to you.

I am pleased that Congress under the leadership of our new President is building on recent successes to expand services and benefits to our veterans
.
Over the last two years, under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, landmark federal spending measures included the largest funding increase for the Department of Veteran Affairs in its’ 77-year history.

These spending measures make critical investments in veterans’ medical care, in hiring additional claims processors, and in making badly needed improvements to VA medical facilities.

Furthermore, the new GI Bill of the 21st Century, provides our brave men and women returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with money for a four-year college education, to help them succeed after their military service.

We know that much more needs to be done, to help our men and women in uniform especially those who are struggling with the psychological and emotional stress of combat once they get home.

For that reason I was more than happy to have secured $3.2 million in federal money to launch the University of Southern California’s new military social work and veteran services program that help our veterans and their families to address service and disabilities issues

You, our veterans and your families truly embody the selfless patriotism which ensures our country will always remain free.

As part of our greatest generation, Ross Valencia and his wife Carmen embodied selfless patriotism and I can think of no better role model for our country and our community.

Naming this pocket park in his honor will be a constant reminder to our community of the importance of giving back to your community to make a better life not just for your family but for the families that follow.

Thank you all for being here and for allowing me to share in this much deserved tribute to a dear friend, Ross Valencia.”

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard Votes for Historic House-Passed Health Care Reform Legislation

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard joined her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in voting for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which is historic health care reform legislation. The following is the congresswoman's statement appearing in the congressional record: "Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, a bill that is undoubtedly the most important single piece of legislation being considered by this 111th Congress, and possibly by any Congress in the last decade.

I commend Chairman Waxman from the Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman Miller from the Education and Labor Committee, and Chairman Rangel from the Ways and Means Committee, and all of their dedicated staff who have invested so much time and energy into crafting a bill that addresses the complex and vast failures of our current health care system.

This has been without a doubt the most transparent and inclusive legislative effort that I have seen in my seventeen years in Congress, and I commend Speaker Pelosi for her tenacious leadership in bringing this bill to the floor.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act is not a perfect bill. With an issue that impacts so many stakeholders, and involves so many competing interests, it is doubtful any single legislative effort could ever satisfy everyone and address all the problems.

But the fact of the matter is that we cannot afford to do nothing. Study after study has shown that under our current system things will get worse unless we act now. If we are not successful in passing this health reform bill, Americans face a 50 – 50 chance of losing their insurance in the next 10 years, the average family will have their already prohibitive health costs increase an average of $1800 each year, and the rising price of medications may become unaffordable even for those with insurance.

H.R. 3962 will help end this cycle of skyrocketing health care costs and represents a milestone in our nation’s history by finally framing healthcare as a universal right for all Americans. With the passage of this bill we will improve the quality and affordability of health services, prioritize prevention and the reduction of health disparities, and take the necessary albeit difficult steps to rein in the escalating costs of health care in this country.

I will vote for H.R. 3962 for many reasons. The most important is that it will provide access to affordable health care to the millions of uninsured individuals in this country. In my 34th Congressional District of California, where the average annual household income is less than $36,000, and where 40 per cent of my constituents are currently uninsured, this bill will provide access to health care for 240,000 more people.

The bill also helps families in our country who have health insurance, but are struggling with high premiums and uncovered health care costs. Last year 1,120 families in my district were forced to file health care-related bankruptcies. H.R. 3962 will protect individuals like them from catastrophic out of pocket costs through an annual allowable personal expense cap.

This bill will protect our seniors from the Medicare Part D donut hole by reducing 50% of the cost for brand name drugs and gradually eliminating the donut hole altogether. This will be extremely beneficial for the 4,100 seniors in my district who each year hit the Medicare Part D donut hole requiring them to pay the full cost of medications they can’t afford.

H.R. 3962 will help make small businesses more competitive in providing health insurance to their employees by providing tax credits up to 50% of the cost of the insurance. In my district approximately 15,000 small businesses would qualify for these credits.

As chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Task Force, I commend the Affordable Health Care for America Act for its efforts to reduce health disparities and improve minority access to culturally and linguistically competent health care. The bill expands Community Health Centers which have been a cornerstone of primary care services in communities of color, and incorporates critical health disparities language guided by the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009. In addition, the Manager’s Amendment strengthens the focus of eliminating health disparities by codifying the Office of Minority Health and establishing Minority Health Offices across all Department of Health and Human Services agencies.

As co-chair of the Congressional Study Group on Public Health, I am particularly pleased that the Affordable Health Care for America Act finally prioritizes prevention and public health in this country. The bill ensures full coverage of evidence based preventive health services, and establishes a Public Health Investment Fund that will support core public health infrastructure, help finance the delivery of community-based prevention and wellness services, and provide grants to train the next generation of Public Health workforce professionals.

Madam Speaker, I fully believe that the Affordable Health Care for America Act is a bill that will transform our healthcare system and will play a determining role in the collective health and fiscal viability of our region, our state, and our nation. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting YES for this bill today, to ensure that our families and communities will have the promise of a healthier tomorrow.”

Congress Passes Extension of Unemployment Benefits

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) voted to stimulate the local economy and provide stability to families hit hardest by the recession by extending unemployment benefits, the homebuyers’ tax credit, and tax relief for military families and businesses.

The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (HR 3548) now heads to the President for his signature. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 403 to 12. The Senate passed the legislation November 4 by a vote of 98 to 0.

The legislation will extend relief to millions of workers, families, and businesses nationwide.

“With unemployment in California at 12.2 percent in September, among the highest in the nation, the unemployment extension of 20 weeks included in this legislation provides critical relief to families struggling to buy groceries and make their mortgage payments,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. “I am also pleased the legislation continues to encourage first-time homeownership through the extension of the homebuyer tax credit. Both of these efforts are essential to strengthening the housing market and our economy.”

The Congressional Budget Office has cited unemployment benefits as one of the most cost-effective forms of economic stimulus, and every dollar spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.63 in new demand, according to Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi.
The legislation will provide families in all states with 14 weeks of additional benefits, and six more weeks to the 27 states with the highest unemployment rates, including California.

The bill includes an extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit through April 30, 2010 and provides a $6,500 credit to these homeowners who have lived in their current residence for five years or more. It also helps military families struggling to make mortgage payments by making those payments tax-exempt.

To breathe life back into American businesses suffering from huge losses, this bill also allows U.S. companies to carry back losses incurred in either 2008 or 2009 against income earned in any of the five prior years.

Speaking Out on Behalf of Immigrant Children

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

At a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard works to garner support for legislation she authored to protect children caught up in our nation’s immigration detention system.

During her remarks, the congresswoman made the following points:

“Children are the forgotten victims of our broken immigration system. This year, thousands will be apprehended alone along our southern border and many will suffer abuses and indignities that should shock and embarrass us as Americans.

I have introduced a bill to expand legal protections for these vulnerable young people. H.R. 1215, the Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act, would require the Department of Homeland Security to hire licensed social workers to ensure the proper care of the kids in its custody. It would also require that all detained children are provided with basic necessities, including: a sanitary living environment; educational materials; and, recreational programs and activities.

In addition, my legislation would end the practice of jailing families by expanding proven supervision and monitoring programs that offer a humane alternative to incarceration.

Costing mere dollars a day, these initiatives have the potential to save the federal government millions every year. Yet, for me, the basic question at stake is not a financial one—simply put, should our government be in the business of imprisoning young children simply because they lack legal documentation?

As a mother and as an American, I believe the answer is an unequivocal, no.”

HINI Influenza Briefing before Health Appropriations Subcommittee

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

A member of the Appropriations Health Subcommittee, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) participated in a subcommittee briefing about the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic. During the briefing, the panel heard testimony and asked questions of public health leaders at the center of the HINI response, including Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To watch excerpts from the hearing, please see Videos on this web site.

The congresswoman asked Dr. Frieden about vaccine shortages in Los Angeles and throughout the country.

“We are seeing in the news media the daily pictures of people standing in long lines for hours trying to get vaccinated, only to be turned away as limited vaccine supplies run out,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said to the panel during the briefing. “In Los Angeles County about 5.5 million people fall into priority categories for getting vaccinated, but only about 50,000 people were vaccinated in the first week after the county clinic opened, and many were turned away because vaccine supplies ran short Public health experts have repeatedly told us that once people are turned away, it is hard to get them to come back to be vaccinated. Have the early supply shortages seriously damaged the goal of vaccinating all Americans? Where do you think the point of balance is between your public messaging intended to raise public awareness about the dangers of H1N1, which raises demand for the vaccine, and the current limited supply of vaccine?”

Dr. Frieden agreed with the congresswoman that it’s hard to get people back to be vaccinated once they’ve been turned away.

“As you point out, any time someone comes to a doctor’s office or goes to a vaccination site and there is not vaccine available, the likelihood that they return to that site is less than we wish it would be and that is why we’re so frustrated to not have the amount of vaccine available when people want to get vaccinated,” Dr. Frieden said. “Our goal has always been that vaccine should be available to anyone who wants to be vaccinated starting with the priority groups, understanding that many people will choose not to be vaccinated and that is their choice. There is no mandatory vaccination as part of this. We’re currently at 32.3 million doses available for ordering and distribution. It is not nearly where we would like it to be … But absolutely, the fact that there is not vaccine currently in providers’ offices when people want to get vaccinated means that some of those people who want to get vaccinated and would benefit from it, in all likelihood unfortunately will not get vaccinated in the future,” Dr. Frieden concluded.

According to the CDC, the HINI vaccine will become more widely available in December. The CDC is recommending that individuals in high risk categories get vaccinated at the earliest time possible. This category includes: pregnant women; people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age; health care and emergency medical services personnel; persons between the ages of 6 months to 24 years; and persons ages 25 to 64 years of age who have chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems. For more information about the HINI flu, please visit www.flu.gov

A Visit with CloseUp Students from Bell Gardens High School

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (shown seated) met with 10 Bell Gardens High School students and their teacher, Alfredo Cuevas, during the group’s trip to our nation’s capital as part of the Close Up Foundation’s civic education program. The Rayburn House Office Building meeting occurred during the school’s “Capitol Hill Day” portion of their Close Up experience. Congresswoman Roybal-Allard and her staff discussed the flu crisis, education funding, immigration and other key issues with the students during their meeting. The Bell Gardens group also participated in policy workshops and debates, a mock Congress, visited the memorials, and heard from other leading Washington officials and policymakers during their week in Washington, D.C. The students raised money locally for their Close Up trip and also received financial assistance from the federal Close Up Fellowship Program that supports civic education for middle and high school students across the nation. Pictured from left to right: (top row)Stephanie Cabral, Elizabeth Guevara, Johan Castellanos, Lizbeth Salas, James Camacho, Marilyn Castellanos, Mr. Al Cuevas, Omar Santana; (bottom row) Claudia Lopez, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (seated), Iliana Carrera, and Erika Ochoa.

Op-ed: Immigrant Detention Policy Reforms Are Needed to Ensure the Humane Treatment of Immigrant Detainees

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently announced the results of a sweeping review of America’s immigrant detention system. Acknowledging its shortcomings, she pledged that her Department would implement a series of reforms to improve the management and oversight of this sprawling network of facilities. While I commend the Secretary’s determination to chart a bold new course in the treatment of detained immigrants, I remain convinced that administrative changes alone are insufficient to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of the more than 300,000 people who pass through our immigration jails every year. Congressional action is urgently needed to restore decency and transparency to our scandal-plagued detention system.

On any given night, more than 30,000 immigrants go to sleep in detention centers across America. Included in their growing ranks are asylum seekers, torture survivors, children, pregnant women and the elderly. Many have sought legal assistance only to discover that none is available; others have requested medical treatment and failed to receive it; still others have tried to contact loved ones and found that even the telephones don’t work.

Even more troubling is the long list of immigrants who have succumbed to preventable medical conditions in detention. Hui Lui Ng, a Chinese computer engineer, Boubacar Bah, a tailor from Guinea, and Tanveer Ahmad, a Pakistani cabdriver—three victims profiled in the media—are part of a growing list of detainees who have died in agony because their desperate appeals for medical attention were ignored until it was too late.

I support Secretary Napolitano’s intention to implement a stronger regulatory framework to prevent the reoccurrence of these tragedies. She wants to end the prevailing “one size fits all” approach to detention by individually screening each detainee upon arrival. Those who suffer from serious medical conditions will receive the treatment they require and those who don’t pose a flight risk or constitute a threat to their communities will be placed in supervision programs that offer an effective alternative to incarceration.

I am also encouraged by the Secretary’s efforts to strengthen oversight of the detention system. By hiring 50 specialists to monitor the largest detention centers and by eventually placing officials at every facility where immigrants are held, she hopes to exercise more direct control over this patchwork system. To that end, she is also centralizing management of the Department’s contracts with its state, local and private partners. Where the treatment of detainees fails to meet expectations, contractors will be penalized and, in extreme cases, their agreements with the federal government will be cancelled.

While I applaud these sensible reforms, I also believe that Congress has an important role to play in reshaping our detention policies. I introduced the Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act in the House of Representatives to strengthen and codify detention regulations and to help ensure unaccompanied children are treated compassionately. My bill would also guarantee every detainee access to medical care and legal advice.

The case for enacting enforceable standards is clear. Our existing regulations have repeatedly failed to protect the most vulnerable detainees. Giving these rules the full force of law will bring new accountability to a system which has proven incapable of policing itself. Enforceable standards will also ensure immigrants are afforded the same basic level of treatment at every detention center—from the largest federal facility to the most remote county jail.

Our detention system faces great challenges but under Secretary Napolitano's capable leadership, it appears at last to be moving in the right direction. I welcome her thoughtful approach to this complex issue and remain committed to advancing legislation which will further our common goals. With the adoption of these reforms, America’s immigration jails—long a national embarrassment—will finally reflect our laws and our values.