Thread: Hispanic plan for Illinois

Just found this on Laraza page.


http://66.218.71.231/language/translati ... id%3d39361

Here is the translation...


They define challenges

The Latin presence in Illinois and necessities of change will be again in the sight of the Hispanic legislators of the state Legislative Assembly. Education and family will center the attention of the denominated Hispanic Caucus, that in his fourth annual meeting will sharpen the agenda for the incoming year.

Julio Caesar Montoya
Special The Race

The Hispanic Legislative Caucus of Illinois, that now counts on 13 members -- including two nonLatins and one more than it will be added in the next opening of sessions of the state Assembly -- will celebrate his fourth Annual Conference.

"At first, (Jesus) Chuy Garci'a and I belonged to the Afro-American Caucus; we were not number in the state Assembly like establishing an organism that represented the interests of the Latin community ", remembers the ex- state senator now Miguel of the Valley, that along with conformed the Latin group the state representative Edward Acevedo after the elections of 2002.

A detail that is taken like positive example in the Capitol of Springfield, is the fact that the Hispanic Legislative Caucus of Illinois does not have unipersonal headquarters, because its conduction is colegiada under two members or "Co-Chairman", that count on the same authority.

They are of Valle and Acevedo.

According to declarations of both legislators, there was an accidental talk among them after the elections of the 2002. "Then we knew that in the Senate we would be the four members, and that the state Representatives also would be four; with that brief analysis we reached the conclusion that was necessary to create in the Assembly a grouping that united to us, for legislative intentions and other compatible details ", said of the Valley.

After that conversation and the exposition of the concept to the other legislators, was born what now we know like Hispanic Legislative Caucus of Illinois, that prepares to his fourth Annual Conference with the suggestive motto of: "The Latin Presence: Mobilizing by a Change ".
event will be developed Thursday 7 of December, all the day, in the Convention center Donald And Stephens in Rosemont.

It is possible to emphasize that this activity will be the last one of of the Valley like member of the Caucus, because by then already Town clerk of the City of Chicago will be dedicated to his functions again.

The changes arrive

For the senator Iris Martinez the changes are arriving in relation to the Hispanic legislative leadership. "I got up myself in 2003 and the importance of our organism is in increase, as it demonstrates the incorporation to it of two nonHispanic legislators", it aimed.

It is common between the Latin legislators to listen that there are potential space for more representatives and Hispanic senators in Springfield, by virtue of the increasing Hispanic population in the organization.

In more recent date, that projection was confirmed the past with one nourished presence of Hispanic in squares 7 of November, according to they confirm diverse soundings and companies of independent encuestadores.

On the other hand, the inclusivo criterion of the Hispanic Legislative Caucus of Illinois also has received praises of mass media of the state capital, since a legislator who in his district represents 60% or more of Hispanic population, has right of enter the group with the same advantages that any other of the Hispanic legislators members of that organism.

This opening has been taken advantage of by the state representatives Richard Bradley and Daniel Burke, who have like associate to the senators Martinez and Martín Sandoval, respectively, whose districts have Hispanic majority.

The changes also affect

One is due to mention that... with the game of Of the Valley, the position for the Hispanics of Assistant of the Majority is lost (Senate Assistant Majority Leader).

In this sense, the state representative Edward Acevedo stays with that same position, but in the House of Representatives.

Another position that is lost is the one of Thin Willie, that with its promotion to senator like relief of Of the Valley, leaves not only the position of state representative, but also the one of coordinator or president of the influential Committee of Human Services of the House of Representatives.

The relief of Thin will be selected shortly by the local democratic hierarchy.

In spite of these ups and downs, the Hispanic positions in the state legislature of Springfield have increased, which constitutes a remarkable change in comparison with two decades last, but insufficient in relation to the percentage of population of Illinois.

In agreement with most recent considered presented/displayed in the 2005 by the Federal Office of the Census, in Illinois there is a 14% of Hispanic between a total of 12.763.371 inhabitants.

Brief history

Everything began with Joe Berríos, that has happened to first history like Hispanic and the first Puerto Rican of Illinois in occupying a bench in the chamber of the Legislature in Springfield, at which it arrived in 1982 like state Representative, position equivalent to the one of Deputy in the Latin American countries.

Berríos it followed the lawyer Mexico-American Juan Soli's. Both left those functions by new political horizons, but they were replaced by other Hispanics.

When Jesus ' Chuy' Garci'a left the position in the state Senate in 1998... constituted per 100 members, Antonio ' Tony' Muñoz replaced.

Iris Martinez became 2002 in the first Hispanic woman, and first boricua, in gaining a bench in that legislative body and that same year, was united to the senatorial contingent Martín Sandoval.


As far as nationalities, the Hispanic equipment in the Senate of Springfield is balanced: Two Mexicans or of that origin (Sandoval and Muñoz), and two Puerto Ricans (of Valle and Martinez).

This detail is not altered with the exit of Of the Valley, because its relief will be Thin the William Puerto Rican.

The call House of Representatives of the legislature of Springfield, that counts on 118 benches, has to Edward Acevedo like the dean of the Hispanic large stone bench, because it arrived there in 1995.

Acevedo it followed William to him ' Thin Willy' in 1999; in the 2001, Susana Mendoza and Cynthia arrived Grove. In the 2003, three Hispanic ladies made their enter the House of Representatives: Maria Antonia ' Tony' Berríos, Pretty Plate LaVia (of Aurora) and Michelle Chávez, that lost the recent elections against Elizabeth ' Lizá Hernandez, who will be a new face in this legislative instance.

Another new Hispanic face in Springfield will be Fred Crespo, triunfador in the last elections of the 7 of November, that will represent in the state Assembly the suburb of Hoffman Estates and surrounding sectors (District 44).

Examples of importance

When in 2005 governor Rod Blagojevich presented/displayed before the Legislative Power his annual budget, fought a strong battle in which the 13 votes of the legislators assigned to the Hispanic Caucus, were envied by... the republicans to reject the proposal of the governor, and by the democrats to approve it.

"Our strategy -- it said Of the Valley, accompanied by the Acevedo representative and the senator Martinez -- was to negotiate our votes to benefit our community. Thanks to that dialogue we were able several tens of millions of dollars to materialize projects of services and infrastructure in Hispanic communities ".

According to data collected by the Race, a park in the First State Senatorial District (Muñoz senator), is being constructed with a contribution of the state of 8 million dollars.

Also, the organization ASPIRES of Illinois, dedicated to provide education to the young people of the Second District (senator of the Valley), received three million dollars to increase her educational priorities.

A library is being constructed in District 20 (senator Martinez); and to District 12 (Sandoval senator), one was adjudged contributes to him state of 4 million for the construction of a school.

The mentioned projects that or are in good condition or in construction, are only isolated examples of which it was possible to be negotiated in that strong fight by the approval of budget 2005-2006, and we have even omitted, by their voluminous description, the allocations that were granted to him to the areas under the trusteeship of the incorporated state representatives in Hispanic Caucus.

"In the negotiated discussion and of the new budget, already with the gained experience and knowing that we will be more, surely than we will present/display a modified strategy but equal of effective and this one he is one of the several examples from how it benefits the Hispanic community, the unit that presents/displays the Caucus... Legislative Hispanic of Illinois before the rest of the legislators ", it affirmed to the senator Martinez.

The education like priority

Between the 14 members of the Hispanic Caucus, including a both nonLatin and both new faces, there is no partisan fragmentation: they are democratic and absolutely all unfold in their pamphlets of legislative action two priorities: Education and familiar well-being.

Thus it is justified why between the subjects to expose itself in the Fourth Annual Conference of the Hispanic Caucus, the education and the family they are topical of rigor, whose exponents will be such integral of the group which they know these subjects well thoroughly.

The state representative Susana Mendoza will moderate a panel on infantile education; He is contiguous LaVia Plate, another one on the collaboration of the parents of family in the education of his children. Maria Berríos, will take care to lead the dialogue on the Latin students in university; and Smooth Hernandez, will do it in another panel on the education in communitarian schools.

On the family, Sandoval senator, the senator Martinez and the Thin representative, will lead subjects on the fundamental necessities, like familiar health and work, whereas the immigration topic is lead in three different sessions.

Scholarships to undocumented people?

One of the passages in firm that the Hispanic Legislative Caucus of Illinois gave, was to structure a foundation for intentions of development of projects and aid to the colectivity.

The last year, the Foundation of the Hispanic Caucus granted 13 $2.000 scholarships of each one, and the receivers of the same ones were carefully selected students on the basis of their economic necessities, an excellent one... unfolding in the studies, and in addition, the 13 receivers were undocumented.

Neither a single dollar of given $26 thousands, came from the state State Treasury nor from no governmental entity type. "it has been a work of collection of bottoms in the deprived field, with corporative donations and individual", it said Thin Willie.

This year diverse corporations sponsor the activities of the Fourth Annual Conference of the Hispanic Caucus, and a total of 15 scholarships, will be granted to Hispanic students during a banquet that will have like invited orador a journalist who, already inmiscuido in the literary field, has produced a work that obtained the second place in the Prizes.Pulitzer.

Luis Alberto Urrea presented/displayed at the end of the 2005, his work "The Devil's Highway", where he relates the real odyssey of 25 undocumented people going into in the United States through the desert of Arizona; more than half they died in the persistence.

In a journalistic investigation that such involved dangers of the 25 undocumented people, Urrea crossed the same route of them from Veracruz, Mexico, until the moment at which they were passing away, and concluded with the outcome of the intervention of the Border Patrol.

The work has been applauded by the literary critical of Washington Post, Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. One of the critics says: "It distills sand, it breathes thorns and it exudes death, everything perfectly amalgamated in a book that enaltece the journalistic investigation and in which the simple but ordered language prevails".

On the other hand it is possible to stand out that the main oradora during the lunch of the event, will be Mayté... Prida, conductor of the segment "Between Friends", who trasmite like part of the national program of Telemundo "Every Day". © The Race