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Latino Issues
Supporting the Latino Community
Senator Murray is committed to
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Education
On Sept. 10, 2008, Senator Murray participated in the first-ever Democratic Latina Summit, headlining a panel discussion on education and ensuring success for all children.
Murray, a former teacher and a key member of the Senate Health,
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Murray participates in Democratic Latina
Summit |
During the panel discussion, Murray talked about her work to improve guidance counseling and encourage more students to stay in school. In particular, Murray talked about legislation she plans to introduce that would transform the high school experience for thousands of students by ensuring they get career guidance about the wide range of opportunities available to them, and by giving them a reason to stay in school and graduate ready to compete in the global economy.
“Today too many of our young people don’t see a career pathway that includes them,” Murray said during the panel discussion. “We need to put in extra effort to make sure they have the support within their community and within the school system, to make sure we don’t lose them.”
Murray also said that parents must play a strong role in their children’s education, starting before education. She talked about her work to encourage parents to get involved in Head Start and other school programs.
“I used to teach in a parent-child co-op (pre-school) system in the state of Washington, and empowering parents to be a part of their child’s education, and not just saying, ‘You have to be a part of it,’ but helping them learn how to be a part of it, is a key to our success for all of our young kids,” Murray said.
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Senator Murray is working to help all children get a great education. She supports efforts such as:
- Dropout Prevention Program
- Title III English Language Learners
- HEP-CAMP – High School Equivalency Program and the College Assistance Migrant Program
- GEAR-UP – helps low income students prepare for college
- the DREAM Act,
- and grants for Latino Serving Institutions.
DREAM Act – Making College Available
Senator Murray co-sponsored the “Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act” in the U.S. Senate. The DREAM Act makes college more affordable by allowing states to offer in-state tuition to immigrant students. It also gives longtime resident immigrant youths who graduate from U.S. high schools the opportunity to adjust their immigrant status.
Grants for Education
Senator Murray has worked hard on the Appropriations Committee to maintain and increase funding for the competitive grants programs that are important to the Latino community.
Murray's secured funding for:
Columbia Basin College (Pasco): $600,000 – Latino Serving
Institutions Assisting Communities Program (HSIAC) - With
this grant, Columbia Basin College will create a Community Business
and Training Resource Center in Pasco, WA to support economic development
and job training. The grant will assist Latino small business owners
in downtown Pasco and provide Vocational ESL job skills. At the end
of the three-year project:
- a Community Business and Training Resource Center will be built,
- 75 small businesses will be assisted,
- 65 new jobs will be created or retained,
- and 150 residents will be provided Vocational ESL classes to improve their job skills.
University of Washington (Seattle): $399,912 – Community Outreach Partnership Center Program (COPC) - This grant will meet urgent needs in three neighborhoods in the city of Toppenish, WA. In partnership with Heritage College, the UW COPC will engage faculty and students from both institutions to enhance job training skills, improve business opportunities, and encourage homeownership. It will help small emerging Latino entrepreneurs meet the needs of the growing Latino market. It will assist small business owners in downtown Toppenish and surrounding neighborhoods.
Big Bend Community College (Moses Lake): $300,000 - Migrant
Education Even Start Program - Big Bend Community College will
build Hope for the Future/Una Esperanza el Futuro in Royal City and
Mattawa, WA. The project will provide center-based adult education and
home-based interactive literacy instruction. With connections in Texas
and elsewhere in Washington State, the project has established commitments
and referrals for families who will travel to those areas. This grant
is expected to run for four years.
Northwest Learning & Achievement Group (Wapato): $256,198
– Community Technology Centers Program - With this grant,
the Northwest Learning & Achievement Group will provide services
for 180 adults and children of Latino and Native American background.
It will provide:
- online and computer software to help students working toward their GED
- activities to help students become ready for kindergarten
- and provide workshops in agribusiness employment.
Even Start
This year the President’s budget eliminated programs such as Even Start, which supports literacy programs for low-income families. Even Start integrates early childhood education, adult literacy, and parenting education into a unified family literacy program. The greatest predictor of a child’s educational success is the level of education of the parents. The elimination of Even Start will result in a loss of over $2 million in funding for family literacy in Washington State. Senator Murray will fight to restore this program.
GEAR UP
This year the President provides a minimal increase for GEAR UP, a program that reaches out to at-risk students in 7th grade and helps them prepare for college. In WA state, GEAR UP helps more than 20,000 students statewide through 10 partnership grants and a state grant. GEAR UP programs are at work in more than 100 Washington schools and more than 30 communities. Senator Murray will work to increase funding for this successful program.
Also see: Education for Migrant Children
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Immigration
Senator Murray supports comprehensive immigration reform. She outlined her priorities in a Senate floor speech on March 30, 2006.
A partial transcript of her remarks follow:
“The Senate is now engaged in a spirited debate about reforming our immigration policy. Let's remember that this isn't just about immigration. It's about the type of country we want to be, what we stand for, and what type of future we all want to build. It's easy to get caught up in the specifics of one policy or another, but I would encourage my colleagues to not lose sight of the bigger picture because this debate touches nearly every aspect of American life – from our economy to our security, and from our classrooms to our workplaces. I know there's a lot of pressure to "do something" about immigration especially in an election year. But if we do the wrong thing, it will have a painful affect on millions of families, on our economy, and on our future for generations to come. Let's take the time to get it right.
Perhaps the biggest mistake we could make is to think that addressing enforcement alone will create the changes we want to see. Enforcement is important, but enforcement without investments in our people and communities will do little good.
I believe that comprehensive immigration reform should do seven things.
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It should improve enforcement
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It should treat the Northern border fairly.
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It should include a guest worker plan, which includes a path to citizenship.
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It should provide a path forward so that people who are here have an opportunity to become citizens and realize the American Dream.
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It should protect the rights of victims and refugees.
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It should not turn into criminals those compassionate souls who care for their wounds, teach their children or feed their families.
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And finally, it should provide the resources to help families rise above their circumstances through education and training.
Throughout our history, the United States has been a beacon of hope for people throughout the world. That light shines as bright today as it ever has. As we work here to reform our immigration policy, let's make sure our actions reflect our security, our economy, and the opportunity that America offers generations of immigrants. Let's take the time to get this right. Our future depends on it.”
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Health Care
Healthcare is a major challenge for everyone in Washington State, and the Latino community is not immune from the access problems affecting our state.
Community Health Care Centers
Senator Murray supports Washington’s community health care centers and clinics. These centers provide preventive and primary health care services. Approximately 20 centers in Washington receive federal funding. They operate about 60 sites to help underserved communities. Senator Murray worked to reauthorize the program. Over the past two years, she has secured an additional $200 million in funding.
For example, Senator Murray helped secure a nearly $500,000 grant to Sea Mar Community Health Centers/Clinica de la Comunidad to create a new health center in Thurston County that provides services in English and Spanish.
Mary Bartolo, deputy director of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, said, "This grant will enable us to hire two additional physicians and two dentists to provide care to uninsured, underinsured and low-income individuals in the county where there is a shortage of access to primary health care services. All medical services will be provided in both English and Spanish."
In 2001, 2002, and again in 2003, Senator Murray was honored by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Washington Association of Community and Migrant Health Centers with the “Distinguished Community Health Defender Award."
Community Access Program (CAP)
Senator Murray is also a strong advocate for the Community Access Program (CAP). She has fought President Bush’s efforts to eliminate the program. Washington has four CAP grantees. They are based in Spokane, Wenatchee, Olympia, and Seattle
CAP provides funds for communities to identify local challenges and develop solutions. More than 22 Washington counties are using this flexible approach to meet local needs. In 2002, the state of Washington received a $1.3 million planning and research grant from the federal government, thanks to Senator Murray.
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
More than 100,000 Washington children and teenagers don’t have
health insurance. Senator
Murray was an original cosponsor of the Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) enacted in 1997. She also helped expand preventive care
to cover immunizations. Today, CHIP is helping children in Washington
State get healthcare.
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Farmworkers
Senator Murray is helping farmworkers by
- creating a new initiative to fund farmworker housing
- connecting farmworkers to job training, education, and health care
- authorizing natural disaster assistance for farmworkers
Creating a New Initiative to Fund Farmworker Housing
Several years ago, Senator Murray began a discussion with farmworker advocates, the Latino community, farmers and farm organizations, and private foundations to address the lack of housing for farmworkers. One of the greatest hurdles is funding.
In response, Senator Murray secured $180,000 in the fiscal year 2003 Department of Housing and Urban Development budget to start a non-profit foundation known as the Rural and Farmworker Housing Trust (RAFHT). RAFHT is led by a diverse board of directors representing all stakeholder groups. Eventually, it will work to tap private foundations for the tens of millions of dollars needed to address the farmworker housing shortage in Washington State.
In addition to RAFHT, Senator Murray will continue to look for ways to enhance housing opportunities for our nation’s farmworkers. In Fiscal Year 2001, Senator Murray secured $1.75 million in federal funds to address Washington’s shortage of farmworker housing.
Connecting Farmworkers to Job Training, Education, And Health Care
Senator Murray supports the National Farmworker Jobs Program, which is part of the Workforce Investment Act. It helps farmworkers and their families become self-sufficient. In Fiscal Year 2003, Senator Murray helped secure $77 million for this national program.
In Washington State, some of this funding goes to OIC of Washington (Opportunities Industrialization Center). From July 1999 to April 2003, OIC received $7.7 million in federal funding.
OIC provides services for farmworkers in Moses Lake, Mount Vernon, Wenatchee, Pasco, Sunnyside and Yakima. Since 1999, it has served 2,240 participants and benefited 4,480 other family members. OIC provides employment, training, and emergency support to help farmworkers find good jobs.
In addition, since 2000, OIC has offered a national farmworker jobs program for youth. This program is only one of 15 in the nation. It serves migrant and seasonal farmworker youth ages 14 -21. Between 2000 and April 2003, the program received almost $2 million in federal funding and served about 400 young people.
In 2000, Senator Murray announced a $200,000 federal grant to improve economic development opportunities for farmworkers in Central Washington through the Northwest Cooperative Development Center.
Education for Migrant Children
Senator Murray supports migrant education programs. She has worked to secure increased funding for College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) grants. In the No Child Left Behind Act, Murray included a nationally linked database to serve migrant children. She has fought hard to adequately fund English Language Acquisition programs.
She has received national and state awards as a leader in this area. In February 2003, Murray was presented with an award from the High School Equivalency Program/College Assistance Migrant Program (HEP/CAMP) for her efforts on behalf of children of migrant workers.
This year the President’s budget for FY 2005 freezes funding for Migrant Education in two ways.
First, it “level-funds” (provides the same funding as FY 2004) the High School Equivalency program (HEP). HEP helps migrant students who have dropped out of high school get their GED. Washington State University, Central Washington University, Heritage College and Columbia Basin Community College receive HEP grants.
Second, the president freezes funding for the College Assistance Migrant program (HEP-CAMP). CAMP helps igrant students in their first year of college with counseling and stipends. Central Washington University and Heritage College receive CAMP grants.
The President is freezing the funding at the current levels, but the demand for these services are growing. That will hurt students in Washington state. Senator Murray will continue to stand up for HEP-CAMP in the budget fight this year.
Authorizing Natural Disaster Assistance for Farmworkers
While Congress often responds to natural disasters by helping farmers and restoring watersheds, providing assistance to farmworkers is a more difficult task. During debate on the 2002 Farm Bill in the Senate, Senator Murray worked to pass an amendment reauthorizing assistance for farmworkers following a natural disaster. That amendment became law as part of the Farm Bill signed by President Bush.
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Other Issues
Food Stamp Restoration for Legal Immigrants
Senator Murray supported restoring food stamps to legal immigrants who have been in the United States for five years. In 1996, Congress made legal immigrants ineligible for food stamps. In the 2002 Farm Bill, benefits were restored.
El Centro de La Raza - Seattle
In 2000, Senator Murray secured $500,000 for El Centro de la Raza in Seattle to pay down debt related to its purchase of the Beacon Hill School.
"El Centro de la Raza provides important services to Seattle's needy communities," said Murray. "These funds will help El Centro pay off debt so it can concentrate on providing additional services to the community."
El Centro de la Raza purchased the Beacon Hill School and the property it sits on from the Seattle School District. The school is now a community center operated by El Centro de la Raza. The community center provides a wide range of critical services for low-income people in the Latino/Chicano community and many other low-income individuals in the Seattle-King County area. The community center offers tutoring classes and after-school programs, along with courses in nutrition, citizenship, and financial management. It provides emergency shelter assistance, a food bank, meal delivery to seniors, and youth and domestic violence counseling. The center also sponsors job readiness programs and employment placement.
Senator Murray was honored by El Centro de la Raza at its 30th anniversary event in October 2002.
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