The Serrano Report, Vol. IX, #20

On Capitol Hill

Serrano Speaks Out for Immigration Reform

On Friday, Congressman Serrano spoke on the House floor against a Republican bill that would reduce immigration levels and eliminate a whole category of immigration, the diversity visa program. Instead of working to expand immigration in a way that would gain wide, bi-partisan support, the Republican measure reduces immigration and fails to address many of the serious problems in the immigration system.

"What we need is not a piecemeal approach...what we need is to say that we have an immigration issue in this country," said Serrano on the floor. "We have 11 million people who are in this country, who want to stay in this country, who do a lot for this country and rather than be dealing with this approach today, we should be seriously speaking about comprehensive immigration reform."

Earlier in the week, Serrano joined other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to call for comprehensive immigration reform. During the press conference, the Caucus laid out a series of principles to follow as they work towards immigration reform.

In the Bronx

New York Members Meet with Governor Cuomo about Hurricane Recovery

On Monday, Congressman Serrano joined other Members of Congress from New York to meet with Governor Cuomo to discuss federal assistance to the State of New York in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The Governor presented to the members estimates of the damage done by the hurricane to the city and state, and discussed the best ways that the Federal Government could help the city recovery.

"Congress has always taken steps to help communities hard-hit by disaster," said Serrano after the meeting. "All of us in the New York delegation will work hard to make sure that the City and State get everything they need to recover from this disaster. As a member of the Appropriations Committee I will ensure that New York gets the assistance that it needs."

Grant

AmeriCorps Grant

Deadline: February 6, 2013

Americorps recently announced the availability of grant funding to promote service and volunteering. This year the AmeriCorps grants will focus on, among other issues, disaster recovery, including from Hurricane Sandy, education, and environmental stewardship. All interested parties are encouraged to apply.

Please visit the AmeriCorps website for more information.

For more information about other federal grants please visit grants.gov.