NCAPA Weekly Roundup | House Recesses While Senate Regroups
July 25 - Aug. 1, 2017
A LOOK AHEAD
Last week’s drama andfailure to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA)in the Senate has everyone experiencing whiplash from the strange legislative week, but also fuels hope that the failure of these shenanigans will result in Congress returning to regular order. In a sign of this optimism, a bipartisan group in the House is preparing their own version of a health care bill that seeks to stabilize the marketplaces and make some fixes to shore up the ACA so that millions of Americans can continue to enjoy the peace of mind of having health coverage.
Meanwhile, the House skips town for August recess after passing a $789 billion defense spending bill, which snuck in money allocated toward the border wall, in a successful effort by House leadership to avoid debate on the controversial wall. Representatives will be in their home districts throughout the month of August for constituents to share their perspectives on ACA repeal and potential border walls.
UPDATES
What a whirlwind week! In a dramatic, early morning vote last Friday, three Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME) and John McCain (AZ), voted with Democrats to stop the “skinny repeal” of the ACA. While this effectively ends the legislative effort to repeal the ACA, the President and his Secretary of HHS have begun ramping up their threats to sabotage the insurance marketplaces by ending the cost-sharing reduction (CSRs) payments, which lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for the neediest Americans. Without CSR funding, insurance premiums are expected to rise 20 percent, making insurance unaffordable for many Americans and destabilizing the insurance markets.
NCAPA NEWS
NCAPA Applauds Defeat of ACA Repeal Efforts in Senate
We applaud the votes of 51 Senators to defeat efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). NCAPA members Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) issued statements regarding the victory.
NAPAWF executive director Sung Yeon Choimorrow (far left) joins fellow reproductive justice health advocates during a Planned Parenthood protest to defend the Affordable Care Act.
NCAPA Members Show Support for Transgender Community
NCAPA members expressed outrage following President Trump’s Twitter announcement that he would ban transgender people from serving in the military. Asian Americans Advancing Justice called the move targeted discrimination, and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) issued statements in response. See NCAPA member statements here.
Two Sikh American Men Murdered in Separate California Incidents
Tragically, Subag Singh and Simranjit Singh, both of California, were murdered in separate and unrelated incidents last week. The Sikh American Legal Defense & Education Fund (SALDEF) has been in contact with the local field office of the FBI, the Department of Justice, Community Relations Service, as well as the office of US Attorney.
NCAPA Members Join Letter to Improve Access to Credit for Qualified Mortgage Borrowers with Limited English Proficiency
National CAPACD sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency to request improving access to credit for qualified mortgage borrowers with limited English proficiency. NCAPA and NCAPA members Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, JACL, AAPCHO and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association joined the letter.
CAAM Films Receive Emmy Nominations
Several films funded and presented by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) received Emmy nominations, including “Among the Believers” and “Meet the Patels.”
SALDEF Holds 4th Annual Langar on the Hill
SALDEF held its annual Langar on the Hill last week with the Sikh community, Members of Congress, and supporters to celebrate the values of joining in langar (a shared meal), seva (selfless service), and unity. This year, attendees helped package meals for individuals in need.
TAKE ACTION
Remembering Oak Creek: Send Your Message of Support to the Oak Creek Community
Aug. 5 marks the five-year anniversary of the tragic mass shooting of a Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, WI, by a white supremacist. Please email a brief message of love, support, or solidarity to our communities there using the subject line "Remember Oak Creek" to [email protected] by Thursday, August 3.
Speaking Your Truth to Power During August Recess
It’s important for legislators to hear from their constituents in order to understand the perspectives and priorities of the people that they represent in Congress, and accurately reflect those views in their votes. Take advantage of members of Congress returning home this week to let them hear from you on the issues you think are important! Find a town hall near you.
Download the Immigrant Know Your Rights Smartphone App
NCAPA member, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), has designed and translated a smartphone app for immigrants and community members who are in crisis or have been approached by police or ICE. The multilingual app currently supports Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and English. Click here to download this helpful app!
Sign Petition for Citizenship for All Adoptees
Learn about the issues facing adoptees from NAKASEC and sign the petition to support the Adoptee Citizenship Act
Track hate incidents and view their databases
South Asian Americans Leading Together | Asian Americans Advancing Justice | OCA National | Southern Poverty Law Center | Muslim Advocates
ICYMI: AAPIs in the News
Family speaks out on death of their son, Tommy Le (Stacy Nguyen, Northwest Asian Weekly)
Police Search for Answers After California Sikh Man Found Dead (Chris Fuchs, NBC Asian America)
My Trip To The Philippines, Part 2: The Power of Colorism And Colonial Mentality (Kevin Nadal, Ph.D., President of the Asian American Psychological Association)
What's Keeping Asian-American Lawyers From Ascending The Legal Ranks? (Kat Chow, NPR Code Switch)
How data can debunk the 'model minority' myth (Karthick Ramakrishnan, CNN)
OPPORTUNITIES
2017 AAPA Leadership Fellows Program – Call for Applications
Advancing Justice | AAJC Senior Telecommunication, Technology, and Media Fellow; and Development Associate/ Manager
APIAHF Accounting Specialist II and Experience Assistant
APAICS Communications Associate
APIASF Communications Assistant. Also, immediately hiring for Gates Millennium Scholars Director and temporary GMS Assistant positions (see More Opportunities for more information).
NAPAWF: Chicago Organizer, Communications and Development Coordinator, Finance and Operations Associate
National CAPACD: Director of Development, Business Operations Coordinator
More Opportunities (including Hill positions)
NCAPA Events
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m ET: NCAPA Education Committee Webinar - How Federal Education Policy Affects Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia
Thursday, Aug. 8, 3:00 p.m. ET: NCAPA Education Committee Webinar - ESSA and K-12 Federal Education Policy: Experiences from AAPIs in California
Thursday, Aug. 10, 3:00 p.m. ET: NCAPA Immigration Committee Webinar - Protecting DACA & Advancing DREAM: Mobilizing the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community
Thursday, Aug. 17, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET (9-10 AM Hawai’i): NCAPA Education Committee Webinar - Native Hawaiian Education Act (NHEA) & Hawaiʻi State ESSA Plan
NCAPA Member Events
Thursday, Aug. 3 - Sunday, Aug. 6: 2017 OCA National Convention. Sacramento, CA.
Friday, Aug. 4, 11:00 a.m. ET: SAALT #RememberOakCreek Twitter Town Hall
Saturday, Aug 5, 6:00 - 11:00 p.m.: NQAPIA Community Catalyst Awards. Chicago, IL
Wednesday, Aug. 16 - Sunday, Aug 20: 2017 APALA Convention. Orange County, CA.
Tuesday, Aug. 22 - Thursday, Aug 24: 3rd Annual NHOA Business Summit Conference. Hawaii Prince Hotel
Friday, Sept. 29- Saturday, Sept. 30: APIASF Summit: Elevate Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, Sept. 27- Friday, Sept. 29: APIAHF VOICES Convention - UNITE. FOCUS. ACT, Mayflower Hotel, D.C.
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