(NAME-MCE) Action Item: Support APA Affairs Commission in CT

[Bill Howe]

  Action Item: Support APA Affairs Commission in
CT<http://www.apaforprogress.org/action-item-support-apa-affairs-commission-in-ct>

>From an email press release from our friends at Asian Pacific American
Coalition of CT: <http://www.apaact.com/>

"Governor Rell released her budget proposal Wednesday, and it eliminates,
among other things, all of the state commissions for women, children, the
elderly, and all ethnic groups. Asian Pacific American activists in CT had
just succeeded, after years of effort, in getting the General Assembly to
pass a bill establishing an Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, on
the model of the African American and Puerto Rican/Latino commissions.
Governor Rell signed the bill, with a modest amount of funding that was to
begin in the new biennium. Now all of that stands in jeopardy in the shadow
of the State's looming fiscal crisis.

We also need lots of Asian faces (and other supporters) to show up at the
Legislative Office Building (next to the State Capitol) on February 11, from
4:00 p.m. on in Room 2C, to provide visual support for testimony on the need
for the ethnic affairs commissions. Anyone who would like to testify,
especially people who have personal stories to tell about the difficulty of
receiving public services or business support as an Asian American or Asian
immigrant or anti-Asian bias, should contact Laurie Julian, APAC Legislative
Chair at ljulian at snet.net. But it is really important that we get a good
turn out of Asians from all over the state to sit in the hearing room to
demonstrate that the Commission has a lot of support from the Asian Pacific
American community in Connecticut.

We could use a lot of help from the various APA groups. The most immediate
need is for Connecticut residents to write to their state representatives
and senators asking that the Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission be
restored and funded in the new biennium. It will be very helpful if lots of
people sent e-mails to:

Donald Williams, President Pro Tem of the State Senate -
Williams at senatedems.ct.gov
Christopher Donovan, Speaker of the House - Christopher.Donovan at cga.ct.gov
Senator Toni Harp, Co-chair of the Appropriations Committee -
Harp at senatedems.ct.gov
Rep. Denise Merrill, Co-chair of the Appropriations Committee -
Denise.Merrill at cga.ct.gov

A list of some legislator's e-mail addresses is also available on the Asian
Pacific American Association's (APAC) website at
http://apaact.com/legislators.html

APAC will be sending more directions through its free newsletter, so please
urge people to sign up for the newsletter at
http://apaact.com/news_letter.html We need a show of support at the hearing,
please put the word out! Thank You




Bill Howe
Asian Pacific American Coalition of CT http://apaact.com/