• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) introduced America’s Children Act, bipartisan legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for children of long-term visa holders—documented Dreamers—who have been waiting for years for a green card, Padilla announced in a statement. This bill is cosponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), and Susan Collins (R-Maine). “We cannot turn our backs on the documented Dreamers who have spent most of their lives in this country, contributing to their communities and our economy but face continued uncertainty and risk deportation once they turn 21,” Padilla said. According to the statement, more than 200,000 children and young adults are living in the United States as dependents of long-term nonimmigrant visa holders, but their dependent visas expire at age 21, forcing many of them to self-deport. America’s Children Act will provide a pathway to permanent residency for children who were brought into the United States as dependent children of workers admitted under approved employer petitions, maintained status in the United States for 10 years, and graduated from an institution of higher education.The act establishes age-out protections that provides work authorization for documented Dreamers over 16 whose green card applications are pending. “These young people deserve the opportunity to pursue their American dream and continue building lives in the country they call home,” Padilla said.
• U.S Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) sent a letter on Sept. 17 to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer (D-New York), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) , and Vice Chair Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) asking them to include at least $7.7 billion and targeted tax relief in a supplemental disaster funding package that California requested to support 2021 wildfire season recovery efforts. “California is employing all of the resources at its disposal to combat these fires, but the explosion of fire activity this season has resulted in an immense strain on California resources, and it is impossible for the state and local governments to obtain the necessary resources to adequately support survivors and recovery efforts,” the senators said in the letter. So far, wildfires have burned more than 2 million acres of land in 2021 and destroyed almost 3,000 buildings with 1,842 of them being homes, according to the statement. The Caldor, Dixie, and River fires burned 1.2 million acres alone, causing more than 50,000 residents to evacuate, and deploying more than 15,000 firefighters, the letter said.
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), applauded U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo’s announcement that the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.8 million grant to Paso Robles to install fiber optic cable that expands broadband access and increases reliability. “Millions of rural Americans are held back by slow broadband or a complete lack of access, and my district is no exception. Reliable broadband allows our economy to grow, expands access to online health and learning opportunities, and improves quality of life,” Carbajal said in a statement. The project will install approximately 11,500 feet of new fiber optic cable in new 2-inch underground conduit and will create an estimated 90 new jobs as well as employment opportunities once the project is complete. “This is a huge step to ensure every member of our community has what they need to succeed in the 21st century,” Carbajal said.
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 7, 2021.