• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) led a group of 13 U.S. House lawmakers to write a letter urging House and Senate leadership to reach a final bipartisan agreement on additional COVID-19 relief. The representatives called for the deal to include funding that would replenish the Biden administration’s ability to purchase and distribute vaccines, therapeutics, and antibody treatments, according to an April 1 statement. “It is critical to our nation’s public health and the economy that these additional funds be passed soon. Without them, much of the progress we have made in fighting this pandemic and returning to normalcy will be lost,” the letter stated. “Uninsured individuals will be most affected as they will no longer have access to free tests and treatments. … Immunocompromised individuals will also be severely impacted as the federal government will no longer be able to purchase enough treatments for this population.” The members also highlighted the need for the deal to include $5 billion in funding for global COVID-19 prevention and treatment efforts. “We urge you to continue working on a viable path forward to swiftly pass $22.5 billion in additional COVID-19 relief. We stand ready to work with you in a fiscally responsible way and thank you in advance for your consideration,” the letter concluded.
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla—co-chair of the Senate Hispanic Serving Institute Caucus—and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) led a bipartisan introduction of the Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment (HERE) Act, legislation that would address the gap in college attendance and completion rates for Latino students, according to an April 7 statement. Specifically, the bill would create a new grant program to support partnerships between Hispanic-serving institutions and school districts with high Latino and Hispanic student enrollment. “The stark gap in college attendance and completion rates for Latino students in the United States is unacceptable,” Padilla said in a statement. “We need to take action to invest in our students’ success and strengthen our workforce. The HERE Act would improve collaboration between local school districts and colleges and universities to ensure Latino students have the resources and support they need to succeed as they obtain higher education.” Despite the progress made to open doors for college opportunities, Latino and Hispanic students still face obstacles when trying to accomplish education goals, Castro said in the statement. “As Hispanic students become a larger share of the population, closing the achievement gap will strengthen our workforce and help every student achieve their career dreams. I’m proud to introduce the HERE Act, which will fund partnerships between colleges and school districts to ensure that Hispanic students are college-ready and supported throughout their education,” Castro said.
• The California Senate Judiciary Committee passed a private right of action legislation to limit the spread of assault weapons and ghost guns (SB 1327), according to an April 5 statement from the Newsom administration. “Today, the Legislature took an important step toward holding the gun industry accountable for mass shootings in our communities involving illegal firearms and protecting residents, utilizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that allowed private citizens in Texas the ability to sue abortion providers. So long as the Supreme Court has set this precedent, California will use it to save lives,” Newsom said in a statement. The legislation—written by state Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom—allows private citizens to hold the gun industry accountable through civil litigation for the continued threat of illegal firearms. Specifically, SB 1327 allows them to take civil action against anyone who manufactures, distributes, transports, or imports assault weapons—including rifles, ghost guns, or ghost gun kits, according to the governor’s office.
This article appears in Apr 14-21, 2022.
