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In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark THE WASHINGTON INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published weekly on each Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to: THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Washington, D.C. 20032 Phone: 202 561-4100 Fax: 202 574-3785 news@washingtoninformer.com www.washingtoninformer.com
PUBLISHER Denise Rolark Barnes STAFF D. Kevin McNeir, Editor Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Assistant Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout Mable Neville, Bookkeeper Mickey Thompson, Social Sightings columnist Stacey Palmer, Social Media Specialist Angie Johnson, Circulation REPORTERS Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, Eve Ferguson, Will Ford (Prince George’s County Writer), D. Kevin McNeir, Lauren Poteat, Dorothy Rowley, Rachel Sudduth, Sarafina Wright (General Assignment Writer) PHOTOGRAPHERS John E. DeFreitas, Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Patricia Little, Corey Parrish, Travis Riddick SUMMER INTERNS Victoria Jones Rushawn Walters
On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF), I am proud to welcome you to the 46th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). The theme of this year’s conference, “Defining the Moment, Building the Movement” will highlight social and political moments in American history that define the Congressional Black Caucus and the CBCF. It will also explore the critical policy issues of voter suppression, police brutality and economic opportunity—and identify solutions that empower people to change their lives, communities and futures. The CBCF is proud to partner with The Washington Informer, an African-American woman owned institution. We are pleased to announce a special print edition that includes in-depth information about the CBCF’s programs, ALC policy sessions, panelists, and signature events, which will be distributed to all conference attendees. We are grateful to The Washington Informer for providing a platform that helps elevate our mission to advance the global black community and amplifies our message. ALC brings together nearly 10,000 attendees every year from civic, faith and business communities to engage in finding solutions to issues that impact African Americans and black communities worldwide while advancing our shared values. This year, the highly-anticipated National Town Hall will focus on, “The Black Agenda for the Next Administration: What's at Stake in the 2016 Elections.” The Prayer Breakfast will be headlined by Grammy Award-winning gospel artist, Tasha Cobbs and feature keynote speaker, international faith leader, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, GA. Returning this year will be our popular Authors Pavilion, showcasing contemporary African-American literature. We will also host a series of financial planning seminars and college and job fairs during the Exhibit Showcase. The apex of the conference will be our signature black tie event, the Phoenix Awards Dinner. I invite you to continue the conversations we begin at the ALC on ALC BRINGS TOGETHER social media. Tweet us directly using our handle, @CBCFInc, and use NEARLY 10,000 ATTENDEES the official hashtag, #CBCFALC16, to share your thoughts about the EVERY YEAR FROM CIVIC, conference. I also encourage you to download our conference companFAITH AND BUSINESS ion app, CBCF ALC 16, available COMMUNITIES TO ENGAGE in the Apple and Android Google Play stores. IN FINDING SOLUTIONS Thank you for your support and continued commitment to the CBTO ISSUES THAT IMPACT CF’s mission. You will leave the conference energized and equipped AFRICAN AMERICANS AND to be the change you want to see in BLACK COMMUNITIES your community and world. For more information about the CBCF WORLDWIDE WHILE and the ALC, visit www.cbcfinc. org. ADVANCING OUR Sincerely, A. Shuanise Washington President and CEO
SHARED VALUES.
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / 46TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SPECIAL ISSUE / SEPTEMBER 2016 / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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DEFINING THE MOMENT, BUILDING THE MOVEMENT Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Celebrates 40th Anniversary By A. Shuanise Washington President and CEO, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated
In 1976, the Congressional Black Caucus was still in its infancy -- just five years old. And there were only 18 members, a few more than when it was founded. But even then, the group's members had already demonstrated their ability and determination to get Washington to pay attention to their causes. The CBC had famously boycotted President Nixon's State of the Union just a few years earlier, after he refused to meet with the black members of Congress. (In the end, the president met with CBC members, who presented him with a list of 60 recommendations for government to undertake.) CBC members even raised the prospect of preparing a Black Declaration of Independence and a Black Bill of Rights to Congress, powerful statements in a nation freshly scarred from the battles of the civil-rights era. But among the many bold undertakings of the CBC in its early years, it is the decision in 1976 to support the establishment of a little-known policy foundation devoted to African-American issues in 1976 that ranks among the caucus's most enduring legacies -- and one that underscores the concern its members had for future generations. One of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.'s earliest programs, the Legislative Internship Program, sought to address a problem in Congress: the dearth of black professional staff at the time -- a problem that still exists today. The program provided black graduate students an opportunity to work on Capitol Hill -- and continues to do so to this very day. But the foundation has been behind an array of many more
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programs since, including efforts to improve access to health care for the medically uninsured; providing scholarships to deserving African-American students; expanding opportunities for students in STEM fields to participate in a China study-abroad program; offering emerging leaders internships in the private sector through our Pathways to the C-Suite program; launching a new economic summit series to expand minority access to capital in the business and technology sectors; and on and on.
I URGE ATTENDEES AND LEADERS IN BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY, POLITICS, ACADEMIA AND OTHER AREAS TO LISTEN, LEARN, AND SHARE THEIR INSIGHTS DURING THEIR TIME WITH US THIS WEEK. All of this reflects a larger vision. The CBCF is working to ensure that all communities have an equal voice in public policy through leadership cultivation, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability and civic engagement. We achieve this mission by facilitating the exchange of ideas and information to address critical issues affecting our communities; providing leadership development and scholarship opportunities to educate the next generation of leaders; promoting public health and financial empowerment for all communities; and developing strategic research and historical resources for the public, educators and students. Now, as we celebrate the CBCF's founding during the 46th
Annual Legislative Conference, it seems fitting and even prudent to draw lessons and even some measure of inspiration from the determination and even prescience of the CBC's founders, especially now as we confront injustice and despair in our own time. In fact, the annual conference will include nearly 100 issue forums and sessions aimed at provoking thoughtful discussions about the complex challenges we face, even as many of those challenges are boiled down to thirty-second sound bites in an election year. The theme of the conference, "Defining the Moment, Building the Movement," underscores the seriousness and even urgency that we believe these times require. In a sense, it is the same spirit that led the founders of the CBC to drive their own agenda in Washington, unapologetically and forcefully, at a time when they faced forces far more powerful than they were. In this year when control of the White House and Congress are at stake, the ALC is a definitive call to action for African Americans to stand together to help tackle society's most intractable problems. It seeks to build on the CBCF's advocacy efforts to address voter suppression, police brutality and economic opportunity, and offers an environment to explore how research and analysis play a role in future policy deliberations. I urge attendees and leaders in business, technology, politics, academia and other areas to listen, learn, and share their insights during their time with us this week. We have an opportunity to hand down a meaningful and lasting legacy to our children and grandchildren, just as the generation before ours did for us. Let us resolve to do that. n
CBCF STAFF EXECUTIVE OFFICE A. Shuanise Washington President and CEO Nadia Monroe Executive Assistant
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING Shrita Hernandez, M.A., M.P.A., M.N.M. Vice President, Marketing and Communications Averyl Bailey Director, Communications Anne B. Williams, M.A. Marketing Manager Michael Duncan Graphic Designer and Brand Identity Specialist Marc Banks Public Relations Specialist Christopher Greggs Digital Media Intern
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Tasha L. Cole Vice President, Resource Development Donna Fisher-Lewis, M.A. Senior Development Manager
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Larry Clark Network Administrator
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Muriel Hairston-Cooper, M.S. Senior Manager, Stakeholder Relations and Event Management Adia C. Jordan Senior Manager, Stakeholder Relations and Event Management Carahna Magwood Administrative Assistant
PROGRAMS Dr. Kwamme Anderson, M.P.A., Ph.D. Vice President, Programs Christina Sullivan-Mutia, M.A. Manager-Leadership Education and Scholarship Programs Dominique Johnson Administrative Assistant Katrina Finch, M.A. Program AdministratorScholarships
Derek Simms, J.D. Development Coordinator 1
Deidre Ellis, M.A. Program CoordinatorSpouses and Study Abroad
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH
Netsereab Demissie, C.P.A., M.S. Senior Director, Finance and Administration
Menna Demessie, Ph.D. Vice President, Policy Analysis and Research
Jason Perkins Office Services Coordinator
Harold Watkins, Ph.D. Senior Research and Policy Analyst
HUMAN RESOURCES
Richard Ezike, Ph.D. Fellow-Transportation and Sustainability
Sharon Holloway Senior Director, Human Resources Brenda White-Tucker Receptionist Erika Groover, M.P.A. Senior Administrative Assistant
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / 46TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SPECIAL ISSUE / SEPTEMBER 2016 / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Dayna Bowen Matthew, Ph.D. Fellow- Health Policy Maurice O. Starks Administrative Assistant
PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Schedule is subject to change
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
LOCATION
7:00 AM – 7:00 PM Registration / Ticketing 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM CBCF Professional Development Series in Cooperation with the National Medical Association 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM CBCF Professional Development Series for Educators 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Opening Press Conference 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Health and Wellness Luncheon 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM CPAR Future Focus Series 12:30 PM – 6:00 PM Policy Sessions 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Sojourner Truth Legacy Project Town Hall 8:00 PM – 10:30 PM CBC Spouses 20th Annual Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts*
Washington Convention Center (WCC) WCC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
LOCATION
7:00 AM – 10:30 AM CBC Spouses Community Breakfast and Health Fair 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM Registration / Ticketing 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM New Attendee Welcome 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM National Town Hall Meeting 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Policy Sessions 11:30 AM – 7:00 PM Exhibit Hall Grand Opening 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Corporate Lounge Opening 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EMERGING LEADERS Power Luncheon (LC) 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM AVOICE: Richmond Public School Civic and Cultural Immersion Program 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM General Session Luncheon (LC) 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM Policy Sessions 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CBC Spouses Essay Contest and Issue Forum 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM LEADERSHIP RECEPTION (IO) Honoring Rep. G. K. Butterfield, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus 8:00 PM – 10:30 PM Gospel Extravaganza 8:00 PM – 10:30 PM Jazz Concert 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM The Sojourner Truth Women’s Leadership Reception (IO) 9:00 PM – 1:00 AM The Black Party*
Central Union Mission 65 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20001 WCC WCC (Room 201) WCC (Ballroom A) WCC WCC (Hall E) WCC (204 B) WCC (Room 146 BC) WCC (Room 143A)
WCC WCC (L-Street Bridge) WCC (Room 206) WCC WCC Capitol Visitors Center, Washington, DC Shakespeare Theatre Sidney Harman Hall 555 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, WDC 20001
WCC (Ballroom BC) WCC Benjamin Banneker High School 800 Euclid Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 Renaissance Washington Renaissance Ballroom 999 Ninth. Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 United House of Prayer for All People 601 M Street, NW, DC 20001 WCC (Ballroom A) Nat’l Museum of Women in the Arts 1250 New York Ave., NW, DC 20005 Hard Rock Café 999 E St NW, Washington, DC 20004
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
LOCATION
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Registration / Ticketing 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Policy Sessions 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Exhibit Showcase 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM Emerging Leader Series Education Luncheon 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Emerging Leaders Town Hall: Becoming the Change You Want to See 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM CBCF Meet/Match Procurement Forum 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM CBCF Chair and Board of Directors Reception (IO) 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM CBCF Alumni Association Networking Reception (IO)
WCC WCC WCC WCC WCC (Room 201)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
LOCATION
7:00 AM – 4:00 PM 7:30 AM – 10:00 AM 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
WCC WCC (Hall D) WCC (Hall E) WCC WCC (Concourse D) WCC (Hall D)
Registration / Ticketing Prayer Breakfast* (doors open at 7:00 am) Exhibits Showcase Policy Sessions Pre-Dinner Reception (IO) Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner*
WCC (Rm 146 AB) Marriott Marquis Hotel Marquis Ballroom Salons 5 & 6 JP Morgan Chase
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
LOCATION
10:45 AM – 2:30 PM Donald M. Payne Fellowship Cruise (IO)
The Odyssey 550 Water Street, SW Washington, DC 20024
*Ticketed Event Ticket available for sale at the ticket counter in the Registration area until capacity is reached. • (LC) Limited Capacity Attendees must declare on the registration form their intention to attend this event. (IO) Invitation Only Event A printed invitation will be provided to guests.
Get engaged. Stay connected.
Download the ‘CBCF ALC 16’ mobile app now. Available in the iTunes and Google Play stores.
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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / 46TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SPECIAL ISSUE / SEPTEMBER 2016 / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS MEMBERS OF THE 114TH CONGRESS REP. ALMA ADAMS The 100th woman elected to Congress, Alma S. Adams, Ph.D was elected to her first term representing the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina on November 12, 2014. Rep. Adams sits on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Agriculture Committee, the Small Business Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee. The Congresswoman is the founder of the first ever Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus and also holds a leadership role in the Democratic Caucus as Vice President for the 114th Congress’ freshmen class. A longtime public servant Rep. Adams served in the state House, and is the first African-American woman ever elected to the Greensboro County school board. REP. KAREN BASS Rep. Karen Bass serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa and the House Judiciary Committee. She was selected to serve on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy direction of the Democratic Caucus. Rep. Bass also serves in a leadership capacity in the Congressional Black Caucus as Whip. Prior to serving in Congress, she made history as the first African-American woman to serve as Speaker of the California Assembly. In this role, she helped California recover from the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. REP. JOYCE BEATTY Congresswoman Joyce Beatty was elected to Congress in 2012 to represent the 3rd District of Ohio. She serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the Housing and Insurance and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees. She is a Co-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Taskforce on Economic Development and Wealth Creation. Rep. Beatty serves on the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, the Democratic Organization, Study and Review Committee, and as a Regional Whip for Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia. Before coming to Congress, she served as the Minority Leader in the Ohio House of Reps and as a senior vice-president for Ohio State University. REP. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. is serving his 11th term in the House of Rep.s, representing Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District. He sits on the House Committee on Appropriations. Rep. Bishop was elected to Congress in 1992 after serving in the Georgia House of Rep.s from 1977 to 1990 and in the Georgia Senate from 1991 to 1992.
SEN. CORY BOOKER Since being elected to the Senate in October 2013, Sen. Cory Booker has been innovative and persistent in working to create new jobs, improve economic opportunity for all New Jersey residents, address the economic squeeze facing the middle class and reform the criminal justice system to strengthen communities and save taxpayers money. Sen. Booker earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University. He is also a Rhodes Scholar. Sen. Booker earned his law degree from Yale Law School, where he helped lead free legal clinics for New Haven residents.
REP. CORRINE BROWN Rep. Corrine Brown represents Florida’s 5th Congressional District. Currently in her 11th term, Rep. Brown serves as the Ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and as a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I). She formerly served as the Chairwoman of the T&I Subcomittee on Railroads, Pipelines & Hazardous Materials. REP. G. K. BUTTERFIELD Rep. G. K. Butterfield is a life-long resident of Eastern North Carolina. Raised in Wilson, NC, Rep. Butterfield graduated from college and law school at North Carolina Central University. For 13 years he practiced civil rights law and is best known for his successful litigation of voting rights cases that resulted in the election of African-American elected officials throughout eastern North Carolina. Prior to his election to Congress in July 2004, Congressman Butterfield was elected as a Resident Superior Court Judge and later as an Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. In Congress, he serves on the Committee on Energy & Commerce, as well as in the Democratic leadership as Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. REP. ANDRÉ CARSON Rep. André Carson was elected to Congress in 2008 and serves Indiana’s 7th Congressional District. He is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In the 114th Congress, Congressman Carson serves as a Senior Whip for the House Democratic Caucus, sits on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Executive Leadership Team, and a board member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Before serving in Congress, Rep. Carson was a law enforcement officer with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Fusion Center and Indiana State Excise Police. REP. YVETTE D. CLARKE Congresswoman Yvette Clarke was elected to the House of Rep.s in November 2006 and today represents the 9th Congressional District of New York. Prior to being elected to the House of Rep.s, Congresswoman Clarke served on the New York City Council, representing the 14th District in Brooklyn. She succeeded her pioneering mother, former City Council Member Dr. Una S. T. Clarke, making them the first mother-daughter succession in the history of the Council. An unwavering champion of her native Brooklyn, she has dedicated herself to continuing the legacy of excellence established by the late Honorable Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman and Caribbean-American elected to Congress.
CBCF AWARDS MORE THAN 250 PUBLIC SERVICE, PUBLIC HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND ARTS SCHOLARSHIPS EACH YEAR.
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CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS MEMBERS OF THE 114TH CONGRESS REP. LACY CLAY, JR. Rep. Lacy Clay, Jr. was elected to the House of Reps in 2000, succeeding his father, Rep. Bill Clay, who served for 32 years and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rep. Clay, Jr. is the Ranking member on the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.Rep. Clay, Jr. also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He previously served for 17 years in the Missouri State Legislature. REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER, II Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II, a native of Texas, is now serving his sixth term representing Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, the home district of President Harry Truman. During the 112th Congress, he was unanimously elected the 22nd chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Married to the former Dianne Donaldson, Cleaver served for 12 years on the city council of Kansas City, and was elected as the city’s first African-American Mayor in 1991. In 2009, Rep. Cleaver introduced the most ambitious project of his political career–the creation of a Green Impact Zone. This zone, consisting of 150 blocks of declining urban core, has received approximately $125 million dollars in American Recovery and Reinvestment funds. The Green Impact Zone is aimed at making this high crime area the environmentally greenest piece of urban geography in the world. REP. JAMES E. CLYBURN Rep. James E. Clyburn is a 12th-term Democrat from South Carolina. He is currently the House Assistant Democratic Leader and on leave from the House Committee on Appropriations. Rep. Clyburn is a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first African American elected to Congress from South Carolina since the 19th century. He is currently the highest-ranking African American in the House of Reps and one of the Democratic Caucus’ primary liaisons to the White House. REP. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is currently serving her first term in the United States Congress representing New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. Prior to joining Congress, Rep. Coleman served eight consecutive terms in the New Jersey General Assembly. The daughter of legendary state legislator John S. Watson, Watson Coleman has continued a family legacy of public service fighting for women, economic and socially disadvantaged populations, and other vulnerable groups in our society. Watson Coleman shattered racial and gender barriers to become the first African-American woman to serve as Majority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly, and the first African-American woman to serve as the Chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. Her election to the House of Reps makes her the first African-American woman to represent New Jersey in Congress. REP. JOHN CONYERS, JR. Rep. John Conyers, Jr. represents Michigan’s 13th Congressional District which encompasses the Detroit metropolitan area. In 2014, Congressman Conyers was elected to his 26th consecutive term and became the first African-American Dean, most senior member, of Congress. Congressman Conyers is the Ranking member and a for-
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mer chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary. Previously, he served as Chair of the Committee on Government Operations (now the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform). Congressman Conyers is a Founding Member and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus. In Congressman Conyers’ 50 years of public service, some of his major accomplishments include the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, the Motor Voter Bill of 1993, the Alcohol Warning Label Act of 1988, the Jazz Preservation Act of 1987, and the Martin Luther King Holiday Act of 1983. REP. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS Rep. Elijah E. Cummings was elected to Congress in 1996 from Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. He is the Ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Ranking Member on the House Select Committee on Benghazi. He also serves as a senior member on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. A former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Rep. Cummings is co-chair of the CBC Religious, Faith and Policy Taskforce. Rep. Cummings is a strong advocate for the underserved and is committed to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of their circumstances, have access to quality healthcare and education, clean air and water, and a strong economy defined by fiscal responsibility. REP. DANNY K. DAVIS Rep. Danny K. Davis, Ph.D. was elected to Congress in 1996 and represents the 7th Congressional District of Illinois. He serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means and Congressman Davis is a member of several Congressional caucuses including the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys, the Progressive Caucus, the Urban Caucus, the Community Health Center’s Caucus, and the Congressional Sugar Caucus. REP. DONNA F. EDWARDS Rep. Donna F. Edwards was elected to Congress in 2008, representing Maryland’s 4th Congressional District. She serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; is the ranking member on the Science, Space and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Space. Before taking office, Rep. Edwards served as the executive director of the Arca Foundation in Washington, D.C. and was a co-founder and executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. REP. KEITH ELLISON Rep. Keith Ellison has represented the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota in the House of Reps since taking office on January 4, 2007. The district consists of Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs. Rep. Ellison's philosophy is one of "generosity and inclusiveness." His roots as a community activist and his message of inclusivity through democratic participation resonates throughout the 5th District. His priorities in Congress are: promoting peace, prosperity for working families, environmental sustainability, and civil and human rights. Rep. Ellison was elected as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 112th Congress, and Chief Deputy Whip for the 114th Congress. Rep. Ellison currently serves on the Financial Services Committee, and the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
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CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS MEMBERS OF THE 114TH CONGRESS REP. MARCIA L. FUDGE Rep. Marcia L. Fudge represents the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. Rep. Fudge is a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, serving as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, and a member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. She also serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, where she is a member of the Subcommittee on Nutrition and the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research. REP. AL GREEN On January 6, 2015, Rep. Al Green began his 6th term serving Texas’ 9th Congressional District. Rep. Green currently serves as ranking member on the Subcommittee on Financial Services Oversight and Investigations and also serves on the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. He remains committed to rebuilding the American economy, stabilizing the housing market and eliminating practices that victimize communities. Rep. Green also serves on several Congressional Caucuses and Tasks Forces. Rep. Green attended Florida A&M University, Tuskegee Institute of Technology and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, where he earned a Juris Doctor in 1974. He is a member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. REP. ALCEE L. HASTINGS Rep. Alcee L. Hastings was elected to Congress in 1992, representing Florida’s 20th Congressional district. He is one of the first African Americans elected from Florida since post-Civil War reconstruction. Rep. Hastings serves as a Senior Democratic Whip and Senior Member of the House Committee on Rules. He is also the Ranking Democratic Member of the Helsinki Commission, as well as the co-chairman of the Florida delegation. In addition, Rep. Hastings was the first and only American to ever have served as the President of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly. REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has represented New York’s 8th Congressional District since January 3, 2013. Rep Jeffries has been at the forefront of a wide range of social justice and progressive initiatives, fighting for job creation, quality education, affordable housing, gun control and a fair minimum wage. In January 2015, Rep. Jeffries was appointed as the Congressional Black Caucus Whip and was also appointed a member of the influential Steering and Policy Committee. Rep. Jeffries serves on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, including the Subcommittees on Higher Education and Workforce Training and on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions and the House Judiciary Committee, including the Subcommittees on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet and on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law. Rep. Jeffries served for six years in the New York State Assembly.
REP. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson was elected to her 12th term for the 30th Congressional District of Texas. In December 2010, Congresswoman Johnson was elected as the first African-American and the first female ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. She serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In 2007, she became the first African-American and first female Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Congresswoman Johnson is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Diversity and Innovation Caucus and the House Historical Black Colleges and Universities Caucus. She served as chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus during the 107th Congress and is credited with authoring more than 150 bills that have been signed into law. REP. HANK JOHNSON Now in his 5th term, Rep. Hank Johnson has distinguished himself as a substantive, effective lawmaker and a leading national progressive voice. From his seat on the Judiciary Committee and as ranking member of the subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, Rep. Johnson has introduced, co-sponsored and passed legislation that levels the playing field for everyday Americans. As a champion of an open Internet, Rep. Johnson has pushed to empower low-income and minority communities through increased broadband access and equality of opportunity online. A member of the Armed Services Committee, Rep. Johnson became a leading national voice for the demilitarization of local law enforcement following the protest in Ferguson, Missouri. To help restore trust between police and the communities they serve, he introduced the Police Accountability Act and Grand Jury Reform Act. REP. ROBIN KELLY Rep. Robin Kelly represents Illinois’ 2nd District. Since her election in 2013, she has worked to expand economic opportunity and promote public safety, sponsoring numerous bills to generate job growth and end gun violence. Congresswoman Kelly serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade. In addition, Rep. Kelly serves on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, serving as ranking member on the Subcommittee on Information Technology. She also serves on the Subcommittee on National Security. She previously served in the Illinois House of Reps, where she sponsored bills supporting economic development, increasing the minimum wage and protecting consumers from fraud. She also led the fight for landmark legislation to protect victims of domestic violence and improve public safety. REP. BRENDA L. LAWRENCE Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Rep. Brenda L. Lawrence has spent her life as a dedicated public servant in the 14th Congressional District. Her first election to public office was in 1992, when she joined the Southfield Public School Board of Education. In 1996, she was elected to the Southfield City Council. In 2001, her election as Mayor of the City of Southfield marked the first time an African American and a woman held that post. Her 2014 election to the House of Reps also made her the first African-American woman to serve as the 14th District’s Rep. Rep. Lawrence was elected Freshman Class Whip and was appointed Senior Whip for the 114th Congress. She serves as the ranking member of the Committee on House Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on the Interior and on the House Committee on Small Business.
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CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS MEMBERS OF THE 114TH CONGRESS REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is serving her 10th term for the 18th Congressional District of Texas. Rep. Jackson Lees has served on various committees, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Judiciary. She currently serves as the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. Rep. Jackson Lee is also a senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee, where she is a leader on Bullying Prevention and Human Trafficking. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee earned a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University with honors and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. REP. BARBARA LEE Rep. Barbara Lee represents California’s 13th Congressional District. She serves on the Appropriations and Budget Committees; is a Senior Democratic Whip; Chair of the Democratic Whip’s Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and Opportunity; and Co-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Poverty and the Economy Task Force. Since entering Congress, she has authored or co-authored all major legislation relating to HIV/AIDS and is a co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus. In 2005, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her work in global peace and security, and was the only Congressperson to oppose the Authorization for Use of Military Force following 9/11. In 2013, Rep. Lee was nominated as a Rep. to the 68th U.N. General Assembly. Lee began her political career as an intern in the office of her predecessor, Congressman Ronald Dellums. She served in the California State Assembly and State Senate. She is a graduate of Mills College and received an MSW from the University of California, Berkeley. REP. JOHN LEWIS Rep. John Lewis was elected to Congress in 1986 representing Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. He is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and is the ranking Democrat on its Subcommittee on Oversight. Rep. Lewis is also a senior chief deputy Democratic Whip and has often been referred to as the “conscience” of the United States Congress. Rep. Lewis is an icon of the civil rights movement. He served as president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and risked his life to bring about positive change. In 2011, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. REP. MIA LOVE Rep. Mia Love was elected to Congress in 2014, representing Utah’s 4th Congressional District. Prior to taking office, Rep. Love served two terms on the city council of Saratoga Springs. As City Councilwoman and eventually Mayor, she led the city through a period of 1700% population growth in a decade. Rep. Love is best known for her conservative positions on limited government, increased citizen liberties and limited restraints on business. Rep. Love serves on the Financial Services committee.
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REP. GREGORY W. MEEKS Rep. Gregory W. Meeks’ has served the 5th Congressional District of New York for 15 years. Rep. Meeks is a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee and the former chairman of the Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade. In addition, he serves as a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he is the former Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia. He serves on the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and the Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia. Rep. Meeks earned his bachelor’s degree at Adelphi University and his law degree from Howard University. He is a member of the Allen AME Church in St. Albans, New York and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. REP. GWEN S. MOORE Rep. Gwen S. Moore was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District in 2004, making her the first African American elected to Congress from Wisconsin. She is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services; where she serves on the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee and as ranking member on the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee; and the House Budget Committee. She is a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Prior to her election to Congress, she served in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly. DEL. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, now in her 13th term as the Congresswoman for the District of Columbia, is the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. She serves on two committees: the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The Congresswoman's work for full congressional voting representation and full democracy for the people of the District of Columbia continues her lifelong struggle for universal human and civil rights. Before her congressional service, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to serve as the first woman to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She came to Congress as a national figure who had been a civil rights and feminist leader, tenured professor of law, and board member at three Fortune 500 companies. REP. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR. A Newark native, Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. was first elected to the House of Representatives in November 2012, and is now serving in his second term. Congressman Payne, Jr. serves as ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications. He also serves on the Committee on Small Business, fighting to expand access to capital for small business owners and increase job training so that American workers have the skills to compete in an advancing global economy. Prior to Congress, Rep. Payne, Jr. served as Newark Municipal Council President and Essex County Freeholder-at-Large.
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CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS MEMBERS OF THE 114TH CONGRESS DEL. STACEY PLASKETT Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett is the Delegate to the House of Rep.s from the Virgin Island’s at-large congressional district. She is an attorney who has practiced law in New York, Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands. As a Freshman Member of Congress, Plaskett is a staunch advocate for poverty-reduction and equal voting rights and has since inspired a new national conversation on poverty and voting rights in territories. Congresswoman Plaskett is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Since taking, Plaskett has embarked on several legislative initiatives aimed at improving the economy in the Virgin Islands. She is also an advocate for our servicemen and women and just recently introduced legislation that will help returning veterans secure employment. REP. CHARLES B. RANGEL Rep. Charles B. Rangel, war hero, history-making congressman, master lawmaker. A founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, he made history as the first African-American member of Congress to lead the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Now serving in his 23rd term, he was the primary sponsor of President Obama's historic healthcare reform law and is a leading advocate for equal rights and opportunity. Following Saint Matthew's teaching, he has been a stalwart champion for the "least among us," dedicated to improving the lives of working families. He was first elected to Congress in 1970, after serving in the New York State Assembly and as an Assistant Attorney. Rep Rangel is a veteran of the Korean War, where he earned a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He and his wife, Alma, reside in Harlem where he was born. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND Rep. Cedric Richmond represents Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District in the House of Rep.s. Rep. Richmond currently serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on the Judiciary. As a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Richmond works to ensure New Orleans and surrounding communities are adequately prepared for any emergency through oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). As a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, Cedric works with committee members to exercise oversight responsibility for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. He earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, and his Juris Doctorate from the Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans. Cedric is also a graduate of the Harvard University Executive Education Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. REP. BOBBY L. RUSH Rep. Bobby L. Rush has represented the 1st Congressional District of Illinois for almost two decades. He was born in Albany, Georgia on November 23, 1946 during a time of terror and random violence against African Americans living in the south. Rep. Rush’s family joined the great African-American migration and moved north to Chicago. The American Civil Rights Movement would reach its zenith with the passage of The Civil Rights Act of 1964. This struggle to fulfill the constitutional promise of equality for all would define congressman Rush and his life’s work. With this mission in mind, congressman Rush chose the path of public service for the past 21 years. His passion for helping people and solving their problems, has been reflected in every aspect of his work in Congress.
REP. DAVID SCOTT Rep. David Scott has been serving Georgia's 13th congressional district since 2003. Scott served in the Georgia House of Rep.s from 1974 to 1982 and in the Georgia State Senate from 1982 to 2002. Represntative Scott is the Co-Chair of the Democratic Study Group on National Security, and he sits on the Committee on Agriculture, Committee on Financial Services, and the Nato Parliamentary Assembly. He received a bachelor's degree in finance from Florida A&M University, and a master's degree in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Scott is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. REP. ROBERT C. SCOTT Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott was elected to Congress in 1992, representing the 3rd Congressional District of Virginia. As the ranking democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Rep. Scott is leading the fight for access to quality early, secondary and higher education for all of America’s children. Additionally, he is working to ensure that American workers are treated fairly, paid a decent wage, given a safe working environment and provided access to affordable health care. Congressman Scott is a recognized leader on efforts to pass comprehensive criminal justice reform and crime prevention legislation. He has sponsored the Youth PROMISE Act, which would provide resources to state and local governments for evidence-based strategies and programs to prevent juvenile crime. Before entering Congress, Rep. Scott practiced law and served in the Virginia General Assembly. REP. TERRI A. SEWELL Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell is serving her third term as the Rep. for Alabama’s 7th Congressional District. She is the first black woman to serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation. Congresswoman Sewell sits on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where she is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on the Department of Defense Intelligence and Overhead Architecture. The Congresswoman serves as a Chief Deputy Whip and is a member of the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy direction of the Democratic Caucus. She is a graduate of Princeton University, Oxford University, and Harvard Law School. REP. BENNIE G. THOMPSON Rep. Bennie G. Thompson was elected to Congress in 1993, representing Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District. He is the first Democratic chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and is currently the committee’s ranking member. Rep. Thompson previously served as alderman and mayor in Bolton and as the Hinds County Supervisor before his election to Congress. REP. MARC VEASEY Rep. Marc Veasey is serving his second term in Congress, representing Texas’ 33rd Congressional District. He serves on the House Armed Services and Science, Space, and Technology Committees. In the 114th Congress, Rep. Veasey was appointed to serve as an Assistant Whip and Regional Whip. Rep. Veasey is committed to creating jobs, encouraging economic growth, improving public education, promoting immigration reform and ensuring access to quality healthcare. Rep. Veasey began his political career as a staffer in the office of former Rep. Martin Frost. Before his election to Congress, he served in the Texas State House of Rep.s. He is the first African American to represent Tarrant County in Congress.
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CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS MEMBERS OF THE 114TH CONGRESS REP. MAXINE WATERS Rep. Maxine Waters was elected to Congress in 1990, representing California’s 43rd Congressional District. She is the ranking member of the House Committee on Financial Services where she oversees all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors including banking, insurance, real estate, public and assisted housing, and securities. Congresswoman Waters continuously fights to preserve and ensure enforcement of housing and consumer protection laws, including the Dodd-Frank Act and newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The former Congressional Black Caucus Chair is an integral member of the Steering and Policy Committee, a member of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Before her election to Congress, Rep. Waters served 14 years in the California State Assembly. REP. FREDERICA S. WILSON Rep. Frederica S. Wilson represents the 24th Congressional District of Florida. She serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and is the Ranking Democrat on the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. She is a co-founder of the Full Employment Caucus and founder of the Florida Ports Caucus. Rep. Wilson has devoted her career to ending the cradle to prison pipeline by breaking down barriers for boys and men of color. She founded the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, a drop-out prevention and mentorship program that has provided life-saving interventions for boys as well as educational funding. Taking her mission to Congress, Rep. Wilson established the Congressional Black Caucus’ My Brother’s Keeper Taskforce to identify policies that narrow the opportunity gap. In 2015, she was appointed to the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Advisory Board.
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Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns. For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power and statutory authority of the United States government to ensure that all U.S. citizens have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. To learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus, visit http://cbc-butterfield.house.gov.
CBC FOUNDERS POSE FOR A PHOTO OP AFTER A MEETING ON CAPITOL HILL Left to right (back row) Former Rep. Parren J. Mitchell, Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Rep. William L. Clay Sr., Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, Rep. George W. Collins, Rep. Louis Stokes, Rep. Ralph H. Metcalfe, Rep. John Conyers Jr., Rep. Walter E. Fauntroy; (Front Row) Rep. Robert H.C. Nix, Sr., Rep Charles C. Diggs Jr., Rep. Shirley A. Chisholm, Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins. / Photo courtesy of CBCF
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pepco.com
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OUR COMMUNITIES. We are proud to support the Congressional Black Caucus for making a difference in the communities we serve. © Pepco, 2016
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At Exelon, we embrace our differences. Diverse perspectives enable us to adapt, enhance and innovate. At Exelon, we leverage the power of diversity as we work together to drive progress for our customers. Exelon proudly supports the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. exeloncorp.com
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TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENT, AND HEALTH: INEXORABLY LINKED FOR BLACK PEOPLE
By Richard Ezike, Ph.D. State Farm Transportation & Sustainability Fellow Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated The ability to move from point A to point B is of utmost impor-
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tance for any person living in the United States. Whether the task is looking for a job, picking up children from school, or buying groceries, a well-functioning transportation system allows people to do what is necessary to sustain a safe and robust lifestyle. But, what happens when that same system not only historically divides communities, but also contributes to the declining health of the people who are supposed to benefit from it? Unfortunately, for minority and low-income communitiews the detrimental impact of America’s transportation infrastructure has been significant. As the automobile increasingly became the preferred mode of transportation in our nation and
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the number of vehicles steadily increased, so has the amount of toxic air pollution. This pollution has taken the form of criteria pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxides (SOx), and carbon monoxide (CO), and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Subsequently, the last 70 years has seen a significant increase in the number of minority and low-income communities that have been negatively affect- ed. Currently, more than 70-percent of African Americans live in counties that are in violation of federal clean air laws and standards. This compares to 58-percent of whites. In addition, African-American children are twice as likely to be hospitalized
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ALC EXHIBIT SHOWCASE!
As one of the premier exhibit showcases in the African-American community, the ALC showcase features the latest goods and services of interest to African Americans. The showcase offers free health screenings, a job fair, and a contract procurement platform. There is also an Authors’ pavilion and Marketplace with product demonstrations and much more.
Thursday, September 15 // 11:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 16 // 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 17 // 8:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
HIGHLIGHTS • • • • • • •
Free to the General Public Sessions & Networking Events Job Fair College Recruitment Fair Culinary Demonstrations Celebrity Book Signings Premier Trailer Screenings
• Free Health Screenings and Seminars • Wellness Stations (Massages) • Make-up Demonstrations • Financial Planning Seminar • Art Seminar • Professional Head Shots
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It’s A Man’s World Raffles & Give-a-ways Paint & Sip One Stop Shopping (Apparel, Artistry and more) • Scavenger Hunt • Fashion Show
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for asthma and four times more likely to die from asthma than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. The resulting changes in the atmosphere and climate have significant consequences. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the growing number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has resulted in troubling weather trends such as crushing heat waves, worsened air pollution, and the spread of infectious diseases. All of these trends have disproportionately affected the African American community. According to the NAACP’s findings in 2015 “The Hidden Consequences of Climate Change,” heat-related deaths among African Americans occurred at a rate 150-to-200 percent greater than those for for non-Hispanic whites. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector accounted for 37-percent of all criteria pollutants and 26-percent of all greenhouse gas emissions generated in 2014. These emissions are only projected to increase as the majority of the population growth in the U.S. continues to be concentrated in the cities and suburbs. According to the Department of Transportation’s Beyond Traffic 2045 Report, about half of all Americans live in the suburbs, fueled by a 75 percent population growth since 1980. In addition, spurred on by an increased demand for American-made products, freight volume is projected to grow 45-percent – to a total of 29-billion tons– by 2040. This means that more trucks will be travelling on the nation’s highways, and unfortunately there may be more situations like West Side in Buffalo, NY, one of the busiest freight crossings between the two countries. At this site, the Peace Bridge connects Canada and the U.S. The West Side neighborhood is 25-percent black, 39percent Hispanic, and 43-percent white. In addition, 48-percent of the residents live below the poverty line, and particle pollutants were measured at double the EPA recommend limit.
So what can be done to mitigate these environmental impacts? Community members must speak up. Attendance at public meetings for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), where all of a metro area’s short and long-term transportation plans are discussed, is of utmost importance. People must be there to protect their own interests and to criticize plans when necessary, to hold the decision makers ac- countable. MPOs, state and federal transportation agencies all are required to take environmental justice (EJ) into account when making decisions. If these plans are not taking EJ into account, community members have a right to call leaders out, or if that does not result in any positive changes, members may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Civil Rights. Voting for leaders, at all levels, that will promote the development of cleaner fuels or low/zero-emission vehicles is important, as well. States like California have progressive, forward-thinking policies to replace petroleum and diesel-powered vehicles with cleaner ones such as fuel-cell and electric cars. But, these policies must be embraced across the country. There is also a great need to provide incentives for members from underrepresented communities to purchase clean vehicles. Again, the state of California is leading in this effort, but for a meaningful impact to be made, this initiative needs to be nationwide. At this year’s Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference, (ALC) there will be panels on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15 discussing transportation as a civil right. The Center of Policy Analysis and Research (CPAR) at the CBCF and Congressional Black Caucus members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have made this discussion a priority. It is the hope that attendees will come and learn how they can make the transportation system in America environmentally equitable for all citizens. n
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FINDING LASTING LOVE AND PURPOSE AS CBCF FELLOWS By H.R. Harris WI Contributing Writer Three decades before he became Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker was an ambitious Howard University Law School graduate who was determined to make a difference on Capitol Hill – Christa Beverly was another young lawyer who shared the same passions in many ways. While Baker and Beverly were dating and eventually got en-
Rushern and Christa Baker were CBCF Fellows shortly after they were married. / Photo courtesy of Rushern Baker
demobilization and reintegration (DDR) processes in Africa.” – Janelle Johnson, Inaugural Donald M. Payne Foreign Policy Fellow, 2012-2014 In terms of learning, Baker said the experience “was most eye opening.” “I wanted to go into public service. I wanted to run for office and having a chance to meet people was great. I got to work for Senator John Kerry and I got a chance to meet staff who were life-long friends. It also taught me how to work on issues and how to actually represent people. My wife wanted to do policy; she never wanted to run for office.” Rushern and Christa Baker remain a strong couple despite her longtime medical battle with Alzheimer’s. He said his wife’s legal career was molded as a result of her participation as a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation fellow. “When she was in law school House side and I worked on the she wanted to work on appeals Senate side. Baker has fond memories for death row inmates and as a about a program that is still going CBCF senior fellow she got to strong more than four decades work with Congressman John later. Each year eight fellows are Conyers on the abolition of the selected and for 20 months they death penalty,” Baker said. “It log in more than 40 hours a week gave me a chance to have a start performing various tasks that on working on politics at a real range from responding to con- level. When it was time to run stituent mail and phone calls to for office it gave me good friends crafting talking points and writ- who became the nucleus of the campaign.” ing speeches. Baker said one of the best Other testimonies about the things about the program is the CBCF fellows program include: “Moving forward, I hope that exposure that people get to the my newfound understanding real work that takes place on of Capitol Hill will help me to Capitol Hill. “When I worked for Senator affect public policy on a local level in my hometown of Atlan- Kerry I worked on tax issues and ta. I recently heard that Mayor I got to brief him. It was nice to Kasim Reed and his adminis- see your questions asked during a tration are researching the tech- Senate hearing,” he said. Selection as a CBCF fellow is nology sector, possibly with the aim of attracting tech companies based on the following criteria: · A clear record of academic to the city and retaining those already there. Should this proj- and professional achievement · Familiarity with the perect become a reality in the near future, I believe that I could be tinent federal organizations and a valuable asset as a direct re- processes · Evidence of leadership sult of my intellectual property and telecommunications policy skills and the potential for furbackground as a CBCF Fellow.” ther growth · Demonstrated interest in – Thomas Cuffie, Science and Techpublic policy nology Fellow, 2012-2014 · Quality of application and “During my remaining time on the Hill, I hope to learn more interview performance To apply to the CBCF fellowabout the Executive budget process and implement a successful ship program visit: http://www. policy forum on disarmament, cbcfinc.org/fellowships n gaged, he said they never dreamed that they would end up on Capitol Hill as Congressional Black Caucus Foundation fellows. “We applied separately. She was at William and Mary’s Law School and I was at Howard,” Baker said. “We had gotten married in August, I was still looking for a job and we both got notices that we were fellows. I believe that my wife and I are the only couple to become senior Congressional Black Caucus Foundation fellows. She worked on the
"I BELIEVE THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE THE ONLY COUPLE TO BECOME SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION FELLOWS.”
Prayer Saturday, September 17 • 7:30 a.m. Walter E. Washington Convention Center
For nearly three decades, The Prayer Breakfast has been the inspirational high note of CBCF’s Annual Legislative Conference. This year’s message of inspiration will be delivered by Reverend Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, Senior Pastor of The Ray of Hope Christian Church Decatur, Georgia. The morning will also feature a performance from Grammy award-winning gospel artist Tasha Cobbs. Help us celebrate the faith that has comforted, encouraged and nourished our souls.
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW AT CBCFINC.ORG/ALC OR CALL 877.685.6018 #CBCFALC16
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CHARLES RANGEL REFLECTS ON STELLAR POLITICAL CAREER NY Congressman Among Founding Members of CBC By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor Charles B. Rangel, the celebrated dean of New York’s congressional delegation and the second-longest currently serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has always been one who stepped to the front of the line on behalf of his fellow Americans. Now, the 86-year-old attorney, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the first
Rep Rangel was the recipient of both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for service in the U.S. Army
Black chair of the highly-influential House Ways and Means Committee, the recipient of both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for service in the U.S. Army, and the former New York State Assembly member who successfully defeated long-time incumbent Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in his 1971 quest for election to the House, will retire from office at the end of the congressional year. But, have no fear – the Harlem-born stalwart for “the least of these” says he plans to continue to serve his community, his Democratic Party and his fellow Americans. However, his primary focus will be enjoying life with his wife, Alma, and spending more time with their children and grandchildren. “After 46 years in political office, it’s going to be strange when the new Congress takes over in January and I’m not among the members,” Rangel said. “The emotional impact hasn’t hit me yet. I’m just grateful for enjoying a career that has given me the opportunity to improve the lives of working people, defend veterans, contribute to President Obama’s historic health care legislation and rehabilitate our nation’s public schools,” he said.
Looking at the upcoming presidential election, Rangel said he hopes his fellow Democrats will follow the example of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and make a significant investment in education and America’s infrastructure while tackling ongoing social problems and issues related to world trade. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens to the Republican Party, but I think the party of Lincoln has become a coalition of very sick people – Ku Klux Klan members, Dixiecrats and those who hate immigrants and are opposed to gay rights. And, they’re able to hide behind Donald Trump whose rhetoric resonates with a large number of uneducated whites,” Rangel said. As for family matters and his retirement plans, the wily New Yorker said he and his wife are excited about the future. “We have a very long list of things we want to do, and we’ll need to cut it down. It will definitely include traveling, speaking engagements from time to time and raising funds for City College,” said Rangel. He earned high praise for his leadership in persuading U.S. investors to pull
Celebrating a victory with NY Mayor David Dinkins and Rev Jesse Jackson during Rev Jackson’s run for President
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Official Photo / All photos courtesy of Rep. Charles Rangel's office
out of apartheid-based South Africa in 1986 and for his founding of an international affairs program in the State Department in cooperation with Howard University. As of 2015, the program has trained over 200 “Rangel Fellows” for positions as foreign service officers in U.S. Embassies around the world. And, while he admits that saying “goodbye” won’t be easy, he welcomes the change. “Just talking about retirement
Rangel published his memoirs in 2007
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has helped me remove the political cataracts from my eyes,” he said. “I now see my wife and family in a much clearer light. Fortunately, my wife and I are both in good health and so we’ll be able to enjoy this new phase in our lives.” “A career in politics tends to blind you from so much because you have to be so committed, maintain so much energy and are constantly working to succeed on behalf of your constituents. It takes a lot out of you. Soon that will be behind me.” “I can’t wait to simply wake up every day and spend more time with my wife,” he said. n D. Kevin McNeir is an awardwinning journalist and veteran reporter with articles covering politics, entertainment, health, sports, business and religion. He has worked for The Michigan Chronicle, N’DIGO Magapaper (Chicago), The Atlanta Voice and The Miami Times (as senior editor). He currently serves as the editor of The Washington Informer and can be reached at mcneirdk@washingtoninformer.com or on Twitter @dkevinmcneir.
SECURING GAY RIGHTS AND ENDING DISCRIMINATION The New Frontier in America’s Civil Right Movement
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor America has come a long way since the days when gays and lesbians were ostracized, humiliated and forced to remain closeted if they didn’t want to face the physical oppression or the brunt of laws that targeted their alternative lifestyle. Still, the tragedy that unfolded earlier this year in an Orlando nightclub that welcomed the LGBTQ community and their friends, serves as a stark reminder that the battle for equal rights for gays has not been won. Further, the vitriol they face from other Americans can lead to violence of the highest order. But, efforts by local and national legislators, while not always highly publicized, have achieved significant inroads toward ending discrimination and establishing a community that both respects and embraces individuals regardless of their sexual preference. Two Congressional Black Caucus members who have committed themselves to the extension of equal rights, the repeal of discriminatory laws, the elimination of hate-motivated violence and the improved health and well-being for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression, are Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA). Lee serves as the vice chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, which she helped found in 2008. Thinkprogess. com has acknowledged her as the most pro-LGBT member of Congress, pointing to 2012 when she sponsored or co-sponsored 23 of the 27 pro-LGBT proposals. The bills seeking gender equality addressed teaching sex education, tracking health data for gays and other minority groups, banning employment discrimination on the job and bullying in schools, and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act. Lewis, one of the last remaining – and certainly most vocal members – of a group of civil rights advocates recruited, trained and inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., gave his support gress: Georgia’s Park Cannon, a issues we collectively face, and man who chaired the Student to the Equality Act in 2015. This woman who identifies as queer holds elected officials account- Nonviolent Coordinating Comlegislation is aimed at ending dis- and replaced State Rep. Simone able,” said Wilson. “We’ll make mittee (SNCC) during the 1960s crimination against people on the Bell, another self-acknowledged sure our concerns are addressed Civil Rights movement. n basis of their sexual orientation or lesbian; Congresswoman Wat- when we meet with members of D. Kevin McNeir is an awardgender identity by amending ex- son Coleman from New Jersey; the Congressional Black Caucus isting Federal laws, including the Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) during our annual 'Out on the winning journalist and veteran reporter with articles covering politics, Civil Rights Act of 1964. and Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) Hill' activities in September.” “This is a great day in Amer- who introduced the Equality Act And, while some Blacks suggest entertainment, health, sports, busiica – the Supreme Court made of 2015; and of course Congress- that gay rights should not be con- ness and religion. He has worked for the right decision, and it was long woman Lee and Congressman sidered part of today’s Civil Rights The Michigan Chronicle, N’DIGO Magapaper (Chicago), The Atlanoverdue.” Lewis said following the Lewis.” agenda, Lewis says he disagrees. Court’s affirmative decision on “We have to build an agen“I fought too long and too hard ta Voice and The Miami Times (as marriage equality. da, as Black Lives Matters and a to end discrimination based on senior editor). He currently serves “I have said this for a long time, committed group of members of race and color, not to stand up as the editor of The Washington Inand I am so glad to see that our Congress, have proposed – one against discrimination against former and can be reached at mcneination has finally come to this that speaks to the broad tapestry our gay and lesbian brothers and rdk@washingtoninformer.com or on understanding: If two men or that is America, recognizes the sisters,” said the 13-term congress- Twitter @dkevinmcneir. women want to fall in love and get married, it is their business. No government has the right to authorize whom a person should love. And it is better to love than to hate,” he said. In June of this year, after the murders of 49 people in Orlando, Lewis took part in a 25-hour sit-in on the House floor along with other members of Congress, demanding immediate action of gun safety legislation while wearing rainbow-colored pins to illustrate their solidarity to the LGBTQ community. Lewis has voted ‘no’ on a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage as one-man-one-woman and, ‘yes’ on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Isaiah Wilson, external affairs manager for the D.C.-based National Black Justice Coalition, directs public policy as it relates to legislation and advocacy efforts. He says LGBTQ equality cannot deny its intersection with current movements like Black Lives Matter. “Black Lives Matter has proposed public policy which recognizes that health disparities and the disproportionate number of inadequate public schools within the Black community, even the violence that has escalated resulting in the deaths of transgender individuals, all have roots in America’s history of laws and structures that support attitudes of prejudice, racism and oppression,” Wilson Proponents of LGBTQ rights hold signs at the United States Supreme Court on June 26, 2015. said. “We have advocates in Con- / WI File Photo by Nancy Shia THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / 46TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SPECIAL ISSUE / SEPTEMBER 2016 / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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FOR BUSINESS, POLITICS AND BEYOND ‘Diversity is a mentality, not just a strategic imperative’
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Over the past eight years, America has witnessed history with the election of Barak Obama, the country’s first Black president, and with the Congressional Black Caucus having 45 African-American sitting members of Congress. In industry, major companies like Ford, Walmart, and Wells Fargo have strong diversity programs, leading to solid careers and excellent workplace conditions for many minorities. Still, many experts stress that there’s a continued need for diversity in politics, business and even beyond. As noted in a PEW Research report earlier this year, Americans are increasingly sorted into thinkalike communities that reflect not only their politics but their demographics. And, this is in an era of head-snapping racial, social, cultural, economic, religious, and technological change. The result has been a rise in the iden-
tity-based animus of one party toward the other that extends far beyond the issues. These days, Democrats and Republicans no longer stop at disagreeing with each other’s ideas, according to Paul Taylor, the author of “The Next America,” and former vice president of the Pew Research Center in Northwest, D.C. “Many in each party now deny the other’s facts, disapprove of each other’s lifestyles, avoid each other’s neighborhoods, impugn each other’s motives, doubt each other’s patriotism, can’t stomach each other’s news sources and bring different value systems to such core social institutions as religion, marriage and parenthood. It’s as if they belong not to rival parties but alien tribes,” Taylor said. And, he suggested, their candidates in 2016 might seem to be running for president of two different countries. “Diversity is critical for an organization’s ability to innovate and adapt in a fast-changing environment,” said Forbes Magazine
Contributor Ekaterina Walter, who writes about leadership, business culture and marketing innovation. “Truly successful and innovative companies are those that build diverse teams when they are just starting out in their own apartment or their folks’ garage. Diversity is a mentality, not just a strategic imperative,” she said. “Startups tend to be more diverse than what’s seen in politics or traditional business,” said Kean Graham, CEO of MonetizeMore, a leading tech firm and a Google Certified Partner. “Startups tend to reward based on performance and merit rather than politics and myopic biases,” Graham added. Ray McKenzie, the founder and principal of Red Beach Advisors, a minority-owned management and business consultant group, said when it comes to diversity, there are challenges in business, politics and other areas. “In technology, for instance, there is an increasing trend of more women being accepted which is fantastic, but not as
Wells Fargo has several diversity programs. Keith Mangum, home mortgage consultant for residential lending at Wells Fargo along with Dwight Jones, and Renford Gilbert Bernard help residents fill out forms at the Wells Fargo exhibit during the DC Housing Expo in June. / Photo by Roy Lewis
many African Americans being welcomed in leadership or top positions,” McKenzie said. It’s also tougher in business and politics to establish relationships if the parties have nothing in common, McKenzie added. “To correct the diversity issues, it has to come from multiple sides,” he said. “Diversity is something that can be achieved if people want to acknowledge that
it is needed and want to embrace different cultures.” n Stacy Brown is a veteran journalist who has covered politics, crime, entertainment, sports and other topics for various outlets including the Washington Informer, NNPA, the Los Angeles Times, Daily News of Los Angeles, the New York Post and MSNBC. You can reach Stacy on Twitter @StacyBrownMedia.
The Thurgood Marshall Center Trust, Inc. Celebrates the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for 40 years of civic engagement and community service! Thurgood Marshall Center Trust, Inc.
Our mission is to educate, encourage and empower children, youth, seniors, immigrants, the disabled and the LGBT communities to pursue equality, social and economic justice through provocative dialogue and collective action. We believe this can be accomplished by facilitating collaborative efforts; cultivating meaningful relationships with community and faith-based partners, government leadership and agencies, business, and the community-at-large; and providing educational programs that will help participants celebrate the richness of their diversities and cultural history and meet the challenges in their lives.
Please come and visit our Regal Historic Landmark Building and witness the History of the First African American YMCA in the Country. Space Rental is available for any special occasion. We look forward to seeing you witness history at the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage. For more information on Thurgood Marshall Center Trust, Inc. or Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage please visit our web site at www.tmcsh.org. In 2000 TMCT, Inc. completed renovations of its national historic landmark building known as the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage. The center serves as a co-location for nine 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that serve children, youth and families in the Shaw/ Logan/Columbia Heights community and the greater District of Columbia.
“Cornerstone of the Community for the Next 100 Years” www.tmcsh.org
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Comcast is proud to honor the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on its 46th Annual Legislative Conference. Thank you for fighting for economic empowerment, civic engagement and ensuring that everyone has an equal voice in public policy.
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ENDING POLICE BRUTALITY Where Do We Begin? By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The list of Black men and women who have lost their lives during some kind of interaction with law enforcement continues to astound and escalate. • Amadou Diallo – shot 41 times after reaching for his wallet. • Sean Bell – shot more than 50 times and killed on his wedding day. • Oscar Grant – handcuffed and fatally shot while sitting down. • Chavis Carter – handcuffed, placed in the back of a patrol car and then mysteriously shot. • Wendell Allen – killed after police raided his home searching for someone else. • Rekia Boyd – an unarmed Black woman shot and killed because a police officer thought her cell phone was a gun. • Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Eric Garner . . . the list continues. New York resident Danette Chavis has started an online petition that has garnered more than 42,000 signatures of individuals not only seeking police account-
ability, but answers to a most important and alarming dilemma: Where does ending police brutality begin? “Investigations case by case have not and shall not remedy the problem,” Chavis said. “As one is being investigated, hundreds more are mounting.” Activist and New York Daily News columnist Shaun King has put together a 25-part series exploring solutions for police brutality in America. King said the problem of police brutality is actually deeply entrenched and amazingly complicated. “Most of the factors that ultimately lead to fatal encounters happen long before the actual incidents ever take place. Police brutality has no quick fixes,” King noted. “No one single solution will solve the problem. Instead, it must be tackled from dozens of different angles, [and] as a part of one comprehensive plan.” His series will lay out that plan with reasonable, achievable solutions that will drastically reduce police brutality in this generation, he said.
A group of protesters led by D.C. activist Eugene Puryear rallied at the African American Civil War Memorial and marched from U Street to Rock Creek Park intersection near the Watergate on Saturday, July 9. / Photo by Shevry Lassiter
One solution could be Harvard University’s Project Implicit, a set of tools designed to help identify a wide variety of implicit biases ranging from racism and sexism to ageism and anti-Muslim bigotry. American police should be required to take these tests or others like them, King said. “We must test American law enforcement officers for all possible forms of bias and consider a serious course of action depending on the results. Tests for bias, like psychological evaluations, can be created in such ways to account for dishonestly,” he said.
Chavis plans to send her petition with 50,000 signatures to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “This epidemic, which has reached national proportions, is being presented to [Lynch] for immediate investigation, action and remedy,” Chavis said. “She has a sworn duty to respond to those violations.” Efforts to get a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office were unsuccessful. King believes solutions to end the plague of police brutality may include Project Implicit. “Implicit bias among American
police officers is getting folk killed. Police officers are, in essence, often acting on their imaginations and expectations,” King said. “When those things are fueled by dangerous stereotypes, people of color most often pay the price.” n Stacy Brown is a veteran journalist who has covered politics, crime, entertainment, sports and other topics for various outlets including the Washington Informer, NNPA, the Los Angeles Times, Daily News of Los Angeles, the New York Post and MSNBC. You can reach Stacy on Twitter @StacyBrownMedia.
We are honored to join the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in celebrating 40 years of civic engagement and community service! For the past 78 years, the Greater Washington Urban League has stood on society’s frontlines, as well as in the trenches serving as a safety net and facilitator for District of Columbia Metro residents, whether in advocacy, housing, employment, emergency assistance, entrepreneurship or education. We continue to carve a distinctive path towards justice and fair play putting families first, catering to the needs of children and the elderly, 8 to 80.
Department of Housing
Learn more about our programs and services at www.gwul.org
The Department of Housing builds financial bridges from rental housing to homeownership and stability for families.
Entrepreneurship Center Program The Entrepreneurship Center Program (ECP) provides assistance to those who want to start, grow, and sustain their entrepreneurial ventures and small businesses.
Thursday Network 2901 14th Street, NW | Washington, DC 20009 Phone: (202) 265-8200
Thursday Network is GWUL’s premier young professionals service organization that focuses on community service, economic empowerment, civic involvement and professional development.
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FAITH LEADERS TO CFPB: REIN IN PREDATORY PAYDAY LOANS By Keith Corbett Special to the Washington Informer From city to city and state to state, Black America’s access to mainstream financial institutions has been replaced with high-cost, fringe financial services. These are the storefront operations that offer loans at prices so high that the interest charged winds up costing more than the principal borrowed. Among these high-priced, low-value lenders, payday loans are perhaps the most ubiquitous. Where payday loans are legal, borrowers pay fees of over $4.1 billion annually, with the average customer taking out 10 loans a year. In states such as Florida and California, Black and Latino neighborhoods have twice the concentration of payday stores than their white counterparts. Although consumer advo-
cates have long decried the harms of these small-dollar loans, clergy across the nation have now organized to fight what they believe to be moral sins that defy the Bible’s own teachings about usury. The Faith for Just Lending Coalition and the Faith & Credit Roundtable represent diverse theological views that are unified in their advocacy to end the debt traps of triple-digit interest rates. Further, with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s release of a draft payday rule, these two organizations are showing up and speaking out. The Faith & Credit Roundtable believes responsible lending is a moral concern. Faith for Just Lending encourages churches, lenders, individuals and government to each do their part to teach stewardship, offer responsible products, use credit wisely, encourage just lending and put an end to predatory lending practices. Both groups seek that all Amer-
Rev. Sekinah Hamlin (left), director of Faith-Based Affairs for the Center for Responsible Lending. / Courtesy photo
ican consumers, receive the same protections now afforded to service members and their families through the Military Lending Act of 2006: a 36 percent rate cap.
Additionally, they have asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to close an important loophole in its draft regulation that would allow as many as 6 payday loans within a year’s time. Further as currently, lenders would not have any duty to determine if borrowers can repay the loans without being forced to re-borrow. For many religious leaders, 6 loans are 6 too many. “We cannot consider the latest rule just when payday lenders are still allowed to make six loans per year with 300 percent interest rates without any regards as to whether it is affordable or not,” said Rev. Dr. Willie Gable, National Baptist Convention, USA and Co-Chair of Faith & Credit Roundtable. “This is simply too many unaffordable loans that will sink people into an exorbitant debt trap. Such a gaping loophole is essentially a sanction of these predatory products, not a step forward to rein them in.” “North Carolina, along with 13 states plus the District of Columbia, prohibit these 300 percent interest rates, and thankfully, are free of these destructive loan
products,” noted Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, a leader of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative and newly-appointed Faith-Based Affairs Director for the Center for Responsible Lending. “Advocates have called on the CFPB not to undermine a state’s prohibition on payday loans.” They also call upon all interested consumers, clergy, and faith organizations to add their voices during the public comment period that ends on October 7, 2016. Sample online comments are available at http://www. lendjustly.com/comment - proposed-rule, or at http://faithforfairlending.org/faithandcredit. “Scripture makes it clear that God condemns activity that takes advantage of the poor and the desperate,” said. Dr. Barrett Duke, Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. “We must insist that the payday lending industry’s predatory behavior is reined in.” n Keith Corbett is an Executive Vice President with the Center for Responsible Lending. He can be reached at keith.corbett@responsiblelending.org.
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THE STATE OF THE BLACK AGENDA AFTER THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY By Dr. Menna Demessie The 40th anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Incorporated (CBCF) marks a turning point for African Americans to both reflect on public policy during the past four decades as well as the ramifications of a twice elected African-American president to lead the nation. The state of the black agenda is vast and deep, but its root causes stem from slavery, segregation, and today’s current climate of institutional discrimination that continues to be evidenced by racial disparities along a host of socioeconomic indicators. Moreover, the realization that eradicating racial disparities in housing, employment, wealth, criminal justice, and education take more than a moment, but a movement, calls upon African Americans and other racial minorities to continue to organize around short and long term economic investments and policy solutions that last far beyond a presidential election cycle. At the same time, the next president will prove critical in either building on the substantive achievements from members in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and those of President Obama that have set the path for improvement in the lives of African Americans and vulnerable communities, or erode the important groundwork that has been achieved in establishing a viable pathway toward the creation of a democracy that truly gives an equal and equitable opportunity to all whom contribute to it. As close to 10,000 attendees make their way to this year’s Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) under the theme, “Defining the Moment, Building
the Movement,” 40 years of activism and organizing around critical policy issues defining the black agenda will come to the forefront once again.. ALC will convene the largest gathering of CBC members, community activists, educators, state and local black elected officials, business and civil rights leaders from various fields and industries to discuss, strategize, and organize around the current state of affairs for African Americans. The difference this time around is that African Americans have seen the power and potential of unprecedented black leadership at the highest echelon of government backed by a resilient black electorate who twice made it the case. If anything should be remembered about the black agenda, it is that transformation happens at the grassroots, and social movements require agents of change outside of the government – everyday people – just as much as it requires elected officials within the government to legislate the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice. n
DR. MENNA DEMESSIE
Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia) speaks passionately about civil rights and the African-American community. / WI File Photo by Maurice Fitzgerald
THE POWER OF THE BLACK VOTE: THEN AND NOW By Dr. Menna Demessie The upcoming 2016 elections follow two presidential elections that amassed the largest voter turnout in American history, and both for the election and re-election of the nations’ first black president, Barak Obama. The share of the black vote has steadily increased over the past five presidential elections, while white voter turnout has declined since 2004. Furthermore, despite voter restrictive laws passed in 2008 and 2012 in more than 30 states, an additional 5 million new voters went to the polls and a majority of them were African Americans and people of color. In fact, within the span of Obama’s election and re-election, an additional 1.4 million Hispanics and 500,000 Asian went to the polls to re-elect him in 2012. The right to vote has always been
a life and death issue for African Americans since the passage of the Civil War amendments. However, this time around, the first election without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act will take place in addition to restrictive voting rights that include cutting early voting days and same day registration, requiring multiple forms of identification not accessible or affordable to low income and minority communities. As African Americans and others prepare to make their vote count in November 2016, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) will dive deeper into the importance of the black vote and why the vote is more important now than ever before. The CBCF’s 2016 Voter Protection Series (VPS) will take place on Friday, September 16 in cooperation with Rep. John
Conyer’s Judiciary Brain Trust, the Voting Rights Congressional Caucus, and the Voting Rights Alliance. The VPS aims to highlight challenges and solutions in order to overcome restrictive voting laws and ensure voter turnout in the upcoming elections. The series will include two policy panel discussions aimed at strategizing around the dilution of the Voting Rights and the negative implications of voter suppression. With special focus on voter turnout for minorities, the disabled, and poor, these two panels will explore policies, programs, and initiatives from Congress to the grassroots and will be both informative and empowering with key recommendations, fact sheets, social media voter outreach campaign, and a Voting Rights Toolkit for audience members to take home with them and to share within their communities. n
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Now Open Explore milestone civil rights events of 1966, including the rise of the Black Power movement and the “March Against Fear” through Mississippi.
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DEFINING THE MOMENT – BUILDING THE MOVEMENT TURNING OUT THE BLACK AMERICAN VOTE IN 2016 Saluting The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Washington, DC, September 2016: The United States of America once again is at a pivotal and crucial political crossroads. The outcome of the November 8, 2016 national elections will determine the future of the nation and of the world. This is a propitious moment not only for 47 million Black Americans, but also this is the time for all Americans to decide whether or not as a diverse nation will our democracy fully embrace the goals of freedom, justice, equality and empowerment for all people. We have both a sacred obligation and a historic responsibility to ensure that we will have the largest Black American voter turnout in history. Why? Be-
cause the overall quality of life of our families and communities are at stake. Our energy, actions, and spirits must remain high and we have to fully engage the electoral process locally, regionally and nationally. On behalf of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), we salute the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) for emphasizing the importance this strategic national moment in time and the necessity to revive the freedom movement for civil rights, in particular voting rights, economic equality and empowerment. In 2008, 16,133,000 Black Americans voted in the national election that gave victory to President Barack H. Obama. In 2012, 17,813,000 Black American votes contributed to the reelec-
tion of President Obama. In fact in 2012, for the time in American history, the percentage of Black American voter turn- out: 66.2 percent was higher than the White American voter turnout: 64.1 percent. In 2016, if we significantly increase Black American voter registration over the next six weeks, the potential of having 20,000,000 Black Americans to vote this year will be greatly enhanced. We have come too far and sacrificed too much to now stand still and to allow the forces of repression to take us backward. We are so proud of millions of our Black American youth who are moving to the frontlines of the struggle for freedom, justice, respect and economic equity. Black Lives Matter movement deserves our support. We should share the wisdom of the past with the activists of today. We cannot
afford a generation gap. We cannot afford a cultural gap. We all have to work together to ensure progress and advancement of our mutual interests. In conclusion, the NNPA is initiating and announcing 2016 Project Black Voter Turnout: 20 Million to the Polls. #BlackVotesMatter #BlackPressMatters @BlackPressUSA @NNPA_ BlackPress. The 46th Annual Legislative Conference provides multiple opportunities for all of us to engage each other and to plan how we will effectively work together. The NNPA is pleased to be in partnership with the CBCF. From the NNPA’s front pages to the frontlines of the movement we will continue to march, organize, mobilize, publish, distribute, speak out and stand up for that which is right and just. Let’s get out the vote! n
National
Town Hall Thursday, September 15 • 9 a.m. Walter E. Washington Convention Center Ballroom A
The Black Agenda for the Next Administration: What’s at Stake! Despite the Obama Administration's initiatives geared toward racial parity, disparities in housing, income and wealth, poverty, and unemployment still remain. How do African Americans continue to make their voices heard? The Town Hall meeting convenes leaders in academia, public policy, and social justice to explore the potential implications of the presidential election on the African-American community.
R E G I S T E R N O W AT C B C F I N C . O R G / A LC #CBCFALC16 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / 46TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SPECIAL ISSUE / SEPTEMBER 2016 / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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About the National Newspapers Publishers Association
“THE BLACK PRESS IN AMERICA IS MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER” NNPA is a trade association representing the Black Press with 209 African American-owned member newspapers in 33 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since its inception, over three quarters of a century, the NNPA publishers have provided excellent reporting from the Black perspective. We Pledge to Mobilize the Largest Black American Voter Turnout in History in November 2016!
#BlackPressMatters The NNPA Salutes the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the 46th Annual Legislative Conference 29 –
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / 46TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SPECIAL ISSUE / SEPTEMBER 2016 / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
SCENES FROM 2015 Photos courtesy of The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Moderator, Roland Martin, speaks to the crowd and encourages collaborative participation in the solution-based conversation during the National Town Hall.
Rep. Butterfield presents the Phoenix Award to President of the North Carolina NAACP, the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, during the 2015 Phoenix Awards.
Award-winning gospel artist, VaShawn Mitchell sings his hit single, Nobody Greater, to a jampacked crowd at the 2015 Prayer Breakfast
Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Chrisette Michele sings her hit song, "Blame it on Me," at the 2015 Phoenix Awards Dinner.
Rep. Elijah Cummings shares his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement at the 45th Annual Legislative Conference during the National Town Hall.
An attendee of the professional development session listens intently as best practices are shared and new trends are analyzed by experts in the teaching field.
Radio One and TV One founder, Cathy Hughes, stands in admiration before accepting her award at the 2015 Sojourner Truth Reception.
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BARRIERS TO FINANCING UNDERMINES BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP The lack of investment by venture capitalists and bankers in local businesses stifles economic growth in communities of color.
R. Donahue Peebles Chairman, Board of Directors Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF)
Throughout America, minority communities are being undermined by a problem that may, in some ways, be as pernicious as underfunded schools, inadequate housing, and a scarcity of public amenities like parks and libraries. It is a problem, moreover, that goes largely unnoticed and that is not fully understood, save for a few who are steeped in the issue or grapple with it daily. The problem—inadequate capital access for minority-owned businesses—is depriving minority communities of their own source of wealth and jobs. Capital is the heart of small businesses. Businesses, in turn, are the economic pillars of our communities, providing secure jobs and the opportunity to generate the kind of wealth that can be passed down through generations. Forty percent of the net new jobs created in the past two decades were the result of hiring by new businesses. For communities that suffer from high rates of unemployment and joblessness, minority-owned firms are economic life preservers, bringing a strong tax base and economic opportunity into these underserved communities. A lack of capital access has ramifications beyond minority communities. Consider this: if the minority business community had reached economic parity in 2002, the Minority Business Develop-
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ment Agency (MBDA) estimates that “the minority business community would have employed more than 16 million workers, generated more than $2.5 trillion in gross receipts, and expanded the tax base by more than $100 billion.” Lack of capital is one of the primary reasons that small businesses flounder. For new businesses, working capital bridges the gap to keep operations running smoothly and the bills paid on time. For established businesses, capital is a lifeline for expansion, allowing businesses to hire new employees, open new stores, and upgrade technology and equipment. Access to capital is even more critical in the technology sector. Here, the impact of early-stage financing on success is tremendous. Receiving a loan increases survival probability by 51 percent, according to researchers at UCLA, NYU, and the University of Texas at Austin. Yet minority owned firms continue to be less likely than non-minority owned businesses to receive the funding they need. When minority-owned firms do receive loans, the dollar value is often less, while the interest rates tend to be higher, according to research from the Minority Business Development Agency. The average loan amount for minority-owned businesses with gross receipts over $500,000 is $149,000, compared with $310,000 for their non-minority owned counterparts. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) has long identified the importance of providing minority firms equal access to capital and the tools they need to be competitive in a global marketplace—and reach their full potential. It is for that reason that the CBCF has created its Executive Economic Summit series. By 2050, our nation’s minority population will be the majority. The minority community is
poised to play a major role in job creation and business development. But they cannot do so if the purse strings to capital access remain tied. The summit will tackle these disparities head on with solid discussions and actionable outcomes around capital expansion, entrepreneurial education and strategic partnerships. The United States has a long, enviable entrepreneurial culture. If we are to continue as a world leader in innovation, we must foster broad participation in eco-
nomic growth. This starts with removing barriers to capital expansion and empowering more entrepreneurs with the skills and resources they need to succeed. We must develop strategies and policy recommendations for achieving economic parity. And we must strengthen partnerships across the government, business and financial services sectors. Now is the time to advance America’s promise of opportunity, prosperity, and growth for all.
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R. Donahue Peebles is the chairman of the board of directors at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated, a non-partisan, nonprofit, public policy, research and educational institute dedicated to advancing the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public. This article first appeared in NewsOne in May 2016. n
OKECHUKU KELECHI ENYIA REFLECTION STATEMENT 2014-2016 CBCF Louis Stokes Urban Health Public Policy Fellow Most recently, I served as a Louis Stokes Urban Health Public Policy Fellow for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF). I began my tenure in the office of Rep. G. K. Butterfield, (NC), who is the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). He also serves as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, the oldest standing legislative Committee in the House of Representatives. Among other areas, Energy and Commerce has jurisdiction over public health research, energy policy, and food and drug safety. While working in Rep.Butterfield’s office, I assisted in drafting legislation to provide funding to fight the Ebola outbreak. It was my job to work with the team that gathered co-sponsors for the bill, and to aid in the process of submitting a letter to the Appropriations Committee. This involved researching and providing the most up-to-date information on the epidemiology of the disease, while working with legislative staff across dozens of offices in a bipartisan fashion. The outcome was the declaration of Nigeria, Liberia, Mali, and Senegal as Ebola-free countries. To chronicle part of the experience during the height of the Ebola epidemic, I submitted an opinion-editorial to the CBCF titled “The Face of Ebola.” The article highlighted the death of Thomas Eric Duncan – the first person to die from Ebola on American soil. The Energy and Commerce Committee also has jurisdiction over the new Precision Medicine Initiative - a model of patient-powered research that promises to accelerate biomedical discoveries. To frame the narrative within the context of health equity and health disparities, I wrote a policy brief titled, “Diversity as Strength: Increasing Minority Participation in Clinical Trials.” Since 1993, federal law has required the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to include people representing diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in research studies. The purpose of the
"...AFRICAN AMERICANS MAKE UP 13-PERCENT OF THE NATION'S POPULATION BUT LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF TOP SENATE STAFF..." OKECHUKU KELECHI ENYLA
policy brief was to provide substantive recommendations such as: 1) HHS should survey local healthcare providers regarding reasons they are not active participants in the clinical trial arena, and to educate students about the value of translational research and how it will benefit patients in the future; and 2) entities considering establishing a navigator program, for example, should form community and medical advisory boards because they have provided invaluable insights into local needs. Further, leadership and institutional support, infrastructural process control, data analysis and reporting, and follow up with clinical investigators are all essential elements in developing meaningful sustainability and impact. In order to further maximize my policy and research interests, I transitioned to the office of Rep. Barbara Lee, (CA) Rep. Lee serves on both the Appropriations and Budget Committees, and also serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus. HIV/AIDS is a particularly poignant issue for me because one of my uncles died of AIDS in 2001. In 2003, Rep. Lee was an original co-sponsor of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest investment in history dedicated to addressing a single disease. It was gratifying to work with Rep. Lee
on advancing support for the prevention, education, and treatment of HIV/AIDS, domestically and globally.. I helped organize several congressional “HIV/AIDS 101” briefings that highlighted different aspects of the fight to move towards an AIDS-free generation. I also assisted with reintroducing the Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow HIV Discrimination Act of (REPEAL) 2015. Current state and federal laws lag behind medical advances and scientific discoveries in the fight against HIV/AIDS. My activities include analyzing the bill, updating language with current HIV/AIDS data, working with external groups with a vested interest in decriminalizing HIV, and garnering support from other member offices. Globally, there are 92 countries that have only minimal initiatives, or have made no effort to decriminalize HIV. There are eight countries that have had measurable success. The opportunity to inform policy on an issue that adversely impacts the African American community, was very exciting. A new opportunity was then made available to me on the Health Policy Team for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The Ranking Member on this Committee is Sen. Patty Murray (WA). In addition to the day-to-day oper-
ations of the Health Policy Team, the administrative work entailed managing the interns and fellows. I worked closely with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other stakeholders, on advancing legislation, policies, and proposals in the bio-medical arena. One of my accomplishments was drafting the Health and Equity in All Policies Act of 2016. The purpose of this bill was to reauthorize programs under the Public Health Services Act to build a culture of health equity at the Federal, state, local, and tribal levels. As a conscientious African-American male, scholar-activist, and thought-leader, the journey in the halls of Congress was very enlightening for me. Part of this experience is what noted scholar and philosopher, Dr. W.E.B. Dubois called “Double Consciousness” in his 1903 essay, “The Souls of Black Folk.” In short, this phenomenon describes how African Americans must handle the dual role of being true to who they are in their homes and communities, while reconciling that image with the perceptions of those who typically do not see you as an equal. For example, in the meetings and briefings in which I participated on Capitol Hill, I was either the only African American, or one of
a handful in rooms filled with of dozens of Hill staffers. So, part of the challenge was finding my voice and negotiating on a bipartisan basis on issues germane to constituents who historically have been underserved and marginalized. This lack of diversity on Capitol Hill in terms of race and ethnicity was further highlighted by a study released by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in 2015. The study reported that while people of color make up 36 percent of the U.S. population, and 28-percent of those old enough and eligible to vote, they are included in just over 7-percent of all senior-level Senate staff. Those figures are scarcely better than they were a decade ago, when people of color made up 6 percent of the Senate staff. Further, of the 336 people who hold top Senate staff positions, there are only 24 people of color: 12 Asian Americans, seven Latinos, three African Americans and two Native Americans. In other words, African Americans make up 13-percent of the nation's population but less than one percent of top Senate staff, and Latinos are 16-percent of the U.S. population, but just over 2-percent of all senior Senate staff. While the Senate Diversity Initiative was put in place several years ago in an effort to increase diversity on Capitol Hill, we must continue to work at all levels to ensure that the multiplicity of voices that make up the United States are well-represented in the U.S. Congress. n Okechuku Kelechi Enyla works at the Division of Policy and Strategic Planning at HHS - working with the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response as a Management Analyst. Louis Stokes Urban Health Public Policy Fellows Program This fellowship is named after retired Congressman Louis B. Stokes of Ohio, who is the founder of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. The primary goal of the program is to increase the pool of qualified, minority health policy professionals who are committed to eliminating health disparities in the United States and abroad.
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Opens September 24, 2016 Constitution Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets NW Washington D.C. Smithsonian
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Photo by: Alan Karchmer
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Pass It On:
Support Statehood for Washington, DC DC Disenfranchisement is a Centuries-Old Civil and Voting Rights Violation H Residents of Washington, DC lost Congressional voting representation in 1801. H Washington, DC residents achieved the right to vote for President in 1964. H 672,000 residents in Washington, DC have no voting representation in either Chamber of Congress and no voice at all in the Senate. H Congressional disenfranchisement precludes District residents from taking part in important national discussions, including who serves on the Supreme Court, whether to go to war, sensible gun legislation, or how our tax dollars are spent. H The laws and local budget passed by the DC Council face Congressional review, delaying and impeding timely and effective governance. H Congress regularly imposes social policy changes to DC laws, even though DC residents do not have the right to vote for or against these members of Congress.
Washington, DC is Ready and Deserves Statehood H The United States is the only democratic government in the world that denies representation to the residents of the capital. H Residents pay more federal income tax per person than any state and more total federal income tax than 22 states. H DC residents serve on federal juries and serve in the military, as all Americans do. H Washington, DC operates as a city, county, and state, unlike any other jurisdiction. H The DC Council has passed 21 consecutive balanced budgets, funded by local taxes and fees. DC has high bond ratings and significant cash reserves.
The Path to Statehood In April 2016, Mayor Bowser presented A Bold Path to Statehood during DC’s Emancipation Day breakfast. Following the Tennessee Plan, the steps toward statehood include: 1. DC Constitution – The New Columbia Statehood Commission drafted a constitution to replace the Home Rule Charter, enacted by Congress in 1973. The constitution creates a state government for the State of New Columbia. 2. Constitutional Convention – During a three-day Constitutional Convention, the New Columbia Statehood Commission elicited public feedback on the constitution. 3. Defining a Federal District – Consistent with the US Constitution, boundary lines have been designated outlining the new Federal District and the 51st state. 4. Advisory Referendum – An advisory referendum will be on the November 8th ballot to allow DC residents to vote their support for statehood, approve the constitution, agree to the boundaries, and commit to a representative form of government. 5. Petition for Statehood – After approval by the voters, the District will petition the new President and Congress for admission to the Union. The November vote and constitution serve as the basis for the petition, demonstrating to the President, Congress, and people of the United States that Washington, DC is prepared for and merits admission to the Union with the same rights enjoyed by all Americans.
Get Involved! The New Columbia Statehood Commission needs support from all Americans to gain Congressional approval. Visit Statehood.dc.gov to learn more about the DC Statehood effort. DC Residents: pass this page on to engage and educate your family and friends. All Americans: pass this page on and call or write your Senators and Representative and tell them to support equality and voting rights for the people of Washington, DC. THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / 46TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SPECIAL ISSUE / SEPTEMBER 2016 / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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The New Columbia Statehood Commission is pursuing the Tennessee Plan to achieve statehood for the people of the District of Columbia. The Commission drafted and revised this Constitution for the State of New Columbia. In addition to the published statehood website, the Commission convened public engagement sessions, including four Town Halls and a three-day Constitutional Convention and received nearly 500 comments from residents. This Constitution reflects amendments made by the Commission to incorporate public input. The Commission will seek support of District voters on the November 8, 2016 ballot to continue the pursuit of statehood in the US Congress. Voters will be asked if they:
1) 2) 3) 4)
Want the District to become the 51st state Approve the draft Constitution Agree to the proposed boundaries Commit to a representative form of government
Visit statehood.dc.gov to see all versions of the Constitution, the public comments and responses, and learn more about the Commission’s Statehood efforts. To request a speaker, contact Robert Kelley at 202-724-7173 or Robert.Kelley@dc.gov
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA PREAMBLE Whereas, We the people of the District of Columbia desire to become a state of the United States of America, where, like citizens of the other states, we will enjoy the full rights of citizens of the United States of America: to democracy and a republican form of government, to enact our own laws governing state affairs, and to voting representation in the United States Congress. Now, Therefore, We the People of the District of Columbia do adopt this Constitution, to be known as the Constitution of the State of New Columbia, to establish the means of self-governance of the State of New Columbia and to take our place, irrevocably, as a state, among the states comprising the United States of America.
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA BILL OF RIGHTS
I. FREEDOM OF RELIGION, OF SPEECH, AND OF THE PRESS The State of New Columbia shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
II. RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
III. QUARTERING OF SOLDIERS No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
IV. SECURITY FROM UNWARRANTABLE SEARCH AND SEIZURE The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
V. RIGHTS OF ACCUSED IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS No person shall be held to answer for a felony offense, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against oneself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
IV. RIGHT TO A SPEEDY JURY TRIAL, WITNESSES, ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against the accused; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in favor of the accused, and to have the assistance of counsel for defense of the accused. Where the potential sentence exceeds 180 days, the accused shall enjoy the right to trial by an impartial jury of the state.
IIV. TRIAL BY JURY IN CIVIL CASES In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed five thousand dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the State of New Columbia, than according to the rules of the common law. IIV. BAILS, FINES, AND PUNISHMENTS Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
IX. RESERVATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE The enumeration in this Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
X. EQUAL PROTECTION The State of New Columbia shall not deny to any person the equal protection of the law.
ARTICLE I THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Section 1. Legislative power 2. Composition; election of members; vacancies 3. Qualifications for holding office 4. Acts; resolutions; procedures; and specific authorities 5. Speaker of the House of Delegates 6. Legislative districts 7. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Sec. 1. Legislative power The legislative power of the State of New Columbia shall be vested in a legislature to be known as the House of Delegates, and shall extend to all rightful subjects of legislation within the State of New Columbia, consistent with the Constitution of the United States of America and the provisions of this Constitution. Sec. 2. Composition; election of members; vacancies
a. The House of Delegates shall consist of 21 members:
1. 2. 3. b.
The Speaker of the House of Delegates who shall be elected on a partisan basis at large by the qualified voters of the State of New Columbia. Four members shall be elected on a partisan basis at large by the qualified voters of the State of New Columbia. Sixteen members shall be elected on a partisan basis by the qualified voters, two from each of the 8 legislative districts of the State of New Columbia.
The term of office for Delegates shall be 4 years, and shall begin at noon on January 2nd of the year following their election. Dele gates shall be elected in accordance with the schedule established in Article VIII, Sec. 1(b) of this Constitution.
c. The House of Delegates may establish its committee structure by Resolution. d.
By a 5/6 vote of its members, the House of Delegates may adopt a Resolution of expulsion of one of its members, if it finds, based on substantial evidence, that the member took an action that amounts to a gross failure to meet the applicable standards of per sonal and professional conduct.
e. (1) In the event of a vacancy in the House of Delegates of a member elected from a legislative district, the elections agency shall hold a special election in the district. The person elected as
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA a member to fill a vacancy in the House of Delegates shall take office on the day on which the elections agency certifies the election, and shall serve as a member of the House of Delegates only for the remainder of the term during which such vacancy occurred, unless re-elected in a subsequent election. (2) Other than a vacancy in the Office of Speaker caused by a vacancy in the Office of the Governor, in the event of a vacancy in the position of Speaker of the House, the House of Delegates shall select by majority vote a member elected at large who shall serve as Speaker of the House, until the elections agency can hold a special election to fill such vacancy. (3) In the event of a vacancy in the House of Delegates of a member elected at large who is affiliated with a political party, the state committee of such political party shall appoint a person to fill such vacancy, until the elections agency can hold a special election to fill such vacancy. The person appointed to fill such vacancy shall take office on the date of the appointment and shall serve as an at large member of the House of Delegates until the day on which the elections agency certifies the election of a candidate elected to fill such vacancy in either a special election or a general election. The person elected to fill such a vacancy shall take office on the day the elections agency certifies the election, and shall serve only for the remainder of the term during which such vacancy occurred. With respect to a vacancy of a member elected at large who is not affiliated with any political party, the House of Delegates shall appoint a similarly non-affiliated person to fill such vacancy until such vacancy can be filled in a special election in the manner prescribed in this paragraph. Such person appointed by the House of Delegates shall take office and serve as a member at the same time and for the same term as a member appointed by a state committee of a political party. Sec. 3. Qualifications for holding office
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a. No person shall hold the office of member of the House of Delegates, including the Speaker of the House, unless that person: (1) is a qualified voter of the State of New Columbia; (2) resides in and is domiciled in the State of New Columbia and if nominated for election from a particular legislative district, resides in the district from which that person is nominated; (3) has resided and been domiciled in the State of New Columbia for 1 year immediately preceding the day on which the general or special election for such office is to be held; and (4) holds no public office (other than employment in and the position as a member of the House of Delegates), for which that person is compensated in an amount in excess of actual expenses in connection therewith, except that nothing in this clause shall prohibit any such person, while a member of the House of Delegates, from serving as a delegate or alternate delegate to a convention of a political party nominating candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, or from holding an appointment in a reserve component of an armed force of the United States other than a member serving on active duty under a call for more than 30 days.
b. The Speaker of the House of Delegates shall not engage in any outside employment, whether as an employee or through self-employment, or hold any position, other than Speaker of the House of Delegates, for which that person is compensated in excess of actual expenses.
c. A member of the House of Delegates shall forfeit the office upon failure to maintain the qualifications required by this section or upon conviction of a felony.
Sec. 4. Acts; resolutions; procedures; specific authorities
a. (1) The House of Delegates, to discharge the powers and duties imposed herein, shall pass Acts, adopt Resolutions and adopt rules, upon a vote of a majority of the members of the House of Delegates present and voting, unless a greater proportion of members is provided in this Constitution. (2) Except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection, the House of Delegates shall use Acts for all legislative purposes. (3) The House of Delegates shall hold two readings for all Acts, except upon declaration by two-thirds of its members of an emergency, in which case such Act shall only be effective for a period not to exceed 90 days. (4) Resolutions shall be used: (A) to express simple determinations, decisions, or directions of the House of Delegates of a special or temporary character; and (B) to approve or disapprove proposed actions as authorized by an Act of the House of Delegates or of a kind historically or traditionally transmitted to the Council of the District of Columbia under the laws of the former District of Columbia. Such Resolutions must be specifically authorized by Act and must be designed to implement that Act. (5) Resolutions may be approved upon a single reading and may take effect immediately upon such approval.
b. Every Act shall be published upon becoming law, and Resolutions shall be published promptly after approval by the House of Delegates. The House of Delegates shall adopt and publish rules of procedures which shall include provision for adequate public notice of intended actions of the House of Delegates. Proposed Acts and proposed Resolutions shall be made promptly available to the public.
c. An Act passed by the House of Delegates shall be presented by the Speaker of the House of Delegates to the Governor, who shall, within 10 calendar days after the Act is presented, either approve or disapprove such Act. To approve an Act, the Governor shall affix the Governor’s signature to it, and such Act shall become law. To disapprove such Act, the Governor shall, within 10 calendar days after it is presented to the Governor, return such Act to the House of Delegates setting forth in writing the reasons for such disapproval. If any Act so passed shall not be returned to the House of Delegates by the Governor within 10 calendar days after being presented to the Governor, the Governor shall be deemed to have approved it, and such Act shall become law unless the House of Delegates by a recess of 10 days or more prevents its return, in which case it shall not become law.
d. If, within 30 calendar days after an Act has been timely returned by the Governor to the House of Delegates with the Governor’s disapproval, two-thirds of the members of the House of Delegates present and voting vote to reenact such Act, the Act shall become law without the Governor’s signature.
e. (1) In the case of any Budget Act adopted by the House of Delegates and submitted to the Governor, the Governor shall have power to disapprove any items or provisions, or both, and approve the remainder. To exercise such disapproval, the Governor shall append to the signed Act a statement indicating the item(s) or provision(s) which the Governor disapproves, and shall, within such 10-day period, return a copy of the Act and statement to the House of Delegates.
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA (2) If, within 30 calendar days after any such Budget Act has been timely returned by the Governor to the House of Delegates, twothirds of the members of the House of Delegates present and voting vote to reenact any such item or provision, it shall become law.
f. By Act, the House of Delegates shall have authority to create or abolish any office, agency, department, or instrumentality of the State of New Columbia not established in this Constitution.
g. The House of Delegates may appoint an Auditor, who shall serve for a term of 6 years and shall be paid at a rate of compensation as may be established by the House of Delegates, not to exceed the rate of pay of the Speaker of the House. The Auditor may conduct audits and investigations of such matters as may be referred to it by the House of Delegates or as otherwise authorized by the rules of the House of Delegates. In carrying out an audit or investigation, the Auditor shall have access to all books, accounts, records, reports, findings and other papers, things, or property belonging to or in use by any agency of the State of New Columbia necessary to facilitate the audit and not subject to a privilege.
h. The House of Delegates, or any Committee or person authorized by it, shall have the power to investigate any matter relating to the affairs of the State of New Columbia, and for that purpose may issue subpoenas and administer oaths to require the attendance and testimony and the production of evidence. In conducting a lawful investigation, the House of Delegates or one of its Committees may seek enforcement of any subpoena it issues in the Superior Court of the State of New Columbia.
i. The House of Delegates may by Resolution call for an advisory referendum upon any matter upon which the House of Delegates desires to take action.
j. A majority of the number of non-vacant seats of the House of Delegates shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
k. The House of Delegates may establish by its rules what number of members constitutes a quorum for holding hearings or voting in a committee of the House of Delegates.
l. Each 10 calendar day period referenced in this section excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.
Sec. 5. Speaker of the House of Delegates a. The Speaker of the House of Delegates shall be the presiding officer of the House of Delegates.
b. When the Office of Governor is vacant, the Speaker of the House of Delegates shall act in the Governor's stead. While acting as Governor, the Speaker of the House of Delegates shall not exercise any authority as Speaker of the House of Delegates or a member of the House of Delegates. While the Speaker of the House of Delegates is acting Governor, the House of Delegates shall select one of the elected at large members of the House of Delegates to serve as Speaker, until the return of the regularly elected Speaker of the House of Delegates.
Sec. 6. Legislative districts The boundaries of the legislative districts shall be established from time to time, at least decennially, by an Act of the House of Delegates. Each legislative district shall consist of contiguous territory, be compact in form, and be of substantially equal population to the other legislative districts. Sec. 7. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions
a. The House of Delegates shall by Act divide the State of New Columbia into neighborhood commission areas, which neighborhoods shall be represented by an elected advisory neighborhood commission. Members of each advisory neighborhood commission shall be known as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and shall be elected from a single member district on a nonpartisan basis. Candidates for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner shall qualify for election by gathering signatures of at least twenty-five qualified voters in their single member district.
a. Each advisory neighborhood commission may: (1) advise the House of Delegates and the Executive Branch on matters of public policy; (2) employ staff and expend public funds as authorized by the annual budget for the State of New Columbia for public purposes within its neighborhood commission area; and (3) have such other advisory powers and responsibilities as the House of Delegates may establish by Act.
ARTICLE II THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH Section 1. Executive power 2. Election of Governor 3. Qualifications for holding office; vacancy; compensation 4. Powers and duties of the Governor 5. Office of Attorney General 6. Office of the Chief Financial Officer 7. State Board of Education Sec. 1. Executive power The executive power of the State of New Columbia shall be vested in the Governor. Sec. 2. Election of Governor The Governor shall be elected on a partisan basis by the qualified voters of the State of New Columbia for a term of 4 years beginning at noon on January 2nd of the year following that person’s election. The Governor shall be elected in even years when there is no presidential election. Sec. 3. Qualifications for holding office; vacancy; compensation
a. (1) No person shall hold the Office of Governor unless that person: (A) is a qualified voter of the State of New Columbia; (B) resides in and is domiciled in the State of New Columbia; (C) has resided and been domiciled in the State of New Columbia for 1
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA year immediately preceding the day on which the general or special election for Governor is to be held; and (D) is not engaged in any employment (whether as an employee or as a self-employed individual) and holds no public office or position (other than employment in and the position as Governor), for which that person is compensated in an amount in excess of actual expenses in connection therewith, except that nothing in this clause shall be construed as prohibiting such person, while holding the Office of Governor, from serving as a delegate or alternate delegate to a convention of a political party nominating candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, or from holding an appointment in a reserve component of an armed force of the United States other than a member serving on active duty under a call for more than 30 days. (2) To fill a vacancy in the Office of Governor, the elections agency shall hold a special election at least 70 days and not more than 174 days after such vacancy occurs, unless it determines that such vacancy could be more practicably filled in a special election held on the same day as the next general election to be held in the State of New Columbia. The person elected Governor to fill a vacancy in the Office of Governor shall take office on the day the elections agency certifies the election, and shall serve as Governor only for the remainder of the term during which such vacancy occurred. When the Office of Governor becomes vacant, the Speaker of the House of Delegates shall become acting Governor and shall serve from the date such vacancy occurs until the date on which the elections agency certifies the election of the new Governor, at which time the acting Governor shall again become Speaker of the House of Delegates. While the Speaker of the House is acting Governor, that person shall receive the compensation regularly paid the Governor, and shall receive no compensation as Speaker or member of the House of Delegates.
c. The Governor shall, through the heads of administrative boards, offices, commissions, and agencies, supervise and direct the activities of such boards, offices, commissions, and agencies.
d. The Governor may submit proposed Acts and Resolutions to the House of Delegates.
e. The Governor may delegate any of the Governor’s functions (other than the function of approving or disapproving Acts passed by the House of Delegates or the power to grant pardons) to any officer, employee, or agency of the executive office of the Governor, or to any director of an executive department who may, with the approval of the Governor, make a further delegation of all or a part of such functions to subordinates under that person’s jurisdiction.
f. The Governor shall be the custodian of the corporate seal of the State of New Columbia and shall use and authenticate it in accordance with law.
g. The Governor may appoint an Administrator and Chief Operating Officer, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor, who shall assist the Governor in carrying out the Governor's functions under this Constitution, and whose salary shall be set by the Governor.
h. The Governor shall have the right to be heard by the House of Delegates or any of its committees.
c. The Governor shall receive compensation, payable in equal installments, at a rate of pay established by Act. The House of Delegates shall not reduce the salary of the Governor. Any changes in the Governor’s compensation, upon enactment by the House of Delegates, shall apply beginning with the next gubernatorial term after the effective date of such Act.
j. The Governor may reorganize the offices, agencies, and other entities within the executive branch of the government of the State of New Columbia.
d. The Governor shall forfeit the office upon failure to maintain qualifications required by this section or upon conviction of a felony.
The Governor shall be the chief executive officer of the State of New Columbia government. The Governor shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws of the State of New Columbia and for the proper administration of the affairs of the State of New Columbia coming under the Governor’s jurisdiction or control, including but not limited to the following powers, duties, and functions:
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b. The Governor shall administer the personnel functions of the executive branch of the State of New Columbia, including all laws relating to the appointment, promotion, duties, discipline, separation, and other conditions of employment of personnel in the Office of the Governor, personnel in departments of the State of New Columbia, and members and employees of boards, offices, commissions, and other agencies.
b. Should vacancies arise simultaneously for both the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Governor, the order of succession shall be the at large members of the House of Delegates in order of seniority of continuous service, followed by the Attorney General. Temporary or partial incapacity, or short periods of unavailability, shall not constitute a vacancy nor trigger a special election.
Sec. 4. Powers and duties of the Governor
a. The Governor may designate the officer or officers of the executive branch of the State of New Columbia, who may, during periods of absence from the State of New Columbia, or temporary incapacity, execute and perform the powers and duties of the Governor.
i. The Governor may issue and enforce administrative orders, not inconsistent with this Constitution, or with any Act of the House of Delegates, to carry out the Governor’s functions and duties.
k. The Governor shall have plenary power to grant pardons, commutations, and reprieves, and to remit, forgive or reduce fines and forfeitures, for all offenses against the laws of the State of New Columbia.
l. To advance the general welfare and provide for public safety, and consistent with federal law, the Governor may enter into compacts and agreements with other states, localities, non-profit chartered entities, the federal government and federal instrumentalities, and may enter into public-private partnerships, and may enter into agreements with foreign nations, cities or businesses, provided that any financial obligations of such compacts, agreements, and partnerships shall be approved by the House of Delegates.
m. The Governor shall be the primary planning authority for the State of New Columbia. n. The Governor shall be the Commander in Chief over the National Guard of New Columbia.
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA
o. The Governor shall have charge of the administration of the financial affairs of the State of New Columbia, except authority assigned by this Constitution to the Chief Financial Officer, and shall have authority to examine and approve all contracts, orders, and other documents by which the State of New Columbia incurs financial or other obligations.
Sec. 5. Office of Attorney General
a. There is established within the executive branch of the State of New Columbia government an Office of the Attorney General for the State of New Columbia headed by an Attorney General. The Attorney General shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State of New Columbia, on a partisan basis, for a term of 4 years beginning at noon on January 2 of the year following that person’s election. The term of office of the Attorney General shall coincide with the term of office of the Governor. b. (1) To fill a vacancy in the position of Attorney General, the elections agency shall hold a special election at least 70 days and not more than 174 days after such vacancy occurs, unless it determines that such vacancy could be more practicably filled in a special election held on the same day as the next general election to be held in the State of New Columbia. The person elected Attorney General to fill a vacancy in the Office of the Attorney General shall take office on the day on which the elections agency certifies the election, and shall serve as Attorney General for the remainder of the term during which such vacancy occurred. (2) When the position of Attorney General becomes vacant, the Chief Deputy Attorney General shall become the Acting Attorney General and shall serve until the date the elections agency certifies the election of the new Attorney General, at which time the Acting Attorney General shall again become the Chief Deputy Attorney General. While the Chief Deputy Attorney General is Acting Attorney General, that person shall receive the compensation regularly paid the Attorney General, and shall receive no compensation as Chief Deputy Attorney General.
c. The Attorney General is the chief law officer of the State of New Columbia and shall possess all powers afforded the Attorney General by the common and statutory law of the State of New Columbia, and shall be responsible for upholding the public interest. The Attorney General shall have the power to control litigation and appeals, as well as the power to intervene in legal proceedings on behalf of the public interest.
d. The Attorney General may furnish opinions in writing on the Attorney General’s initiative or when requested to do so by the Governor or the House of Delegates.
e. The administration, organization, and operation of the Office of the Attorney General shall be under the jurisdiction and control of the Attorney General. The Attorney General’s duties shall include supervising and directing the activities of the Office, administering the personnel functions of the Office (including all laws relating to the appointment, promotion, duties, discipline, separation, and other conditions of employment of personnel), reorganizing the Office, and approving contracts, orders, and other documents by which the State of New Columbia incurs financial or other obligations for the Office of the Attorney General.
f. The Attorney General shall receive compensation, payable in equal installments, at a rate of pay established by Act. The House of Delegates shall not reduce the salary of the Attorney General.
Sec. 6. Office of the Chief Financial Officer
a. The Chief Financial Officer for the State of New Columbia shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent, by Resolution, of the House of Delegates, and shall report to the Governor. The Chief Financial Officer shall be appointed for a term of 5 years. Any Chief Financial Officer may continue to serve beyond the appointed term until a successor takes office.
b. If there is a vacancy in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer as a consequence of resignation, permanent disability, death, or other reason, the Governor shall appoint one of the Deputy Chief Financial Officers, or any other person qualified to serve, to serve as the Chief Financial Officer in an acting capacity. The Governor shall thereafter nominate a person to serve as Chief Financial Officer, for the remainder of the term during which the vacancy occurred; provided, that the Governor shall submit the nomination to the House of Delegates for its approval as provided in paragraph (a) of this section.
c. The Chief Financial Officer may be removed for cause by the Governor, subject to the approval of the House of Delegates by a Resolution approved by not fewer than 2/3 of the members of the House of Delegates present and voting.
d. The Chief Financial Officer shall, under the direction of the Governor, prepare the budgets and financial plans for the State of New Columbia for submission by the Governor to the House of Delegates.
e. The Chief Financial Officer shall: (1) assure that all financial information submitted by the Governor to the House of Delegates or for any other official purpose is accurate and complete; (2) prepare and submit to the Governor and the House of Delegates and make public annual fiscal year estimates of all revenue for the State of New Columbia and quarterly re-estimates of the revenues of New Columbia during the fiscal year; (3) supervise and assume responsibility for financial transactions to ensure adequate control over revenues and resources; (4) maintain systems of accounting and internal control designed to provide full disclosure of the impact of the activities of the New Columbia government, adequate financial information necessary for management purposes, effective control over and accountability for all funds, property, and other assets of the State of New Columbia, and reliable accounting results to serve as the basis for preparing and supporting agency budget requests and controlling the execution of the budget; (5) submit to the House of Delegates a financial statement containing such details and at such times as the House of Delegates may specify; (6) supervise and assume responsibility for the assessment of all property subject to assessments and taxes: which includes preparing tax maps, and providing notice of taxes and special assessments; (7) supervise and assume responsibility for the levying and collection of all taxes, special assessments, licensing fees and other revenues of the State of New Columbia and receiving all amounts paid to it; (8) maintain custody of all public funds; (9) apportion funds made available so as to prevent deficiencies or
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA a need for supplemental appropriations; (10) certify all contracts and leases prior to execution as to the availability of funds; (11) determine the regularity, legality and correctness of bills, invoices, payrolls, claims, demands or charges; (12) supervise and administer all borrowing programs; (13) administer the cash management program of the State of New Columbia; (14) administer such payroll and retirement systems as the House of Delegates may by Act assign to it; (15) govern the accounting policies and systems of the State of New Columbia; (16) timely prepare the yearly, quarterly and monthly financial reports of the accounting and financial operations of the State of New Columbia; (17) prepare fiscal impact statements on such regulations, multi-year contracts, agreements, and proposed legislation as the Governor and House of Delegates may require by Act or request; (18) certify all collective bargaining agreements and nonunion pay proposals as to the availability of funds before submission to the House of Delegates, and prepare any financial analysis requested by the Governor of proposed terms or agreements.
Sec. 1. Judicial power The judicial power of the State of New Columbia is vested in the State of New Columbia Court of Appeals, the Superior Court of the State of New Columbia, and other courts as may be established by law. Collectively these shall be referred to as the State of New Columbia Courts. Sec. 2. Nomination and appointment to the State of New Columbia Courts
a. The Governor shall nominate, from the list of persons recommended by the State of New Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission, and, by and with the advice and consent of the House of Delegates by Resolution, appoint all judges of the State of New Columbia Courts.
b. A judge appointed to the State of New Columbia Courts shall be appointed for a term of fifteen years, unless removed or suspended, and upon completion of such term, such judge shall continue to serve until reappointed or a successor is appointed and is sworn in. A judge who is found well-qualified by the Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure shall be reappointed.
c. The House of Delegates shall, by law, provide for the composition, method of selection, and procedures for the Judicial Nomination Commission to use in carrying out its duties under this Article.
Sec. 7. The State Board of Education
a. Composition; elections
1. The State Board of Education shall consist of one member elected from each legislative district and one elected at large. By Act, the length of terms and provisions for addressing vacancies may be established. 2. A President and Vice President of the State Board of Education shall be elected from among the members of the State Board of Education.
b. Powers
1. The State Board of Education shall be responsible for advising the Governor on educational matters, including state standards, state policies, including those governing special, academic, vocational, charter and other schools, state objectives and state regulations. 2. By Act, the House of Delegates may establish which educational policies shall be subject to the approval of the State Board of Education.
Sec. 3. Qualification for nomination and appointment; removal; compensation
1. has resided and been domiciled in the State of New Columbia for at least 1 year prior to nomination; 2. is an active member of the unified bar created pursuant to the rules of the State of New Columbia Court of Appeals and has been active in that bar for at least five years; and 3. is recommended to the Governor, for such nomination and appointment, by the State of New Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission.
Sec. 8. Elections agency The authority to manage and supervise elections, initiatives, referenda, and recalls provided under this constitution shall be vested in an elections agency. The House of Delegates shall, by law, provide for the composition, method of selection, and procedures for the elections agency to use in carrying out its duties.
ARTICLE III THE JUDICIAL BRANCH Section 1. Judicial power 2. Nomination and appointment to the State of New Columbia Courts 3. Qualification for nomination and appointment; removal; compensation 4. Powers of the State of New Columbia Courts 5. Designation of Chief Judges
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a. No person may be nominated or appointed as a judge of the State of New Columbia Courts unless that person:
b. Judges may not be removed or sanctioned for the good faith legal determinations they render. A judge of the State of New Columbia Courts shall be removed from office upon a final judgment of conviction of a crime which is punishable as a felony under federal law or which would be a felony in the State of New Columbia or a determination, following a process established by law, of:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
willful misconduct in office; willful and persistent failure to perform judicial duties; any other conduct which is prejudicial to the administration of justice or which brings the judicial office into disrepute; failure to maintain residency in the State of New Columbia; or a mental or physical incapacity (including habitual intemperance) which is or is likely to become permanent and which prevents, or seriously interferes with, the proper performance of that person’s judicial duties.
c. The authority to reappoint, remove, or sanction a judge of the State of New Columbia Courts as provided in this Article shall be vested in a Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure. The House of Delegates shall, by law, provide for the composition,
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d. All Judges of the State of New Columbia Courts shall receive compensation, payable in equal installments, at a rate of pay established by Act. The House of Delegates shall not reduce the salary of Judges.
Sec. 4. Powers of the State of New Columbia Courts The Superior Court of the State of New Columbia shall have jurisdiction of any civil action or other matter at law or in equity brought in the State of New Columbia and of any criminal case under any law of the State of New Columbia. The State of New Columbia Court of Appeals shall have jurisdiction of appeals from the Superior Court and, to the extent provided by law, to review orders and decisions of the Governor, the House of Delegates, or any agency of the State of New Columbia. The State of New Columbia Courts shall also have jurisdiction over any other matters granted to the State of New Columbia Courts by other provisions of law. Sec. 5. Designation of Chief Judges All Chief Judges of the State of New Columbia Courts shall be designated by the State of New Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission from among the judges of their respective courts in regular active service, and shall serve as Chief Judge for a term of four years or until a successor is designated, except that a term as Chief Judge shall not extend beyond the Chief Judge's term as a judge of a State of New Columbia Courts. A Chief Judge shall be eligible for re-designation as Chief Judge.
on the assumption that proposed expenditures for such fiscal year shall not exceed estimated resources from existing sources and proposed resources. 2. Be accompanied by: (A) An annual budget message which shall include supporting financial and statistical information for the forthcoming fiscal year and information on the approved budgets and expenditures for the immediately preceding 3 fiscal years; (B) Multiyear operating and capital improvement plans for all agencies; (C) A summary of the budget for distribution to the general public.
b. The budget prepared and submitted by the Governor shall include, but not be limited to, recommended expenditures at a reasonable level for the House of Delegates, the State of New Columbia court system, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and the State Board of Education.
c. The Governor may prepare and submit to the House of Delegates such supplemental or deficiency budget proposals as are necessary, including proposals to increase resources to meet any such increased expenditure, and may prepare and submit to the House of Delegates proposed reprogrammings of budgeted amounts. Such proposals shall be subject to the approval of the House of Delegates by Act or Resolution; provided, the House of Delegates may by Act designate categories and classes of supplemental and deficiency budget modifications and reprogrammings for which approval by the House of Delegates is not required or for which approval of the House will be deemed to have occurred upon the expiration of a period of time after the Governor submits the proposal to the House of Delegates.
Sec. 3. Adoption of budget by House of Delegates
ARTICLE IV BUDGET AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Section 1. Fiscal year 2. Submission of annual budget 3. Adoption of budget by House of Delegates 4. Annual financial statements and audits 5. Balanced budget 6. Review of Contracts by the House of Delegates 7. Emergency and contingency reserve funds Sec. 1. Fiscal year The House of Delegates shall establish by Act the fiscal year of the State of New Columbia. Sec. 2. Submission of annual budget
a. The Governor shall prepare and submit to the House of Delegates each year, at such time as the House of Delegates shall direct, and shall make available to the public at such time, an annual budget for the State of New Columbia government. It shall:
1. (A) Reflect the actual financial condition of the State of New Columbia government, (B) Specify the agencies and purposes for which funds are being requested; and (C) Be prepared
The House of Delegates, within 70 calendar days after receipt of the budget proposal from the Governor, and after a public hearing, shall adopt by Act the annual budget for the State of New Columbia government. No amount may be obligated or expended by any officer or employee of the State of New Columbia government unless such amount has been approved by Act of the House of Delegates, and then only according to such Act, or as otherwise provided in section 2(c) of this Article. Sec. 4. Annual financial statement and audits Within 120 days following the close of the fiscal year, the Governor shall submit to the House of Delegates a complete and audited financial statement and report for the preceding fiscal year. Sec. 5. Balanced budget a. The House of Delegates shall not approve any budget which would result in expenditures being in excess of all resources which the Chief Financial Officer estimates will be available from all funds available to the State of New Columbia for such fiscal year. b. The Governor shall not forward to the House of Delegates a budget which is not balanced. The budget shall identify any new sources of revenue which shall be required in order to balance the budget as submitted.
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA plenish the fund in the amount allocated not later than the earlier of the expiration of the 9-month period which begins on the date the allocation is made or the last day of the fiscal year. (2) The Governor may use the contingency cash reserve fund to provide for nonrecurring or unforeseen needs that arise during the fiscal year, including expenses associated with unforeseen weather or other natural disasters, unexpected obligations created by federal law or new public safety, health, welfare, or education needs or requirements that have been identified after the budget process has occurred, for opportunities to achieve cost savings, to cover revenue shortfalls experienced by the District government for 3 consecutive months (based on a 2 month rolling average) that are 5 percent or more below the budget forecast, and for cash flow management purposes in an amount of not more than 50 percent of the balance of the fund.
Sec. 6. Review of Contracts by the House of Delegates By Act, the House of Delegates may establish which contracts shall be subject to its review and approval; provided, the scope of contracts subject to the review of the House of Delegates shall not exceed those contracts that were subject to approval of the former Council of the District of Columbia, and the procedures and timelines for such review and approval may be no more restrictive or lengthy than the procedures and timelines provided for in the law of the former District of Columbia. Sec. 7. Emergency and contingency reserve funds
a. (1) The Governor shall deposit into an emergency cash reserve fund not later than the first day of each fiscal year such an amount as may be required to maintain a balance in the fund of at least 2 percent of the operating expenditures of the government of the State of New Columbia; provided, if the Governor uses money from the fund during a fiscal year, the State of New Columbia shall appropriate sufficient funds each fiscal year in the budget process to replenish any amounts allocated from the emergency reserve fund during the preceding fiscal years so that not less than 50 percent of any amount allocated in the preceding fiscal year or the amount necessary to restore the emergency reserve fund to the 2 percent required balance, whichever is less, is replenished by the end of the first fiscal year following each such allocation and 100 percent of the amount allocated or the amount necessary to restore the emergency reserve fund to the 2 percent required balance, whichever is less, is replenished by the end of the second fiscal year following each such allocation; provided further, if an amount is allocated from the emergency cash reserve fund for cash flow management purposes, the Governor shall fully replenish the fund in the amount allocated not later than the earlier of the expiration of the 9-month period which begins on the date the allocation is made or the last day of the fiscal year. (2) The Governor may use the emergency cash reserve fund to provide for unanticipated and nonrecurring extraordinary needs of an emergency nature, including a natural disaster or calamity or a state of emergency as declared by the Governor, for unexpected obligations of federal law and for cash flow management purposes in an amount of not more than 50 percent of the balance of the fund.
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b. (1) The Governor shall deposit into a contingency cash reserve fund not later than the first day of each fiscal year such amount as may be required to maintain a balance in the fund of at least 4 percent of the operating expenditures of the government of the State of New Columbia; provided, the government of the State of New Columbia shall appropriate sufficient funds each fiscal year in the budget process to replenish any amounts allocated from the contingency reserve fund during the preceding fiscal years so that not less than 50 percent of any amount allocated in the preceding fiscal year or the amount necessary to restore the contingency reserve fund to the 4 percent required balance, whichever is less, is replenished by the end of the first fiscal year following each such allocation and 100 percent of the amount allocated or the amount necessary to restore the contingency reserve fund to the 4 percent required balance, whichever is less, is replenished by the end of the second fiscal year following each such allocation; provided further, if an amount is allocated from the contingency cash reserve fund for cash flow management purposes, the Governor shall fully re-
ARTICLE V BORROWING Section 1. Authority to issue and redeem general obligation bonds for capital projects 2. Contents of borrowing legislation on issuing general obligation bonds 3. Issuance of general obligation bonds 4. Borrowing to meet appropriations and in anticipation of revenues 5. Special tax 6. Full faith and credit of State of New Columbia pledged 7. Payment of the general obligation bonds and notes 8. Revenue bonds and other obligations 9. Limitations on borrowing and spending 10. Tax exemption 11. Legal investment Sec. 1. Authority to issue and redeem general obligation bonds for capital projects
a. The State of New Columbia may incur indebtedness by issuing general obligation bonds to refund indebtedness of the State of New Columbia at any time outstanding and to provide for the payment of the cost of acquiring or undertaking its various capital projects, including paying its share of regional transportation projects. Such bonds shall bear interest, payable on such dates, at such rate or rates and at such maturities as the Governor, subject to the provisions of section 2, may determine to be necessary to make such bonds marketable. b. The State of New Columbia may reserve the right to redeem any or all of its obligations before maturity in such manner and at such price as may be fixed by the Governor prior to the issuance of such obligations.
c. For purposes of section 1, capital projects means any physical public betterment or improvement, the acquisition of property of a permanent nature, or the purchase of equipment or furnishings.
Sec. 2. Contents of borrowing legislation and elections on issuing general obligation bonds
a. The House of Delegates may by Act authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds for the purposes specified in section
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA 1. Such an Act shall contain, at least, provisions: briefly describing each project to be financed by the Act; identifying the Act authorizing each such project or category of projects; setting forth the maximum amount of debt principal which may be incurred for the projects; setting forth the maximum rate of interest to be paid on such indebtedness; setting forth the maximum allowable maturity for the issue and the maximum debt service payable in any year; authorizing the bonds to be sold at public sale or at private sale on a negotiated basis, as determined by the Governor in the public interest; authorizing the Governor to enter into and amend agreements in connection with the bond issue, including a trust indenture; vesting in the trustee under such a trust indenture such properties, rights, powers, and duties in trust as may be necessary, convenient or desirable; authorizing the creation of a security interest in State of New Columbia revenues as additional security for the payment of the bonds; describing the particular State of New Columbia revenues which are subject to such security interest; prescribing the validity of such security interest; prescribing remedies of the bondholders in the event of a default; and such other covenants, provisions and conditions necessary to issue the additional bonds as parity bonds.
b. The Governor shall publish the enacted Act in at least one newspaper of general circulation within the State of New Columbia with the notification that the time within which a suit, action or proceeding questioning the validity of such bonds may be commenced expires at the end of the 20-day period beginning on the date of the first publication of the notice. c. Failure to publish the notice or any error in any publication shall not impair the effect of the Act or the validity of the bonds issued pursuant to the Act.
Sec. 3. Issuance of general obligation bonds
a. After an Act of the House of Delegates authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds has taken effect, the Governor may issue such general obligation bonds. An issue of general obligation bonds may be all or any part of the aggregate principal amount of bonds authorized by such Act. b. The principal amount of the general obligation bonds of each issue shall be payable in annual installments beginning not more than 3 years after the date of such bonds and ending not more than 30 years after such date.
at any time during a fiscal year shall not exceed 20 percent of the total anticipated revenue of the State of New Columbia that the Governor estimates, and the Chief Financial Officer certifies, will be credited to the State of New Columbia during the fiscal year in which the bonds will be issued.
Sec. 5. Special tax Any Act of the House of Delegates authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds shall provide for the annual levy of a special tax or charge, if necessary. Such tax or charge shall be levied, without limitation as to rate or amount, in amounts which together with other State of New Columbia revenues available and applicable will be sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on such general obligation bonds as they become due and payable. Sec. 6. Full faith and credit of State of New Columbia pledged The full faith and credit of the State of New Columbia is pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on any general obligation bond or note issued under this Article, whether or not such pledge is stated in such bond or note or in the Act authorizing the issuance of such bond or note. Sec. 7. Payment of the general obligation bonds and notes
a. In each annual budget, the House of Delegates shall provide sufficient funds to pay the principal of and interest on all general obligation bonds or notes due and payable during such fiscal year.
b. The Governor shall insure that the principal and interest on all general obligation bonds and notes issued under this Article are paid when due, including by paying such principal and interest from funds not otherwise legally committed.
c. All amounts obligated or expended by the State of New Columbia for the payment of principal of, interest on, or redemption premium for any general obligation bonds issued under this Article or issued before the effective date of this Constitution are not subject to appropriation.
Sec. 4. Borrowing to meet appropriations and in anticipation of revenues
a. In the absence of unappropriated revenues available to meet appropriations, the House of Delegates may by Act authorize the issuance of general obligation notes.
b. In anticipation of the collection or receipt of revenues for a fiscal year, the House of Delegates may by Act authorize the issuance of revenue anticipation notes.
c. The total amount of any general obligation notes originally issued during a fiscal year shall not exceed two percent of the total appropriations for the State of New Columbia for such fiscal year, and the total amount of all revenue anticipation notes outstanding
d. Any general obligation note issued under subsection (a) of this section, or any revenue anticipation note issued under subsection (b) of this section, as authorized by an Act of the House of Delegates, may be renewed. Any such note, including any renewal of such note, shall be due and payable not later than the last day of the fiscal year occurring immediately after the fiscal year during which the Act authorizing the original issuance of such note takes effect.
Sec. 8. Revenue bonds and other obligations
a. (1) The House of Delegates may by Act or Resolution authorize the issuance of revenue bonds, notes, or other obligations (including refunding bonds, notes, or other obligations) to borrow money to finance, or assist in the financing or refinancing of undertakings in the areas of: housing; health; transit; utilities; preschool, primary, secondary, vocational, adult, rehabilitative, re-entry, and higher education; educational loans; facilities for culture, sports, mass commuting, sewage disposal, solid waste disposal, recycling or reuse, hazardous waste disposal, or local district heating or cooling; or the local furnishing of energy or water; manufacturing, and any other undertaking that the House of Delegates determines
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA will contribute to the health, education, safety, or welfare of, or the creation or preservation of jobs for, residents of New Columbia, or to economic development of New Columbia, and any facilities or property, real or personal, used in connection with or supplementing any of the foregoing. Any such financing or refinancing may be effected by loans made directly or indirectly to any individual or legal entity, by the purchase of any mortgage, note, or other security, or by the purchase, lease, or sale of any property. (2) Any revenue bond, note, or other obligation issued under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be a special obligation of the State of New Columbia and shall be a negotiable instrument. (3) Any revenue bond, note , or other obligation issued under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be paid and secured (as to principal, interest, and any premium) as provided by the Act or Resolution of the House of Delegates authorizing the issuance of such bond, note, or other obligation. Any Act of the House of Delegates authorizing the issuance of such bond, note, or other obligation, or any delegation of such authority, may provide for: (A) The payment of such bond, note, or other obligation from any available revenues, assets, or property; and (B) The securing of such bond, note, or other obligation by the mortgage of real property or the creation of any security interest in available revenues, assets, or other property. (4) (A) In authorizing the issuance of any revenue bond, note, or other obligation under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the House of Delegates may authorize the Governor to enter into any agreement concerning the acquisition, use, or disposition of any funds or property. Any such agreement may create any security interest in any funds or property; may provide for the custody, collection, security, investment, and payment of any funds (including any funds held in trust) for the payment of such bond, note, or other obligation; may mortgage any property; may provide for the acquisition, construction, maintenance, and disposition of the undertaking financed or refinanced using the proceeds of such bond, note, or other obligation; and may provide for the doing of any act (or the refraining from doing any act) which the State of New Columbia has the right to do in the absence of such agreement. Any such agreement may be assigned for the benefit of, or made a part of any contract with, any holder of such revenue bond, note, or other obligation issued under paragraph (1) of this subsection. (B) Any security interest created under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall be valid, binding, and perfected from the time such security interest is created, with or without the physical delivery of any funds or any other property and with or without any further action. Such security interest shall be valid, binding, and perfected whether or not any statement, document, or instrument relating to such security interest is recorded or filed. The lien created by such security interest is valid, binding, and perfected with respect to any individual or legal entity having claims against the State of New Columbia, whether or not such individual or legal entity has notice of such lien. (C) Any funds of the State of New Columbia held for the payment or security of any revenue bond, note, or other obligation issued under paragraph (1) of this subsection, whether or not such funds are held in trust, may be secured in the manner agreed to by the State of New Columbia and any depository of such funds. Any depository of such funds may give security for the deposit of such funds. (5) The following obligations and expenditures by the State of New Columbia shall not be subject to appropriations: (A) All amounts (including the amount of any accrued interest or premium) obligated or expended from the proceeds of the sale of any revenue
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bond, note, or other obligation issued under this section, or issued before the effective date of this Constitution; (B) All amounts obligated or expended for the payment of principal of, interest on, or redemption premium for or to secure any bonds issued under this section or issued before the effective date of this Constitution; and (C) All amounts obligated or expended pursuant to commitments made in connection with the issuance of the revenue bond, note, or other obligation for repair, maintenance, and capital improvements relating to undertakings financed through any revenue bond, note, or other obligation issued under this section or issued before the effective date of this Constitution.
b. Any and all such bonds, notes, or other obligations shall not be general obligations of the State of New Columbia and shall not be a pledge of or involve the faith and credit or the taxing power of the State of New Columbia, shall not constitute a debt of the State of New Columbia, and shall not constitute lending of the public credit for private undertakings.
c. Any and all such bonds, notes, or other obligations shall be issued pursuant to an Act or Resolution of the House of Delegates without the necessity of submitting the question of such issuance to the registered qualified voters of the State of New Columbia for approval or disapproval.
d. Any Act or Resolution of the House of Delegates authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds, notes, or other obligations under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section may: (1) Briefly describe the purpose for which such bonds, notes, or other obligations are to be issued; (2) Prescribe the form, terms, provisions, manner, and method of issuing and selling (including sale by negotiation or by competitive bid) such bonds, notes, or other obligations; (3) Provide for the rights and remedies of the holders of such bonds, notes, or other obligations upon default; (4) Prescribe any other details with respect to the issuance, sale, or securing of such bonds, notes, or other obligations; and (5) Authorize the Governor to take any actions in connection with the issuance, sale, delivery, security, and payment of such notes, bonds, or other obligations, including the prescribing of any terms or conditions not contained in such Act or Resolution of the House of Delegates.
e. The House of Delegates may by Act delegate to any independent instrumentality of New Columbia the authority of the House of Delegates under subsection (a) of this section to issue revenue bonds, notes, and other obligations to borrow money for the purposes described in subsection (a) of this section.
Sec. 9. Limitations on borrowing and spending
a. No general obligation bonds (other than bonds to refund outstanding indebtedness) shall be issued during any fiscal year in an amount which would cause the amount of principal and interest required to be paid both serially and into a sinking fund in any fiscal year on the aggregate amounts of all outstanding general obligation bonds and such Treasury loans, to exceed 17% of the State of New Columbia revenues (less any fees or revenues directed to servicing revenue bonds, any revenues, charges, or fees dedicated for the purposes of water and sewer facilities (including fees or revenues directed to servicing or securing revenue bonds
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA issued for such purposes), retirement contributions, revenues from retirement systems, and revenues derived from the sale of general obligation or revenue bonds) which the Governor estimates, and the Chief Financial Officer certifies, will be credited to the State of New Columbia during the fiscal year in which the bonds will be issued.
b. The 17% limitation specified in section 9(a) shall be calculated in the following manner: (1) Determine the dollar amount equivalent to 17% of the State of New Columbia revenues as specified in section 9(a); (2) Determine the actual total amount of principal and interest to be paid in each fiscal year for all outstanding general obligation bonds (less the allocable portion of principal and interest to be paid during the year on general obligation bonds of the District of Columbia issued prior to October 1, 1996, for the financing of Department of Public Works, Water and Sewer Utility Administration capital projects) and such Treasury loans; (3) Determine the amount of principal and interest to be paid during each fiscal year over the term of the proposed general obligation bond or such Treasury loan to be issued; and (4) If in any one fiscal year the sum arrived at by adding subparagraphs (2) and (3) of this section exceeds the amount determined under subparagraph (1) of this section then the proposed general obligation bond or such Treasury loan in subparagraph (3) of this paragraph cannot be issued.
Sec. 1. Definitions; computation
a. The term "initiative" means the process by which the citizens may propose laws and present such proposed laws directly to the voters of the State of New Columbia for their approval or disapproval. This provision shall not apply to acts appropriating funds or to acts authorizing or having the effect of authorizing discrimination.
b. The term "referendum" means the process by which the voters of the State of New Columbia may repeal acts of the House of Delegates. This provision shall not apply to emergency acts, acts levying taxes, acts appropriating funds, acts prohibiting or having the effect of prohibiting discrimination, or advisory referenda.
c. The term "recall" means the process by which the voters of the State of New Columbia may call for the holding of an election to remove or retain an elected official prior to the expiration of that official’s term.
d. The latest official count of registered voters by the State of New Columbia elections agency, which was issued 30 or more days prior to submission of the signatures for any particular initiative, referendum, or recall petition, shall be used for computing the signature requirements of this Article.
Sec. 2. Process
Bonds and notes issued pursuant to this Article and the interest thereon shall be exempt from all taxes of the State of New Columbia, except estate, inheritance, and gift taxes.
An initiative or referendum may be proposed by the presentation to the elections agency of a petition containing the signatures of 5 percent of the registered voters in the State of New Columbia; provided that the total signatures submitted include 5 percent of the registered voters in a majority of the legislative districts.
Sec. 11. Legal investment
Sec. 3. Submission of measure at election
Notwithstanding any restriction on the investment of funds by fiduciaries contained in any other law, all domestic insurance companies, domestic insurance associations, executors, administrators, guardians, trustees, and other fiduciaries within the State of New Columbia may legally invest any sinking funds, moneys, trust funds, or other funds belonging to them or within their control in any bonds issued pursuant to this title, it being the purpose of this section to authorize the investment in such bonds or notes of all sinking, insurance, retirement, compensation, pension, and trust funds.
a. The elections agency shall submit an initiative or referendum measure without alteration at the next statewide general or special election held at least 90 days after the measure is received.
b. The elections agency shall hold an election on a recall petition within 114 days of its receipt of a petition. If a previously scheduled general or special election will occur between 54 and 114 days of its receipt of a recall petition, the elections agency may present the recall petition at that election.
Sec. 10. Tax exemption
Sec. 4. Rejection of measure
ARTICLE VI INITIATIVE; REFERENDUM; RECALL Section 1. Definitions; computation 2. Process 3. Submission of measure at election 4. Rejection of measure 5. Approval of measure 6. Short title and summary 7. Recall process 8. Time limits on initiation of recall process 9. When official removed; filling of vacancies
If a majority of the registered voters who vote in a referendum vote to disapprove the referred Act, such action shall be deemed a repeal of the Act or that portion of the Act on the referendum ballot. No action may be taken by the House of Delegates to advance the matter presented for 365 days following the date of the elections agency’s certification of the vote. Sec. 5. Approval of measure If a majority of the registered voters who vote adopt legislation by initiative, then the adopted initiative shall become law upon the certification of the vote by the elections agency.
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA party may appear next to the name of a candidate on the ballot but shall not limit in any way the authority of the House of Delegates to establish any type of primary or runoff system it may find appropriate.
Sec. 6. Short title and summary The elections agency shall propose a short title and summary of the initiative and referendum matter, which shall accurately reflect the intent and meaning of the proposed referendum or initiative. Sec. 7. Recall process Any elected official of the State of New Columbia government, elected on a partisan basis, may be recalled by the registered voters of the electorate from which that official was elected. A recall may be proposed by the filing with the elections agency of a petition demanding the recall of the elected official, signed by 10 percent of the registered voters in the elected official’s electorate, including at least 10 percent of the registered voters in a majority of the legislative districts for a statewide elected official.
Sec. 3. Constitution amending procedure
a. The Constitution may be amended by an Act passed by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the House of Delegates and ratified by a majority of the qualified voters who vote in a ratification referendum.
b. Ratified constitutional amendments take effect either on the date the elections agency certifies the ratification, or the date prescribed by the amendment, whichever is later.
c. On or about the fifth anniversary of the effective date of the Admission Act, the House of Delegates may call for a Constitutional Convention to assess the transition from a federal district to a member of the Union. If the House of Delegates elects to call a Constitutional Convention, the House of Delegates shall, by Act, establish the subjects and procedures therefor. Any amendments resulting from such a Constitutional Convention must be ratified by a majority of the qualified voters who vote in a ratification referendum.
Sec. 8. Time limits on initiation of recall process The process of recalling an elected official may not be initiated within 1 year after a recall election has been determined in favor of the same elected official, unless the petition describes and the elections agency is satisfied that there exist compelling new facts that have emerged warranting consideration of a new recall petition within that year. Sec. 9. When official removed; filling of vacancies When a majority of qualified voters votes to remove an elected official from office, that person shall be removed immediately upon certification of the results of the vote. The vacancy created by such recall shall be filled in the same manner as other vacancies in the office.
ARTICLE VII MISCELLANEOUS Section 1. Openness and transparency 2. Construction of Constitution 3. Constitution amending procedure 4. Effective date Sec. 1. Openness and transparency The government of the State of New Columbia shall operate on principles of openness, transparency and democratic participation. Specific obligations regarding participation and transparency may be established by Act of the House of Delegates and administrative orders of the Governor. Sec. 2. Construction of Constitution
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a. To the extent that any provisions of this Constitution are inconsistent with the provisions of any other laws of the State of New Columbia, the provisions of this Constitution shall prevail and shall be deemed to supersede the provisions of such laws.
b. The use of partisan or nonpartisan with respect to elections under Articles I and II shall determine only when the name of a political
c. In interpreting this Constitution, the courts are not bound by the interpretation given by federal courts to identical or similar language in the United States Constitution, but shall interpret this Constitution in light of its purposes and the laws, values, and traditions of the State of New Columbia.
Sec. 4. Effective date This Constitution shall take effect upon passage of an Admission Act to admit New Columbia as a state of the United States of America with the same rights as other states, unless otherwise provided therein.
ARTICLE VIII TRANSFER OF OFFICES Section 1. Transfer of offices 2. Continuation of State of New Columbia court system 3. Pending actions and proceedings 4. Laws in force and prior powers 5. Personnel rights 6. Debts; assets; records 7. Residency and qualifications 8. Adjustments 9. Voting rights Sec. 1. Transfer of offices The Council of the District of Columbia and the offices of Chairman of the Council and Mayor are abolished as of the effective date of this Constitution.
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA
a. To provide continuity during the transition from the government of the District of Columbia to the State of New Columbia, the members of the Council, the Chairman of the Council, the Mayor, the Attorney General, and members of the State Board of Education and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in office as of the effective date of this Constitution shall be deemed members of the House of Delegates, Speaker of the House of Delegates, Governor, Attorney General, and members of the State Board of Education and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions respectively (in accordance with current boundaries), until the expiration of the term of office each such individual held immediately prior to the effective date of this Constitution. Vacancies in these offices occurring during the holdover term shall be filled as provided in Articles I, II, and VI. b. New members of the House of Delegates shall be elected on the same schedule as existing Councilmembers of the District of Columbia. The elections agency shall hold elections for newly created positions in the House of Delegates at least 60 days and not more than 120 days after the effective date of this Constitution, unless it determines that such positions could be more practicably filled in a special election held on the same day as the next general election to be held in the State of New Columbia. The House of Delegates shall, by Act, establish the election schedule for all newly created positions, provided such Act ensures a staggered schedule, including between Delegates from the same legislative district.
c. If authorized by the Constitution of the United States and the Admission Act, the Senators-elect and Representative-elect elected prior to admission of the State to the Union shall serve as United States Senators and Representative in Congress until an election for these offices is held.
d. Positions previously held on boards, commissions, and regional bodies by members of the Council of the District of Columbia, the Chairman of the Council, or the Mayor shall be held after the effective date of this Constitution by members of the House of Delegates, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and the Governor, respectively, to the extent consistent with this Constitution.
e. For boards and commissions, members not federally appointed and in office as of the effective date of this Constitution shall continue to serve until the expiration of that term of office held on the effective date of this Constitution.
f. The terms of federally appointed members to any District of Columbia board or commission shall expire on the 90th day from the effective date of this Constitution unless otherwise provided by law, and no vacancies shall be deemed to be created by the abolition of these positions unless the Governor or House of Delegates creates a new position on the board or commission.
g. The individual serving as Chief Financial Officer as of the effective date of this Constitution shall be deemed to have been appointed as Chief Financial Officer under Article II, for a term to expire on July 1 of the year in which that individual’s previously extant term would have expired.
Sec. 2. Continuation of State of New Columbia court system
a. To provide continuity during the transition from the government of the District of Columbia and the State of New Columbia, the members of the District of Columbia Superior Court and the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia appointed as of the effective date of this Constitution shall be deemed members of the State of New Columbia Superior Court and the Court of Appeals of the State of New Columbia, respectively, until the expiration of that term of office held immediately prior to the effective date of this Constitution.
b. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the Judicial Nomination Commission, and the Commission on Judicial Disability and Tenure shall continue subject to the provisions of Article III of this Constitution; provided, by Act, the House of Delegates may modify or reallocate the functions of the District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure.
c. The term and qualifications of any judge of any District of Columbia court appointed prior to the effective date of this Constitution shall not be affected by the provisions of Article III of this Constitution. No provision of this Constitution shall be construed to extend the term of any such judge. Judges of the State of New Columbia courts appointed after the effective date of this Constitution shall be appointed according to Article III.
d. Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to amend, repeal, or diminish the duties, rights, privileges, or benefits accruing under sections 1561 through 1571 of title 11 of the District of Columbia Code, dealing with retirement, or to authorize a decrease in the level of compensation of the judges of the District of Columbia courts as of the effective date of this Constitution. The compensation received by judges of the State of New Columbia courts shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.
Sec. 3. Pending actions and proceedings All existing writs, actions, suits, judicial and administrative proceedings, civil or criminal liabilities, prosecutions, judgments, sentences, orders, decrees, appeals, causes of action, contracts, claims, demands, titles, and rights shall continue unaffected except as may be modified in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. The State of New Columbia shall be the legal successor to the District of Columbia in all matters. Sec. 4. Laws in force and prior powers
a. Acts of the Council of the District of Columbia preceding the effective date of this Constitution and the convening of the House of Delegates shall be considered valid as if they were enacted by the House of Delegates.
b. Upon the effective date of this Constitution, all of the laws then in force in the District of Columbia, including regulations and Mayor’s Orders, shall become the laws of the State of New Columbia and continue in force and effect throughout the State of New Columbia, except as modified by the State of New Columbia Admission Act, or by this Constitution, or as thereafter modified in accordance with this Constitution.
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW COLUMBIA
c. All powers previously vested in the Council of the District of Columbia by Congress through the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, to the extent not inconsistent with this Constitution and to the extent not thereafter having been transferred or repealed, shall be vested in the House of Delegates in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. d. Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, all functions previously granted to or vested in the Mayor of the District of Columbia through the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, to the extent not inconsistent with this Constitution and to the extent not thereafter having been transferred or repealed, shall be vested in the Office of the Governor in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
e. The annual compensation of the Governor on the effective date of this Constitution shall be the annual compensation provided to the Mayor of the District of Columbia immediately prior to the effective date of this Constitution.
f. The powers possessed by the Attorney General for the District of Columbia on the day prior to the effective date of this Constitution shall be possessed by the Attorney General for the State of New Columbia upon the effective date of the Constitution, to the extent not inconsistent with this Constitution, and to the extent not thereafter modified or repealed in accordance with this Constitution.
Sec. 9. Voting rights Any person who resides in any area which was a part of the District of Columbia immediately prior to the admission of the State of New Columbia but which is not included within the boundaries of the State of New Columbia may, at that person’s option, be deemed to be a resident of the State of New Columbia for purposes of voting in a State of New Columbia election, unless that person claims residency in another state for voting purposes.
This is the proposed map for the State of New Columbia. The proposed boundaries are based on a modified version of the McMillan Plan of 1901-02.
Sec. 5. Personnel rights Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed as affecting the rights under District of Columbia law of employees of the State of New Columbia who were employed by the District of Columbia government prior to the effective date of this Constitution to personnel benefits, including, but not limited to pay, tenure, leave, retirement, health and life insurance, and employee disability and death benefits, or regulations adopted pursuant thereto, and applicable to such officers and employees immediately prior to the effective date of this Constitution, provided, all such benefits shall thereafter be subject to modification by Act or regulation. Sec. 6. Debts; assets; records The debts and liabilities of the District of Columbia as of the effective date of this Constitution shall be assumed by the State of New Columbia, and debts owed to the District of Columbia shall be collected by the State of New Columbia. Assets and records of the District of Columbia shall become the property of the State of New Columbia. Sec. 7. Residency and qualifications Residence, voter registration, or other qualifications under the District of Columbia may be used towards the fulfillment of corresponding qualifications required by this Constitution. Sec. 8. Adjustments The Governor is authorized and empowered to enter into an agreement or agreements concerning the manner and method by which amounts owed by the State of New Columbia to the United States or by the United States to the State of New Columbia, shall be ascertained and paid.
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Learn more about the boundaries at statehood.dc.gov
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TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT BLACK MENTAL HEALTH By Patricia Maryland, Dr.PH Good physical and mental health helps drive success and enjoyment in our lives. But when it comes to overcoming some of our society’s biggest health challenges – from HIV/AIDS to cancer to diabetes to behavioral health issues – the African-American community unfortunately shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden. As our nation increasingly deals with violence, suicide and depression, it’s important to take a close look at the state of black mental health in America. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one of every five adults in the U.S. — some 43 million people — will experience mental illness this year. African-Americans are far from immune; in fact, blacks are more than 20 percent more likely than whites to report having serious psychological distress. For people of color living in poverty-stricken neighborhoods, where rates of homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse and
violent crime are higher, the risk of mental illness is compounded. One of the challenges African-Americans with mental health issues continue to face is an imbalance in health insurance coverage. While the Affordable Care Act has caused the uninsured rate among blacks to decline by close to 10 percentage points between 2013 and 2016, it remains almost twice as high as the uninsured rate for non-Hispanic whites. There is also a lack of African-American mental health professionals who can deliver culturally competent care for illnesses that are often deeply personal and can be the subject of stigmatization. According to a 2014 survey, less than 2 percent of American Psychological Association members are African-American. These disparities are unacceptable. It is clear that we must make mental health equity a guiding principle and an utmost priority. As Ascension’s President and CEO Anthony Tersigni recently stated: “Insurance coverage for the treatment of these disorders
BLACKS ARE MORE THAN 20 PERCENT MORE LIKELY THAN WHITES TO REPORT HAVING SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. has long been discriminatory compared with coverage for physical diseases. In 2008, the federal government essentially legislated that there be parity between mental health coverage and physical health coverage, but the intended changes have been problematic and slow in coming.” On the part of healthcare providers, addressing this challenge means promoting and expanding access to affordable mental and
behavioral healthcare — care that recognizes the stressors that African-Americans experience and provides solutions that are culturally competent. For our part, we have established behavioral/mental health as a dedicated priority service line across our national healthcare system. This work demands continued investment in community health centers, which are vital to serving high-need minority neighborhoods. And it requires that we go beyond the traditional scope of care by addressing the socioeconomic needs that contribute to mental health, including access to affordable housing, food security and more. Going beyond the traditional scope also means that our nation must address the care of our military veterans. Current statistics reveal that 18 to 22 veterans die by suicide each day in America because of their unique mental and behavioral health needs. Some of these veterans are African-Americans; we must do more to help all vets. That’s one reason for Ascension’s participation in
the federal Veterans Choice Program, which was formed to improve the quality and access of care to veterans nationwide. All of these programs and investments are important, but real gains in this fight will not come without the support and participation of the African-American community overall. We must stop viewing mental illness in America as if it were a personal failing rather than a serious health concern. And we must help our loved ones and neighbors to stop neglecting the care they need because of stigmas that surround mental health. These stigmas must be addressed and overcome. While communities of color are having important conversations about mental health, we can do more. Breaking down these barriers will compel us not only to recognize the necessity of mental health care, but also to marshal our support for family, friends and neighbors who are seeking the help and treatment they need. Together, we can build a healthier, stronger comm n
Congratulations Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH Chairman’s Pinnacle Award Michigan Congressional Black Caucus Delegation Thank you for your passion for healthcare equity, visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the communities we serve.
ascension.org
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PREVENTION IS KEY
Editorial by Kwamme A. Anderson, Ph.D., MPA Vice President, Programs The prophetic words of Senator Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy from Massachusetts, resound loudly in our consciousness, reminding us that “healthcare is a right, not a privilege.” Through the passage of President Barack Obama’s signature historic legislation, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (ACA), or universal healthcare, is now the law of the land. Since March 23, 2010, more than 20 million Americans have gone from being either un-or-underinsured, to joining the ranks of those with reliable healthcare. Enrollees have coverage for themselves and
for their families through either the ACA Marketplace, state-expanded Medicaid, or the provision that allows children up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents’ plans. As a nation, we are well-positioned for insurance coverage to continue to rise, and to significantly decrease an uninsured population that is already steadily on the decline. According to “Overview of the uninsured in the United States: A summary of the 2011 uninsured in the United States,” the number of citizens without access to reliable health insurance in our country has dwindled from nearly 50-million (49.9) in 2010, to a current record low of approximately 29-million, or just over nine-percent of the
population aged 65 and under. Tremendous strides have been made in the fight for universal healthcare, but, there is still more we can do. It is not enough to merely enroll our population in health care coverage. We must go one step further, and encourage new enrollees to move from coverage to care. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services’ (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, launched its From Coverage to Care campaign. This Federal initiative is aimed at helping ACA enrollees select a primary care physician - also known as a medical home – so they can receive primary and preventative care services. A “medical home” is a concept that was introduced in the late 1960s by the American Academy of Pediatrics. While the original intent was aimed at coordinating medical care for children, it has since expanded to meet the medical needs of the broader population from birth through adulthood. In summary, a patient-centered medical home helps patients to better manage their primary health care services, including medical records and any special needs, for a more integrated approach. The results of this module yield better, quality patient outcomes. For African Americans, embracing this prac-
tice could eliminate a major barrier, thereby reducing healthcare disparities. In nearly every disease category, African Americans lead in either incidences, mortality rates, or both. To illustrate, this includes but is not limited to: Asthma (2.1 times as likely to die from asthma); Breast Cancer (40-percent
IN NEARLY EVERY DISEASE CATEGORY, AFRICAN AMERICANS LEAD IN EITHER INCIDENCES, MORTALITY RATES, OR BOTH. more likely to die from breast cancer); Cervical Cancer (2 times as likely to die from cervical cancer); Depression (20-percent less likely to receive treatment for depression); Diabetes (60-percent more like to be diabetic – twice as likely to undergo amputation [leg, foot, toe]); Heart Disease (30-percent more likely to die of heart dis-
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ease); HIV (9 times as likely to be diagnosed with HIV – 8 times as likely to die from HIV); Maternal Mortality (2.5 times as likely to die during pregnancy); Prostate Cancer (2 times as likely to die from prostate cancer); and Stroke (40-percent more likely to die from stroke). Properly implemented, the ACA will work towards eliminating health disparities. However, this will only happen if African Americans take advantage of this lifesaving resource by utilizing their new-found access to quality care. Preventative health services create a significant pathway to eliminating health disparities in African Americans and all underserved communities. During the CBCF’s 46th Annual Legislative Conference Health and Wellness Luncheon on Wednesday, September 14, 2016, from Noon until 2:00 p.m. in the Walter Washington Convention Center, our discussion will focus on identifying and removing barriers, and finding solutions that help move African Americans from the status of an underserved population to one that effectively utilizes its newly-found medical home. We will also discuss best practices, and successfully eliminating the distrust of the medical community that may contribute to greater barriers to care and poorer health outcomes for some African Americans. Panelists will address five heterogeneous perspectives within the African-American population to include: the role of African American women in taking their loved ones to the doctor; the views of Millennials, better known as Young Invincibles, who opt-out of full coverage, preferring catastrophic care instead; the tendency of African American men to take their healthcare into their own hands; the role of the faith-based community in advocating health and wellness from the pulpit; and, the role of the safety-net provider in covering the 3.1 million people who fall in the coverage gap. Resources regarding connecting loved ones to a patient-centered medical home and preventive services to enhance their overall quality of life, will be provided onsite by the Federal government. n
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CREATE OPPORTUNITES. GIVE TODAY. Every year, CBCF prepares the next generation of leaders by providing internships, fellowships and scholarships to hundreds of students from all over the country. We are able to provide critical programs and research because of the generosity of our donors. Support CBCF today!
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