CPC Holds 5th Annual State Advocacy Days in Albany and Virtually
On February 27th, CPC held our 5th Annual State Advocacy Day in Albany, followed by a virtual event on February 28th. More than 125 staff and community members met with over 39 New York State legislators, where they shared personal stories and advocated for a budget that lifts up AAPI, immigrant, and low-income New Yorkers. These priorities include advocating for increased wages for human services and home care workers, fully funding critical human services, investing $66.5 million in AAPI organizations via the AAPI Equity Budget, establishing a permanent unemployment bridge program for undocumented workers, and more.
“As the nation's largest Asian American social services organization, CPC remains steadfast in our commitment to advocating for AAPI, low-income, and immigrant communities. Our 5th Annual State Advocacy Day in Albany provides a platform to engage with elected officials and amplify the voices of our community members,” said Wayne Ho, President & CEO of CPC. “We urge New York State to fully fund human services including adult literacy and the Settlement House Program, increase wages for human services and home care workers, invest in AAPI organizations, and pass legislation like Coverage 4 All and Universal Child Care. These policy priorities are critical to ensuring that all New Yorkers have equitable access to the resources and support to lead dignified and fulfilling lives."
Thank you to staff and community members who participated in our 5th Annual State Advocacy Day and to the following legislators and their teams for their support!
Elected Officials at the Rally:
From the New York State Senate: Senators Jabari Brisport, Iwen Chu, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Robert Jackson, Brian Kavanagh, John Liu, and Kevin Thomas
From the New York State Assembly: Assembly Members Harvey Epstein, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Steven Raga, and Manny de los Santos
Elected Officials Met with Staff and Community Members on February 27th:
From the New York State Senate: Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and the NYS Senate Majority Counsel & Program Office, Senators Joseph Addabbo, Iwen Chu, Nathalia Fernandez, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Brian Kavanagh, John Liu, Roxanne Persaud, and José Serrano
From the New York State Assembly: Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Assembly Members Jeffrion Aubry, Edward Braunstein, Alec Brook-Krasny, William Colton, Simcha Eichenstein, Jessica González-Rojas, Zohran Mamdani, Michael Novakhov, Stacey Pheffer Amato, Steven Raga, Linda Rosenthal, Nily Rozic, and Tony Simone
Elected Officials Met with Staff and Community Members Virtually on February 28th:
From the New York State Senate: Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris and Senators Samra Brouk, Jamaal Bailey, Liz Krueger, Julia Salazar, Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, Luis Sepúlveda, and Toby Ann Stavisky
From the New York State Assembly: Assembly Members Juan Ardila, Alex Bores, Catalina Cruz, Harvey Epstein, Andrew Hevesi, Chantel Jackson, Karines Reyes, and Phara Souffrant-Forrest
CPC was founded in 1965 as a grassroots, community-based organization in response to the end of the Chinese Exclusion years and the passing of the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, which brought waves of Asian immigrants to New York City. CPC is now the largest social service agency for Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the country, serving 280,000 New Yorkers each year. Its organization-wide “Advancing Our CommUNITY” strategy seeks to build the civic participation and engagement of CPC community members, staff, and stakeholders to work together in advancing and transforming communities.
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CPC's State Legislative and Budget Priorities Include:
- Fully funding human services, including committing to a multi-year cost-of-living-adjustment for the entire workforce (Just Pay Campaign) and restoring and expanding funding for the Settlement House Program, Adult Literacy, Summer Youth Employment Program, Senior housing and supportive services, Care Coordination Organizations/Health Homes, early childhood education, programs and Open-Ended Preventive/Protective Child Welfare Services
- Investing $66.5 million in AAPI organizations to address the historical underfunding of AAPI communities across the state
- Establishing a permanent unemployment bridge program for undocumented workers by investing $500 million in a fair and equitable unemployment insurance system (Unemployment Bridge Program)
- Increase wages and ensure livable wages for home care workers (Fair Pay for Home Care) and establish dignified working schedules for home care workers through replacing 24-hour live in shifts with 12-hour split shifts, fully funding Medicaid to eliminate the home care shortage, ensure good wages and working conditions for home care workers, and ensure adequate and dignified care for all who need it.
- Passing Good Cause Eviction to protect tenants against unjust evictions and keeping our communities in their homes.
- Invest in our New York: pass revenue-raising bills to fund $40 billion in new investments to ensure that vital programs and safety net services are fully funded and ensure the ultra-wealthy and corporations are contributing their fair share.
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Press Coverage: World Journal, Sing Tao Daily, Epoch Times, Yahoo News
