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JanuaryMarch 2, 7, 2010 2010

The Honorable PresidentSenate Majority Barack LeaderObama, U.S. Senate The522 WhiteHart Senate House Office Building 1600Washington, Pennsylvania DC 2051 Avenue,0 NW Washington, DC 20500! Dear Senator Reid: Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House U.S.We comeHouse together of Representatives as the nation’s civil rights leaders to urge you to stand up for all of America’s 235workers Cannon and House resist effortsOffice toBuilding derail the job creation agenda. Given the economic emergency our Washington,nation faces, DCit is 20515appalling-0508 that certain senators plan to introduce measures that would result in massive layoffs and prevent millions of unemployed Americans from getting hired. Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader U.S.Worker Senates and families are hurting; they cannot afford unnecessary obstructions and setbacks on 522the roadHart toSenate recovery. Office These Building roadblocks include anti-immigrant measures that purport to “put Washington,American workers DC 20515 first,”-2005 which would in reality block legally present workers and U.S. citizens from getting jobs, while adding crippling costs to struggling small businesses. Any member of Congress who cares about American workers and businesses should vote against these harmful Dearamendments. President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid, • Expanding the E-Verify system nationwide would cause at least 3.6 million workers to We applaud the House, Senate and the President for all of your hard work to bring us so close to lose their jobs if they don’t go to a Social Security Administration (SSA) office to correct meaningful health care reform. It has been a monumental undertaking in the face of an discrepancies in their records, according to the SSA. unproductive and many times disingenuous opposition. ! However, we are deeply concerned Minority workers and foreign-born U.S. citizens—who already face staggering about• several aspects of the current Senate bill and therefore, the final outcome of health reform policy,unemployment including the ratestaxing— ofwould health face benefits, greater a harm.lack of sharedWhile theresponsibility national unemployment to ensure employers rate is DUHFRQWULEXWLQJWRWKHLUZRUNHUV¶KHDOWKLQVXUDQFHDQGWKHDEVHQFHRIDSXE9.7%, it is 16.5% for African Americans and 12.6% for Latinos. Evaluationslic option of E- Verifyto keep insurancehave showncompanies that minoritieshonest and and keep legally insurance present costs immigrants down. We are are up ato coalition 30 times of more organizations likely to that representbe incorrectly communities flagged as of ineligible color and to low work.-income! communities and our recommendations below• Mandating give voice the to theSocial specific Security concerns “No Match”of those lettercommu rulenities. would cost employers approximately $1 billion per year to implement, according to an independent analysis for We stronglythe government. urge House Furthermore, and Senate complying negotiators with to addressE-Verify the would problematic be impossible provisions for small listed belowbusiness in orderes towithout achieve high the-speed goals Internet of health access. reform:! affordable, quality health care for American families. In a letter sent to you on February 19, we outlined several bold proposals to rescue Americans Afromffor djoabb lossility .and Requiring foreclosure people and to to buy lay healththe foundation insurance for that a more they prosperouscannot afford future is not for a all. Our legitimate,plan ensures feasible, that relief sustainable, and opportunity or desirable is targeted solution to thoseto our hardest health- hitcare by crisis. the recession. We believe We the Houserecommend: bill got the affordability balance right and suggest that the final bill expand Medicaid to at least• Fast 150%-track of poverty.ing the creationConsider of the jobs reality in the that public the average sector familywhich ofserve three community earning $28,400-level (or 155%needs. of poverty) With awould focus payon distressed $2100 more neighborhoods, in premiums unemployed and out-of-pocket and underemployed costs under the residents Senate bill thanshould the be House hired bill.to provide The Senate housing bill counseling, would have maintain a serious foreclosed impact on properties, the quality and of lifecarry for out working people in this country. Without better affordability provisions, people will continue to community redevelopment plans. Incentives for hiring, such as a work-sharing tax credit and the use of existing TANF Emergency Contingency Funds, should help create subsidized jobs. ! • Investing immediately in the infrastructure of schools and public transit. Hiring local residents to upgrade the physical infrastructure of their communities has a triple bottom line. Local unemployment rates decline as people are hired to work on necessary projects that improve children’s educational outcomes and residents’ access to jobs and local services.! • Protecting unemployed and other homeowners in distress from foreclosure. Homeowners who have lost their jobs should be automatically approved for a fixed-rate, low- interest loan until their income returns to a level sufficient to allow payment. Flexibility should be granted to homeowners in distress, including “cram down” provisions and the option for homeowners to rent back their recently foreclosed properties.!

The House has passed a jobs bill. Now is the time for the Senate to act. In his State of the Union address, President Obama urged the Senate to act quickly, and we join the president’s call to Congress and strongly urge the House and Senate to resist harmful blockades on the road to economic recovery.

Sincerely,

Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director Center for Community Change

Gregory Cendana, President United States Student Association

Wade Henderson, President and CEO Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO NAACP

Janet Murguía, President and CEO National Council of La Raza!

Steve Phillips, President PowerPAC

cc:

Senator Max Baucus Senator George LeMieux Senator Christopher Bond Senator Joseph Lieberman Senator Sherrod Brown Senator Blanche Lincoln Senator Susan Collins Senator Claire McCaskill Senator Senator Ben Nelson Senator Byron Dorgan Senator Mark L. Pryor Senator Judd Gregg Senator John D. Rockefeller Senator Kay R. Hagan Senator Olympia Snowe Senator Senator Debbie Stabenow Senator Amy Klobuchar Senator Senator Mary Landrieu Senator George Voinovich Senator Jim Webb !