The
NAJIT Advocacy Committee
has been involved in the following important subjects:
NAJIT Submits Comments to the Department of Homeland Security on LEP Guidance
On July 16, NAJIT submitted its comments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on its guidance document related to Executive Order 13166, Improving Access for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, 65 FR 50121. You may find our comments here.
NAJIT Letter in Support of S. 1329 The State Court Interpreter Program Act
On March 2, 2009, NAJIT released a statement in response to an article posted
on FOXNews.com. A Chicago man was arrested for allegedly targeting President
Obama and others in the administration with his HIV-infected blood sent through
the mail. The article describes major procedural issues with regards to interpreting.
You may read NAJIT's statement here.
The original article on FOXNews.com can be found here.
NAJIT and TAPIT Joint Letter opposing Nashville's English-only Proposal
On December 4, 2008, NAJIT
sent a letter to Mayor Karl Dean in opposition to Nashville's proposed
English-only charter amendment. Nashville held a special election on January
22, 2009, with early voting beginning on January 2nd.
*UPDATE*: The English-only measure was
defeated by Nashville voters.
Related resources:
The
Tennessean: English-only election allowed to proceed
Nashville
for All of Us
NAJIT Opposes Unmasking Iraqi Interpreters
On November 24, 2008,
NAJIT sent
a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asking him to rescind a
ruling which bars Iraqi interpreters working for the US Government in Iraq
from wearing masks to protect their identities from terrorists.
*UPDATE*: The Pentagon rescinded
the decision.
Related articles:
Washington
Post: Mask Ban Upsets Iraqis Hired as U.S. Interpreters.
Washington
Post: Pentagon Urged to Reverse Mask Ban.
New
Yorker: Military To Interpreters: Drop Dead
The
Oregonian: The Army's foolish and cruel policy
Your action needed on active Defense Authorization Bill
NAJIT recently sent a letter to Senators John McCain and Carl Levin in support of a proposed Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill, whereby 1500 special immigrant visas per year would be allotted to Afghan nationals or citizens who have performed valuable service to the government of the United States and whose lives are now in jeopardy because of their service.
Amendment 50, a separate Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill, recently passed by the House of Representatives would have the Defense and State Departments jointly establish and operate a temporary program to secure employment as translators, interpreters, or cultural awareness instructors to Iraqi nationals who are in the U.S. legally and who, from 2003 on, worked as translators in Iraq for the U.S. government for at least a year.
Proposed by Representative Steve Israel, Amendment 50 will soon to to Conference Committee, where representatives from both the Senate and the House will negotiate a final version. Our calculation is that the Defense Authorization Bill will go before the joint House-Senate Conference Committee the week of September 15th through September 19th. We urge our members to call and/or fax the offices of the following four congressman, the ranking party members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee, between September 15th and September 19th:
Congressman Ike Skelton
Phone: 202-225-2876
Congressman Duncan Hunter
Phone: (202) 225-5672
Fax: (202) 225-0235
Senator Carl Levin
Phone (202) 224-6221
Fax (202) 224-1388
Senator John McCain
Phone: 202-224-2235
Fax: 202-228-2862
Please refer to these talking points, and this sample letter.
Your
action needed in support of S. 702,
The State Court Interpreters Grant Program Act.
This landmark bill would authorize a new federal grant program to provide states with funding to develop, implement and expand state court interpreter programs. It has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but we need your help in building up a large cosponsorship count to give the bill momentum. Please contact your senator and ask them to cosponsor S.702. Click here for more details on this legislation.
NAJIT's Letter to Ohio's House and Senate on HB477: English-only legislation
The Ohio House of Representatives recently voted to make English the official language of the state. The bill would "require the use of the English language by state and local government entities in official actions and proceedings" as well as force all state and local agencies to "disclose how much it costs to provide services in languages other than English, and how they spent those funds."
NAJIT recently sent a letter to both the House and the Senate in opposition to HB477.
Advocacy Archives
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