UnidosUS on Biden’s First Year
Latino Priorities, and Long-Term Action he report, Biden’s T First Year: Latinos See Progress, But
Permanent Investments AreNeeded,identifieskey policies spearheaded by the Biden administration that improved (and will improve) the lives of Latino families — including the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). These investments, however, fall short of the full promise of the Biden administration’s “Build Back Better” recovery agenda for workers and families, which would help reduce entrenched health and economic disparities in the Latino community. “Latino families across the country have clearly benefitted from the economic relief President Biden secured early in his administration. But this temporary relief is no substitute for permanent investments,” stated UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “Without full enactment of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, Latino workers, families, children, and students will continue to face barriers to reaching their full potential and compromises a lasting, equitable recovery for everyone.” The one-year progress report also updates the
Latino Inclusion Tracker, which UnidosUS first unveiled in 2021 following Biden’s first 100 days. The tracker monitors the administration’s actions and progress on key issues such as COVID-19 response, economic relief efforts, education, immigration, racial equity, and presidential appointments, among others. In its report, UnidosUS warns that, without further action by the Biden administration, progress in 2022 will stall, along with any hopes of a lasting or equitable recovery. UnidosUS points to the following critical actions the Biden administration must take to fulfill its promise to reduce racial disparities and rebuild the nation for the benefit of everyone, including the Latino community: • Expanded access to affordable health coverage • Permanent extension of ARPA’s Child Tax Credit expansions • Reduced food insecurity for Latino children • Rental and homeowner assistance to keep families in their homes • Protection from deportation for frontline workers • Expanded access to Pell Grants and college completion grants for Latinx students The full report, Biden’s First Year: Latinos See Progress, But Permanent Investments Are Needed, can be found at www.unidosus.org/ publications/bidens-first-year/
I Am Vanessa Guillén Act Brings Military Reform
alls for justice in the killing of Army C Spc. Vanessa Guillén have been partly answered as relatives, lawmakers, celebrities
and advocates celebrate the passage of the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act to help and protect victims of sexual violence in the military. Vanessa Guillén, 20, was a private first class stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. She was last seen at a parking lot at the base in April 2020. Her dismembered remains were found near the base two months later. She was promoted to specialist posthumously. Guillén’s family said she had told relatives and colleagues at Fort Hood, which has some of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, that she had been sexually harassed at the base. Key parts of the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act became law after they were included in the $770 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which President Joe Biden signed Dec. 27. It includes criminalizing sexual harass-
ment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, improving how certain officials respond to sex-related offenses through independent investigations and removing the decision to prosecute sexual misconduct cases from service members’ chains of command. The new law excludes commanders from being involved in military sexual harassment or sexual assault investigations by directing them to request independent investigations within 72 hours of receiving formal complaints from members of the armed forces. The commanders must also forward the complaints to their next superior officers in the chain of command who are authorized to convene general courts-martial. To enforce further oversight, the law also creates a mechanism to track allegations of retaliation by victims of sexual misconduct and moves prosecutorial decisions in cases involving retaliation to special prosecutors.
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TDCJ.TEXAS.GOV February/febrero 2022, Vol. 16, Issue 2
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