New Charge of the Commission
On October 11, 2007, Governor Martin O'Malley signed Executive Order 01.01.2007.21, placing the Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs within the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives. The Governor also reconstituteed the Commission and expanded its membership from 17 to 21 to better reflect the growth and diversity of the Maryland Hispanic Community.
Pursuant to the Executive Order, the Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs has been charged with engaging the Hispanic community in partnership with State government to promote their social, cultural, and business interests. Specifically, the duties and responsibilities of the Commission are to:
- Serve as an advisory body to the Governor and agencies within the Executive Department on issues relating to the Hispanic population of Maryland, including economic, workforce, and business development matters;
- Identify needs or problems affecting Hispanics, and develop appropriate responses and programs;
- Conduct outreach to Hispanic groups and communities in the State, and communicate information to them concerning public and private programs that are beneficial to their interests;
- Review and comment on any proposed federal, State or local Legislation, regulations, policies, or programs that affect the Hispanic population of Maryland;
- Generally comment and make appropriate recommendations on matters affecting the health, safety and welfare of the Hispanic population of Maryland
To more efficiently execute this charge and more effectively distribute these reponsibilities, the newly formed Commission held a strategic planning meeting to identify priorities and develop a systematic work plan. The commission identified key issue areas that reflect the strenths and weaknesses of the Hispanic population in Maryland.
Identified Facts
- The historic growth of the Hispanic community is creating tremendous momentum. While this gives the Hispanic community incredible opportunities for advancement and improvement, it also carries certain vulnerabilities that must be addressed
- The Hispanic community has firmly established cultural values and a strong work ethic
- Hispanics have already made a positive impact on the state's economy and as the number of Hispanic owned businesses grows the future impact will be substantial
- Although Hispanic Maryland have come from 23 countries, a powerful sense of unity is emerging from the Hispanic community. Hispanics tend to be involved in and responsive to community outreach programs
- Hispanic Heritage is having an increased impact not only in the Hispanic community but in population trends of the mainstream culture. This influence can be greatly enhanced by forming alliances and working closely with non-Hispanic organizations that share the overall goals and concerns of the Hispanic community
- Maryland's Hispanic community is both politically aware and active. The greatest impact of the growing Hispanic community however, will likely be seen in the voting booth. The potential political impact of this growing community cannot be overlooked or overstated. The Hispanic vote will almost certainly have a tremendous impact on the presidential election and the outcome of local elections in the state of Maryland this year. This influence will only increase in years to come
- The tremendous growth of the Hispanic community contains the threat of backlash and the promise of this historic occurrence can be undermined if action is not taken. Many in the media have elected to scapegoat recent arrivals in the Hispanic community as the source of economic and employment problems. By working with other minority groups the effects of this backlast can be mitigated if not halted. There is much to learn from focusing on civil rights and human rights.
In order to better address these issues, the Commission created five policy-based subcommitties.
Education
Members: Lea Ybarra (Chair), Lydia Espinosa Crafton, Richard Cook, Maria Pinto Johnson, Ricardo Martinez, Hector Manzano
Mission: Develop a stated vision that will guide the committee's work specific goals with a timetable.
- Collect and evaluate the resources and data on Latino students in Maryland in order to establish a baseline, determine the needs and set the goals.
- A presentation to the board and other policy-making bodies on the state of Latino education in Maryland.
- Identify the successful programs/best practices/lessons learned in addressing Latino student needs.
- Identify the top one or two programs and help to inform the community statewide and develop a method of establishing a statewide communication mechanism for the Latino community
- Address the economic impact of the proposed in-state tuition.
Health and Human Services
Members: Sonia Mora (Chair), Carmen Ortiz Larsen, Elizabeth Bellavance, Lilly Cubano, Luisa Montero, Maria Welch
Mission: Enhance the health and well being of Latinos living in the state of Maryland by developing, implementing, and/or monitoring strategies that respond to the health-related needs of Latinos in Maryland through the establishment of partnerships with key stakeholders including public administrators, service providers, policy makers, legislators, and Latino community leaderes.
- Improve the Collection, Analysis, and Reporting of Health Data for Latinos
- Work with the DHMH to ensure that its data collection systems include the ethnic category of "Hispanic/Latino," as well as "country of origin," and preferred language
- Work with DHMH and local jurisdictions to ensure that local health departments and managed care organizations receiving state funds are aware of the need to follow best practices and federal and state guidelines for the collection, analysis, and reporting of racial and ethnic data
- Ensure Access to and Quality of Health Care
- Work with the DHMH to improve current processes in place for enrollment of eligible individuals to the Maryland Health Insurance Program and to increase the use of medical services under this program
- Work with other key stakeholders to advocate for health insurance for all individuals living in Maryland
- Ensure the Availability of Culturally and Linguistically Competent Health Services
- Work with the DHMH to develop and implement the necessary policies, structures, and practices to systematically provide access to Limited English Proficiency Latinos
Business, Economic and Workforce Development
Members: Carmen Ortiz Larsen (Chair), Veronica Cool, Nicolas Ramos, Hector Manzano, Maria Welch, Roberto Hylton
Mission: To increase the sustainability of Hispanic Business and icnrease the representation of Hispanics in the workforce at all levels.
- Identify key priorities in the Hispanic small business community and develop strategies for advocating or supporting its implementation
- Identify needs closing the gap for Hispanics in mid to upper management and develop strategies for advocating or supporting its implementation
- Facilitate linkages/communication between Hispanic business organizations and economic development organizations throughout the State
- Establish a website/directory of Hispanic small business by product/service and a job board for Latino professionals and management staff
Housing and Community Development
Members: Christina Diaz Malone (Chair), Nicolas Ramos, Ellizabeth Bellavance, Arelis Perez
Mission: To mitigate homeownership foreclosures in the Hispanic community due to predatory and unsafe lending practices and to sustain efforts to increase homewornership rate of Hispanics in the state. To increase awareness and promote involvement on issues related to transportation and community outreach.
- Develop strategies to engage community on statewide foreclosure prevention and foreclosure intervention efforts
- Work to promote opportunities to work with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and existing service delivery network to ensure Latino participation in programs and to increase homeownership rate
- To promote creation of a network of education and information providers in the community that can deliver accurate information on home purchase and home refinancing
- To work with community leaders to ensure input into issues pertaining to transportation and other community development issues
Public Policy and Information
Members: Ricardo Flores (Public Policy Chair), Javier Bustamante (Information Chair), Hector Manzano, Mariana Cordier, Elizabeth Ysla Leight
Public Policy
Mission: To monitor and disseminate to the general public and Maryland government information on public policy matters of importance to the Latino community
- Draft and publicize as-it-happens email updates on new legislation relevant to the Latino community during each General Assembly session; draft and publicize periodic updates the remainder of the year on other policy issues as necessary
- Meet with the departmental heads of each Maryalnd state agency that is dealing with issues of importance to the Hispanic community
- Help to raise funds to support the New Americans Initiative, a large-scale civic engagement program helping immigrants become citizens and responsible civic participants
- To work with community leaders to ensure input into issues pertaining to transportation and other community development issues
Information:
Mission: To monitor, disseminate and when necessary respond to media coverage of matters of importance to the Latino community.
- Create a comprehensive database on media personnel and outlets: reporters, print media outlets, TV, radio and web-based outlets
- Make available to the general public a Speaker's Bureau of Hispanics accomplished in their fields
- Respond to negative coverage of Latinos in the local Maryland media, either through partners in the field, in Commissioner's individual capacities, or when possible as a Commission
- Create an updated, user friendly and interactive Commission website
- Create a new commission brochure
Conclusion
Given the current profile of the Maryland Hispanic community, the Commission acknowledges the promises and the challenges facing Hispanics in the state. The Commission is wholly committed to addressing these issues, removing impediments to progress and helping the Hispanic community build a brighter future for Maryland. The Commission will work with the people of Maryland to safeguard our heritage as a compassionate people with high standards with regard to social, economic, and environmental stewardship. Our efforts to increase communication venues for access to resources, and education to ensure and safeguard the availability of these resources, will enable Maryland to benefit from the energy and hope of our people.