Advocacy Day Report (2015)
SUMMARY OF 2015 PICC ADVOCACY DAY
On April 20, 2015 immigrant and refugee community members, advocates and allies convened in Harrisburg to talk to legislators about issues affecting immigrant and refugee communities in Pennsylvania.
Participants:
Over 60 immigrant and refugee community members and staff from 14 organizations attended this year’s event. Participants came from many areas in Pennsylvania, including: Allentown, Centre County, Chambersburg, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Lancaster, Philadelphia metro area, Reading, West Chester, and York.
Legislative Visits:
The issues identified for this year’s advocacy day were based upon PICC’s 2015/16 advocacy priorities, as decided by members on March 23, 2015. Participants sought support for four policies that would help improve the lives of immigrant and refugee communities in Pennsylvania and advocated against a recently introduced anti-immigrant piece of legislation.
- PA Dream Act: a bill to provide tuition equity for all students in Pennsylvania regardless of immigration status
- Driver’s Licenses for All: a bill to provide access to a driver’s license for all qualified drivers regardless of immigration status
- Minimum Wage: supporting a raise of the Pennsylvania minimum wage to $10.10
- Fair Funding for Education: supporting a fair funding formula for schools in Pennsylvania
- SB9 and other anti-immigrant bills: a bill requiring additional ID verification when applying for public benefits
Participants met with legislators and staff from over 40 offices, and dropped off information at over 50 additional offices. Below is a summary of the responses from legislators (or staff) to the specific ask for support on each issue.