Hispanic Bar Association Pushes DREAM Forward; Marriage Equality Advocates Court Young Conservatives

Hispanic Bar Association Pushes Forward on DREAM Act. The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) has started a new campaign to push the DREAM Act for the country’s undocumented college students. The campaign aims at creating a model resolution in state legislatures across the country, urging Congress to take up and pass the full DREAM Act. The efforts of the group will center on grassroots activism, meant to keep the topic alive in national debates. The group says passage of the bill will help 65,000 DREAMers, or college-attending youth that receive in-state tuition, so long as they stay in school or enter the military. The group hopes the implementation will help DREAMers find a proven pathway to success, by pushing legislation that would help them get a college degree. “The DREAM act is a matter of simple justice and fairness,” HNBA President Benny Agosto Jr. said. “It is good for our country, and it is the right thing to do. When it comes to making the DREAM Act a reality, HNBA is in it for the long run. And we appreciate our partners who share the same vision for the Act.” [Hispanically Speaking News]

Firefighters Win Right to Federal Health Insurance. Seasonal firefighters yesterday won access to federally funded health care, which was previously withheld from the 8,000 men and women.  White House officials announced that the group would gain access to the plans this month, pending approval from the President later this month. The decision comes after a group of South Dakota-based firefighters who helped quell the raging fires in Colorado filed a petition seeking health benefits, after a fellow member was left with a $70,000 hospital bill after his son was born prematurely. The firefighters quickly drew more than 125,000 signatures for their drive, mostly due to the ongoing discussion over the need for increased health care coverage. “That’s amazing. Wow,” said Constance Van Kley, the wife of firefighter Nathan Ochs, who has no health care, and is still fighting to pay off their son’s medical bills since their son premature birth. The legislation to provide such care was brought forth by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) on Tuesday, though such action will not be necessary if the President signs off on the order. DeGette, though, was thrilled to hear of the President’s decision, saying, “In recent weeks, this fight has clearly reminded all of us what we owe to the people whose sacrifice and personal risk protect our homes, our families, and our communities.” [The Washington Post]

Marriage Equality Group Courts Young Conservatives to Join the Movement. As support for marriage equality among the general population has grown over the past few years, so too have efforts by LGBT groups to try and spread support among young conservatives. The groups, led by Freedom to Marry, believe that they can highlight the growing support amongst the youth demographic, along with sentiment that their beliefs are in-line with conservative principles to court the group. Their efforts may be working already, as a recent Washington Post-ABC News Poll showed that although 61 percent of all Republicans believe same-sex marriage should be illegal, the 18-44 year-old demographic were evenly split on the issue. Freedoms to Marry’s efforts have found support from various conservatives that have been invited to the group’s series of salons on marital equality. “The one thing we found in the Republican salon is there was a lot of young people who came, and they pretty much all supported the freedom to marry,” said the group’s political director Marc Solomon. “They felt there wasn’t a place for them – an organized place for them to be both conservative and support gay and lesbian couples’ freedom to marry. So this was an outgrowth of that.” [Huffington Post]

Christopher Boan is a journalism intern with Campus Progress.

Related Stories

• Being Gay and Catholic
• Love Triangles With a Side of Sex-Ed: Welcome to “East Los High”
• NWL: ‘Old Enough to Get Pregnant, Old Enough to Decide’
• How This North Carolina Bill Will Restrict Health Care for Minors
• All You Need to Know About The Heritage’s Problematic Study [LINKS]

Story Tags

• dream_act
• immigration reform
• LGBTQ Equality
• Marriage Equality
• affordable education