GCCWP on front page of Campus Compact's "Current"

Photos from Student Hurricane Network (SHN) in Louisiana

The above are some pics of the group working on the bill, from Jonathan Rhodes.

1) SHN group working in the conference room at the Louisiana State Bar Association.
2) and 3) SHN group working at a different office in the law firm of Adams and Reese.
4) SHN group working from home on Good Friday.
5) SHN at a workers rights rally outside of our office at the LA Bar Association.
6) and 7) SHN meeting in NOLA.
8) SHN meeting in Mobile.

Student Hurricane Network Working for HR 4048

In this blog, Scott Hechinger describes his experience in New Orleans working with Student Hurricane Network and for the passage of HR 4048: The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act.

Right now, he is in the Gulf Coast with 20 law students as they travel to New Orleans, Mobile, and Biloxi for community meetings to get input about HR 4048

It is a good account of his initial reflections. Please note that Vitter has not come out against HR 4048 (it is not even in the Senate yet). Rather, Scott H. has confused S. 1668 with HR 4048. Vitter did come out against this bill, and stopped in its tracks, even though the entire Louisiana House members were behind it.

best, scott ml

'West coast legislation could aid gulf coast'

The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act: HR 4048 makes the news. Click here to read the full article, titled 'West coast legislation could aid gulf coast'.

3 upcoming meetings to discuss HR 4048: New Orleans, Mobile, and Biloxi

If you have contacts in the Gulf Coast region, please let them know about these 3 upcoming meetings in New Orleans, Mobile, and Biloxi.

Thanks, scott ml

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The Equity and Inclusion Campaign, Student Hurricane Network, and ACORN
will be convening meetings in New Orleans, Mobile, and Biloxi next week
to review the content of HR 4048, Gulf Coast Civic Works Act, and begin
a discussion about possible amendments to the bill. We envision these
meetings as a start to a much longer discussion about amending this
legislation. The meetings are scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, March 18, 1 - 4 PM:
New Orleans, LA
Greater New Orleans Foundation
1055 St. Charles Ave., Ste. 100
(Parking available in back of building through entrance on Caliope St.)

Wednesday, March 19, 5:30 - 8:30 PM:
Mobile, AL
Exact Location TBA

Thursday, March 20, 1 - 4 PM:
Biloxi, MS
Donal Snyder Community Center
2520 Pass Road

A summary of the bill is attached to this email for your review. The
full text of the bill can be found at:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4048.

Please forward this announcement to your networks. Email
jainey@equityandinclusion.org to RSVP or with any questions.

Jainey K. Bavishi
Equity and Inclusion Campaign Manager
Senior Program Associate, Community Engagement
Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
445 N. Sixth Street, Suite 200
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70801
Office: 225-383-1672
Cell: 225-772-2714
Fax: 225-383-1858

CA STATE SENATE PASSES GULF COAST RESOLUTION

NEWS RELEASE

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Contacts:
Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton (510) 508-5382, smlipton@sjsu.edu
Arianna Smith (916) 319-2022, Arianna.Smith@asm.ca.gov;
Office of Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Sally Lieber

CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE PASSES GULF COAST RESOLUTION
Students, Gulf Coast, Victorious in Vote

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Yesterday, the California State Senate passed Assembly Joint Resolution 22 on a 24-11 vote. AJR 22 urges California Congress members and the President to support the passage of House Resolution 4048: The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act. HR 4048 is based on the work of the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project (GCCWP), a movement begun by college students and faculty whose goal is to create civic work jobs and rebuild communities in the Gulf Coast region.

The Project was developed by students and faculty at San Jose State University, and support of the movement has now spread to over 40 colleges around the country. Today's vote represents a major victory for the students and faculty who been working for the past year to pass AJR 22. On the passage of AJR 22, Harold Bell, an SJSU senior involved with the GCCWP noted, "I think this is a sign that people are coming around to our vision of resurrecting the Gulf Coast. This California resolution is a wake-up call to the members of Congress that there is still a crisis in the Gulf Coast, and HR 4048 is one of the solutions."

AJR 22 was introduced in May 2007 by Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Sally Lieber after being inspired by the students involved in the GCCWP. The resolution passed the Assembly in September 2007. "Regardless of where we live, we have an obligation to call for action in the Gulf Coast region," said Lieber. "As Californians, we are also vulnerable to a variety of natural disasters, and we would not want to endure the kind of dismal federal response that the Gulf Coast residents received."

On November 1, HR 4048 was introduced into Congress by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), with original co-sponsorship from Reps. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) and Gene Taylor (D-MS). This legislation, which is also based on the work of college students, will establish a federal authority to coordinate recovery projects, rebuild key infrastructure, and revitalize the region's workforce by training and hiring 100,000 civic workers. The bill is currently in the House Education and Labor Committee, which is chaired by Rep. George Miller (D-CA).

The GCCWP estimates that the cost for HR 4048 would be between $4-10 billion a year, 80% of which would go straight to the civic workers. At the same time, $8 billion in unobligated funds from the FEMA's Disaster Recovery Fund remain unspent, as well as $20 billion in Gulf Coast rebuilding federal appropriations; both of these funding sources could be used to fund HR 4048.

California students and faculty have now partnered with regional partners (LA ACORN, All Congregations Together [ACT of New Orleans], Equity and Inclusion Campaign), as well as national partners (ColorofChange.org, RFK Human Rights Center, and Student Hurricane Network) to pass HR 4048.

Students from San Jose State University, Stanford, UC Berkeley, CSU Monterey Bay, and San Diego State University will be following up in the next month with the members of California's 53-member Congressional delegation asking that they co-sponsor HR 4048.

Chris Hauck, an SJSU senior involved in the project stated that, "The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act is not only a solution for the people and infrastructure of the Gulf Coast, but is also a step forward in an ongoing fight for equality and human rights. The GCCWA can be used as not only a solution for the Gulf Coast, but also a pilot project to create jobs and infrastructure solutions nationwide."

The complete text of AJR 22 can be found here.

The complete text of HR 4048 can be viewed here.

More information about the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project can be located here.

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HR 4048 to be considered at Minnesota Democratic State Convention

HR 4048 will be considered at the Minnesota Democratic State Convention, as reported by Peter Scholtes. You can read the full story here.

AMENDED VERSION OF AJR 22 INCLUDES HR 4048

AJR 22 has been amended to include HR 4048!

Click here to see the updated text of AJR 22.

The Katrina Diaspora in Photos

Direct link here.

Direct link here.