Joe Baca: “this is just a modest step in the right direction to deal with civil rights. As we look at the support that we have…”

“this is just a modest step in the right direction to deal with civil rights. As we look at the support that we have right now, we have support from the national Congress of American Indians that represents 250 tribal governments; we have the support of the National Hispanic Legislation Agenda; we have the support of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and Rural Coalitions that represent somewhere around 350 colleges and universities. This is an important step in making sure that we deal with civil rights and provide the funding for many individuals that have been discriminated against in the past. Our population continues to grow. As I stated earlier, we have 16 percent of the total population being Hispanic right now, representing 42 million right now in the United States, including Puerto Rico. We need to make sure that adequate funding is there to provide civil rights and protection for individuals and minorities or others who have filed a complaint, to make sure farmers and others have an opportunity to progress and harvest their farms in a timely manner. Without the civil rights complaint, it becomes very difficult for individuals to be heard and their voices. We need to make sure those voices are heard on an equal plane.”