Governor Quinn to Sign Asian American Employment Plan Legislation (HB 4510) in Chinatown
What: Governor Pat Quinn’s public signing of the Asian American Employment Plan legislation
Where: Grand Hall of the Chinese American Service League
2141 S. Tan Court, Chicago, IL 60616
When: 11:00 am, Friday, July 27, 2012
Chicago, IL, July 25, 2012 – The Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) and the Chinese American Service League welcome Governor Pat Quinn to the heart of Chinatown for the signing of HB4510, the Asian American Employment Plan. Sponsored by Representative Edward Acevedo and Senator Tony Munoz, the legislation will be the first piece of legislation specifically benefiting Asian Americans in the State of Illinois.
Initiated by Theresa Mah and Josina Morita, founding members of the Asian American Policy Network, the legislation will require state agencies to report hiring, retention and promotion data for Asian Americans on an annual basis as well as require state agencies to set goals for Asian American hiring—as they already do for Latinos and African Americans. The Asian American Employment Plan would complement these already-existing plans in order to improve the quality of services for all residents of Illinois.
An additional provision of the legislation calls for the Governor to appoint members of the Asian American Employment Plan Advisory Council. This 11-member council will be composed of Asian Americans with expertise on Asian American issues and will provide consultation to state agencies and department on the implementation of the recommendations included in the annual reports.
Signed in the heart of Chinatown in the presence of bill sponsors and co-sponsors, members of the Asian American Policy Network and supporting organizations such as CASL and CBCAC, this legislation represents the first successful advocacy effort to emerge since the redrawing of state legislative boundaries in the 2011 redistricting process, which resulted in 23 districts at the state level with Asian American populations of 10 percent or more, including 4 districts that exceed 20 percent. State House District 2, where the bill is to be signed, is home to the second highest percentage of Asian Americans of House Districts in Illinois.