On March 5, at our fifth annual Legislative Policy Conference in Washington, DC, I had the pleasure of presenting the National Urban League’s 2008 Congressional Leadership Awards to four outstanding Congressmen for their work in support of the Urban League’s blueprint for economic equality which we call our Opportunity Compact.
Congressmen Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Barney Frank (D-MA) were joined by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) at a Capitol Hill awards ceremony recognizing their efforts in support of one of the four cornerstones of our Opportunity Compact: The Opportunity to Thrive, the Opportunity to Earn, the Opportunity to Own and the Opportunity to Prosper.
Congressman Regula was honored for his support of the NUL’s "Opportunity to Thrive" compact. Since 1997, he has been a leader in the fight to secure access to quality health care – especially for 6.6 million low and moderate income children – through the SCHIP program. In 2007, he and a bipartisan group of legislators waged a valiant battle for passage of a bill that would have expanded coverage and decreased the number of uninsured children in America.
SCHIP is a great example of what we mean when we talk about the "Opportunity to Thrive." Under this principle, the NUL believes that every child in America deserves to live a life free of poverty that includes a safe home environment, adequate nutrition, and affordable, quality health care. We applaud Congressman Regula for continuing to stand with us in that fight.
Congressman Barney Frank was honored for his support of the NUL’s "Opportunity to Own" compact. We believe that every adult in America should have access to the financial security that comes from owning a home. Congressman Frank has championed that goal through his leadership as Chairman of the Financial Services Committee where he is leading the fight to bring much-needed relief to homeowners threatened by the current mortgage foreclosure crisis.
Senator Chuck Hagel was honored for his work in support of the NUL’s "Opportunity to Earn" compact. Under this principle, the NUL believes that every willing adult in America should have a job that allows them to earn a decent wage and provide a reasonable standard of living for themselves and their families. Senator Hagel agrees. His work to create a national infrastructure bank would mean countless well-paying jobs for urban communities.
Finally, Senator John Kerry was recognized for his support of the "Opportunity to Prosper." Under this principle, the NUL believes that every individual in America who possesses entrepreneurial vision, ingenuity, drive and desire should have access to the resources needed to establish and grow a viable business enterprise. As Chairman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, we commend Senator Kerry for his strong leadership and support for minority businesses.
We were proud to honor these outstanding Congressional leaders at our 2008 Legislative Policy Conference. We encourage every citizen and every political leader to join them in a national movement to make the National Urban League’s Opportunity Compact a reality for all.
