Navigation

We'll be writing up something soon. Be sure to check out Dispatches on this issue as well as other resources in the sidebar. You can also use the issue menu to the right to navigate to related issues.

Resource Organizations

From the Dispatch

  • Dispatch image

    After Benefiting From Voter Furor Over Economy, Conservatives Prioritize Divisive Social Agenda in States

    Dec 02, 2010

    The morning after Election Day, conservative candidates across the country woke up to find themselves the beneficiaries of an historic national wave of voter anger over the state of the economy and record unemployment.  Yet in the first few weeks after this clear voter statement of frustration over the economy, conservative state lawmakers across the fifty states are already making it clear that their legislative priorities next year will include pushing a divisive social agenda - an agenda that remained largely hidden during the campaign.

  • Dispatch image

    Anti-immigrant Proposals Continue to Fail in Wake of Arizona’s Law

    Jul 26, 2010

    As this Dispatch will detail, after considerable media hype about Arizona-style bills sweeping across the nation, the reality is that from from Nevada to Arkansas to Massachusetts to Kansas and Rhode Island, anti-immigrant bills and ballot initiatives largely didn't move or failed to make this fall's ballot.  A key reason:  most state leaders and police chiefs recognize that requiring local governments to assume immigration enforcement responsibilities from the federal government will distract them from fighting violent crime and undermine trust with local residents that are essential to successful community policing.
  • Dispatch image

    Anti-Immigrant Amendments Fail in Massachusetts State Legislature

    Jul 01, 2010

    Yet another set of anti-immigrant proposals, this time offered as last-minute amendments to a Massachusetts state budget bill, failed to gain traction last week.  Twenty-seven pages of draconian anti-immigrant amendments were reduced to text that simply re-states existing bars on undocumented residents applying for public benefits.
  • Dispatch image

    Arizona "Copycat" Anti-Immigrant Bill Killed in Rhode Island Without a Hearing

    May 27, 2010

    Immigrant and workers' rights advocates celebrated a victory in Rhode Island this week with the announcement that State Rep. Peter Palumbo's anti-immigrant bill, closely based on Arizona's widely criticized SB 1070, would not get a hearing. Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox came out in opposition to Palumbo's bill, and decided to table it -- the proposal was drafted roughly ten days ago, just before the end of the state's legislative session.