Media is invited to a Press Conference at 10:30 AM in Room 305
Des Moines…The Iowa-Nebraska NAACP State Area Conference of Branches will announce its 2016 legislative agenda for Iowa during the NAACP Day on the Hill, a day dedicated to advocating for legislative changes at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.
The NAACP Day on the Hill will be held from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM on Wednesday February 10. The Iowa NAACP Legislative Priorities will be announced at the 10:30 AM Press conference in Room 305. The press conference will feature remarks from the presidents of various NAACP branches from across the state. The remainder of the day will feature constituent lobby training; committee meetings; issue briefing; and meetings with individual legislators.
The NAACP has increased its advocacy at the state level in Iowa to strive for systematic changes. This year at the 3rd Annual Iowa Summit on Justice & Disparities, an event sponsored by the NAACP, Governor Terry Branstad announced the appointment of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Working Group, which included the Iowa Nebraska NAACP President Betty C. Andrews and leadership from several state government agencies involved in the justice system. The working group submitted reform recommendations in November.
In his 2016 Condition of the state address, Governor Branstad also highlighted the criminal justice reform recommendations and of the work of the NAACP. Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady also lauded the NAACP’s work in his 2015 the State of the Judiciary Address.
Over the past couple of years, the Iowa NAACP has worked with legislators to produce and bolster proposed legislation on racial profiling, juvenile records sealing and fair chance hiring, also known as Ban the Box. The group will also advocate around other relevant pieces of legislation during their lobby day on February 10, 2016.
For additional information, contact the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP at 515.288.7171, 515.729.2969 or IowaNebraskaNAACP@gmail.com.
NAACP
Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. The Iowa-Nebraska NAACP State Conference of Branches was founded in 1939. ###
