The Serrano Report, Vol. VII, #5

Statement

Serrano Holds CPSC Hearing

On Thursday, Congressman Serrano chaired a hearing on the fiscal year 2011 budget request for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), one of the agencies his subcommitteee oversees. During the hearing the Chair of the CPSC, Inez Tenenbaum, and one of the commissioners, Nancy Nord, discussed the budget needs of the Commission and how they were implementing the reforms required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

During his questioning, Serrano emphasized that the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was enacted in response to a surge in product hazards and product recalls, and that the CPSC had to ensure that safety remained a top priority as the law was implemented. "I am interested in knowing how implementation is going right now, whether industry is complying, and whether the CPSC is devoting adequate resources toward enforcing the new law's many important consumer protections," said Serrano. He also raised concerns about recalls among imported goods, saying, "The volume of imported products has doubled in the past 15 years, and while imports account for 20 percent of all consumer product purchases, they account for more than 80 percent of recent product recalls."

Serrano Meets with CDFI Director

On Thursday, Congressman Serrano met with Donna Gambrell, the Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. During the meeting, they discussed the CDFI's initiatives for the coming year. One of these proposals is for a "Healthy Food Financing Initiative", which would provide $25 million to help increase the availability of affordable, healthy foods in underserved urban and rural communities. Serrano agreed with the director about the significance of this program, emphasized how important the availability of healthy foods is to the Bronx, and promised to work with the Director on this proposal.

2010 Census Begins

Next week, Bronx residents will receive a letter asking them to be on the lookout for their 2010 Census form, which will arrive later this month. The 2010 Census is a once a decade event that provides important information about the growth and changes in the Bronx and across the United States. It is important to promptly fill out the form and mail it back once you receive it.

"I strongly urge all Bronx residents to fill out and return their Census forms as soon as they receive them," said Serrano. "The Census form is easy to fill out, and is completely confidential--your answers cannot be shared even with another federal agency. The Bronx has suffered from undercounts in the past, which hurts our efforts to ensure our fair share of federal funding from more than 400 programs. The 2010 Census provides an important snapshot of our community- and how it continues to grow and change."

The Census must be filled out by all individuals residing in the United States, regardless of citizenship status. All information contained in the Census is completely confidential, and cannot be shared with law enforcement or immigration authorities. There are no questions about citizenship or residency status on the form.

To watch a video of Congressman Serrano talking about the importance of the 2010 Census, click here. To view a Spanish version of the message, please click here.
Grant Opportunities
Immigration Integration Grant

Application Deadline: April 30, 2010

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the availability of funding to promote immigrant integration through direct citizenship services to legal permanent residents (LPRs). The Citizenship and Integration National Capacity Building Grant Program will fund organizations for capacity building or technical assistance to build or strengthen their citizenship preparation programs. Public and private institutions of higher learning and 501(c)(3) not for profit organizations are encouraged to apply.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the USCIS website.

For information on other government grants, please go to: www.grants.gov.

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