The Congressional Black Caucus Roundtable: Looking Toward the 112th Congress

The Congressional Black Caucus
and the
Congressional Black Caucus Institute 21^st Century Council

First 2011 Conversation Series Roundtable Discussion
“Looking Toward the 112^th Congress” 

January 27, 2011
Annapolis, MD

On Thursday January 27, 2011, the Congressional Black Caucus met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute 21^st Century Council to hold its first Conversation Series Roundtable Discussion of 2011.

The Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) 21^st Century Council Conversation Series began in 2010. This series of roundtable discussions gives Council Members the opportunity to engage in in-depth policy talks with Members of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as with members of the Obama Administration. Topics of discussion center on current policy issues under consideration by the United States Congress and the 21^st Century Council itself. These forums give Council members and the organizations they represent unfettered, quality, direct access to federal policy makers not possible in other settings.

In 2010 the Council held its first Conversation session in Washington, DC. Both took place July 22, 2010 with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke at the Department of Commerce on the subject of African American Entrepreneurship and American trade. The second took place that same day at the White House. It featured Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Also in 2010, the Council partnered with CWA to present a telecommunications forum entitled, “High Speed Broadband for All”. This discussion was organized by Council staff and CWA. President Larry Cohen gave the keynote address while opening remarks came from Anna Gomez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Ms. Gomez serves as the principal advisor to President Obama on telecommunications and information policy. Broadband forum subject matter focused on two issues: Bridging the Digital Divide: Deployment and Adoption, and Protecting an Open Internet, Investment and jobs. Panelists included Blair Levin of the Aspen Institute Society Fellow, Debbie Goldman- CWA Director of Telecommunications Policy, Julius Hollis- President and CEO of the Alliance for Digital Equality, David Hill- Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Federal Advocacy for Verizon, Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee- Vice President and the first Director of the Media and Technology Institute for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and B. Maynard Scarborough a Regional National Engagement Officer with One Economy. CWA Director of Politics and Human Rights also participated in forum development and provided introductions during the event.

The CBCI 21^st Century Council is a public policy think tank. It includes leaders from all facets of business, labor, and the non profit sector sectors. Council members are leading experts in fields of healthcare, financial service/economic security, climate change/environment/energy, national security, transportation/infrastructure, communications/technology, and education. The Council was created and led by former House Majority Whip, now Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-SC). Together with CBCI Chair, former Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and current Ranking Members Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the council maintains an active quarterly meeting schedule focused on an aggressive policy agenda.

The 2011 Conversation Series:

This year’s Series got off to a great start on Thursday January 27^th as members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with 21^st Century Council members for a day of action that included a policy roundtable discussion along with specialized CBC meetings on internal issues. Despite bad weather Members of the Congressional Black Caucus arrived in Annapolis with an agenda that included merging the work of the Caucus with the 21^st Century Council. CBC Chair, the Honorable Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) chaired the meeting while Art Collins, Council Chair and CBCI board members helped lead the joint roundtable conversation between CBC members and Council members. This roundtable policy discussion centered on thee topics: Education led by Congresswoman Marsha Fudge (D-OH) filling in for Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL), Financial Services led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), and Healthcare led by Congresswoman and physician Dr. Donna Christensen (D-USVI).

During the Financial Services segment Rep. Waters outlined how she and CBC members of the House Financial Services Committee worked tirelessly and in some cases fervidly to move that House Committee toward inclusion of their issues including, but not limited to the Consumer, Minority, Shareholder and Foreclosure provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Frank-Dodd). During that discussion Congresswoman Waters focused on the advantages in the legislation for minorities throughout the United States. She gave a frank analysis of the ongoing negative effects of the foreclosure problem. Representative Waters pointed out the inclusion of a provision in Dodd-Frank on Proxy Access which “authorizes the SEC to issue rules on proxy access—giving shareholders the right to nominate members of the [company] Board- a right the SEC has been studying since 2003… This provision has long been supported by a number of stakeholders including institutional investors, public pension and retirement funds…[and] the AFL-CIO.”* CWA Director of Politics and Human Rights Alfonso Pollard participated in that portion of the discussion on behalf of working families in particular since CWA has taken an active posture with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights led by Dr. Wade Henderson.

The Financial Services discussion also focused on a component of Dodd-Frank that provides $1 billion in relief to distressed homeowners under the Emergency Assistance for Unemployed Homeowners, those who have lost their jobs but need sustained assistance while in job search. This money is in addition to Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) both offered by the Obama Administration early on in the housing crisis.

The day included a breakout session for 21^st Century Executive Council members and CBCI Board members. The primary focus of these talks was to finalize language and content for the 2011 Annual Report due to be released February, at the first quarter meeting of the Council. The Council has also released two critical reports that have been circulated throughout the Congress and forwarded to White House policy officials. CWA played a major role in developing telecommunications priorities outlined in the 2009 and 2010 reports (see pages 14 and 15 in each of the reports). This year’s report was a cooperative Council effort between CWA, Verizon, and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. The report follows through on subjects outlined in the CWA 21^st Century Council High Speed Broadband for All Report mentioned earlier. It includes recommendations to the Congressional Black Caucus on Expansion of the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline Assistance and Link-Up America Programs. It also calls for the establishment of a Digital Literacy Corps, Broadband Adoption, private investment and jobs. Labor representatives on the 21^st Century Council members were successful in moving the entire council to focus on jobs, being sure that each component of the report was clear in its recommendations to members of the Black Caucus, the Congress and the White House.

For more information about the 21^st Century Council and CWA’s work with the Congressional Black Caucus, please contact Alfonso M. Pollard, CWA’ Director of Politics and Human Rights on 202-434-1315 or apollard@cwa-union.org.

* Note: From the “Summary of Consumer, Minority, Shareholder and Foreclosure Provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” presentation by the Honorable Maxine Waters.