Assembly member Mike Eng (at podium) and Assemblymember Warren Furutani (fifth right from podium) with members of the AANHPI community, many of whom testified in support of AB 1088 at the Policy Summit.

Legislation that will require two key state agencies to collect and disaggregate data on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 11.

Assembly Bill 1088 was introduced by Assemblymember Mike Eng, who worked closely with Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) to sponsor the bill and mobilize yearlong community support for passage. Over 1,200 individuals and 100 organizations representing the AANHPI and broader California community signed petitions and submitted letters, urging passage of the bill.

Over 30 ethnicities make up the AANHPI communities and each community experiences its own unique challenges. AB 1088 requires that data collected by the California Department of Industrial Relations and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing be disaggregated using the same categories as the Census, adding data on Bangladeshi, Fijian, Hmong, Indonesian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Thai, and Tongan – groups that are excluded from current law. In addition, the data will be made more accessible online.

The cost to the State of this new legislation is minimal, but the benefits are huge. Information about fast-growing communities will no longer be lumped into one or two broad categories and thus will help policy-makers, advocates, and elected officials better understand the issues that affect our communities.

Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) is the first and only project based in California’s capital with a focus on state legislative and budget advocacy for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. AACRE fights for critical legislation and funding on behalf of our diverse communities, and empowers APIs to be an active and effective force in advancing civil rights and social justice. Learn more about them at www.aacre.org.

Source: Posted on October 24, 2011 by CAA