Crespo works to revive Hispanic task force’s legislative agenda

Apart from a single newsletter in 2013, the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force has not published a comprehensive legislative agenda since 2009. Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, who took over the task force a year ago, aims to change that.

Crespo was appointed chairman of the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force by Speaker Carl Heastie in February 2015 after the previous task force leader, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, was named assistant speaker of the Assembly.

Crespo’s appointment came only about five weeks ahead of the Albany spring conference of Somos el Futuro, a partner organization, and a spokesman from his office said that was not enough time to publish a legislative agenda before the conference.

State-level legislative caucuses and interest groups regularly develop annual lists of their priorities with the aim of promoting or blocking certain bills in Albany.

Guillermo Martinez, Crespo’s legislative and communications director, said in an email that there will be “some form of a legislative agenda” for this year’s spring conference.

The conference is scheduled for March 18-20, just a little over a week before the state budget is due. With that timeline in mind, the task force has introduced nine bills dealing with issues brought up at last year’s conference to address this session.

“A legislative agenda is in place via the current lot of letters to the speaker on issues that need to be addressed in the budget,” he said. “With regards to legislation, the Task Force membership will be setting their priority bills after our conference. Setting a priority of key bills to push prior to end of session is in the works.”

When Assemblyman Peter Rivera was chairman of the task force from 2003 to 2008, he released 18 reports on issues impacting Hispanic or Latino New Yorkers.

Although no legislative agenda was published last year, Crespo issued several reports addressing poverty and diversity.

Since he began leading the task force, Crespo has been particularly focused on the lack of diversity in SUNY schools and the government workforce. A new policy has been adopted at SUNY that requires each of its 64 campuses to have a chief diversity officer. The chief diversity officers have direct access and reporting requirements to campus presidents.

The Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force is also focusing on the lack of Hispanics in state government. The task force released a four-page report last fall detailing the need for legislative action on the issue of representation.

Last year, Crespo’s office also released two reports on poverty rates among children and the elderly in the state. After the reports were released, three hearings and roundtable discussions were held statewide.

Crespo is also a member of the Anti-Poverty Work Group, which Heastie formed in January.

“In terms of moving the ball forward, it’s a great thing. There was no discussion on some of these issues prior to the assemblyman releasing those reports,” Martinez said. “To have hearings across the state on it, to have working groups focused on these issues, is tremendous.”