At our
fifth
annual
Legislative
Policy
Conference,
held
recently
in
Washington,
D.C., I
had the
pleasure
of
presenting
the
National
Urban
League's
2008
Congressional
Leadership
Awards
to four
outstanding
congressmen
for
their
work in
support
of the
Urban
League's
blueprint
for
economic
equality
which we
call our
Opportunity
Compact.
Reps.
Ralph
Regula,
R-Ohio,
and
Barney
Frank,
D-Mass.,
were
joined
by
Sens.
John
Kerry,
D-Mass.,
and
Chuck
Hagel,
R-Neb.,
at
a
Capitol
Hill
awards
ceremony
recognizing
their
efforts
in
support
of
one
of
the
four
cornerstones
of
our
Opportunity
Compact:
The
Opportunity
to
Thrive,
the
Opportunity
to
Earn,
the
Opportunity
to
Own
and
the
Opportunity
to
Prosper.
Regula
was
honored
for
his
support
of
the
NUL's
"Opportunity
to
Thrive"
compact.
Since
1997,
he
has
been
a
leader
in
the
fight
to
secure
access
to
quality
health
care
-
especially
for
6.6
million
low-
and
moderate-income
children
-
through
the
State
Children's
Health
Insurance
Program.
In
2007,
he
and
a
bipartisan
group
of
legislators
waged
a
valiant
battle
for
passage
of
a
bill
that
would
have
expanded
coverage
and
decreased
the
number
of
uninsured
children
in
America.
SCHIP
is
a
great
example
of
what
we
mean
when
we
talk
about
the
"Opportunity
to
Thrive."
Under
this
principle,
the
league
believes
that
every
child
in
America
deserves
to
live
a
life
free
of
poverty
that
includes
a
safe
home
environment,
adequate
nutrition,
and
affordable,
quality
health
care.
We
applaud
Regula
for
continuing
to
stand
with
us
in
that
fight.
Frank
was
honored
for
his
support
of
the
league's
"Opportunity
to
Own"
compact.
We
believe
that
every
adult
in
America
should
have
access
to
the
financial
security
that
comes
from
owning
a
home.
Frank
has
championed
that
goal
through
his
leadership
as
chairman
of
the
Financial
Services
Committee
where
he
is
leading
the
fight
to
bring
needed
relief
to
homeowners
threatened
by
the
current
mortgage
foreclosure
crisis.
Hagel
was
honored
for
his
work
in
support
of
the
NUL's
"Opportunity
to
Earn"
compact.
Under
this
principle,
the
league
believes
that
every
willing
adult
in
America
should
have
a
job
that
allows
them
to
earn
a
decent
wage
and
provide
a
reasonable
standard
of
living
for
themselves
and
their
families.
Hagel
agrees.
His
work
to
create
a
national
infrastructure
bank
would
mean
countless
well-paying
jobs
for
urban
communities.
Kerry
was
recognized
for
his
support
of
the
"Opportunity
to
Prosper."
Under
this
principle,
the
league
believes
that
every
individual
in
America
who
possesses
entrepreneurial
vision,
ingenuity,
drive
and
desire
should
have
access
to
the
resources
needed
to
establish
and
grow
a
viable
business
enterprise.
As
chairman
of
the
Small
Business
and
Entrepreneurship
Committee,
we
commend
Kerry
for
his
strong
leadership
and
support
for
minority
businesses.
We
were
proud
to
honor
these
outstanding
leaders
at
our
2008
Legislative
Policy
Conference.
We
encourage
every
citizen
and
every
political
leader
to
join
them
in
a
national
movement
to
make
the
National
Urban
League's
Opportunity
Compact
a
reality
for
all.
