The past three decades have seen significant growth in immigration to the United States from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. In fact, Latinos now comprise the largest ethnic group in the United States. Immigrants face health challenges that are distinct from those of the native-born population. Some of these challenges are specific to each group's culture and circumstances of settlement, while others are common to immigrants as a whole. This report, by focusing on Latino immigrants, provides perspective on the group of newcomers that is both the largest and the one for which the most research has been completed.

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Date Published: 2004

The following is a brief review of some of the available evidence of what transpired on November 7, 2006, when the Democrats gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The black vote played a critical role in the outcome of a number of closely contested elections, especially for the U.S. Senate. In particular, this review focuses on the behavior and significance of African American voters in the 2006 midterm elections and on the changing number and profile of black candidates for federal and statewide offices, as well as their performance at the polls.

Dr. Brian Perkins, Chair of the National Black Caucus of School Board Members, a member of the New Haven, Connecticut school board, and a member of the faculty at the Columbia University Teachers College, reviews the education policy proposals of Senators McCain and Obama and argues for re-structuring and full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act.

As computers and the Internet become more critical to daily life and work, America will benefit greatly from expanding the reach and capacity of broadband networks. The lack of access and technical literacy for some impacts quality of life, economic development, health care, education, environmental sustainability, public safety, and civic engagement for all U.S. communities. The federal, state, and local governments, in collaboration with the private sector, must play an active role in stimulating adoption and use of advanced broadband connections.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (FMWA), which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, January 10th and taken up by the U.S. Senate the week of January 22nd, will raise the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour by 2009. The minimum would be raised in three steps: to $5.85 within 60 days of becoming law, then to $6.55 a year after that, and finally to $7.25 the following year.

How many workers might the Act affect if it is passed this year and if the minimum is then raised to $7.25 by 2009? How might the effects differ by race and ethnicity?

These important questions have no simple answers. Informative estimates can nevertheless be produced through analysis of the hourly wages that workers reported in the most recent Annual Demographic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), which was conducted in March 2006. Workers who reported earnings between $5.15 (the current federal minimum wage) and $5.85 might be affected by the increase that the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 would implement within 60 days of its passage; those earning between $5.85 and $6.55, and between $6.55 and $7.25 might benefit from the second and third increases proposed in the Act. Workers who reported earnings greater than the proposed federal minimum wage of $7.25 by 2009 may also see their wages increase by that time, as some states implement planned increases in their minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum.

The Director of the Joint Center’s Health Policy Institute, Dr. Brian D. Smedley, discusses the health implications of an Obama administration and the challenges to health care reform in trying economic times.

Given the recent national discourse on health care reform, Joint Center Senior Research Associate Wilhelmina Leigh and Research Assistant Anna Wheatley conducted a multi-variable analysis to identify and assess racial/ethnic differences among children on selected health outcomes, specifically, low birthweight, asthma, dental care, ADHD/ADD-LD and activity limitation and by sociodemographic characteristics of their families.

The upcoming decennial census will have an enormous impact on political representation and allocation of government funding.

During the only televised debate of the major vice-presidential candidates in the 2004 election cycle, moderator Gwen Ifill asked Dick Cheney and John Edwards about the crisis among African-American women, and what they-if elected-would do about it.

With $10 billion in Medicaid spending reductions under consideration by Congress, the issue of Medicaid has returned to the forefront of the nation’s public policy debate. One recurring proposal to limit federal Medicaid spending would place firm caps on either Medicaid enrollment or federal Medicaid spending.