Illinois and Chicago Leadership to Join Nation's Latino Policymakers at NALEO 30th Annual Conference in Chicago

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Illinois and Chicago leaders will join the largest gathering of Latino policymakers in the country in Chicago for the NALEO 30^th Annual Conference.  Considered the nation's annual Latino political convention, the event will take place June 27-29, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois.

This year's conference will feature more than 1,000 Latino public officials and supporters from communities across the country.  Conference participants will join policy leaders for panel discussions on various issues on the national agenda, including immigration reform, education, healthcare reform implementation, climate change, and an in-depth overview of the growing influence of Latinos in the Midwest. A preliminary agenda can be found on our website here.

Leaders from throughout the state of Illinois and city of Chicago will address the NALEO membership this year, including Ill. Governor Pat Quinn, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Ill. State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Ill. Legislative Latino Caucus Co-Chair and State Senator Iris Martinez, Chicago City Council Latino Caucus Chair Daniel Solis and Chicago Board of Education Vice-President Jesse Ruiz.

The three-day event will take place against the backdrop of several breaking developments.  Debate on comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the U.S. Senate is ongoing, with a vote expected to take place before the July 4^th recess. NALEO members will be gathered and poised to react to this legislation in Chicago, in addition to a number of notable U.S. Supreme Court case decisions that are expected.  These decisions will go to the heart of many issues that greatly affect the Latino community, including the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act, affirmative action, and Arizona's proof of citizenship requirement to register to vote.

The conference takes place less than a year after Latino voters made history in Election 2012, comprising 5.4 percent of Illinois voters and 8.4 percent of all voters nationwide.  Going forward, the Latino community is expected to increase their decisive influence on national elections.  NALEO Educational Fund projects that the eligible Latino electorate will reach 25.2 million in 2014, an increase of 18.5 percent from 2010.  This growth will continue in 2016, when the eligible Latino electorate is estimated to reach 28.5 million.

The NALEO conference has become the preeminent forum for our nation's leadership to engage Latino officials and the millions of constituents NALEO members represent. Last year's conference included back-to-back addresses by President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, the first time both candidates addressed the same Latino audience during the campaign.

The NALEO 30^th Annual Conference is made possible through the generous support of Presenting Sponsors, State Farm^® and Target. For information about the conference and registration, please visit the NALEO website at http://www.naleo.org/annualconference.

About NALEO
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials is the leadership organization of the nation's more than 6,000 Latino elected and appointed officials.

Contact: Amanda Bosquez, [email protected]
(202) 546-2536 ext. 12, (361) 548-6989 (cell)

Paula Valle Castanon, [email protected]
(213) 747-7606 ext. 4414, (323) 253-6431 (cell)

SOURCE National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)