USCM resolutions address oil spill, immigration
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Arizona’s new immigration law were subjects of resolutions at the 78th Annual Meeting of the Washington-based U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), held this week in Oklahoma City. They were among 90 resolutions passed in the business session on Monday, the final day at the conference.
The mayors passed unanimously by voice vote a resolution on the BP oil spill that was put forth by the mayors of Baton Rouge, La., and Tallahassee, Fla. The resolution calls for stepped up federal efforts to access, mitigate and recover from the environmental and economic damage of the spill, and calls for the administration to work closely with mayors and other local officials in all phases of the national response.
Regarding Arizona’s immigration law, which allows law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of people they suspect are in the country illegally, the mayors passed, by strong majority, a resolution that supports comprehensive immigration reform, as well as one that opposes the Arizona law. “It is time for federal action. We urgently call on both parties to lay down their political swords and work together for the common good of families who are struggling to make ends meet,” said USCM President and Burnsville, Minn., Mayor Elizabeth Kautz.
The state of the economy and need for more jobs were also topics of concern at the conference. “If this country is indeed emerging from a recession as national economists say, many, many people in our cities don’t feel it. The jobs picture in our cities is still dire, and we need immediate federal action to make sure the recovery arrives on Main Street,” Kautz said. In unemployment numbers released during the meeting, 148 of the nation’s 363 metropolitan areas still will have unemployment rates above 10 percent by the end of this year, with 110 metro areas facing double-digit unemployment by the end of 2011.
Download information on these and more actions taken at the conference.