OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon is adding her name to a resolution in support of comprehensive immigration reform this week at the annual meeting of the National Lt. Governors Association (NLGA).
"So many immigrants arrived in this country when they were just children, and when they succeed in our country, we all benefit," said Simon, the Midwest Region Chair of NLGA. "In Illinois, we recognize the tremendous economic benefit of these children and their families."
During the NLGA annual meeting, lieutenant governors will meet with experts on fracking and the federal farm bill, and are expected to vote on a bipartisan resolution supporting immigration reform and a way for foreign students to become valued members of the U.S. workforce. The U.S. Senate has passed immigration reform that would improve border safety and provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The bill is currently awaiting House action.
While at the conference, Simon will receive the 2013 Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership from Americans for the Arts and the NLGA. The award recognizes leaders who work to advance the arts and arts education. In June, Simon helped launch the Illinois Arts Education Advisory Committee, which is tasked with developing a new state-level policy agenda for increasing arts education access and quality in Illinois. Prior to serving as Lt. Governor, Simon, a musician herself, spent five years as a member of the Illinois Arts Council.
DATE: Wednesday, July 17 - Thursday, July 18
PLACE: Skirvin Hotel, One Park Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK, 73102
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