From an email press release from our friends at Asian Pacific American Coalition of CT: "Governor Rell released her budget proposal Wednesday, and it eliminates, among other things, all of the state commissions for women, children, the elderly, and all ethnic groups. Asian Pacific American activists in CT had just succeeded, after years of effort, in getting the General Assembly to pass a bill establishing an Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, on the model of the African American and Puerto Rican/Latino commissions. Governor Rell signed the bill, with a modest amount of funding that was to begin in the new biennium. Now all of that stands in jeopardy in the shadow of the State's looming fiscal crisis. We also need lots of Asian faces (and other supporters) to show up at the Legislative Office Building (next to the State Capitol) on February 11, from 4:00 p.m. on in Room 2C, to provide visual support for testimony on the need for the ethnic affairs commissions. Anyone who would like to testify, especially people who have personal stories to tell about the difficulty of receiving public services or business support as an Asian American or Asian immigrant or anti-Asian bias, should contact Laurie Julian, APAC Legislative Chair at ljulian@snet.net. But it is really important that we get a good turn out of Asians from all over the state to sit in the hearing room to demonstrate that the Commission has a lot of support from the Asian Pacific American community in Connecticut. We could use a lot of help from the various APA groups. The most immediate need is for Connecticut residents to write to their state representatives and senators asking that the Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission be restored and funded in the new biennium. It will be very helpful if lots of people sent e-mails to: Donald Williams, President Pro Tem of the State Senate - Williams@senatedems.ct.gov Christopher Donovan, Speaker of the House - Christopher.Donovan@cga.ct.gov Senator Toni Harp, Co-chair of the Appropriations Committee - Harp@senatedems.ct.gov Rep. Denise Merrill, Co-chair of the Appropriations Committee - Denise.Merrill@cga.ct.gov A list of some legislator's e-mail addresses is also available on the Asian Pacific American Association's (APAC) website at http://apaact.com/legislators.html APAC will be sending more directions through its free newsletter, so please urge people to sign up for the newsletter at http://apaact.com/news_letter.html We need a show of support at the hearing, please put the word out! Thank You.