Asian-American community leaders for several years have wanted the state to form a commission to serve the needs of their population and those of Pacific Islanders. Advocates for such a panel have rallied enough support to lobby the General Assembly, said Bill Howe, a multicultural education consultant for the state Department of Education and a Chinese-American.
Introduced by freshman state Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, the General Assembly's first Chinese-American member, the bill is pending before the joint Government Administration and Elections Committee. The proposed panel is modeled after existing commissions on Puerto Rican and African-American affairs. It would consist of 13 members, three appointed by the governor; two by the Senate president; one by the Senate majority leader; two by the Senate minority leader; two by the House speaker; one by the House leader; and two by the House minority leader. It would also require a director and support staff.
According to 2005 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Connecticut's Asian-Pacific-American population is the eighth fastest-growing in the United States with 3.2 percent of the state's population. In 2005, Asian-Americans in Fairfield County accounted for 4.1 percent of the total population and Pacific islanders 0.1 percent.
The biggest hurdle for the legislation this session could be money. The Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission's budget is about $571,000 and the African Affairs Commission's is more than $413,000. (Source: Brian Lockhart, The Advocate, Mar 17, 2007).