Hispanic Caucus Report - March & April 2024
Meeting Summary by the KDP Hispanic Caucus
Kristy Alonso speaks at Washington Days
Kristy Alonso was born and raised in Liberal, Kansas and graduated from Liberal High School. Alonso went on to obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Kansas and is currently working on her doctorate in medicine at the University of Kansas in Kansas City.
Kristy Alonso shares her journey of service as the guest speaker at Washington Days.
As a child of Mexican immigrants, she has witnessed how the Latino community regularly faces health disparities and barriers. Her goal is to become a physician that can serve and advocate for her community and other underserved communities.
Alonso shared her journey into medicine and community engagement as the guest speaker for the Hispanic Caucus meeting held during Washington Days, the annual Kansas Democratic Party Convention, March 16th.
The KDP Hispanic Caucus addresses the issues that impact the Hispanic community in the areas of business, education, civic engagement, labor and healthcare.
Other Washington Day Business, March 2024
Election of Caucus officers was held during the Washington Days meeting. Juan Luengo continues another term as Chair, with Natasha Martinez as Vice Chair. Kathleen Alonso and Mary Lou Jaramillo will serve as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.
A signature priority of the Caucus is recruiting and supporting Latinos to run for state legislative election. “We are committed to supporting candidates across the state for next year's elections. If you know anyone running or considering running for office in 2024, please contact us,” said Chair Juan Luengo.
Tracking bills in the legislature is another way the Caucus stays engaged. As of March, the primary bills being watched included those on Medicare Expansion, Taxes and Budget, and Abortion Bill HB2749 (intrusive reporting requirements).
A fundraiser in the works, as well as a Candidate Endorsement Survey. A Voter Registration Toolkit was shared - English and Spanish will be available for all caucus members. There is a new “WhatsApp” group for more rapid communications within the Caucus.
April 2024 Meeting
Washington Days was then followed by a regular online meeting of the Caucus held April 20th.
The guest speaker was House Representative Louis Ruiz (D-Kansas City Ks), who gave a brief update on the legislative session that was wrapping up. There were many uncertainties on how bills would land and he did not at that time know if Governor Kelly would sign the latest tax bill (update: She didn’t). There have not been a lot of Latino-related specific issues this legislative session.
As part of the meeting, the Vice Chair advocated for members to get involved in the Caucus work, the Caucus has committees for Marketing, Membership, Finance and Legislative/Advocacy committee. Find your place.
Additionally, there will be an ad hoc committees for the next few months to work on updating bylaws.
Members are reminded that the upcoming voter registration deadline is July 16, 2024 and the primary election is August 6, 2024.
The draft Candidate Endorsement Survey is available with a deadline to submit feedback by May 19th (contact Juan for a copy). The survey will be out for public use starting June 1, 2024.