House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, right, and Congresman Mike Honda (D-CA), left, at a meeting of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in Washington, D.C, in October last year. (Courtesy, Congresswoman Pelosi’s office)

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), hosted a town hall meeting in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 13 to discuss the need to renew the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a press release said.

The meeting provided AAPI members with anforum to discuss their concerns about access to government programs.

“Today’s meeting is a significant step in CAPAC’s tireless effort to hold the Bush administration accountable and to ensure that the concerns of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community are addressed at the highest levels of government,” Pelosi said.

In 1999, President Clinton signed an Executive Order to establish the commission to define and improve the Asian American and Pacific Islander community’s relationship with the federal government. The commission evolved to focus on five issues of vital importance to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community --- improving data collection on health care and economic disparities; ensuring access, especially linguistic access and cultural competence; protecting civil rights and equal opportunity; strengthening and sustaining capacity for Asian American and Pacific Islanders; and recognizing and including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in federal programs and services.