Announcement of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders Meeting and Solicitation for Written and Oral Comments

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Published

June 8, 2023

Issuing agencies

Health and Human Services Department

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the next meeting of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (Commission) and the solicitation of written and oral comment regarding the advancement of equity, justice and opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Virtual attendance will be available through livestream for July 6; in- person attendance is available for July 7, 2023. The Commission is working to accomplish its mission to provide independent advice and recommendations to the President on ways to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37552-37554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12272]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Announcement of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian
Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders Meeting and
Solicitation for Written and Oral Comments

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Secretary, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, White
House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific
Islanders.

ACTION: Notice of meeting and solicitation for written and oral
comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
announces the next meeting of the President's Advisory Commission on
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (Commission)
and the solicitation of written and oral comment regarding the
advancement of equity, justice and opportunity for Asian American,
Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. The
meeting is open to the public and will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Virtual attendance will be available through livestream for July 6; in-
person attendance is available for July 7, 2023. The Commission is
working to accomplish its mission to provide independent advice and
recommendations to the President on ways to advance equity, justice,
and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities.

DATES: The Commission will meet on July 6, 2023, from 2:30 p.m. Eastern
Time (ET) to 11:30 p.m. ET and July 7, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. ET to 6:00
p.m. ET. The final location and agenda will be posted on the website
for the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native
Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders: <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/whiaanhpi/commission/index.html">https://www.hhs.gov/about/whiaanhpi/commission/index.html</a> when this information becomes available.

ADDRESSES: Members of the public may attend virtually or in person,
depending on the portion of the meeting. Registration is required
through the following links:

July 6 (virtual attendance only): <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meeting-of-the-presidents-advisory-commission-on-aa-and-nhpis-tickets-646261494527">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meeting-of-the-presidents-advisory-commission-on-aa-and-nhpis-tickets-646261494527</a>
July 7 (in-person attendance only): <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/white-house-initiative-aa-and-nhpi-economic-summit-honolulu-tickets-649191698847">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/white-house-initiative-aa-and-nhpi-economic-summit-honolulu-tickets-649191698847</a>

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Viviane Chao, Designated Federal
Officer, President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native
Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Office of the Secretary, Office of Intergovernmental and
External Affairs, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 620E, 200
Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20201; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93d2d2dddbc3dad0fcfefefae0e0fafcfdd3fbfbe0bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e3f3f30362e373d111313170d0d1711103e16160d50191108">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>; telephone: (202) 951-0235.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting is the sixth in a series of
Federal advisory committee meetings regarding the development of
recommendations to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and
NHPI communities. The meeting is open to the public and will be live
streamed. The Commission, co-chaired by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
and the U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador

[[Page 37553]]

Katherine Tai, advises the President on: the development, monitoring,
and coordination of executive branch efforts to advance equity,
justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities in the United
States, including efforts to close gaps in health, socioeconomic,
employment, and educational outcomes; policies to address and end anti-
Asian bias, xenophobia, racism, and nativism, and opportunities for the
executive branch to advance inclusion, belonging, and public awareness
of the diversity and accomplishments of AA and NHPI people, cultures,
and histories; policies, programs, and initiatives to prevent, report,
respond to, and track anti-Asian hate crimes and hate incidents; ways
in which the Federal Government can build on the capacity and
contributions of AA and NHPI communities through equitable Federal
funding, grantmaking, and employment opportunities; policies and
practices to improve research and equitable data disaggregation
regarding AA and NHPI communities; policies and practices to improve
language access services to ensure AA and NHPI communities can access
Federal programs and services; and strategies to increase public-and
private-sector collaboration, and community involvement in improving
the safety and socioeconomic, health, educational, occupational, and
environmental well-being of AA and NHPI communities.
Information is available on the President's Advisory Commission on
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders website at
<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/whiaanhpi/commission/index.html">https://www.hhs.gov/about/whiaanhpi/commission/index.html</a>. The names of
the 25 members of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian
Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are available at
<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/whiaanhpi/commission/commissioners/index.html">https://www.hhs.gov/about/whiaanhpi/commission/commissioners/index.html</a>.
Purpose of Meeting: The President's Advisory Commission on Asian
Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, authorized by
Executive Order 14031, will meet to discuss full and draft
recommendations by the Commission's six Subcommittees on ways to
advance equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian American, Native
Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. The Subcommittees are:
Belonging, Inclusion, Anti-Asian Hate, Anti-Discrimination; Data
Disaggregation; Language Access; Economic Equity; Health Equity; and
Immigration and Citizenship Status.
Background: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
communities are among the fastest growing racial and ethnic populations
in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, in
recent years, AA and NHPI individuals have faced increasing hate crimes
and incidents that threaten their safety, as well as harmful
stereotypes that often ignore socioeconomic, health, and educational
disparities impacting these diverse communities.
Tragic acts of anti-Asian violence increased during the COVID-19
pandemic, casting a shadow of fear and grief over many AA and NHPI
communities, in particular East Asian communities. Long before this
pandemic, AA and NHPI communities in the United States, including South
Asian and Southeast Asian communities, have faced persistent
xenophobia, religious discrimination, racism, and violence. At the same
time, AA and NHPI communities were overrepresented in the pandemic's
essential workforce in healthcare, food supply, education, and
childcare, with more than four million AA and NHPIs manning the
frontlines throughout the pandemic.
Many AA and NHPI communities, and in particular Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander communities, were disproportionately burdened by the
COVID-19 public health crisis. Evidence suggests that Native Hawaiians
and Pacific Islanders were three times more likely to contract COVID-19
compared to white people and nearly twice as likely to die from the
disease. On top of these health inequities, many AA and NHPI workers,
families, and small businesses faced devastating economic losses during
the crisis.
The challenges AA and NHPI communities face are often exacerbated
by a lack of adequate data disaggregation and language access. The
President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians,
and Pacific Islanders works to advise the President on executive branch
efforts to address these challenges and advance equity, justice, and
opportunity for AA and NHPI communities.
Public Participation at Meeting: Members of the public may attend
virtually or in person, depending on the portion of the meeting.
Registration is required through the following links:

Written public comments: Written comments are welcomed throughout
the development of the Commission's recommendations to promote equity,
justice, and opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and
Pacific Islanders and may be emailed to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#81c0c0cfc9d1c8c2eeecece8f2f2e8eeefc1e9e9f2afe6eef7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="064747484e564f45696b6b6f75756f6968466e6e7528616970">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> at any
time. Respond concisely and in plain language. You may use any
structure or layout that presents your information well. You may
respond to some or all of our questions, and you can suggest other
factors or relevant questions. You may also include links to online
material or interactive presentations. Clearly mark any proprietary
information and place it in its own section or file. Your response will
become Government property, and we may publish some of its non-
proprietary content.
Oral public comments: Individuals may submit a request to make an
oral public comment at the July 7, 2023, meeting in response to the
questions below. Advance copy of public comment must be sent via email
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a2e3e3eceaf2ebe1cdcfcfcbd1d1cbcdcce2cacad18cc5cdd4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2d6c6c63657d646e424040445e5e4442436d45455e034a425b">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> with the subject line ``PACAANHPI: In-
person Response to <insert the issue and question>'' no later than
11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, June 23, 2023. Submissions received after the
deadline will not be considered for oral public comment.
Registration for oral public comment is on a first-come, first-
served basis. Comments are limited to two (2) minutes or less. After
the maximum number of speakers is exceeded, individuals registered to
provide oral comment will be placed on a wait list and notified should
an opening become available. You will be notified via email no later
than July 5, 2023, if you have been identified to provide in-person
public comment.
The Commission is particularly interested in soliciting comments on
the following questions:
1. Belonging, Inclusion, Anti-Asian Hate, Anti-Discrimination
Subcommittee Questions:
a. Please provide feedback on the experiences of Asian Americans,
Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the Child Protection/Child
Welfare system.
b. What are promising practices, services, or prevention and
intervention strategies that advance the well-being of AA and NHPI
children and families who encounter the child protection/child welfare
systems?
2. Language Access Subcommittee Questions:
a. How can the Federal Government promote the preservation,
teaching, learning of, maintenance and utilization of AA and NHPI
languages?

[[Page 37554]]

b. Are there any programs you recommend the Commission examine that
provide meaningful language access to government benefits and services
to persons with limited English proficiency?
3. Economic Equity Subcommittee Questions:
a. To what extent does the Native Hawaiian community have access to
or understand how to access resources for job training and housing
assistance at the local, state, and federal level?
b. How familiar is the public with the federal government resources
available to support small businesses, loans, or grants?
c. How can the government better provide culturally sensitive and
affordable housing for AA and NHPI communities?
4. Health Equity Subcommittee Questions:
a. What are the mental health concerns impacting communities in the
Pacific Islands and what are some of the ways communities are trying to
address them?
b. What are the biggest concerns around health for Native
Hawaiians?
c. What are some of the biggest barriers to obtaining health care
in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands?
d. What could improve your communities' ability to obtain federal
services such as housing assistance, SSI/SSDI, SNAP/WIC, FEMA
assistance, etc.?
5. Immigration and Citizenship Status Subcommittee Questions:
a. What are the main policy implications for Pacific Islanders who
have either immigrated or moved away from their island homelands to
other locations in the United States?
b. Pacific Islanders have a unique history with the United States
that differs from most immigrants or migrants to this country. What
should the responsibility of the federal government be to Pacific
Islanders in light of this historical relationship?
c. As immigration-related agencies within the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) like the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), work to expand language services,
how should they decide which languages and which processes should be
prioritized for implementation? Are there specific forms or processes
that DHS agencies should prioritize providing language services for
immediately? If so, which forms and language translations should be
prioritized?
d. What can be done to address negative stereotypes and improve
group relations between Pacific Islanders and other communities both in
the Pacific Islands and throughout the United States?
Authority: Executive Order 14031. The President's Advisory
Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders
is governed by provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public
Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. app.), which sets forth standards for
the formation and use of Federal advisory committees.

Krystal Ka`ai,
Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native
Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders President's Advisory Commission on
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
[FR Doc. 2023-12272 Filed 6-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4153-01-P

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