Prior to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ (APAICS) 13^th Annual Gala Dinner at the JW Marriott, on Tuesday morning, May 15, 2007, APAICS held a Summit on the Hill.  There were three panels:  housing, immigration, and health care.  APAICS’ Chair David L. Kim introduced Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) to open the session.  Congressman Becerra is a strong supporter of APAICS and sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

The Housing Panel were Jim Park, moderator, Joe Ohayon, Vice President of Community and Client Relations, Wells Fargo; Christin Kui, Executive Director, Asian Americans for Equality; Keunwon Chung, Statistical Economist, National Association of Relators; and Christina Diaz-Malone, Industry Relations Senior Director at Freddie Mac.   Congressman Al Green (D-Tx) joined the discussion.  “There’s a rise in foreclosures because buyers aren’t aware of the terms and conditions in the contracts,” he stated.  “It’s not that borrowers have bad credit, it’s that they don’t have any credit…they pay in cash because they don’t believe in banking,” continued the Congressman.

The Immigration Panel were Clayton S. Fong, President and CEO, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA); Karen K. Narasaki, President and Executive Director, Asian American Justice Center (AAJC); and Steven S. Taylor, General Counsel, Sen. Chuck Hagel’s Office.

Narasaki indicated that “neither the Democratic nor Republican Parties are listening  to the APA community.”  Taylor said that “Senator Hagel is not comfortable with going  back to the starting point.  He knows that family members come to the United States and contribute to the economy.”

Lastly, the Health Care Panel were Mike Tuffin, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP); Clayton S. Fong, and Julie Goon, Spec. Asst. to the President for Economic Policy.  Fong stated that “there are many options, but what do you do for folks with high costs?  Tuffin indicated that “a majority of Asian Americans are Medicare advantage.”