Read the Companion Report
The launch of the portal also coincides with the release of a companion report that, using data from the portal, provides an overview of the legislative landscape across several key issue areas. The report also includes spotlights on specific policies that impact AA and NHPI communities in different states across the country. Access the report below:
Agendas for Inclusion: Tracking State Policies Addressing the Needs of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities (November 2022)
Overview of the Policy Portal
Now more than ever, states are important battlegrounds on a variety of issues affecting communities of color. This is especially true with a deeply divided Congress, a Supreme Court delegating greater authority to state governments, and the growing diversification of state legislatures.
AAPI Data is excited to announce the launch of a State Policy Portal that:
- Provides insights on the legislative landscape across states when it comes to policies that affect Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities; and
- Serves as a foundation for establishing a network of state-level groups that can share insights and model legislative strategies with each other
The AA and NHPI Policy Portal contains several key features:
- A clickable map that allows users to view demographic data, health and voting rights data, and policies by state
- A filterable map where users can view the distribution of key policies related to data disaggregation, language access, and AANHPI studies across states
- An “All Policies” table that allows users to view, search, and sort all the policies in the database across states
- An “Issue Areas” table that depicts the number of policies and states for each issue area
Interested in contributing to our collective work? Please email info@aapidata.com.
Quotes from Partners and Supporters
The California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs is excited about AAPI Data’s AA and NHPI Policy Portal, as it will serve as a catalyst for AA/NHPI Commissions, local community-based organizations, state advocacy organizations, and leaders to collaborate and share best practices on advancing racial equity policies throughout each state and the nation.
This State Policy Portal is a significant gain in the effort to combat the immense data insecurity experienced by AA and NHPI communities – the creation of this informational epicenter promotes the type of policy model sharing necessary to make impactful legislative advancements both at the state level and across the nation
The State Policy Portal is a important partner for agencies of all levels throughout our governments to improve the policy outcomes of our local, State, and even our Federal government. It helps lawmakers consider the impacts and learn from fellow states in a shared quest to improve the lives of all of each State’s respective residents. Similar to Racial and Ethnic Impact Statements (REIS), which was also passed into Connecticut law in 2018 where our State has facilitated a mechanism for any legislator to request a REIS on certain bills, this Portal will help improve the quality of public policy making. As I’ve said numerous times as we managed the COVID-19 emergency together, Together we thrive and divided we fall
The Massachusetts AAPI Commission is grateful to AAPI Data and all of the other fantastic collaborators on this project. The State Policy Portal has already been very helpful to us in comparing what AAPI curriculum/ethic studies laws have been passed in other states. We know that this tool will be a gamechanger in AAPI advocacy, data, and more.
“The State Policy Portal is a great step for unification of AANHPI organizations throughout the country and will help create a better understanding of each other.” –