Senator Markey and Congressmen Grijalva, Jeffries Honored at 5th Annual NHMC Washington, D.C. Impact Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 4, 2014

CONTACT Brian Pacheco, NHMC bpacheco@www.nhmc.org 213-718-0732 (m) 626-792-6462 (o)

Senator Markey and Congressmen Grijalva, Jeffries Honored at 5th Annual NHMC Washington, D.C. Impact Awards

WASHINGTON -- On Wednesday, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) honored Senator Edward J. Markey and Congressmen Raúl M. Grijalva and Hakeem Jeffries for their outstanding public service at the 5th Annual NHMC Washington, D.C. Impact Awards Reception, held at the National Association of Broadcasters headquarters. Congressmen Grijalva and Jeffries, who were unable to leave the House floor to join the reception, will be given their awards at a later date. In a rousing acceptance speech, Senator Markey underscored the importance of the inclusion of Latinos in telecommunications. Other speakers included former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Michael Copps, and National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO, former Senator Gordon Smith. At the annual event, NHMC honors public servants, community leaders, and media professionals and entities, whose achievements, generosity of spirit, and courage under fire have greatly benefited the welfare of the nation in the areas of media and telecommunications. The National Association of Broadcasters generously hosted the event for the fifth time. About the Honorees:

• [caption id="attachment_5830" align="alignright" width="300"] Senator Edward J. Markey and National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jessica J. González[/caption] Senator Edward J. Markey, a consumer champion and national leader on energy, environmental protection and telecommunications policy, has a prolific legislative record on major issues across the policy spectrum and a deep commitment to improving the lives of the people of his state and the country as a whole. A member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Senator Markey has demonstrated continued resolve to study the impact of hate speech on vulnerable communities. Twenty-two years after authoring the original piece of legislation that directed the 1993 report, "The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes," the senator introduced the companion bill to Congressman Hakeem Jeffries' The Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014, which calls for an update to the 1993 report.

• Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva is serving his sixth term in Congress. Over the past 40 years, the congressman has built an exceptional record of public service. Since his election to Congress in 2002, education, job creation, employee rights and the environment have been among Congressman Grijalva's top policy concerns. The congressman has demonstrated a commitment to protecting civil rights on the Internet. He has stood firm for preserving the Internet as an open platform, urging the Federal Communications Commission to adopt strong and enforceable open Internet rules protections and reclassifying Internet Service Providers as common carriers.

• Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is serving his second term in Congress.  Congressman Jeffries is a member of the House Budget and Judiciary Committees, and works to address the explosion of the incarcerated population as a member of the bipartisan House Task Force on Over-Criminalization. Thanks to his leadership and courage, Congressman Jeffries is paving the way to understanding the underpinnings of hate-motivated violence against vulnerable communities. In 2014, the congressman introduced The Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014, which would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to update its 1993 report, "The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes." The report would examine the role of the Internet and other telecommunications in encouraging hate crimes based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation and create recommendations to address such crimes.

Photographs from the 5th Annual NHMC Washington, D.C. Impact Awards Reception will be available at www.flickr.com/nhmc. The National Association of Broadcasters, Comcast NBCUniversal, Entravision Communications Corporation, Google, Sprint, T-Mobile, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Facebook, GlenEcho Group, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, NUVOtv, TracFone Wireless, Inc, and Viacom were all reception sponsors. A number of other donors also provided generous support for the event. Their tax-deductible gifts to the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, support NHMC's mission.

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About NHMC

The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a media advocacy and civil rights organization for the advancement of Latinos, working towards a media that is fair and inclusive of Latinos, and towards universal, affordable, and open access to communications. Learn more at www.nhmc.org. Receive real-time updates on Facebookand Twitter @NHMC.

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