Washington, DC – Noting the need for greater Latino participation in the debate on Social Security, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today released the transcript of a featured session from the 2004 NCLR Annual Conference, The Great Debate: Social Security Reform, What’s at Stake for Latinos. The discussion underscored both how critical Latino workers are to the well-being of the Social Security system and the important role Latinos must play in any reform proposals.

“This session generated a great deal of interest at our Conference last year, and we believe the panelists’ discussion is even more relevant now given the current battle over the future of Social Security. One thing is clear: Latinos have a real stake in the outcome of this debate,” said Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO.

The session featured panelists representing the full range of perspectives on the issue including Rep. Christopher Cannon (R-UT), Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Peter Orszag of the Brookings Institution, and José Piñera of the Cato Institute. The panelists addressed how Social Security benefits Latinos and how it can be improved to meet the specific needs of the Latino community as well as the issue of privatization.

“If and when reform comes, policy-makers need to take into account the specific interests and concerns of Latino workers and beneficiaries. That is why, in addition to this transcript, NCLR will be releasing a comprehensive look at Social Security and its impact on the Latino community later this spring to help educate and inform policy-makers and our community about this critically important issue,” noted Murguia.

To download a copy of the executive summary or the full transcript, go to www.nclr.org.

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