LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas is among states that do not have Hispanics representatives in the state legislature.
Arkansas has a burgeoning Hispanic population, but without Latinos in the legislature issues targeting the newer Arkansans have come up rarely in the current legislative session.
Two Latinas ran for the Legislature last year and lost, leaving Arkansas as one of more than a dozen states without Hispanic representatives.
State Sen. Joyce Elliott said she plans to file a proposal Monday that would extend in-state tuition rates to some students who entered the U.S. illegally, but even she is downplaying the measure's immigration angle.
"It's not an immigration bill," said Elliott, D-Little Rock. "It's an education bill."
Such legislation would likely face challenges in the newly Republican-controlled Legislature, but Latinos still want a seat at the table to discuss it.
"We are not represented," said Margarita Solorzano, executive director of Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas.
Solorzano said she sees that changing through efforts to reach out to Hispanic voters and encourage Latinos to participate in the political process.
"Arkansas is a new immigrant destination state, so it's a matter of educating people," Solorzano said.
More than 6 percent of the state's 2.9 million people are Hispanic, according to 2010 census data.
In 2006, three Latinos ran for public office, according to Diana Gonzales Worthen, one of the candidates. Last year, that number doubled, with six Latinos running for public office, including Gonzales Worthen and another unsuccessful legislative candidate.
"In every year, in every election cycle, I think we get a little closer," said Gonzales Worthen, a Springdale Democrat who lost to Republican Sen. Jon Woods last year.
Gonzales Worthen said she's considering running for office again. Solorzano said she expects the next crop of Hispanic political candidates to be more prepared in future elections.
"With more interest among Latinos running for office and having more voters in the Latino community and more people familiar with the Latinos, I think they will have more support and certainly I see representation soon," Solorzano said.
Arkansas is not the only state lacking Hispanic lawmakers. There aren't any Latino legislators in 13 other states, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
While Elliott shied away from calling her legislation an immigration bill, she has emphasized the importance of providing an education to everyone, including immigrants.
"We're still trying today to address the outcomes of the way we divided ourselves and the way we denied one another in our state," Elliott said. "...If we put the same policy in place today, the same kind of policy, then we'll have that net effect that we had with segregation."
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