Public Policy
One of the main focuses of the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States has been to redress the previous and pervasive neglect of Portuguese-Americans. Through the tireless efforts of PALCUS, the Luso-American community has a voice on Capitol Hill through the Portuguese-American Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Friends of Portugal in the U.S. Senate. These groups were formed to better address the interests and concerns of the Portuguese-American constituency of the United States. The Luso-American community is finally being recognized as a vital group, not only in the heavily populated states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey, but across the country. Working together, these two groups were extremely instrumental in the passage of the U.S.-Portugal Bi-Lateral Tax Treaty, amending the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, and the admittance of Portugal to the Visa Waiver Program. This year, 2002, PALCUS has turned its attention to the preservation of Portugal in the VISA Waiver Program.
Many of the problems that face Portuguese-Americans also affect other minority groups. Therefore, the Portuguese community can combine their efforts with other ethnic groups to achieve an even greater good. For example, PALCUS was the principal organizer, along with the National Italian American Foundation, of ethnic groups who were instrumental in having Congress amend the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. This law, if left unchanged, would have ended Social Security Insurance Benefits to all legal immigrants who were not U.S. citizens as of October 1, 1997