Georgia op-ed: immigration bill is new chapter of inequality

CDC Releases study on Health-Risk Behaviors among sexual minority youth

News from the Human Rights Council and AAAS

Policy Events in Washington

On the Hill: A look at News from the US Congress

Introduced June 8: S. 1155: To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to improve access to high quality early learning and child care for low-income children and working families, and for other purposes. More on S. 1155.

Introduced June 13: H.R. 2151: To facilitate nationwide availability of volunteer income tax assistance for low-income and underserved populations, and for other purposes. More on H.R. 2151.

Introduced June 16: H.R. 2212: To secure the Federal voting rights of persons who have been released from incarceration. More on H.R. 2212.

June 13: House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, hearing on Best Practices and Next Steps: A New Decade in the Fight Against Human Trafficking. Webcast.

June 16: House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources, hearing on improving programs designed to protect youth at risk of abuse and neglect. More on the hearing.

Heads Up!

Coming up on June 21: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearings to examine senior hunger and the "Older Americans Act".

Coming up on June 22: House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, hearing on the evolution of the terrorist threat.

Coming up on Jue 22: Senate Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Hearings to examine addressing ethnic tension in Kyrgyzstan, focusing on the report of the International Commission of Inquiry into the events in Southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010.

Coming up on June 23: House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, hearing on Preserving Progress: Transitioning Authority and Implementing the Strategic Framework in Iraq, Part 2.

Coming up on June 30: Senate Foreign Relations, Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Global Narcotics Affairs, hearings to examine the state of democracy in the Americas.

Psychology and Social Issues in the News

Passage of Gay Marriage in New York Could Be Hours Away. NY could soon become the 6th state to recognize same-sex marriage.

With executive pay, rich pull away from rest of America. The Washington Post on how income disparities in America have reached levels not seen since the Great Depression.

Envying Evolution: What Can The X-Men Teach Us About Stereotypes? Psysociety blog with a fun analysis and the work of SPSSI member Susan Fiske.

How I assess your status (or lack thereof) at a glance in the Keene Trial blog discusses the  impact of first impressions on juries. The work of SPSSI members Shoenmann and Branscombe is considered.

Speed Dating and Decision-Making: Why Less Is More in an article about decision making in the context of speed dating. Research on online dating by SPSSI member Alison Lenton forms a central part of the analysis in SciAm.

Foot in mouth? Rate of speech, verb choice, and calling women “guys” in the Keene Trial blog looks at the work of SPSSI member Dolores Albarracin on jury assesments and the way defendents speak.

Why'd He Have to Go and Cry? Weiner's Tears May Have Generated Contempt in SciAm covers research by member Stephanie Shields on the psychological reactions that crying causes.

Religion, patriotism, and death in the blog Epiphenom looks at the work of SPSSI members Hohman and Hogg on how proximity to death relates to religiosity.

It's good to give thanks: The benefits of gratitude in blog Pysch Your Mind looks at the recent work of members Emmons and Mccullogh on well-being and generosity.

The Behavioral Immune System: How unconscious fears of infection shape many aspects of our psychology in SciAm considers the psychological dimension of infection and the work of SPSSI member Steven Nueberg. Written by member Mark Schaller.

Is Anti-White Bias a Problem? in the New York Times brings together a panel to consider the two problems of anti-white and anti-black bias. Member Sam Sommers is one of the panelists.

Further Resources

Find out what other organizations are doing on these issues

LGBTQ Issues
>> Center for American Progress
>> National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
>> The Human Rights Campaign

Immigration Issues
>> Immigration Policy Institute
>> Immigration Policy Center
>> Center for American Progress

This policy update is a brand new product. Please send comments and suggestions to SPSSI Policy Coordinator, Alex Ingrams at aingrams@spssi.org.

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