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Hispanic American Senators and Representatives
MEL MARTINEZ
(R-Senator-FL)
Mel Martinez is a United StatesSenator from Florida, a Republican,a Cuban American, and the formerSecretary of Housing and UrbanDevelopment under PresidentGeorge W. Bush. Born in Cuba,he arrived in the U.S. at age 15.Mel earned his undergraduate andlaw degrees from Florida StateUniversity, and went on to practicelaw for 25 years. Today, SenatorMartinez serves in the U.S. Senateand sits on the Armed Services committee, the Banking,Housing and Urban Affairs committee, and the Energy andNatural Resources committee. He also serves on the SenateʼsSpecial Committee on Aging.
ROBERT MENENDEZ
(D-Senator-NJ)
Bob Menendez grew up the son of immigrants in atenement building in Union City. A product of New Jerseyʼspublic schools and a graduate of the stateʼs universities, hehas served as a school board member, a mayor and a statelegislator. Since 1992, he has been fighting for New Jerseyfamilies in Washington, where he rose to become the third-highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representativesbefore taking office in the Senate in 2006.Bob first entered public service as a 19-year old collegestudent when he launched a successful petition driveto reform his local school board. He learned then theimportance of standing up for whatʼs right, no matter howpowerful the opposition.That same commitment led Bob to stand up to thepowerful mayor of Union Citywhen he saw him abusing his officefor personal gain. He took on themayor and testified against him incourt, even though it meant wearinga bulletproof vest after receivingthreats to his life. Bob stood up tothe entire political establishment inhis hometown, and led a coalitionof reformers that cleaned up thecity.In Congress, he has fought tomake health care more affordable for New Jerseyʼs familiesand to improve schools so they prepare our children for asuccessful future. Now he is fighting to make college moreaffordable for the next generation of leaders.Bob believes we should honor our parents by making surethey can retire with dignity and has introduced legislation tomake it easier for families to care for their aging loved ones.And he has led the fight to stop the privatization of SocialSecurity.After September 11, 2001, Bob earned nationalrecognition for his leadership in reforming the countryʼsintelligence and public health systems and for fighting toestablish an independent commission to investigate theterrorist attacks on our country. Today, he is working toimprove the security of our bus, rail and public transitsystems.Elected by his colleagues in 2002 as the Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Bob Menendez becamethe highest-ranking Hispanic in Congressional history. Hepreviously served as the Vice Chairman of the DemocraticCaucus and has led key Task Forces on Education andHomeland Security.After being appointed by New Jersey Governor JonCorzine, Bob was sworn in to the Senate on January 18,2006. He serves on the Senate Committees on Banking,Housing and Urban Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources;Budget; and Foreign Relations.Bob was born in New York City on January 1, 1954. He
HISPANICAMERICAN
Senadores y congresistas hispanos americanos
Senators and Representatives
Hispanic American Senators and Representatives
received his B.A. from St. Peterʼs College in Jersey City andhis law degree from Rutgers University. He currently lives inHoboken and has two children, Alicia and Robert.
KEN SALAZAR
(D-Senator-CO)
Ken Salazar was elected to theUnited States Senate in November2004 as Coloradoʼs thirty-fifthUnited States Senator.A fifth generation Coloradan,Ken and his family have beenfarmers and ranchers in the SanLuis Valley since before Coloradobecame a state.As Coloradoʼs Senator, KenSalazar fights for Coloradoʼspeople. He champions a strongdefense and homeland security, including military, veteransand law enforcement needs; economic opportunity andsecurity, including energy independence; revitalizingrural America and agriculture; affordable health care; andprotecting Americaʼs land and water.In his freshman year, Senator Salazar played a leadingrole in many bipartisan approaches to solving problemsimportant to Americans. Ken helped spearhead the “Gangof 14” agreement between seven Republican and sevenDemocratic Senators, ending the Senate impasse on judicialappointments that threatened to destroy the Senateʼs historicfoundations.Salazar helped lead the successful bipartisan effort to passthe National Energy Policy Act of 2005, an important firststep toward energy independence. He has since helped forma bipartisan coalition of ten Senators pressing for greater useof renewable fuels and improved motor vehicle efficiency.He worked with Republicans and Democrats toreauthorize the PATRIOT Act so that it provides our Nationʼslaw enforcement agencies with the tools necessary to fightterrorism while at the same time ensuring that our basicconstitutional rights are protected. Senator Salazar has alsopartnered with Arizona Senator John McCain to proposea national, non-partisan commission to undertake a freshreview of health care in America, and to develop realsolutions to our health care crisis.Ken is a member of five Senate Committees: Finance,Agriculture, Energy & Natural Resources, Ethics, and Aging.Before his election to the U.S. Senate, Ken Salazar servedfor six years as Coloradoʼs 36th Attorney General from 1999through 2004, winning statewide elections to that office in1998 and 2002. Ken served as chairman of the Conferenceof Western Attorneys General and received the “Profiles inCourage” award from his fellow state attorneys general inrecognition of his dedication to preserving and promotingthe rule of law. Ken Salazar led efforts to fight crime andto make Colorado communities safer, strengthen the stateʼssex offender laws, address youth and family violence,enhance and enforce Coloradoʼs consumer protection laws,combat fraud against the elderly, and protect Coloradoʼsenvironment.As Attorney General Ken Salazar established the first-ever Colorado Attorney General Fugitive ProsecutionsUnit to apprehend and prosecute fugitive murderers, thefirst-ever Attorney General Gang Prosecution Unit, and anEnvironmental Crimes Unit.From 1990 to 1994 Ken Salazar served in the Cabinetof Governor Roy Romer as the executive director of theColorado Department of Natural Resources. Among hisaccomplishments as executive director, Ken crafted reformsfor oil, mining, and gas operations to better protect theenvironment and the public, protected Coloradoʼs interstatewater compacts, and created the Youth in Natural Resourcesprogram that allowed thousands of Coloradoʼs young peopleto work on and learn about Coloradoʼs natural resources.And he co-authored the Colorado constitutional amendmentcreating Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), led thesuccessful campaign for its passage, and served as its firstchairman. GOCO is the most successful land conservationeffort in modern Colorado history.Ken has been a farmer and rancher in the San Luis Valley,a natural resources lawyer, and small business owner muchof his life. He and his wife have owned radio stations inPueblo and Denver and have owned and operated a DairyQueen in Westminster. Ken Salazar has also served asthe chief legal counsel to the Governor, chairman of theRio Grande Compact Commission, and practiced water,environmental and public lands law for eleven years in theprivate sector.One of eight brothers and sisters, Ken graduated fromCentauri High School in Conejos County in 1973, attendedSt. Francis Seminary, received a political science degreefrom Colorado College in 1977, and graduated with a lawdegree from the University of Michigan in 1981. Salazar alsoreceived honorary doctorates of law from Colorado Collegein 1993 and the University of Denver in 1999.Ken and his wife, Hope, have two daughters, Melinda andAndrea. Kenʼs older brother, John Salazar, was elected to theUnited States Congress in November 2004 from Coloradoʼs3rd Congressional District.
JOE BACA
(D-43rd-CA)
Rep. Joe Baca has served in Congress since winninga special election in 1999. Rep. Baca represents the 43rdDistrict of California, which includes the cities of Colton,Fontana, Rialto, Ontario and San Bernardino, as well as theareas of Bloomington and Muscoy.Rep. Baca serves on the House Agriculture Committee,and he is the Chair of the Subcommittee on DepartmentalOperations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry. He alsois a member of the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy
Hispanic American Senators and Representatives
The first Latino to serve onthe Ways and Means Committee,Rep. Becerra has used his positionto increase opportunities forworking families, to improvethe Social Security program forwomen and minorities, to combatpoverty among the working poor,and to strengthen Medicare andensure its long-term viability.Rep. Becerra currently serves onthe Health, Oversight, and SocialSecurity subcommittees. He is also a member of the HouseCommittee on Budget, which oversees the federal budgetprocess.Rep. Becerra is a member of the Congressional HispanicCaucus (CHC) where he served as Chair during the 105thCongress (1997-98). The Congressman is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Congressional Asian PacificAmerican Caucus. At the international level, he serves asVice Chair of the U.S.-Korea Interparliamentary Exchange,and is Co-Chair of the Congressional Friends of SpainCaucus.In addition to his Congressional duties, Rep. Becerraenjoys his service as a board member for several respectedinstitutions, including the Close Up Foundation, the nationʼslargest youth civic education organization that brings morethan 25,000 students and teachers to Washington, D.C.,annually; and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute,which provides scholarships and internship opportunitiesfor the next generation of Latino leaders. Rep. Becerra alsoserves on the Smithsonian Board of Regents, a distinguishedpanel of 17 men and women who oversee the SmithsonianInstitutionʼs expansive collection.Located entirely in the City of Los Angeles, Californiaʼs31st Congressional District includes all or parts of theneighborhoods of Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, EchoPark, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Hollywood,Jefferson Park, Koreatown, Lincoln Heights, Mid City,Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, Mount Washington,New Chinatown, Pico Union, Silverlake, South Los Angeles,Vernon and Westlake.Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Becerra servedone term in the California Legislature as the representativeof the 59th Assembly District in Los Angeles County. Heis a former Deputy Attorney General with the CaliforniaDepartment of Justice. The congressman began his legalcareer in 1984 working in a legal services office representingthe mentally ill.Rep. Becerra is the son of working-class immigrants andwas the first in his family to graduate from college. In 1980,Rep. Becerra earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics fromStanford University. He was awarded his Juris Doctoratefrom Stanford Law School in 1984.Rep. Becerra is married to Dr. Carolina Reyes. They arethe proud parents of three young daughters: Clarisa, Oliviaand Natalia. The Becerra family resides in the Los Angelesneighborhood of Eagle Rock.and Poultry. He also serves onthe House Financial ServicesCommittee, where he is amember of the Subcommittee onCapital Markets, Insurance, andGovernment Sponsored Enterprises,and the Subcommittee on FinancialInstitutions and Consumer Credit.In addition, Rep. Baca serveson the House Natural ResourcesCommittee and as a member of theWater and Power Subcommittee.In November 2006, the members of the CongressionalHispanic Caucus (CHC) elected Congressman Joe Baca (D-California) to serve as its next Chair. Rep. Baca will leadthe group, which includes all Democrats in the U.S. Houseof Representatives and Senate of Hispanic descent, duringthe 110th Congress (2007-2008). He also chairs the CHCCorporate America, Technology, Communications and theArts Task Force.Joe was born in Belen, New Mexico, the youngest of 15children in a house where little English was spoken. Hisfather was a railroad laborer. When Joe was a young boy hisfamily moved to Barstow, California. Joe worked shiningshoes at age 10, delivered newspapers, and later worked asa laborer for the Santa Fe Railroad until he was drafted in1966. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper with boththe 101st and the 82nd Airborne Divisions from 1966-68.Following military service, Joe earned his bachelorʼsdegree in sociology from California State University – LosAngeles. He worked for 15 years in community relationswith General Telephone and Electric. In 1979, he was thefirst Latino elected to the Board of Trustees for the SanBernardino Valley College District. He was elected to theState Assembly in 1992, where he became the first LatinoSpeaker pro Tempore, and was elected to the State Senate in1998.Joe and his wife, Barbara, have four children – Joe Jr.,Jeremy, Natalie and Jennifer.
XAVIER BECERRA
(D-13th-CA)
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1992,Representative Xavier Becerra is Assistant to the Speaker of the House and is the only member from Southern Californiacurrently serving on the powerful House Committee on Waysand Means. His committee is responsible for formulatingour nationʼs tax, Social Security, Medicare, trade and incomesecurity laws. As Assistant to the Speaker, Rep. Becerrawields a strong voice in House Leadership, helping to setpriorities and drive the legislative decision making process.He has dedicated himself to promoting issues affectingindustries critical to the economic vitality of the SouthernCalifornia region such as entertainment, high technology,health care, and stimulating free, yet fair, trade.
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