Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Nydia Velázquez and other Members of the Hispanic Caucus

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) comprises 21 Democratic members of the United States Congress most of whom are of Hispanic origin. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in the United States and Puerto Rico. The CHC was founded in December 1976 as a legislative service organization of the United States House of Representatives. Today, the CHC is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus aims to address national and international issues and the impact these policies have on the Hispanic community. The function of the Caucus is to serve as a forum for the Hispanic and other Members of Congress to coalesce around a collective legislative agenda. In addition to covering legislative action, the CHC also monitors Executive and Judicial issues.

CHC legislative priorities cover all areas that have a direct impact on the Hispanic or Latino community. In order to best address these diverse issues, members work in smaller task forces that draw on their expertise and develop priority legislation within each area. The CHC is currently composed entirely of Democrats, although it had been a bipartisan organization since its founding. The Republican members left in the late 1990s over policy differences and, in 2003, formed their own group, the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Senator Bob Menendez, a Cuban American Democrat from New Jersey, is currently the only member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from the Senate.

History

Congressional Hispanic Caucus members in 1984.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was organized in 1976 by five Hispanic Congressmen: Herman Badillo (NY), Baltasar Corrada del Río (PR), Kika de la Garza (TX), Henry B. Gonzalez (TX) and Edward Roybal (CA), to serve as a legislative organization through which legislative action, as well as executive and judicial actions, could be monitored to ensure the needs of Hispanics were being met. The goal was to work in conjunction with other groups, both inside and outside Congress, to strengthen Federal commitment to Hispanics and heighten the community's awareness of the operation and function of the American political system.

In October 1981, the House Committee on House Administration drafted new regulations stipulating that fundraising activities were to be moved off all government premises. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus decided to maintain a legislative support organization on Capitol Hill, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and moved the non-profit, fundraising organization, today known as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc. to a new residence.

Past Chairs

• 1978–1980 Edward R. Roybal
• 1981–1984 Robert García
• 1984–1985 Bill Richardson
• 1985–1986 Matthew Martinez
• 1986–1987 Esteban Torres
• 1987–1988 Albert G. Bustamante
• 1988–1989 Jaime B. Fuster
• 1989–1990 E. "Kika" de la Garza
• 1991–1992 Solomon Ortiz (TX-27) (D)
• 1993–1994 José Serrano (NY-16) (D)
• 1995–1996 Ed Pastor (AZ-04) (D)
• 1997–1998 Xavier Becerra (CA-31) (D)
• 1999–2000 Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (D)
• 2001–2002 Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) (D)
• 2003–2004 Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23) (D)
• 2005–2006 Grace Napolitano (CA-38) (D)
• 2007–2008 Joe Baca (CA-43) (D)
• 2009–2010 Nydia Velázquez (NY-12) (D)

Controversies

On January 31, 2007, a story on the Politico.com website reported that Rep. Joe Baca had called Rep. Loretta Sanchez a "whore" in a conversation with Speaker of the California Assembly Fabian Núñez, prompting Sanchez to resign from the CHC. Rep. Baca has denied this charge,^[1] but two other CHC members, Linda Sánchez (Loretta's sister) and Hilda Solis, expressed support for Loretta Sanchez.^[2] In the case of Solis, Baca called her "'a kiss-up' to Speaker Nancy Pelosi," for which he has apologized to Solis both privately and publicly.^[3]

A year prior to the "whore" incident, The CHC's Political action committee gave $3,000 to Joe Baca's children's campaigns for state offices in California. Although Baca recused himself from the decision to make the contributions, six members of the caucus criticized the decision, saying that CHC's PAC should support only federal candidates. Consequently, on November 15, 2006, when Joe Baca was elected chair of the CHC, Solis and the Sanchez sisters challenged his election, saying that the voting should have been done by a secret ballot.^[3]

On Monday, April 2, 2007, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez closed her offices in honor of César Estrada Chávez Day, a state holiday in California (which fell on a Saturday that year). CHC chair Baca made the following comment on Sánchez's decision to close the office "I believe the best way to observe César Estrada Chávez Day is not by taking the day off from work or school."^[4] On April 12, Linda Sánchez announced that she had "suspended her membership in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, citing a need for 'structural reforms to ensure that the caucus is more equitable and inclusive of all its members.'" She specifically stated that her decision "was not based on personal animus directed at Baca."^[5]

Membership

Officers

Current Chair, Charlie Gonzalez

• Chair: Charlie Gonzalez (TX-20) (D)
• 1st Vice Chair Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) (D)
• 2nd Vice Chair Ben Ray Luján (NM-3) (D)
• Whip Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) (D)

Other Membership

Current

• Joe Baca (CA-43) (D)
• Xavier Becerra (CA-31) (D)
• Jim Costa (CA-20) (D)
• Henry Cuellar (TX-28) (D)
• Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07) (D)
• Luis V. Gutierrez (IL-04) (D)
• Senator Bob Menéndez (NJ-D)
• Grace Napolitano (CA-38) (D)
• Ed Pastor (AZ-04) (D)
• Pedro Pierluisi (PR-At large) (D)
• Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) (D)
• Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (D)
• Gregorio Sablan (MP-At large) (D)
• Linda T. Sánchez (CA-39) (D)
• José Serrano (NY-16) (D)
• Albio Sires (NJ-13) (D)
• Nydia Velázquez (NY-12) (D)

See also

	Government of the United States portal
	Latino and Hispanic American portal

• Congressional caucus

References

1. ^ Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,' Resigns from Hispanic Group at Politico.com
2. ^ Two More Reps. Complain About Treatment of Women in Hispanic Caucus at Politico.com
3. ^ ^{a b} Women Call for Change in Caucus at The Washington Post
4. ^ Rep. Baca wags finger at Sanchez for closing office for César Chávez Day at The Hill
5. ^ Linda Sanchez Leaves Hispanic Caucus at Politico.com

External links

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Website
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute