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Congressional Hispanic Caucus
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Congressional Hispanic Caucus members in 1984.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) comprises 21 Democratic Members of the United States Congress of Hispanic descent. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics 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 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 community. In order to best address these diverse issues, members work in a smaller task force that draws on their expertise and develops priority legislation within each area. The CHC is currently composed entirely of Democrats, although it had been a bipartisan organization since its founding. The Hispanic Republican members decided to break off in 1999, led by the Cuban-American delegation from Florida. Senator Mel Martinez, and Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart, Devin Nunes, Luis Fortuño, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Trent Franks are members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Senator Bob Menendez, a Cuban-American Democrat from New Jersey, is a member of Congressional Hispanic Caucus, while Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) is not a member of either of these organizations.
History
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, fund raising organization, today known as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc. to a new residence.
Past Chairs
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. [4]
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."[5]. On April 12, Linda Sánchez announced that she has "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." [6]
Membership
Officers
Other Membership
Current
Past
References
- ^ Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,' Resigns from Hispanic Group at Politico.com
- ^ Two More Reps. Complain About Treatment of Women in Hispanic Caucus at Politico.com
- ^ Women Call for Change in Caucus at The Washington Post
- ^ Women Call for Change in Caucus at The Washington Post
- ^ Rep. Baca wags finger at Sanchez for closing office for César Chávez Day at The Hill
- ^ Linda Sanchez Leaves Hispanic Caucus at Politico.com
See also
External links
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Chairs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus |
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United States Congress
(House of Representatives, Senate — 110th Congress) |
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| Leaders |
House: Speaker ( list), Party leaders, Party whips, Dem. caucus, Rep. conference, Dean | Senate: President pro tempore ( list), Party leaders, Assistant party leaders, Dem. Caucus ( Chair, Secretary, Policy comm. chair), Rep. Conference ( Chair, Vice-Chair, Policy comm. chair), Dean |
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Agencies,
Employees &
Offices |
Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Guide Service ( board), Capitol Police ( board), Chiefs of Staff, GAO, Government Printing Office, Law Revision Counsel, Librarian of Congress, Poet laureate | House: Chaplain, Chief Administrative Officer, Clerk, Doorkeeper, Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations, Historian, Page ( board), Parliamentarian, Postmaster, Reading clerk, Recording Studio, Sergeant at Arms | Senate: Chaplain, Curator, Historian, Librarian, Page, Parliamentarian, Secretary, Sergeant at Arms
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Politics &
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Act of Congress ( list), Caucuses, Committees, Hearings, Joint session, Oversight, Party divisions, Rider, Sponsorship | House: Committees, History, Procedures, Mace of the House | Senate: Committees, Filibuster, History, Jefferson's Manual, Traditions, VPs' tie-breaking votes
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| Buildings |
Botanic Garden, Capitol, Capitol Complex, Office buildings (House: Cannon, Ford, Longworth, Rayburn, O'Neill ( demolished), Senate: Dirksen, Hart, Russell)
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| Websites: House of Representatives | Senate |
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