Washington, DC (September 21, 2006) – Today, Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15), Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Education Task Force, delivered the following remarks at the 7th Annual Democratic Hispanic Leadership Summit, to address issues facing Hispanics in America, and to unveil the Compromiso Democrata con El Pueblo Latino: A New Direction for Latino Families.
Congressman Hinojosa participated in a Town Hall style meeting, A New Direction for Latino Families – Reaffirming Democrats’ Commitment and Vision for Our Families, that brought together members of Congress and advocacy community leaders to share their perspectives and engage summit participants in a dialogue on the education, healthcare, immigration, retirement security, and the economic challenges facing the Latino community.
He was joined by: Joe Garcia, New Democrat Network Hispanic Strategy Center; Senator John Kerry (MA), Ranking Member, Small Business Committee; Senator Ken Salazar (CO); Representative Hilda Solis (CA), Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Care Task Force; Janet Murgia, President, National Council of La Raza.
Below are Congressman Hinojosa’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:
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“Leadership. That is the heart of the matter. I am honored to be a part of this dialogue because everyone in this room is a proven leader. As leaders, we must call on ourselves and others to do more. We can no longer tolerate the skewed priorities that have allowed this administration and this Congress to chronically and tragically under-invest in our community. As leaders, we must say BASTA. ENOUGH. It is time for a change, time for a new direction.
“Nowhere is the need for change more evident than in education.
“The 109th Congress will leave the key education programs that support the Hispanic community with less funding than they had when Members were sworn in nearly two years ago. Facing a growing Hispanic population, this Congress has decided to reduce its investment in the Hispanic Education Action Plan, which includes Title I of No Child Left Behind, bilingual education, migrant education, dropout prevention, parental involvement programs, GEAR UP and TRIO programs to prepare young people for college, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, adult English as a second language programs, and Even Start family literacy programs. For fiscal year 2006, every single program was cut, reversing a pattern of steady gains over the last decade. This year, the President proposed an additional $855 million in cuts to these programs. We need to move in a new direction.
“Hispanics, now nearly 20 percent of all children in our public schools, enroll in college at lower rates than any other group. Hispanics are the least likely to achieve advanced degrees, jeopardizing our nation’s ability to remain competitive in the global, knowledge-based economy. The Higher Education Act is our principal tool for expanding college access. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has worked for over 4 years to build bipartisan consensus on a set of amendments to improve higher education in our community.
“Chief among these are amendments to strengthen Hispanic-Serving Institutions that are the gateways to higher education for nearly half of all Hispanic students in college. Most importantly, we mobilized bipartisan support to establish a long overdue graduate program for Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
“Once again those amendments will be on hold because for the second time, Congress seems to be unable to muster the effort to get the job done and renew the Higher Education Act. Every delay in reauthorization puts our community farther behind. Nevertheless, this year, the majority found the will to cut $12 billion from the student loan programs, diverting resources for students and families struggling to pay for college essentially to help finance reckless tax cuts for the well-to-do. We need new priorities that put students and families first.
“The majority has found the time to hold a hearing on English as the official language, yet another attempt to legitimize discrimination based on language and country of origin. In contrast, there has been no effort for increased investment in or meaningful oversight of the implementation of No Child Left Behind and the educational programs to help children learn English. Again, we need a new direction – one that will focus on helping children learn English and succeed in all of their academic subjects rather than sanctioning discrimination against them if they have not mastered English yet.
“We need new leadership that that will produce budgets that reflect our values and priorities and invest in the education of our people. We need leadership that will dedicate itself to sound educational policy, real oversight, and meaningful legislation. We need leadership that will focus on educational opportunity and advancement for Hispanics and all Americans – leadership that will put students and families first. That leadership starts right here with us. Let’s move in a new direction.”