Washington, DC (December 13, 2006) – Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) today released the following statement commending the appointment of Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX) to the House Appropriations Committee.
I congratulate Congressman Ciro Rodriguez on his appointment to the House Appropriations Committee. His appointment to this important panel will mean great things for Texas and the nation. Along with Congressman Chet Edwards, these two gentlemen will be a powerful voice for the people of Texas.
As a senior member of the Education and Workforce Committee, I look forward to working with them to ensure that America fulfills its promise to help every child realize the dream of a quality education. I also plan to work with them closely to bring real solutions to the problems of poverty, limited healthcare access, poor transportation systems, sub-standard housing, the lack of potable water and life-line access in countless communities across our country that for far too long have been neglected.
In particular, on the Education and Workforce Committee, I am looking forward to completing the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, including establishing a graduate program for Hispanic Serving Institutions. It is also important to make national graduation rates a top priority and prepare Hispanic and other minority students for full participation in the Innovation Agenda. I also plan to work closely with Chairman Miller on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and improving this law for English Language Learners.
As a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, I plan to work with Chairman Barney Frank to ensure that we take a serious look at creating new programs that will help Americans become more financially literate and provide resources to improve the affordability, availability, and quality of housing in Rural America and border communities. Now is the time to aggressively fund programs that will heal the conditions in the Colonias across America’s southern border and sub-standard housing locations throughout the nation. As the most prosperous nation in the world, it would be unconscionable to allow these conditions to continue.