[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 132 (Wednesday, September 24, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H8495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize Hispanic Heritage Month and to honor all of the contributions 
of the Latino community in the United States.
  Right now, the Latino community is the largest minority group in 
America, with over 37 million people. We continue to become more 
powerful and a more dominant force in the United States. In fact, this 
year, we will have a purchasing power within the Latino community 
reaching almost $600 billion. Marketers and advertisers, CEOs and 
companies are realizing that we are a target for consuming, and we are 
becoming the fastest growing consumer sector in this Nation.
  Our increasing power and influence in this country cannot be ignored. 
So this week, so many Latino groups are in town preparing an agenda for 
the future, and a good Hispanic agenda is a good agenda for America.

                          ____________________