[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 139 (Thursday, October 27, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12027-S12028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF EDWARD ROYBAL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 290, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 290) honoring the life and expressing 
     the deepest condolences of Congress on the passing of Edward 
     Roybal, former United States Congressman.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President. I rise today to pay tribute to a 
trailblazing American and former Member of Congress, the Honorable 
Edward R. Roybal. It is an honor to speak about this incredible man, 
who on Monday passed away at the age of 89 and was an inspiration to me 
and to millions of Hispanics across our Nation.
  First, I must offer my heartfelt condolences to the Honorable 
Roybal's wife, Lucile; his daughter, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-
Allard, who is in her seventh term representing California's 34th 
District; his other daughter, Lillian Roybal-Rose; and his son, Edward 
R. Roybal, Jr.
  When elected to the House of Representatives in 1962, Congressman 
Roybal became the first Hispanic to serve in Congress in nearly 100 
years.
  He represented the people of California's 30th Congressional District 
and served on behalf of the public interest during a very difficult and 
tumultuous time in our Nation's history.
  As a 5th generation product of rural Colorado, my childhood at Los 
Rincones, my family's ranch in the San Luis Valley, was a far cry from 
Congressman Roybal's on the streets of East Los Angeles.
  Our family's house was small--in fact, my five of the eight siblings 
shared a small room and two beds. We did not have running water or 
electricity until 1981.
  However, even though we did not have electricity, I, like many other 
Latinos across this Nation, knew who the Honorable Ed Roybal was.
  It was people like Congressman Roybal, and Cesar Chavez who inspired 
me to dream of serving our country as Colorado's Attorney General and 
later here in the United States Senate.
  As a Hispanic American, he provided a shining example of just what I 
could accomplish if I heeded my parent's advice to get my education and 
work hard in all my endeavors. Today, as I speak as one of 100 in the 
Senate, I firmly believe that I am standing on the shoulders of many 
giants, in particular, Congressman Roybal.
  Congressman Roybal lived by the fundamental values that make this 
country the greatest country in the world and the place I am privileged 
to call home. He fought social injustice on the streets, in our 
classrooms, and in the halls of Congress.
  Like my parents, he was a part of the American generation who grew up 
during the Great Depression and came of age during World War II. He 
served our country in the U.S. Army and defended our rights and 
privileges afforded under the Constitution in battle. I am certain that 
this experience served him well when he served on the House's Veteran 
Affairs Committee.

  Throughout his life, he gave voice to the disenfranchised and offered 
hope to

[[Page S12028]]

the sick. When the tragic HIV/AIDS epidemic began to sweep our Nation, 
Congressman Roybal answered the call to duty and worked to provide 
funding for research and health services.
  During a time when many of our Nation's laws and several in out 
Nation's leadership tolerated and enabled political disenfranchisement 
and unequal educational and employment opportunities, the Honorable Ed 
Roybal organized and inspired his community to insist on equality and 
to embrace their ganas to change society.
  Mr. President, ``ganas'' means ``to have a will to achieve.'' The 
Honorable Roybal had the ganas to right injustices in America because 
he believed that he had the obligation to make this country a better 
place for his children and my children when he left it.
  I believe that he did accomplish his great goal. He did this by the 
work he did in Congress as well as the work he did when he was away 
from Washington, DC.
  In 1976, Congressman Roybal joined with his colleagues Congressman 
``Kika'' de la Garza and Congressman Baltasar Corrada, in establishing 
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The purpose of the CHC was and is to 
advocate on behalf of and represent the interests of Hispanic across 
the nation and in Puerto Rico. Representative Roybal was the Caucus's 
first chairman, and his the continued work of the Caucus, the first 
forum in the United States Congress for Latino elected Members to 
formulate a common collective legislative agenda, is a part of his 
legacy.
  In addition to the Caucus, Congressman Roybal was instrumental in the 
founding of non-profit organizations like the Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus Institute and the National Association of Latino Elected and 
Appointed Officials. Through these organizations, the fruits of his 
efforts can still be felt throughout the country today.
  As I reflect on the life and work of the late Representative Roybal, 
I am reminded of a prayer written by another civil and human rights 
leader, Cesar Chavez:

     Show me the suffering of the most miserable;
     So I will know my people's plight.
     Free me to pray for others;
     For you are present in every person.
     Help me take responsibility for my own life;
     So that I can be free at last.
     Grant me courage to serve others;
     For in service there is true life.
     Give me honesty and patience;
     So that the Spirit will be alive among us.
     Let the Spirit flourish and grow;
     So that we will never tire of the struggle.
     Let us remember those who have died for justice;
     For they have given us life.
     Help us love even those who hate us;
     So we can change the world.

  I join with the thousands of Americans in mourning the loss of this 
trailblazing leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and 
preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the 
Record, without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 290) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 290

       Whereas Edward Roybal was born on February 10, 1916, in 
     Albuquerque, New Mexico, and moved at the age of 6 with his 
     family to the Boyle Heights barrio of Los Angeles;
       Whereas his pioneering efforts in the Congress for civil 
     rights and social justice on behalf of the elderly, 
     Hispanics, and others has inspired generations of Americans;
       Whereas Edward Roybal attended public schools, graduating 
     from Roosevelt High School in 1934, and subsequently the 
     University of California in Los Angeles and Southwestern 
     University;
       Whereas Edward Roybal is a distinguished veteran who served 
     in the United States Army during World War II;
       Whereas Edward Roybal worked as a public health educator 
     for the California Tuberculosis Association, and eventually 
     served as Director of Health Education for the Los Angeles 
     County Tuberculosis and Health Association until 1949;
       Whereas Edward Roybal founded the Community Service 
     Organization in 1947 with Fred Ross and a group of Mexican 
     Americans forging a partnership between the Mexican-American 
     and Jewish communities of East Los Angeles , and as the 
     President of the organization, fought against discrimination 
     in housing, employment, voting rights, and education;
       Whereas Edward Roybal was elected to the Los Angeles City 
     Council in 1949 and, as the first Hispanic to serve on the 
     city council in more than a century, served for 13 years;
       Whereas on November 6, 1962, Edward Roybal became the first 
     Hispanic elected from California to serve in the House of 
     Representatives since 1879, and served for 30 years;
       Whereas during his 3 decades of service in the House of 
     Representatives, Roybal worked to protect the rights of 
     minorities, the elderly, and the physically-challenged;
       Whereas during his tenure in the House of Representatives, 
     Congressman Roybal served on several important congressional 
     committees, including the Committee on the Post Office and 
     Civil Service, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and as the Chair of the 
     Select Committee on Aging;
       Whereas in 1971, Congressman Roybal was selected to serve 
     on the Committee on Appropriations, where he remained for the 
     rest of his tenure in the House of Representatives and 
     eventually chaired the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal 
     Service, and General Government in 1981;
       Whereas, while serving as a member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations, Edward Roybal was a powerful advocate for the 
     funding of education, civil rights, and health programs and 
     was 1 of the first members of Congress to press for and 
     obtain funding for HIV and AIDS research;
       Whereas Congressman Roybal was committed to providing 
     opportunities for Spanish-speaking Americans, helped 
     establish a Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish-
     speaking people in 1968 with the goal of improving education, 
     housing, and employment opportunities for Spanish-speaking 
     Americans, and authored the first education bill to provide 
     local school districts with assistance with special bilingual 
     teaching programs;
       Whereas in 1976, the County of Los Angeles opened the 
     Edward R. Roybal Clinic in East Los Angeles;
       Whereas in 1976, Congressman Roybal was 1 of the founding 
     members and became the first chair of the Congressional 
     Hispanic Caucus, a legislative service organization of the 
     House of Representatives that today is comprised of 21 
     Representatives;
       Whereas Congressman Roybal was instrumental in the 
     establishment of several national nonprofit organizations 
     dedicated to advancing and promoting a new generation of 
     Latino leaders, such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus 
     Institute and the National Association of Latino Elected and 
     Appointed Officials; and
       Whereas Congressman Roybal received numerous honors and 
     awards, including two honorary doctor of law degrees from 
     Pacific States University and from Claremont Graduate School, 
     as well as the prestigious Presidential Citizens Medal of 
     Honor from President William Jefferson Clinton; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the United States Congress honors the trail-
     blazing life and pioneering accomplishments of Congressman 
     Edward Roybal and expresses its condolences on his passing.

                          ____________________