[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 176 (Thursday, November 17, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING TERESA HUGHES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2011

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late Teresa 
Hughes, former California State Senator and Assemblywoman from the Los 
Angeles area, who passed away on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at the age 
of 80. As the second black woman elected to the Assembly, Ms. Hughes 
proved to be an influential lawmaker, breaking barriers and proving to 
most leaders that it is necessary to have women in significant 
leadership roles because their constituents demand it.
  A former New York social worker, teacher and school administrator, 
Ms. Hughes was a fervent supporter of education. Her candidacy for the 
47th Assembly District in California, which included a large part of 
South L.A. and the cities of Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Downey and 
Compton, came with much support because the constituents wanted to 
elect a professional educator committed to expanding educational 
opportunities for their community.
  Ms. Hughes' accomplishments as a state legislator are many. During 
her 17 years in the California State Assembly, she authored a bill 
dedicating $800 million in bond money to build school classrooms as 
well as the creation of a state School of the Arts. In 1983, as 
chairwoman of the Assembly Education Committee, she co-authored an 
education bill setting state graduation standards, lengthening school 
days and the school year, raising teacher salaries and standards, and 
requiring prospective teachers to pass a basic skills test. Ms. Hughes 
also authored the bill that established the California Museum of Afro-
American History and Culture within the Museum of Science and Industry 
in Los Angeles.
  There were 15 women state lawmakers in 1985 when the Joint Rules 
Committee formally recognized the new bipartisan Caucus of Women 
Legislators. As the senior woman in the Assembly at the time, Ms. 
Hughes was selected to chair the caucus.
  Elected to the state Senate in 1992, Hughes represented the 25th 
District, which stretched from Marina del Rey to Paramount.
  Before she retired in 2000, she became the first woman and first 
African American to serve on the Senate Rules Committee.
  Her State Senate achievements include establishing the Senate Select 
Committee on College Admission and Outreach and writing a school 
violence prevention bill that led to the creation of the Task Force on 
School Safety.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here in remembrance of Teresa 
Hughes, a towering figure in the history of California. I ask my 
colleagues to join me for a moment of silence in the memory of the 
great Teresa Hughes.

                          ____________________