[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 19820-19821]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE WEEK

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I today publicly recognize the importance 
of National Hispanic Heritage Month. This 30-day observance begins 
September 15th, the independence day of five Latin American countries, 
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and 
includes Mexico's Independence Day, September 16, as well as Chile's 
day of Independence, September 18.
  Despite that Hispanic Americans have played important roles in our 
great nation for the last five centuries, it wasn't until the 1960s 
that this legislative body officially honored the Hispanic ethnic 
legacy. In 1968 Congress voted to name the week including September 15 
and 16 National Hispanic Heritage Week, and in 1988 Congress passed 
Public Law 100-402, expanding National Hispanic Heritage Week to a 30-
day celebration.
  Hispanic individuals have made immeasurable contributions to America 
in many fields. Dr. Severo Ochoa discovered RNA, Ribonucleic acid, and 
as a result won the Nobel Prize and set the foundations of many of 
today's medical technologies. Cesar Chaves made great strides in 
worker's rights, and more than three dozen Hispanic Americans have been 
awarded the Medal of Honor for their military service to our country.
  America, the great melting pot, has always taken pride in her 
diversity. Over 10,000 of my constituents are of Hispanic origin, and 
approximately 40 million Hispanics call America home, making them the 
United States' largest minority group. It is with great

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honor that I bring attention to National Hispanic Heritage Month and 
the contributions of the Hispanic people.

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