[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21714]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, we are currently observing National 
Hispanic Heritage Month, a time when many members of the Latino 
community and the country at large remember and celebrate the profound 
contributions of Hispanic culture that are woven into the great 
cultural fabric of America. National Hispanic Heritage Month is 
celebrated between September 15 and October 15, to coincide with the 
Independence Day anniversaries of nations throughout Latin America. In 
1968, President Lyndon Johnson's proclamation of National Hispanic 
Heritage Month was authorized by Congress. In 1988, the recognition was 
expanded to a month-long celebration.
  America is home to nearly 41 million Latinos, including a thriving 
population in my home state of Wisconsin. This month, we should take 
the time to embrace the many important contributions throughout 
American history of American Latinos that affect all of our everyday 
lives. This month we celebrate the historic efforts of Cesar Chavez, 
Jaime Escalante, Roberto Hernandez, Henry Cisneros, Ellen Ochoa and 
Roberto Clemente, to name just a few. We celebrate their work to break 
down barriers and create bridges for future generations.
  But as we celebrate Hispanic heritage, it is also time to address the 
challenges that face the Hispanic community, such as access to 
education and health care, fair working conditions, racial profiling 
and, for many, an ability to keep their family together while working 
to become legal, permanent residents of this great country. I am a 
strong supporter of the SOLVE Act, introduced by Senators Kennedy and 
McCain, that would help keep many Latino families together while their 
petitions for permanent legal residency are processed. The legislation 
would help hard-working Hispanics and others become legalized citizens 
and would offer a new temporary worker program.
  While we work to improve the immigration system, we must enhance the 
education of Latino students. Many Latino students face social, 
economic, and language barriers that can prevent them from receiving 
the top-quality education they, like all American students, deserve. We 
must increase funding for English proficiency programs, programs to 
help low-income students attend college, and programs to help parents 
involve themselves in their children's education. It must be a priority 
for Congress to ensure equal education for all so the Hispanic 
community can continue to flourish and contribute to American culture.
  In closing, I express my hope that the 109th Congress begins to 
address these and other pressing priorities for Latinos across the 
country. We should not limit our celebration of National Hispanic 
Heritage Month to saluting the achievements of Hispanics, we also need 
to make sure that we act on the educational, health, labor and other 
needs of all Americans of Hispanic heritage.

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