[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15706]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of 
Hispanic Heritage Month, I would like to recognize the great 
achievement of Latinos within their communities.
  America has been home to countless numbers of outstanding Latinos 
over time who reflect the best of our community: activists like Cesar 
Chavez and Joan Baez; artists like Selena and Carlos Santana; the brave 
women and men who have served in our armed services; and, of course, 
today's ambitious young DREAMers.
  Latinos, like all Americans, are committed to building a better and 
stronger future for our country and within our communities. We strive 
to instill a culture of hard work, of healthy living, and of academic 
success.
  Latino families recognize the importance of attaining an education in 
today's society. In the past decade, Latinos have worked to cut their 
dropout rate in half, while tripling enrollment in 2- and 4-year 
colleges.
  The top degrees that we earn speak to our involvement in community: 
our liberal arts degrees, to help the less fortunate; to heal the sick 
with our healthcare degrees; to create employment with our business 
diplomas.
  In regards to health care, with the landmark Affordable Care Act, a 
record 2.6 million new Latinos are signed up for health care, and they 
are on track to leading healthier lives.
  But, Mr. Speaker, even with these great advances in our communities, 
there is still so much work to be done. Although our dropout rate is 
lower, we still have the highest dropout rate among all ethnic groups. 
Latinos have increased their scores in math and science, but we are 
still below the national average. And while our communities have made 
massive strides in putting our children in college, still only 15 
percent of college degrees are in the hands of Latinos, again, the 
smallest percentage of any ethnic group.
  And even while 2\1/2\ million new Latinos signed up for health care, 
25 percent of Latinos have no healthcare plan, and we battle high 
obesity and diabetes.
  So I have seen these issues firsthand in my district and in 
California and, as a whole, have seen and have worked to improve our 
condition.
  This Congress, I introduced the All-Year ACCESS Act, which would 
restore Pell grants for both full-time and part-time students, giving 
access to postsecondary education all year-round. Back in my home 
district, I relaunched Enroll OC, adding an additional 2,000 people 
this year, Latinos in my district, to health care.
  So while we make these incredible strides in wellness and education, 
the Latino community still has so many issues to address. I will tell 
you this: the problems are not just Latino problems; they are problems 
for the United States because, you see, America is a family. It is a 
familia, and we have to address these issues together because, for the 
first time in my beautiful home State of California, the largest 
majority ethic group is now Latino.
  And you know what? This should not frighten people, Mr. Speaker. I 
think it is actually pretty exciting because the Latino community is so 
embedded in the success of the American Dream, and the American Dream 
is so embedded in us. We are not aliens, Mr. Speaker. We are doctors, 
lawyers, community leaders, social workers, laborers, and DREAMers. But 
more importantly, we are sons, daughters, parents, siblings, and we are 
neighbors.
  It is time for the United States as a whole to embrace the power and 
the potential of the Latino community and to realize that we share the 
common goal of furthering the greatness of this Nation. I believe as 
soon as we realize Latinos yearn to share the same American values and 
aspirations as so many descendants of other immigrant groups--of 
Italian Americans and Irish Americans and German Americans and Asian 
Americans and all Americans--certainly America will thrive.
  Latinos are finding their voice, and America needs to listen.

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