Born in the Cuban town of Bejucal, he grew up in the waning years of pre-Communist Cuba. His family fled in January 1962 with the help of relatives in America. Congressman Sires became a star basketball player at Memorial High School and received a four-year basketball scholarship from St. Peter’s College. He went on to receive a Masters Degree from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Congressman Sires was a teacher and business owner before entering public service. He proudly served as Mayor of West New York, New Jersey from 1995 to 2006. During that time, the Congressman created more affordable housing units than any municipality in the State of New Jersey by fostering public-private partnerships and the use of targeted tax incentives.
Over the last decade, more than 1.2 million Americans have been shot and millions have been victims, or witnesses, of other crimes involving a gun. Mass shootings have become far too common with tragedies occurring everywhere from schools and places of worship to concerts. According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, an average of 310 people are injured and 100 people die due to gun violence every day in America. I am deeply concerned with the continued gun violence in our country and I support enacting and enforcing measures to protect innocent people from the terror of gun violence.
During this Congress alone, there have been numerous mass shootings that have shattered families and communities across the country. After each one, Congress holds a moment of silence but without action and meaningful policy change, our moments of silence will just continue to signify inaction. During his time in office President Obama enacted a number of executive actions to combat gun violence in our country and make our communities safer. However, it is ultimately up to Congress to pass long-term reforms and we have failed. When Democrats took control of the House of Representatives, we began voting on legislation to address the gun violence epidemic, and numerous bills passed our chamber with bipartisan support including H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. None of the bills passed by the House have been considered by the Senate and Speaker McConnell has yet to even schedule a vote on any of the common sense, broadly supported bills that have been introduced or sent to the Senate.
As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I am a cosponsor of common sense legislation and I will continue to push my colleagues in the Senate to consider legislation that the House has already passed. Among the legislation I have cosponsored is H.R. 1296, the Assault Weapons Ban, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI). This legislation would reinstate the ban on the sale, transfer, manufacturing, and importation of semiautomatic weapons and ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than ten rounds, while protecting assault weapons used by members of the military and law enforcement. I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 435, the Gun Violence Research Act, introduced by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), which would authorize research programs to examine policies that reduce gun violence. It is my hope that my colleagues will come together to pass meaningful gun safety reforms because protecting people from gun violence should not be a partisan issue.
To stay updated on recent legislation that I have cosponsored, please continue to check this page.
Cosponsored Legislation