In 1992, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress. She has distinguished herself throughout her 30-year congressional career as a dedicated advocate for the dignity and well-being of all Americans. The congresswoman is the first Latina to serve on the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives as well as the first Latina to serve as one of the 12 “Cardinals,” or Chairs, of a House Appropriations Subcommittee. She is the first woman to chair the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the first woman to chair the California Democratic congressional delegation. She is a founding co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Maternity Care, founder of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform and a co-founder of the Congressional Public Health Caucus.
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We must do everything we can to prepare our students to compete in the 21st century economy. As Vice Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, I am committed to fighting for the education funding that our schools need to help students graduate and continue on to college if they desire. That is why I advocate for robust funding for federal programs like Head Start, Title I School Improvement Grants, the Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment Block Grant, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I also support giving students greater opportunities to pursue a higher education by funding financial assistance programs such as Pell Grants, and increasing the flexibility of when these grants can be used. In 2017, I helped to lead the successful fight to restore year-round Pell Grant funding. |