Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara)
WASHINGTON — Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) issued the following statement in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15 every year.
“This week we begin celebrating Hispanic Heritage month and will pay tribute to the tremendous contribution the community has made to our country,” Capps stated in a media release. “Hispanic Heritage month gives us the opportunity to renew our commitment to this vibrant community and to work to make life better for Hispanic families across the Central Coast and America. This is particularly important today as the Latino community faces even higher unemployment than the country at large during this troubled economic time. Getting our economy fully restarted is the most critical challenge we face and that’s one of the many reasons we need to pass the American Jobs Act now.
“Democrats have a history of working for the betterment of the Hispanic community. For example, under the Democrat’s control of Congress we expanded Pell Grants to make college more affordable and enacted health care reform to help the uninsured get coverage. The Democratic controlled House passed the DREAM Act to provide undocumented young people a path to citizenship through the completion of college or by service in the military. Although the DREAM Act was blocked by Senate Republicans, its passage into law remains a top priority for me. And I will continue working to finally enact for comprehensive immigration reform. Throughout its history, America has provided boundless opportunity to millions of immigrant families and their descendents and we are a stronger and richer nation because of it.”