Congressional Hispanic Caucus 
The Honorable Charles Gonzalez, Chair 


 

Nov. 15, 2012
Contact:
Lesley Lopez
202-225-2410

NEW CHC LEADERSHIP

 

Washington D.C.:  Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released this statement following the election of Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX 15) as CHC Chairman for the 113^th Congress, Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM03) as First Vice Chair, Rep. Linda Sanchez (CA39) as Second Vice Chair and Congresswoman-elect Michelle Luján Grisham (NM01) as Whip.

 

Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20):

“It has been an honor to serve as CHC Chairman alongside Congressman Hinojosa and I’m certain that his extensive experience as a legislator and an advocate for Hispanic issues will greatly benefit the CHC of the 113^th Congress.

 

“Congressman Hinojosa’s passion for extending opportunities to Hispanic youth was demonstrated by his tireless efforts on the CHC’s Education Task Force and as First Vice Chair. I look forward to seeing how his abilities as a strong leader and advocate, combined with the largest delegation of Latinos to ever serve in Congress, will advance the issues most vital to our community.”

 

Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX 15), Chair-elect:

"I want to thank my colleagues for showing their support as I proudly take on the role of the Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. For 36 years the CHC has focused on legislative priorities covering all areas that have a direct impact on the Hispanic or Latino community. We will continue to bring new ideas and new vigor to pave our way towards our great future in this country.

 

“In the 113th Congress we will have 30 Latinos in Congress. This is the largest Hispanic group in our nation's history to serve in Congress. The recent Presidential election proves that the Latino vote is a crucial voting bloc. No longer will our voices be silenced. No longer will we be placed in the back of the line.

 

“The challenges we face are arduous and no doubt we will suffer some set-backs during our climb, but we will not turn back. I along with my fellow CHC colleagues will join with President Obama as we work to pass comprehensive immigration reform. We will work together to not only allow DREAM Act students to earn a college degree, but to grant them a path to citizenship in the U.S.A., the country they already call home.

 

“As the new Chairman of the CHC, I will work to reorganize task forces to address high priority issues such as: our economy and creating jobs, addressing and improving the way home mortgages and micro loans are handled for our Latino communities and small businesses. On health care, we will address particular areas of the Affordable Care Act and make certain that our doctors and hospitals are reimbursed. In education we must protect the Pell Grant so that it does not drop below the current $5,550. We will also see that the Direct Federal College Loan Program continues to offer our children an opportunity to register and attend college.

 

“Again, I thank my colleagues for their faith in me and together we will continue to improve the quality of life for not only the Latino community but for all Americans."

 

Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM03):

“This is an important time for the Hispanic community across the country as we have seen our numbers and influence increase in all facets, from government to small businesses. I am honored to have the opportunity to represent the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as First Vice Chair, and I look forward to working with them and my colleagues in the House to advocate for an agenda that helps Hispanics, and indeed all Americans, by growing our economy, spurring job creation, and investing in education.”

 

Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (CA39):

“It is an honor to have been selected by my colleagues to serve as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Second Vice-Chair. I look forward to working with the CHC to address the issues that matter most to Latinos. I am excited to work with the CHC to ensure we create jobs, grow our economy, and achieve comprehensive immigration reform. It is also with great pleasure that I welcome the new members of the CHC. Together we will fight to ensure that Latinos have a strong voice in Congress.”

 

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto
Rico and U.S. Territories.

For president, Barack Obama

The New Mexican
Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2012 - 10/20/12

President Barack Obama has earned four more years.

He inherited an unholy mess — an economy teetering on the edge of a second Great Depression and two foreign wars top the list of disasters. Slowly, steadily and with his eye fixed firmly on the needs of the country, the president has worked hard every day to improve our collective good. It was President Obama who bailed out the auto industry, salvaging 1.1 million jobs and keeping manufacturing alive in this country. It was President Obama who made the gutsy call to invade a compound in Pakistan, tracking down and killing Osama bin Laden. It was President Obama who finally signed comprehensive health reform so that no American has to fear bankruptcy because of a medical catastrophe. More work remains for a second term.

Despite 31 months of consecutive job growth, too many Americans still need jobs. Despite ending the war in Iraq, the United States still must leave Afghanistan and repurpose our military strength. Despite passing the Affordable Care Act, we need a President Obama in office to ensure that citizens do not lose their dearly won access to health care. Despite progress on equal rights — passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act ensuring equal pay for women, ending “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military so that gay and lesbian troops can serve openly and announcing his support for equal marriage — more progress is needed.

And it is that word — progress — that we urge voters to keep in mind when casting their ballots. Voters are not simply choosing between two men — President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney — they are selecting two philosophies of governing and of life.

In the world of Barack Obama, raised by a single mother and grandparents, propelled to the top through his own hard work, intelligence and drive, we all do better when we come together. He has never forgotten the struggles of his youth, understanding better than most the necessity of individual initiative. To Obama, government is not the enemy. It is not dispenser of all wisdom or wealth, either. Government is the safety net that catches the weak, the sick, the old and the very poor. It is also our collective will in action — building, defending and securing our nation. Obama will not privatize Social Security or reduce Medicare to a voucher system that costs too much while not guaranteeing treatment. He understands that Medicaid, which underwrites medical care for the very poor, must be protected from budget slashers who think nothing of leaving sick people at the emergency room door while asking for more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.

Mitt Romney’s world is very different, one of privilege and wealth, where in his view, 47 percent of all citizens are takers who won’t assume responsibility for their lives. He had the good fortune to be born in a two-parent home, and should be credited for taking his comfortable start and building a fortune with it. He is a model of a citizen, a good father, husband and church member, contributing to his greater community with both his time and treasure. However, his vision for the United States — with almost half the population moochers — will not lift the least of us up. Instead, it will continue to divide the country along class lines, further splitting us between the haves-a-lot and everyone else.

This election — aren’t they all? — is an important one.

The next president will appoint one, perhaps two Supreme Court justices. Those unelected justices, as the entire country knows, extend the influence of a president long after his term ends; we much prefer a Sotomayor or a Kagan to a Scalia or Thomas.

The next president must continue navigating the dangerous shoals of the Middle East — it is disconcerting to realize that many of Gov. Romney’s foreign policy advisers are the same people who drew us into the unnecessary war in Iraq. They seem hellbent on attacking Iran, another disastrous war the country does not need. The next president must cut spending and raise revenues, smartly and with precision, so that the nation continues necessary investments in education, infrastructure and innovation, while at the same time reducing the deficit. The next president must pass comprehensive immigration reform, finding a path to citizenship for the many people now living in the shadows, while at the same time securing our borders.

So much accomplished in four years. So much remaining to be done.

For president of the United States, The Santa Fe New Mexican endorses Barack Obama.

New Allegations of Bullying, Physical Intimidation Tactics By Gov. Martinez’s Top Staffer

DPNM: Chief of Staff Keith Gardner Unfit to Serve

Contact: Matt Ross, (505) 263-4879

Albuquerque, NM - Gov. Susana Martinez is getting a reputation for bullying, attacking and refusing to work with political opponents. Operatives like McCleskey, Darnell and Gardner make news because they attempt to advance their policies with every conceivable form of intimidation.

Now, in a front page Albuquerque Journal story, Martinez’s top staffer, "Gentle Giant" Keith Gardner, has been caught once again attempting to influence the other side of a debate with bullying and intimidation. And this time it got physical, when Gardner “painfully gripped [Menapace’s] arm and yelled at her in ‘in an extremely threatening manner’” that the "bowels of hell were about to open up."

Coming just a month after tapes were released putting Gardner’s darker side on full display, it is now clear that Chief of Staff Keith Gardner has become a serious liability for Gov. Martinez. His temper – at someone who did nothing more than oppose his personal agenda – makes it impossible for him to work with the legislature to make progress on just about anything. Keith Gardner is unfit for service in any position funded by taxpayers, much less as the top government staffer in the state. If Gov. Martinez is at all serious about moving an agenda forward, it is time for her to fire Keith Gardner.

The following is a statement from DPNM Executive Director, Scott Forrester, on Gardner’s actions and the response from Governor Martinez’s office:

"Keith's actions are truly unfortunate for the State of New Mexico. It is now abundantly clear that his temperament, bullying and intimidation make him unfit to serve in such an important role governing this State. It’s time for him to go.  

"New Mexicans gave control of their government to both parties expecting us to come together. How can Susana expect us to take her seriously when her top representative has been recorded speaking with such disrespect and hatred about Senate Pro Tem Tim Jennings and thinks it is appropriate to literally grab and shake a woman over something as simple as a disagreement over education policy? Instead of sitting down at the table to have a reasonable discussion, Martinez and her lackeys are lashing out at anyone who dares to disagree with her, and that’s no way to run a government.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 3, 2012

CONTACT: Matt Ross (505) 263-4879

Albuquerque, NM -- Republican Congressional Candidate Janice Arnold-Jones, an advocate of special interests, gladly accepted $28,900 in campaign contributions from a payday lending company when she ran for Governor in 2010. Now, that same company was found to have illegally exploited New Mexico families, charging annual interest rates between 520 and 650 percent.

The Journal published a story in 2010 about large campaign contributions, which included news about a $25,000 contribution that Arnold-Jones received from FastBucks. [Albuquerque Journal, 4/15/10]

“Janice Arnold-Jones owes an explanation to working New Mexico families as she prepares for primetime TV debates,” said DPNM Chairman Javier Gonzales “Why was Janice supporting an industry that doesn't play by the rules and exploits New Mexico consumers for its own profit?”

The Albuquerque Journal published an editorial today that was highly critical of the payday lending company, FastBucks Holding Corp., which does business in New Mexico. A Santa Fe Judge ruled that FastBucks exploited New Mexico families with installment loans that had annual interest rates between 520 and 650 percent. Judge Michael E. Vigil ordered the company to pay $10 million to consumers for violating the New Mexico’s Unfair Trade Practices Act.

FastBucks Management Co. donated $28,900 to Arnold-Jones when she ran for Governor in 2010. The special-interest contribution represented nearly 10 percent of the money Arnold-Jones raised in her losing bid for the Republican nomination that year.

Arnold-Jones has a history of supporting special interests in Santa Fe and voting against ethics legislation that would have prevented massive campaign contributions like the cash she received from FastBucks.

Background:

In 2007, Arnold-Jones opposed a bill to cap the amount of money individuals, businesses and labor unions could give to New Mexico political campaigns. [HB 821, Santa Fe New Mexican, 2/10/07]

In 2007, Arnold-Jones was one of four representatives to vote against the “Gift Act.” The bill would make it a petty misdemeanor for state, county, and local officials and candidates for public office to accept certain types or amounts of gifts from lobbyists, political backers, and companies bidding on state contracts. [SB 931, Fiscal Impact Report, 3/17/07, Santa Fe New Mexican, 3/13/07]

In 2010, Arnold-Jones voted against a bill to prohibit campaign contributions from lobbyists and state contractors. [HB 118, 2/16/10, Santa Fe New Mexican, 2/19/10]

In 2010, Arnold-Jones praised a bill that would ban lobbyist and contractor contributions to candidates but then tried to move a substitute bill that would exempt lobbyists from the ban. [Associated Press, 2/17/10]

In 2007 and 2010, Arnold-Jones voted against a bill that would create a State Ethics Commission. [HB 822, 3/06/07] [HB 43,Introduced, 2/18/10]

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