Congresswoman Hahn Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Statement

Hello, I'm Congresswoman Janice Hahn.

I am proud to represent California's 44th Congressional District which includes a large and important Latino population that adds so much to our communities, neighborhoods and economy.

Our nation comes together to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th, and recognize the contributions the Latino community has made to California and the United States.

The Latino community has important reasons to celebrate this year.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more than 10 million uninsured Latinos now have access to affordable, quality healthcare.

Latino entrepreneurs are starting businesses at three times the national average.

And across the country, more Latino families are sending their kids to college than ever before.

But there is still much work to do to improve access to quality education, housing, jobs, and opportunity for everyone.

Latinas still suffer from the wage gap. On average, Latina women make only 55 cents to every dollar that a white male makes.

This needs to change. We must pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and raise the minimum wage so that working families can have an easier time making ends meet.

While I continue to support the priorities of the Latino community, unfortunately some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to work with me to solve the problems that hold our economy back from reaching its full potential.

For example, it has been over a year since the Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform that would bring people out of the shadows.

Yet, Speaker Boehner has refused to allow a vote on this bill even though it has support on both sides of the aisle.

Our broken immigration system hurts millions of families and every day that we delay leaves both these families and our economy suffering.

Rest assured, I will continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform that will secure our borders, unite our families and offer an earned pathway to citizenship.

Throughout this month, I look forward to celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and I hope you will join me!

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