José Serrano
Encyclopedia
José Enrique Serrano is the U.S. Representative
for (previously the 18th), serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party
.
The district is one of the smallest in the country geographically, consisting of a few miles of the heavily urbanized and populated South Bronx in New York City
. His district is also one of the most densely populated and one of the few majority Hispanic districts in the country.
. At the age of seven, Serrano was taken by his family to The Bronx
. Serrano went to high school and then attended Lehman College
. He served in the United States Army
medical corps from 1964 to 1966.
, which recommends that Congress provide an opportunity for residents in Puerto Rico to vote for or against its current status, which the report describes as an unincorporated U.S. territory and Serrano describes as a U.S. colony. Serrano has filed a bill, HR 900, with Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuño
, which has been co-sponsored by 129 other Democratic and Republican members of Congress to authorize such a referendum by 2009.
A member of the Progressive Caucus
, he is widely regarded as one of the most Progressive members of Congress. He has been questioned about his pork barrel spending by some fiscal conservative members of Congress. Arizona
Congressman Jeff Flake
once said of Serrano's $150,000 earmark
to repair the roof at the city-owned Arthur Avenue Market (a historic indoor produce and prepared food market in the Bronx's "Little Italy"), "I would argue this is one cannoli
the taxpayer doesn’t want to take a bite of." Serrano replied to Flake, "The more you get up on these, sir, the more I realize that you do not know what you are talking about. I make no excuses about the fact that I earmark dollars to go in the poorest congressional district in the nation, which is situated in the richest city on earth."
On November 18, 2005, he was one of three votes in favor of immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. The other two votes were from Cynthia McKinney
of Georgia
and Robert Wexler
of Florida
.
In 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011, Serrano introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd Amendment
, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as president. Each resolution, with the exception of the current one, died without ever getting past the committee.
Serrano has paid attention to local environmental issues in New York, with a particular focus on constructing greenways, acquiring parklands, and cleaning up the Bronx River, which runs through his district. Recently a beaver was discovered swimming in the river for the first time in 200 years, something seen as a testament to his efforts. In 2007, he engineered the purchase of the last privately-owned island in New York harbor—South Brother Island
—for preservation in perpetuity by the City of New York as a wildlife refuge for rare shorebirds.
Serrano was a critic of the Bush administration's approach to handling President Hugo Chávez
of Venezuela. In 2005, while the Venezuelan President was in New York City speaking before the United Nations, the congressman invited him to his district to speak to his constituency.
Serrano is one of three New York-area congressmen on the House Appropriations Committee, the others being Nita Lowey
of the 18th District
and Steve Rothman
of New Jersey's 9th congressional district
(which abuts New York City). He is the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services. As chairman, he successfully engineered the inclusion of language in the 2007 omnibus spending bill that guarantees the extension of the 50 State Quarters
program to include the minting of 6 additional quarters to honor the District of Columbia and the 5 United States territories, including Serrano's native Puerto Rico.
Serrano has also been an advocate for Puerto Ricans under FBI prosecution. In May 2000, he brokered an agreement with then-FBI Director Louis Freeh
, then Puerto Rican Independence Party
senator Manuel Rodríguez Orellana
and then Puerto Rico Senate Federal Affairs Committee chairman Kenneth McClintock
, the islands' outgoing Senate President, that has resulted in the release of nearly 100,000 pages of previously secret FBI files on Puerto Rican political activists.
and has thereafter been reelected, usually by over 95 percent of the vote, in what is considered one of the safest seats in Congress.
, is a member of the New York State Senate
. In addition to José Marco, Serrano has four other children.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for (previously the 18th), serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
The district is one of the smallest in the country geographically, consisting of a few miles of the heavily urbanized and populated South Bronx in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His district is also one of the most densely populated and one of the few majority Hispanic districts in the country.
Early life, education and career
Serrano was born in Mayagüez, Puerto RicoMayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
. At the age of seven, Serrano was taken by his family to The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. Serrano went to high school and then attended Lehman College
Lehman College
Lehman College is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, USA. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within the City University in 1968. The college is named after Herbert Lehman, a former New York governor,...
. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
medical corps from 1964 to 1966.
New York Assembly
Serrano was elected to the New York Assembly in 1974, where he served as chairman of the Consumer Affairs Committee and, subsequently, the Education Committee.Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesThe United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies is a standing committee of the U.S. House subcommittees and is within the United States House Committee on Appropriations.-Members, 112th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General GovernmentUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General GovernmentU.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Service and General Government is a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations. It was created in 2007 align the operations of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees...
(Ranking MemberRanking memberIn United States politics, a ranking member is the second-most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the majority party. Another usage refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This second usage, often...
) - Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesThe House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Political positions
Serrano has consistently supported initiatives to resolve Puerto Rico's political status problem, including the 1998 Young bill, which he coauthored, and the December 22, 2005 report of the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's StatusPresident's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status
The mission of the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status is to provide options for Puerto Rico’s future status and relationship with the Government of the United States....
, which recommends that Congress provide an opportunity for residents in Puerto Rico to vote for or against its current status, which the report describes as an unincorporated U.S. territory and Serrano describes as a U.S. colony. Serrano has filed a bill, HR 900, with Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...
, which has been co-sponsored by 129 other Democratic and Republican members of Congress to authorize such a referendum by 2009.
A member of the Progressive Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus within the Democratic caucus in the United States Congress with 83 declared members, and works to advance progressive issues and positions....
, he is widely regarded as one of the most Progressive members of Congress. He has been questioned about his pork barrel spending by some fiscal conservative members of Congress. Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Congressman Jeff Flake
Jeff Flake
Jeffrey Lane "Jeff" Flake is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was featured in the documentary series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories....
once said of Serrano's $150,000 earmark
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
to repair the roof at the city-owned Arthur Avenue Market (a historic indoor produce and prepared food market in the Bronx's "Little Italy"), "I would argue this is one cannoli
Cannoli
Cannoli are Sicilian pastry desserts. The singular is cannolo , meaning "little tube", with the etymology stemming from the Latin "canna", or reed. Cannoli originated in Sicily and are an essential part of Sicilian cuisine...
the taxpayer doesn’t want to take a bite of." Serrano replied to Flake, "The more you get up on these, sir, the more I realize that you do not know what you are talking about. I make no excuses about the fact that I earmark dollars to go in the poorest congressional district in the nation, which is situated in the richest city on earth."
On November 18, 2005, he was one of three votes in favor of immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. The other two votes were from Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Robert Wexler
Robert Wexler
Robert Wexler is the president of the Washington-based S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace.Wexler was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing , from 1997 until his resignation on January 3, 2010.-Early life:Wexler was born in Queens, New York to Sonny and...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
In 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011, Serrano introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd Amendment
Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-second Amendment of the United States Constitution sets a term limit for the President of the United States. The Congress passed the amendment on March 21, 1947...
, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as president. Each resolution, with the exception of the current one, died without ever getting past the committee.
Serrano has paid attention to local environmental issues in New York, with a particular focus on constructing greenways, acquiring parklands, and cleaning up the Bronx River, which runs through his district. Recently a beaver was discovered swimming in the river for the first time in 200 years, something seen as a testament to his efforts. In 2007, he engineered the purchase of the last privately-owned island in New York harbor—South Brother Island
South Brother Island
South Brother Island is one of a pair of small islands in the East River situated between the Bronx and Riker's Island, New York City and containing of land. The other island, larger and better known, is North Brother Island. It is uninhabited. Until 1964, South Brother Island was part of Queens...
—for preservation in perpetuity by the City of New York as a wildlife refuge for rare shorebirds.
Serrano was a critic of the Bush administration's approach to handling President Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
of Venezuela. In 2005, while the Venezuelan President was in New York City speaking before the United Nations, the congressman invited him to his district to speak to his constituency.
Serrano is one of three New York-area congressmen on the House Appropriations Committee, the others being Nita Lowey
Nita Lowey
Nita Melnikoff Lowey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously represented the 20th district from 1989 to 1993.-Early life, education and career:...
of the 18th District
New York's 18th congressional district
The 18th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in the northern suburbs of New York City. It includes most of Westchester County and part of Rockland County. It includes Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Ossining, the Town of...
and Steve Rothman
Steve Rothman
Steven R. "Steve" Rothman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:Rothman attended Washington University Law School...
of New Jersey's 9th congressional district
New Jersey's 9th congressional district
New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District is currently represented by Democrat Steve Rothman.-Counties and municipalities in the district:For the 108th and successive Congresses , the district contains all or portions of three counties and 37 municipalities:Bergen County:Hudson CountyPassaic...
(which abuts New York City). He is the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services. As chairman, he successfully engineered the inclusion of language in the 2007 omnibus spending bill that guarantees the extension of the 50 State Quarters
50 State Quarters
The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of circulating commemorative coins by the United States Mint. Between 1999 and 2008, it featured each of the 50 U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter....
program to include the minting of 6 additional quarters to honor the District of Columbia and the 5 United States territories, including Serrano's native Puerto Rico.
Serrano has also been an advocate for Puerto Ricans under FBI prosecution. In May 2000, he brokered an agreement with then-FBI Director Louis Freeh
Louis Freeh
Louis Joseph Freeh was the 5th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving from September 1993 to June 2001....
, then Puerto Rican Independence Party
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
senator Manuel Rodríguez Orellana
Manuel Rodríguez Orellana
Manuel Rodríguez Orellana is a legal scholar, lawyer, lecturer, columnist, published poet and political leader of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement...
and then Puerto Rico Senate Federal Affairs Committee chairman Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
, the islands' outgoing Senate President, that has resulted in the release of nearly 100,000 pages of previously secret FBI files on Puerto Rican political activists.
Political campaigns
In 1990, Serrano won a special election for the seat vacated by resigning Congressman Robert GarcíaRobert García
Robert García is a former Democratic United States Representative who represented New York's 21st district between 1978 and 1990.-Biography:...
and has thereafter been reelected, usually by over 95 percent of the vote, in what is considered one of the safest seats in Congress.
Personal life
Serrano's son, José M. SerranoJose M. Serrano
José Marco Serrano, son of the long-time US Representative by the same name, is a member of the New York State Senate, representing Mott Haven, Melrose, Highbridge, Morris Heights, Spanish Harlem, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island. He is the son of U.S. Congressman José Serrano.A lifelong South Bronx...
, is a member of the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. In addition to José Marco, Serrano has four other children.
See also
- Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
External links
- U.S. Congressman José E. Serrano official U.S. House site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- Rep. Jose Serrano: One of Three Congress members to Vote for Immediate U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Iraq, December 1, 2005