Herman Badillo - U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1970, Badillo was elected to the United States House of Representatives from New York's 21st District in the South Bronx, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to so serve. He was also re-elected for three subsequent consecutive terms. He was also a member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

In 1976 he was challenged by South Bronx Councilman Ramon Velez in a contest for the Democratic Party nomination for Congressman of the 21st District. Badillo, however, was reelected easily with 75 percent of the vote. In December of that year, he was one of the five Latino members of Congress who established the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Largely by his efforts, job training for unemployed non-English speaking citizens were included in the "Comprehensive Manpower Act of 1973".

Badillo also served on the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Small Business Committee where he had a seat on the Minority Enterprise and General Oversight Sub-committee. During his time in office he supported legislation intended to counteract various types of discrimination including age and marital status discrimination in employment.

Although he would later become a vociferous opponent of bilingual education, as a congressman Badillo was one of the first champions of funding for bilingual education programs. Some proponents of bilingual and ESL education, and opponents of English immersion, have attacked Badillo for his newfound opposition to Spanish-language teaching. He was also a critical player in the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and the inclusion of its language access provisions. During his tenure in Congress, he became an important national spokesperson for federal investment in urban centers.