WASHINGTON –On the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) honored Hispanic Heritage Month. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found here.
“It’s unfair to say that Hispanic culture has influenced Texas because, in reality, Hispanic culture is as much a part of our state’s foundation as the ground that our cities are built on. Today, Texas is home to more than 11.5 million Hispanic Americans, some of whom have lived there for generations and others who have contributed to the recent rapid growth of the population of the Lone Star State.”
“For the past twelve years I’ve joined our colleagues, Senator Menendez from New Jersey and a number of other bipartisan cosponsors, in introducing a resolution to formally recognize September the 15th through October the 15th as Hispanic Heritage Month.”
“Last week, the Senate passed a resolution Senator Menendez and I introduced to honor these institutions which are helping Hispanic students achieve their dreams through a quality education… Texas is home to 100 Hispanic-Serving Institutions, more or less, and these colleges and universities are helping to prepare the next generation of leaders for our future.”
“I hope we can also pass legislation I introduced to honor the contributions of Hispanic Americans for generations to come. When Americans of all ages visit Washington, they’re able to learn the stories of great Americans through the Smithsonian Museums, which welcomed more than 22 million visitors last year… The time has come to turn the dream of this museum into a reality, and there’s no better time than Hispanic Heritage Month for that to happen.”