Nydia Velázquez

Nydia Velázquez
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Joseph Crowley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Major R. Owens
Succeeded by	Carolyn Maloney
Chairman of the House Small Business Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Don Manzullo
Succeeded by	Sam Graves
Member of the New York City Council from the 27th district
In office 1984–1985
Preceded by	Luis Olmedo
Succeeded by	Victor Robles
Personal details
Born	Nydia Margarita Velázquez (1953-03-28) March 28, 1953 Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Paul Bader
Alma mater	University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras New York University
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Nydia Margarita Velázquez (born March 28, 1953) is a Puerto Rican politician who has served in the United States House of Representatives since 1993. Velázquez, a Democrat from New York, is the first Puerto Rican woman to be elected to Congress, and she was the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus until January 3, 2011. Her district, located in New York City, was numbered the 12th district from 1993 to 2013 and has been numbered the 7th district since 2013.

Early life, education and career

Velázquez, whose father worked the sugar cane fields, was one of nine siblings born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. During her upbringing, political dinner conversations were commonplace. Her father was a local political activist and she would accompany him to political rallies, starting at a young age. Her father focused on the rights of sugar cane workers and denounced the abuses of wealthy farmers.

After skipping a grade, she entered high school when she was 13. While a student, she organized a protest to draw attention to the school's dangerous and unsanitary conditions. The protest resulted in the school temporarily closing down so that the necessary renovations could be made.

At age 16, Velázquez enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. In 1974, she graduated magna cum laude and became the first member of her family to receive a college degree. She then went to New York City to attend New York University, where she received a scholarship to study political science. In 1976, she received her Master's degree.

Velázquez was a professor, first at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao from 1976 to 1981, and then at New York's Hunter College from 1981 until 1983.

Throughout her career, Velázquez has been an advocate of many Latino rights programs and associations. During her tenure as the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs in the United States, Velázquez initiated one of the most successful Latino empowerment programs in the nation’s history - "Atrévete" (Dare to Go for It!). She taught Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College and became the first Latina woman to serve on the New York City Council.

New York City Council

In 1983, Velázquez was appointed Special Assistant to Representative Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn). In 1984, she became the first Latina appointed to serve as a member of the New York City Council. In 1986, she served as the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs of the U.S. During that time, she initiated a successful Latino empowerment program called "Atrévete"(dare to go for it).

U.S. House of Representatives

Congresswoman Velázquez's official congressional portrait, 113th Congress.

Tenure

Velázquez has represented a progressive shift in the House. Although some thought that she would be facing a political decline due to factors such as "the redrawing of the district's boundaries in 1997 to include fewer Latinos, and the gradual decline of the Puerto Rican population in New York," she has persevered. As reasoning, commentators have suggested "her ability to forge alliances at home and in the House".

Velázquez is an important national leader for Hispanics. In 2003, Hispanic Business Magazine honored her with its first "Woman of the Year" award, citing her support of minority small-business owners. As a Representative, Velázquez has focused on building a legislative agenda that lobbies to increase the opportunities for the nation's 47 million Hispanics, including the over 2.3 million Hispanics currently residing in New York City.

Throughout her career as a New York Representative, Nydia Velázquez has consistently and fully supported pro-choice and family-planning interests groups such as the NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Planned Parenthood. Velázquez has consistently shown support of the National Farmers' Union. She has shown no support of interests groups that are against animal rights and animal rightists.

In 2009, Velázquez voted against the amendment Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services. In the past year, Velázquez has supported the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations, the Unemployment Benefits Association, and the Unemployment Benefits Extension. Velázquez has also consistently voted in favor of bills attempting to strengthen women's rights, such as the Employment Discrimination Law Amendments, Equal Pay Bill and the Inclusion of Consolidated Appropriations.

On September 29, 2008, Congresswoman Velázquez voted in favor of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. On November 19, 2008, Congresswoman Velázquez was elected by her peers in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to lead the group for the 111th Congress.

Prior to removing her name from consideration, she was considered a possible candidate to be appointed to the United States Senate by Governor David Paterson after New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was nominated to be a member of President Barack Obama's cabinet.

Among her firsts are: the first Hispanic woman to serve on the New York City Council; the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress; the first woman Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee. Velázquez became the first woman to chair the United States House Committee on Small Business in January 2007 as well as the first Hispanic woman to chair a House standing committee.

While at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event in December 2011, Velázquez told a Daily Caller report that she did not know what "Operation Fast and Furious" was. Fellow New York Democrat, Rep. José Enrique Serrano, also admitted to The Daily Caller that he was unaware of "Fast and Furious".

Committee assignments

• Committee on Financial Services;
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit;
  • Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity;
• Committee on Small Business (Ranking Member).

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus;
• Congressional Progressive Caucus;
• Women’s Issues Caucus;
• Out of Iraq Caucus;
• Asian Pacific American Caucus;
• Congressional Caucus on the Census;
• Congressional Children’s Caucus;
• Congressional Jobs and Fair Trade Caucus;
• Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) Caucus;
• Human Rights Caucus;
• Older American’s Caucus;
• Urban Caucus.

Political campaigns

In 1992, Velázquez defeated incumbent congressman Stephen J. Solarz in the primary and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's 12th congressional district, and became the first female Puerto Rican member of Congress. The sprawling 12th district encompasses parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Lower Manhattan. It includes such neighborhoods as Ridgewood, Maspeth, and Woodside in Queens; Bushwick, Williamsburg, Red Hook, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn; and part of Manhattan's Lower East Side. She also became the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee. The committee oversees federal programs and contracts totaling $200 billion annually. She also serves on the House Financial Services Committee.

During her campaign for the House seat, her medical records, including documented clinical depression and an attempted suicide, were leaked to the press. She quickly held a press conference and said that she had been undergoing counseling for years and was emotionally and psychologically healthy.

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2010 § District 12

Velázquez’s 2010 campaign income was $759,359. She came out of this campaign with about $7,736 in debt. Her top contributors include Goldman Sachs, the American Bankers Association, the National Roofing Contractors Association and the National Telephone Cooperative Association.

2012

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2012 § District 7

Velázquez, who was redistricted into the 7th Congressional District, defeated her Democratic contenders to win the Democratic nomination. Her top contributors included Goldman Sachs, the American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Controversy

Velazquez has been criticized by her primary opponents Jeff Kurzon for her close ties to the banking industry and her reluctance to support reform and transparency measures. A majority of her campaign contributions have come from banks, including Goldman Sachs and the American Bankers Association. Opponents have suggested that these contributions influenced her votes in support of the bailouts and her votes against reform and transparency measures. In addition to support for private banks, Ms. Velazquez voted against bi-partisan House efforts to audit the federal reserve, both in 2009 and in 2012.

In 2012, Congresswoman Velazquez was named by the American Small Business League (ASBL) as the most anti-small business member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The ASBL points to the fact that Rep. Velazquez blocked legislation, including H.R. 3184, “The Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act," that would prevent large corporations from claiming billions of dollars worth of federal contracts reserved for small businesses. ASBL claims that Velazquez also voted to divert billions in federal contract dollars earmarked for small businesses to firms such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, BlackWater and Italian defense firm Finmeccanica.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• History of women in Puerto Rico

External links

• Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez official U.S. House site
• Nydia Velázquez for Congress
• Nydia Velázquez at DMOZ
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Profile at SourceWatch

Political offices
Preceded by Luis Olmedo	Member of the New York City Council from the 27th district 1984–1985	Succeeded by Victor Robles
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Major R. Owens	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th congressional district 1993–2013	Succeeded by Carolyn Maloney
Preceded by Joseph Crowley	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 7th congressional district 2013–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Don Manzullo	Chairman of the House Small Business Committee 2007–2011	Succeeded by Sam Graves
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Bobby Scott	United States Representatives by seniority 52nd	Succeeded by Bennie Thompson