Continuing Appropriations Act, and Health Extenders Act of

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, we are a proud nation of immigrants and have benefited from the diversity of ideas and cultures that have come from around the world to experience the freedoms that we enjoy in the United States of America.

September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month and a time to especially celebrate the traditions and contributions of the tens of millions of Hispanic and Latino Americans across our country.

Texas is home to more than 11 million Hispanic Americans. Some have lived here for generations, and others have contributed to the recent rapid growth of the Lone Star State.

Throughout our State's history, we have benefited from the leadership of people like Dr. Hector Garcia, a surgeon, a decorated World War II veteran, and a civil rights advocate. He founded the American GI Forum to ensure that veterans receive equal benefits and care regardless of their race or ethnicity. He was an ardent advocate for equal educational opportunities, and his motto was ``Education is our freedom, and freedom should be everybody's business.''

Dr. Garcia became the first Mexican American to serve as the Ambassador to the United Nations, representing our country on the world stage. President Ronald Reagan later bestowed upon him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His legacy is a reminder of what a single person can accomplish in the face of adversity, if only they have the courage to fight for what is right.

Today, Texas is proud to have incredible Hispanic-American leaders across our State, including Ruth Hughs, who last month was sworn in as our secretary of state, and people like Justice Eva Guzman, who is the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court.

There are incredible organizations, such as the Hispanic chambers of commerce, that advocate for Hispanic-owned small businesses that are vital to our economy. There is also the League of United Latin American Citizens--or, as we know it, LULAC--that fights to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans, particularly when it comes to education.

Hispanic leaders can be found in city halls, board rooms, and communities throughout our State and are improving our State in big ways and small ones as well.

I have the honor of representing 28 million Texans--and it is growing by about 1,000 people a day, but nearly 40 percent of them identify as Hispanic.

When Texans come to Washington, they have the opportunity to visit the museums that hold some of the most important stories and artifacts from our Nation's history. In recent years, we have made two very important additions to the Smithsonian Institution with the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. But it is time for another addition.

Earlier this year, I introduced the National Museum of the American Latino Act, which would authorize the Smithsonian Institution to create a museum honoring America's Latinos. This has been a work in progress since 2003, when a bill was introduced to study the creation of a museum. The process took a step forward in 2008, when a Commission was established to study the viability of such a museum and, again, when that Commission released a report detailing the feasibility of the project.

This legislation will take the work that has been done up to this point and finally put into motion the process of establishing a Latino museum. As of this week, we have 200 cosponsors on the House companion legislation and nearly 20 bipartisan cosponsors here in the Senate. Bicameral, bipartisan support demonstrates that the time has come to turn the dream of this museum into a reality.

Hispanic Americans have made innumerable contributions to our country, and these stories deserve a brick and mortar home here in Washington, DC, in our Nation's Capital.

Our State and our Nation are stronger, smarter, and more inclusive because of the contributions of generations of Hispanic Americans. So I am glad to spend this month reflecting on the work they have done and celebrating the heritage that is uniquely woven into the fabric of the United States of America.

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