When I decided to run for the Chairmanship of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), I did so knowing that it was a critical time for our community and that the CHC’s role in advancing Hispanic priorities had never been so important. Established in 1976, the CHC is the watchdog and defender of Hispanics at the legislative level. What does that mean? The CHC’s job is two-fold. First, we look at every piece of legislation that Congress is considering and ask the following questions: how will this piece of legislation affect Hispanics? And how can it be modified to better serve our community? And second, given our intimate knowledge of the Hispanic community and its needs, we work with our colleagues in Congress to create legislation that advances the particular needs of our community. To you, the reader, and to me, the CHC’s mission is intuitive; we might not question the CHC’s role or necessity. Nonetheless, the questions that I most get asked are: Why do we need a Congressional Hispanic Caucus? Why does one group of people need to specifically look out for Hispanics in the legislative process? The short answer is that all things being equal, the CHC wouldn’t be necessary. But despite the Hispanic community’s growth both in sheer numbers and in political clout, we’re simply not there yet. Consider the numbers: Today, Hispanics make up 15.4 percent of the United States population, yet only 5.7 percent of the Representatives in both the House and the Senate. We are more than one in five of all K-12 students, yet only about half of us earn a high-school diploma. We have unique health challenges, but over 30 percent of us don’t have health insurance. We’re the youngest population, yet we have one of the highest unemployment rates. The CHC is necessary and relevant because these numbers must improve and it is our mission to enact legislation that ensures it. And we’re well on our way. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law last year, invested $5 billion in programs vital for Hispanics such as Head Start, Early Head Start, child care and services for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children. Through the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act we also secured an unprecedented $2.55 billion in Hispanic-Serving Institutions which educate over half of America’s Latino undergraduates. The historic health care reform we reached stands to insure up to 19 million Latinos who previously didn’t have access to affordable health care. And by prohibiting insurance companies from denying health insurance to those with pre-existing conditions, the millions of Latinos who suffer from diabetes or chronic illnesses will now be able to seek medical assistance before their conditions worsen. This year, the CHC will work tirelessly to make additional investments of benefit to Latinos when Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. An act to defend the accomplishments we’ve already assured in health care so that the ACA can continue to be rolled out and those Latinos we had in mind when creating it, will in fact benefit. But the CHC needs your help. The fact is that until all Latinos make their voices heard in the ballot box, our community will never exert the influence it deserves. Don’t get me wrong; the mid-term elections were a wake-up call for all of Washington’s elected leaders. The Latino vote proved unequivocally decisive in Colorado, Nevada, and California and undoubtedly swayed many more elections across the nation. The massive nation-wide mobilization by the courageous students we all refer to as DREAMers allowed their allies in congress to call for a vote and resulted in a historic victory in the House of Representatives. Also, everyone is watching and learning from our community’s entrepreneurial spirit as reports show that even in times of economic hardship Hispanic businesses have had a growth rate of 114 percent. What’s more, and of particular interest to you, the Latina reader, is that Hispanic females are starting businesses at a rate of four-to-one when compared to their male Caucasian counterparts. We all stand to learn from Hispanics and to profit from their growth and empowerment. I’m honored to Chair the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and to represent Hispanic concerns in Congress. I am sure that if I can count on your commitment, that if you participate in your community and vote when it comes time for elections, we can all ensure that Latinos, and our country as a whole, heads down a prosperous path, together.