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This guidefact sheet is designed to assist congressional offices with work related to National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed from September 15 to October 15. It contains links to census and demographic information, a CRS report, sample speeches and remarks from the Congressional Record, and presidential proclamations. It also contains links to additional web resources and selected educational, cultural, and advocacy organizations.
National Hispanic Heritage Month started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson, and it was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
P.L. 90-498—. Authorized and requested the President to proclaim annually the week including September 15 and 16 as National Hispanic Heritage Week (82 Stat. 848; September 17, 1968).
P.L. 100-402—. Amended P.L. 90-498 to provide for the designation of National Hispanic Heritage Month (102 Stat. 1012; August 17, 1988).
P.L. 105-225 § §126—. Requested that the President issue a yearly proclamation designating September 15 through October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month (112 Stat. 1259; August 12, 1998).
This report provides a demographic profile of current Members of Congress, including the number of Hispanic and Latino Members, by gender and party:
CRS Report R42964R43869, Membership of the 113th114th Congress: A Profile, by [author name scrubbed]
Members of Congress often make floor statements, issue press releases, or enter Extensions of Remarks into the Congressional Record to recognize federal holidays and observances. The following are some recent examples of such statements.
Hispanic Heritage Month 20142016, Representative Marc Veasey (September 17, 2014)
Honoring Sheila Jackson Lee (July 1, 2016)
Hispanic Heritage Month, Representative Michael Conaway (September 15, 2014)
Hispanic Heritage Month, Representative Tony Cardenas (October 20, 2015)In Honor of NationalRuben Gallego (October 20, 2015)
Michael FitzpatrickMartha McSally (October 16, 2013)
Observing Hispanic Heritage Month, Senator Dean Heller (October 8, 2015)Month of the Hispanic Child9, 2015)
September 18, 2013October 6, 2015)
Hispanic Heritage Month, Representative Jim CostaCresent Hardy (September 27, 201325, 2015)
National Hispanic Heritage Month, Representative Peter Visclosky (September 26, 2013)
and Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, Senator Robert Menendez (September 17, 2015)
Celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month and the Contributions of the Latino Community, Representative Charles B. Rangel (September 17, 2015) Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Representative Peter J. Visclosky (September 16, 2015)Hispanic Heritage Month, Senator Harry Reid (September 18, 2013)
Hispanic Heritage Month and Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, Senator Robert Menendez (September 20, 2012)
One of the many uses of a presidential proclamation is to ceremoniously honor a group or call attention to certain issues or events. Some recent proclamations commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month from the Compilation of Presidential Documents include the following:
Many federal agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) maintain statistics on Hispanics. A fewThe following are examples that may be useful are
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, Hispanic Heritage Month 20142016. Quick statistics on population, states and counties, businesses, families and children, language, income, poverty, health insurance, education, jobs, voting, and national service.
Pew Research Center, Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 1980-2013-2014. These interactive statistical profiles of the Latino population in the 50 states and the District of Columbia are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2010 and 20132014 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 1980-2000 decennial censuses.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health of Hispanic or Latino Populations. Population. Information and statistics on health issues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of Minority Health and Health DisparitiesNational Center for Health Statistics.
Several government resources provide information on the history and culture of Hispanic Heritage Month. Some of these include the following:
National Hispanic Heritage Month. This project provides information, images, collections, and audio and video on topics such as Spanish missions, Hispanic American veterans, history, art, and teaching Hispanic heritage. This is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Library of Congress, Hispanic Reading Room. The Hispanic Reading Room serves as the primary access point for research relating to parts of the world encompassing the geographical areas of the Caribbean, Latin America, and Iberia; the indigenous cultures of those areas; and peoples throughout the world historically influenced by Luso-Hispanic heritage, including Latinos in the United States and people of Portuguese or Spanish heritage in Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
U.S. House of Representatives, Hispanic Americans in Congress (from. From the Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House's Office of Art and Archives). This, this website, based on the book Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1822–2012, contains profiles of former and current Hispanic Members of Congress, essays, and images, including rare photos.
Many other resources provide information on the history and culture of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Smithsonian Latino Center—. Exhibitions, research, collections, and educational programs promoting Latino heritage and culture in the United States.
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)—. An advocacy group that "advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs."
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—. National Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. NCLR provides a Latino perspective in fiveseven key areas: assets and investments, civil rights and immigrationcriminal justice, education, employment and economic status, health, immigration, voting, and youthand health.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI)—. Internships, fellowships, scholarships, and educational publications and resources.