José E. Serrano

José Enrique Serrano ( born October 24, 1943 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) is a politician of the Democratic Party of the United States. He is since 1990 a deputy in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 16th Congressional District of the State of New York, composed of the southwestern part of New York's Bronx borough.

Life

Serrano was born in 1943 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York City as a child with his family. He grew up in Mill Brook Housing Project in the Bronx, where he attended the Dodge Vocational High School, then the Lehman College. From 1964 to 1966 he was a member of the United States Army Medical Corps. After his discharge from military service Serrano worked as a bank clerk and in school administration.

Serrano is married and has five children. His son José Marco is a member of the Senate from New York.

Political career

Serrano was elected in 1974 in the lower house of the State of New York, the New York State Assembly, where he remained until 1990. When in 1990, was forced to resign as a result of the so-called Wedtech scandal of former members of the 16th Congressional District of New York, Robert García, Serrano ran as candidate of the Democratic Party and was elected with over 90 % of the vote for the Members of the House of Representatives of the United States. Since then, he was re-elected at each election with large majorities.

He is a member of the following committees:

• Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government ( Chairman)
• Subcommittee on Homeland Security

Positions

Serrano is considered " progressive " and represents mainly liberal positions. So he voted in 2005 as one of only three MPs for a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and against the USA PATRIOT Act. In addition, he works to ensure that Americans speak more than one language and fights "English only " aspirations.