III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 290 

Honoring the life and expressing the deepest condolences of Congress on 

the passing of Edward Roybal, former United States Congressman. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 27, 2005 

Mr. SALAZAR (for himself, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mrs. CLINTON, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Mr. KERRY, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. OBAMA, Mr. REID, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. 

PRYOR, Mr. DURBIN, and Mr. REED) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and expressing the deepest condolences 

of Congress on the passing of Edward Roybal, former 

United States Congressman. 

Whereas Edward Roybal was born on February 10, 1916, in 

Albuquerque, New Mexico, and moved at the age of 6 

with his family to the Boyle Heights barrio of Los Angeles; 

Whereas his pioneering efforts in the Congress for civil rights 

and social justice on behalf of the elderly, Hispanics, and 

others has inspired generations of Americans; 

Whereas Edward Roybal attended public schools, graduating 

from Roosevelt High School in 1934, and subsequently 
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studying at the University of California in Los Angeles 

and Southwestern University; 

Whereas Edward Roybal is a distinguished veteran who 

served in the United States Army during World War II; 

Whereas Edward Roybal worked as a public health educator 

for the California Tuberculosis Association, and eventually served as Director of Health Education for the Los 

Angeles County Tuberculosis and Health Association 

until 1949; 

Whereas Edward Roybal founded the Community Service Organization in 1947 with Fred Ross and a group of Mexican Americans forging a partnership between the Mexican-American and Jewish communities of East Los Angeles, and as the President of the organization, fought 

against discrimination in housing, employment, voting 

rights, and education; 

Whereas Edward Roybal was elected to the Los Angeles City 

Council in 1949 and, as the first Hispanic to serve on the 

city council in more than a century, served for 13 years; 

Whereas on November 6, 1962, Edward Roybal became the 

first Hispanic elected from California to serve in the 

House of Representatives since 1879, and served for 30 

years; 

Whereas during his 3 decades of service in the House of Representatives, Roybal worked to protect the rights of minorities, the elderly, and the physically-challenged; 

Whereas during his tenure in the House of Representatives, 

Congressman Roybal served on several important congressional committees, including the Committee on the 

Post Office and Civil Service, the Committee on Foreign 
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Affairs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and as the 

Chair of the Select Committee on Aging; 

Whereas in 1971, Congressman Roybal was selected to serve 

on the Committee on Appropriations, where he remained 

for the rest of his tenure in the House of Representatives 

and eventually chaired the Subcommittee on Treasury, 

Postal Service, and General Government in 1981; 

Whereas, while serving as a member of the Committee on Appropriations, Edward Roybal was a powerful advocate for 

the funding of education, civil rights, and health programs and was 1 of the first members of Congress to 

press for and obtain funding for HIV and AIDS research; 

Whereas Congressman Roybal was committed to providing 

opportunities for Spanish-speaking Americans, helped establish a Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish-speaking people in 1968 with the goal of improving 

education, housing, and employment opportunities for 

Spanish-speaking Americans, and authored the first education bill to provide local school districts with assistance 

with special bilingual teaching programs; 

Whereas in 1976, the County of Los Angeles opened the Edward R. Roybal Clinic in East Los Angeles; 

Whereas in 1976, Congressman Roybal was 1 of the founding 

members and became the first chair of the Congressional 

Hispanic Caucus, a legislative service organization of the 

House of Representatives that today is comprised of 21 

Representatives; 

Whereas Congressman Roybal was instrumental in the establishment of several national nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing and promoting a new generation of 
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Latino leaders, such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the National Association of Latino 

Elected and Appointed Officials; and 

Whereas Congressman Roybal received numerous honors and 

awards, including two honorary doctor of law degrees 

from Pacific States University and from Claremont Graduate School, as well as the prestigious Presidential Citizens Medal of Honor from President William Jefferson 

Clinton: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the United States Congress honors the 

2 trail-blazing life and pioneering accomplishments of Con3 gressman Edward Roybal and expresses its condolences on 

4 his passing. 

Æ