José E. Serrano Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids José E. Serrano


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
In office March 21, 1990 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Robert Garcia
Succeeded by	Ritchie Torres
Constituency	18th district (1990–1993) 16th district (1993–2013) 15th district (2013–2021)
Member of the New York Assembly
In office January 1, 1975 – March 21, 1990
Preceded by	Eugenio Alvarez
Succeeded by	David Rosado
Constituency	75th district (1975–1982) 73rd district (1983–1990)

Personal details
Born	José Enrique Serrano (1943-10-24) October 24, 1943 (age 81) Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Political party	Democratic
Children	5, including José
Education	Lehman College (dropped out)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1964–1966
Unit	172nd Support Battalion

José Enrique Serrano (born October 24, 1943) is an American politician. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990 until he retired in 2021. This means he helped make laws for the entire country.

Serrano is a Democrat from New York. He represented a part of the South Bronx in New York City. This area is very small but has many people living there. It is also one of the few places in the country where most people are Hispanic.

He served in the House for a long time, becoming the longest-serving Hispanic-American member. He decided not to run for re-election in 2020 because he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Ritchie Torres was elected to take his place.

Early Life and Education
Military Service
New York State Assembly
U.S. House of Representatives
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

José Serrano was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. When he was seven years old, his family moved to The Bronx in New York. He grew up there in a place called Millbrook Houses.

He went to Grace Dodge Vocational High School in the Bronx. Later, in 1961, he briefly attended Lehman College.

Military Service

From 1964 to 1966, Serrano served in the United States Army Medical Corps. He was a private in the 172nd Support Battalion. This unit helped support medical efforts in the army.

After his military service, Serrano worked at Manufacturers Hanover Bank from 1961 to 1969. He also served on New York City's District 7 School Board from 1969 to 1974. This board helps make decisions about local schools.

New York State Assembly

Before joining the U.S. House of Representatives, José Serrano was a member of the New York State Assembly. This is a group of lawmakers who make laws for New York State. He served there from 1975 to 1990.

During his time in the Assembly, he led important committees. He was Chairman of the Committee on Consumer Affairs from 1979 to 1983. Then, he became Chairman of the Committee on Education from 1983 to 1990.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections and Tenure

In 1990, Serrano won a special election to become a U.S. Congressman. He won with a very high percentage of votes, showing strong support from his community. He continued to win re-election easily, often with more than 92% of the votes. This shows his district was a very safe seat for him.

In 2004, another person named Jose Serrano tried to run against him. However, this person later dropped out of the race.

Serrano speaks during a debate in 1998 about the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Serrano in 2007.

Serrano at an event in 2014.

Serrano was known as one of the most progressive members of Congress. This means he often supported policies that aimed to help people and protect the environment. He was part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

He was sometimes questioned about money he directed to his district, known as "earmarks." One time, he secured $150,000 to fix a market roof in the Bronx. When another Congressman criticized this, Serrano defended it. He said he was proud to bring money to the poorest congressional district in the nation.

Key Votes and Actions

In 2005, Serrano was one of only three members of the House to vote for American troops to leave Iraq immediately. This showed his strong stance on foreign policy.

He also repeatedly tried to change the Constitution of the United States. He introduced a resolution to remove the 22nd Amendment. This amendment limits a president to serving only two terms. However, his efforts did not pass.

Serrano cared a lot about local environmental issues in New York. He worked to create greenways, buy parklands, and clean up the Bronx River. His efforts helped improve the river so much that a beaver was seen there for the first time in 200 years! In 2007, he helped buy South Brother Island to protect it as a wildlife refuge.

He was also a key member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations. This committee decides how the government spends money. He helped make sure that the 50 State Quarters program included coins for Washington D.C. and U.S. territories, including his home of Puerto Rico.

Serrano also worked to help Puerto Ricans. He helped release many secret FBI files about Puerto Rican political activists.

He was a critic of how the U.S. government dealt with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. Serrano invited Chávez to speak in his district in New York City. After Chávez passed away, Serrano shared his condolences, saying Chávez "understood the needs of the poor."

Serrano also criticized Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro. In 2019, he and other lawmakers wrote a letter expressing concerns about Bolsonaro's policies.

Committee and Caucus Memberships

Serrano was a member of several important groups in Congress:

Committee on Appropriations: This committee controls government spending.
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (He was the top Democrat, called Ranking Member)
Congressional Hispanic Caucus: A group of Hispanic members of Congress.
Congressional Progressive Caucus: A group of progressive lawmakers.
International Conservation Caucus: Focuses on global conservation efforts.
Congressional Arts Caucus: Supports the arts.
Afterschool Caucuses: Supports after-school programs for kids.

He also held a leadership role as a Senior Whip for his party.

Personal Life

José Serrano has five children. One of his sons, José M. Serrano, followed in his footsteps and is a member of the New York State Senate.

In March 2019, Serrano announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This is why he decided not to seek re-election in 2020.

José E. Serrano facts for kids

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