Nydia Velázquez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nydia Velázquez
Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Blaine Luetkemeyer
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Sam Graves
Succeeded by	Steve Chabot
In office February 28, 1998 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	John LaFalce
Succeeded by	Steve Chabot
Chair of the House Small Business Committee
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Steve Chabot
Succeeded by	Roger Williams
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Don Manzullo
Succeeded by	Sam Graves
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Stephen Solarz (Redistricting)
Constituency	12th district (1993–2013) 7th district (2013–present)
Member of the New York City Council from the 27th district
In office 1984–1985
Preceded by	Luis Olmedo
Succeeded by	Victor L. Robles
Personal details
Born	Nydia Margarita Velázquez (1953-03-28) March 28, 1953 (age 72) Yabucoa, Puerto Rico
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Paul Bader ​ (m. 2000)​
Education	University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (BA) New York University (MA)

Nydia Margarita Velázquez Serrano (born March 28, 1953) is an American politician. She has been serving in the United States House of Representatives since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party from New York.

Velázquez was the leader of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus until January 3, 2011. Her district is in New York City. It was called the 12th district from 1993 to 2013 and has been the 7th district since 2013. Nydia Velázquez is the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the United States Congress.

Early Life and Education

Nydia Velázquez was born on March 28, 1953, in Limones, a town in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. She grew up in a small house near the Río Limones. Her father, Benito Velázquez Rodríguez, worked in sugarcane fields. He taught himself about politics and started a local political party. Family talks often focused on the rights of workers. Her mother was Carmen Luisa Serrano Medina. Nydia was one of nine children.

Velázquez went to public schools and skipped three grades. She was the first person in her family to finish high school. At age 16, she started studying at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. In 1974, she earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in political science with high honors. After that, she became a teacher.

In 1976, Velázquez earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in political science from New York University. She taught political science at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao from 1976 to 1981. When she returned to New York City, she taught Puerto Rican studies at Hunter College from 1981 to 1983.

Starting Her Political Journey

In 1983, Velázquez worked as a special assistant for Representative Edolphus Towns. He was a Democrat from Brooklyn, New York.

In 1984, Howard Golden, who was the Brooklyn Borough president, chose Velázquez to fill an open spot on the New York City Council. This made her the first Hispanic woman to serve on the council.

From 1986 to 1989, Velázquez was the national director for the Migration Division Office of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources. In 1989, the governor of Puerto Rico made her the director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs in the United States. In this job, she became known as a smart and politically skilled woman. She understood how important it was to work together with other politicians, community leaders, and labor groups.

Velázquez also started a program called Atrévete Con Tu Voto (Dare With Your Vote). This program helps Latino people in the United States get involved in politics by registering to vote and other activities. The Atrévete project grew from New York to other cities like Hartford, Chicago, and Boston. It helped Hispanic candidates win elections.

Helping Puerto Rico

Velázquez has always supported the human and civil rights of the Puerto Rican people. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, she was a leader in the Vieques movement. This movement worked to stop the United States military from using the island of Vieques as a bomb testing area. In May 2000, Velázquez was one of nearly 200 people arrested for not leaving the area the U.S. military wanted to use for bombing.

Velázquez and the movement were successful. In May 2003, the military's training facility on Vieques Island was closed. In May 2004, the U.S. Navy's last base in Puerto Rico, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, was also closed.

Serving in Congress

Congresswoman Velázquez's official congressional portrait, 113th Congress

Elections

Velázquez ran for Congress in the 1992 election. She sought a seat in New York's new 12th congressional district, which was created to have a majority of Hispanic residents. She won the Democratic primary election.

In 2012, Velázquez was moved to the 7th congressional district because of new district lines. She won against her opponents to get the Democratic nomination.

Key Roles and Votes

On September 29, 2008, Velázquez voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. On November 19, 2008, her fellow members in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chose her to lead their group in the 111th Congress.

Nydia Velázquez has achieved several "firsts":

• She was the first Hispanic woman to serve on the New York City Council.
• She was the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress.
• She was the first woman Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee in 1998.
• She became the first woman to chair the United States House Committee on Small Business in January 2007. This also made her the first Hispanic woman to lead a standing committee in the House.

Velázquez voted with President Joe Biden's position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress. In September 2024, Nydia M. Velázquez introduced a federal bill called the "Mel Law." This law aims to give degrees to students who pass away before finishing their required studies.

Important Committees and Groups

Velázquez serves on important committees in the House of Representatives:

• Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
  • Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity
• Committee on Small Business (she is the chair)
• Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis

She is also part of several groups, called caucuses, that focus on different topics:

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Women's Issues Caucus
• Urban Caucus
• House Baltic Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Climate Solutions Caucus
• Medicare for All Caucus
• Blue Collar Caucus
• Rare Disease Caucus

Personal Life

Nydia Velázquez is sometimes called "la luchadora," which means "the fighter." She married Paul Bader in 2000. She is Catholic.

See also

In Spanish: Nydia Velázquez para niños

• List of Puerto Ricans
• History of women in Puerto Rico
• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
• Women in the United States House of Representatives