Pa. General Assembly makes Latino Affairs Caucus official
Written by Victoria Scialfa on June 22, 2021
Pa. General Assembly makes Latino Affairs Caucus official
By Anthony Orozco / WITF
June 22, 2021
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is officially recognizing a bicameral Latino caucus and lawmakers are celebrating the milestone.
First-year state Rep. Manuel Guzman Jr. (D-Berks) is among the first members of the now-official Latino Affairs Caucus.
Guzman says the caucus will advocate for the needs and interests of Latinos across the commonwealth.
“And we’re doing that because we know that in the Pennsylvania State House because we recognize that Latino voices deserve to be at the table in every legislative and budgetary decision that we make,” Guzman says.
He says it aims to bring an informed perspective to the capitol to advocate for the state’s growing Latino population.
“A lot of times I’m in rooms with individuals who don’t know what it is like to grow up Latino, who don’t know what it’s like to come from an immigrant family, who don’t know what it’s like and whose father came to this country not knowing a lick of English,” Guzman says.
The Latino Affairs Caucus has five members, all Democratic state representatives.
The caucus, open to any lawmaker regardless of party or ethnicity, was formed by state Rep. Angel Cruz (D-Philadelphia) in 2015.
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) only recently officially recognized the caucus, which is more symbolic than operational.
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