NHCSL President Appointed to NALEO Board

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), which represents the voices of more than 400 Hispanic state legislators from across the country, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, today announced that NHCSL President, Senator Carmelo Ríos (PR), has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

“We are excited to welcome Senator Carmelo J. Ríos Santiago to the NALEO Board of Directors. He joins an extraordinary group of Latino leaders who will work together to strengthen our democracy and develop our nation’s Latino elected officials to become effective advocates for their communities. Senator Ríos Santiago’s unique voice and steadfast commitment to the Latino community make him a valuable addition to the NALEO Board,” said NALEO Executive Director Arturo Vargas.

Founded in 1981, NALEO is a national leader on key issues that affect Latino participation in our political process, including immigration and naturalization, voting rights, election reform, the Census and the appointment of qualified Latinos to top executive and judicial positions. As part of the NALEO Board of Directors, Sen. Ríos joins other distinguished national Latino leaders and elected officials, including: Congresswoman Michelle Luján Grisham (NM), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC); Congressman Mario Díaz Balart (FL), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; and Rhode Island Secretary of State, and fellow Puerto Rican, Nellie Gorbea.

Senator Ríos said: “I am honored and excited for this appointment. Since my election as NHCSL President in February, we have partnered with NALEO on a variety of policy initiatives, including the 2020 Census and the deleterious effects the proposed citizenship question could have for Hispanics in the U.S. That is why we invited NALEO’s Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Angela Manso, to speak about this critical issue at the last meeting of the Quad Caucus, which is comprised of all national state legislative caucuses of color. The Census determines our districts lines, apportionment of Congressional seats, as well as federal funding formulas and an accurate count is key for Latino political representation to grow proportionate to our numbers. We will not rest until this query is removed from the decennial count.”

“I was also proud to join NALEO at their recent national convention in Phoenix where we stood together to denounce the ‘zero-humanity’ policy that the Trump Administration has perpetrated against innocent families seeking asylum on our southern border. Families cannot continue to be separated; and those who have been should be reunited and provided Temporary Protective Status (TPS) as a redress of the grievances inflicted upon them by our government. With partners like NALEO, we will not rest until this needless humanitarian crisis comes to an end,” Ríos added.

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NHCSL is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 410 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.