congress Lucille Roybal-Allard Contact information

In 1992, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress. She has distinguished herself throughout her 30-year congressional career as a dedicated advocate for the dignity and well-being of all Americans. The congresswoman is the first Latina to serve on the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives as well as the first Latina to serve as one of the 12 “Cardinals,” or Chairs, of a House Appropriations Subcommittee. She is the first woman to chair the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the first woman to chair the California Democratic congressional delegation. She is a founding co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Maternity Care, founder of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform and a co-founder of the Congressional Public Health Caucus.

The Congresswoman serves in key positions including as a member of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, to which Speaker Pelosi appointed her in 2019; Vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families; Co-Chair of the Congressional Nursing Caucus; and a member of the Democratic Caucus Steering and Policy Committee.

As chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, the congresswoman continues to fight to ensure our homeland security personnel have the resources and guidance they need to keep our country safe against all threats, manmade and natural, and to treat immigrants humanely and with dignity and respect. The chairwoman has pursued these efforts by establishing the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and an ICE body-worn camera initiative to help ensure federal agency accountability for the migrants in DHS custody. She has prioritized funding for alternatives to detention programming and casework as a more humane and cost effective, successful alternative for incarceration. She is a strong advocate for fair and just immigration reform which recognizes the critical contributions immigrants make to our nation. In addition to securing our borders against those who would do our nation harm, she fights for investments in the Coast Guard’s air and marine fleets and has secured critically needed funding for its first heavy icebreaker in 40 years, to protect our strategic interests in the Arctic.

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is an original co-author of The Dream Act, which would allow certain U.S.-raised immigrant youth to earn lawful permanent residence and eventual American citizenship. The House passed the newest version of this bill: HR 6, The Dream and Promise Act bill in 2021 and the bill now awaits consideration in the Senate.

The Congresswoman is also Vice chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees federal funding for public education, workforce training, and health care initiatives. She has been at the forefront of the fight to improve the quality and affordability of health services and has successfully secured funding for local needs including infant and childcare, prenatal health, dental care, HIV testing, substance abuse, diabetes treatment, and telehealth services. Her Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, which tests newborns for treatable genetic disorders, has helped to save the lives of thousands of babies. Her Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act has been instrumental in reducing underage drinking and its consequences.

From her position on the House Appropriations Committee, the congresswoman has also spearheaded many federal projects that have created jobs and improved the lives of her constituents, including the new federal courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles, the Metro Gold Line Lightrail Eastside Extension, the deepening of the Port of Los Angeles, and the ongoing revitalization of the Los Angeles River. She has been equally successful in obtaining federal dollars for local education and labor projects, including job training and placement services, arts and vocational education, afterschool care, early education, magnet schools, and English literacy programs.

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard is the eldest daughter of the late Congressman Edward R. Roybal and Lucille Beserra Roybal. She is married to Edward T. Allard III. Together, she and her husband have four children and nine grandchildren. She received her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles. She also holds an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from National Hispanic University.

In addition to chairing the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard serves in many other positions:

• Vice chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees federal funding for public education, workforce training, health care initiatives, and related agencies.
• Member of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, to which Speaker Pelosi appointed her in 2019.
• Founding co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Maternity Care.
• Vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families. (Formerly the Congressional Task Force on Seniors)
• Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).
• Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).
• Member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.
• Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC).
• Member of the Democratic Leader’s Council.