Lucille Elsa Roybal-Allard (born June 12, 1941) is an American politician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for since 2013. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, she first entered Congress in 1993. Her district, numbered as the 33rd until 2003 and then the 34th, includes much of southern

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, as well as several eastern suburbs, such as

Downey Downey may refer to: People *Downey (surname) *Robert Downey Jr. Places *Downey, California, US *Downey, Idaho, US *Downey, Iowa, US Businesses *W. & D. Downey, photographic studio *Downey Studios, created out of a former Boeing plant Schools * ...

Bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

and

Bell Gardens Bell Gardens is a city in the U.S. state of California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Located in Los Angeles County, the city's population was 42,072 at the 2010 census, down from 44,054 at the 2000 census. Bell Gardens is part of the G ...

. On December 20, 2021, Roybal-Allard announced her retirement at the end of the 117th Congress.

Early life, education, and career

Roybal-Allard was born in Boyle Heights, California, the daughter of

Edward R. Roybal Edward Ross Roybal (February 10, 1916 – October 24, 2005) was a member of the Los Angeles City Council for thirteen years and of the U.S. House of Representatives for thirty years. Biography Roybal was born on February 10, 1916, into a Me ...

, who served in Congress from 1963 to 1993, and Lucille Beserra Roybal. She attended

Ramona Convent Secondary School Ramona Convent Secondary School is a private, Catholic, college preparatory school for girls grades 9–12, located in Alhambra, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Established in 1 ...

in Alhambra, California, graduating in 1959. She also attended

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

. Roybal-Allard was a public relations officer and fund-raising executive. She was also a member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

from 1987 to 1992, first elected on May 12, 1987, in a special election to replace

Gloria Molina Jesus Gloria Molina (born May 31, 1948) is an American politician and a former member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Molina broke into politics in 1982 by going agai ...

, who resigned after being elected to the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The President of the Los Angeles City Counc ...

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1992, Roybal-Allard won the Democratic nomination for the newly created 33rd district, which included a sliver of the area her father had represented for 30 years. She won the general election handily and has been reelected 13 times with no substantial opposition in this heavily Democratic, Latino-majority district. Her district was renumbered the 34th after the 2000 Census and the 40th after the 2010 Census. As of the 2010 census, it is the most Latino district in the nation, with a Latino majority of 86.5%. Until 2013, she represented much of

downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

Tenure

Roybal-Allard is the first Latina to serve as one of the 12 "cardinals", or chairs, of a House Appropriations Subcommittee, as well as the first Latina to serve on the House Appropriations Committee. She is also the first woman to chair the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; the first woman to chair the California Democratic congressional delegation; and the founder of the Women's Working Group on Immigration Reform. 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, she has spearheaded many federal projects that have created jobs and improved her constituents' lives, 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. Roybal-Allard chaired the California Democratic congressional delegation in 1998–1999. She has also been active in the Congressional Children's Caucus and on the Democratic Homeland Security and the Livable Communities task forces. Roybal-Allard is the first Democratic Mexican-American woman to serve in Congress. She and

Nydia Velazquez Nydia may refer to: *Alba Nydia Díaz (born 1955), Puerto Rican actress *Carmen Nydia Velázquez, born in Puerto Rico, a comedian and singer *Nydia Caro (born 1948), American and Puerto Rican actress and singer *Nydia Rojas (born 1980), American si ...

were the third and fourth Latinas elected to Congress, after Barbara Vucanovich and

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (; born Ileana Carmen Ros y Adato, July 15, 1952) is a politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented from 1989 to 2019. By the end of her tenure, she was the most senior U.S. Representative from Florida. She wa ...

. She and Velazquez are the first Latina Democrats to serve in that body, and the first two elected to a full term. Roybal-Allard introduced the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 1281; 113th Congress) into the House on March 20, 2013. The bill would amend the

Public Health Service Act The Public Health Service Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1944. The full act is codified in Title 42 of the United States Code (The Public Health and Welfare), Chapter 6A (Public Health Service). Contents The act clearly establis ...

to reauthorize grant programs and other initiatives to promote expanded screening of newborns and children for heritable disorders. Roybal-Allard argued that "newborn screening not only transforms and save lives – it saves money." According to her, in California "newborns are screened for more than 40 preventable and treatable conditions – and for every one dollar California spends on screening, it yields a benefit of over $9 as we prevent disease in children who are diagnosed with these treatable conditions." Roybal-Allard is the original House author of The Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act, a bill designed to ensure that survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking can get help without fearing the loss of their jobs or economic security. Parts of the SAFE Act were included in the House's 2019 reauthorization of the

Violence Against Women Act The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law (Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, ) signed by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. The Act provided $1.6 billion toward investig ...

(VAWA). She also authored The Children's Act for Responsible Employment (CARE) to address abusive and exploitative child labor practices in agriculture. Lucille Roybal-Allard, official portrait, 111th Congress

Lucille Roybal-Allard, official portrait, 111th Congress

Committee assignments

Committee on Appropriations The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Commi ...

** Subcommittee on Homeland Security (chair) ** Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Caucus memberships

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is a caucus consisting of members of the United States Congress who are Asian American and Pacific Islander ( AAPI), and who have a strong interest in advocating and promoting issues and ...

(associate member) *

Congressional Arts Caucus The Congressional Arts Caucus is a registered Congressional Member Organization for the US House of Representatives in the 115th Congress. History The Congressional Arts Caucus was created in the 1980s as a way for the various members of Congres ...

Congressional Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most Left-wing politics, left-leaning faction of the ...

* House Baltic Caucus * Medicare for All Caucus *

Congressional Hispanic Caucus The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is an organization of 38 Democratic members of the United States Congress of Hispanic and Latino descent. The Caucus focuses on issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. The CHC was fou ...

Political positions

Abortion

As of 2020, Roybal-Allard has a 100% rating from

NARAL Pro-Choice America NARAL Pro-Choice America, commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, political action, and advocacy efforts to oppose restrictions on abortion, to expand access to ...

and an F rating from the

Susan B. Anthony List Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (formerly Susan B. Anthony List) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that seeks to reduce and ultimately end abortion in the U.S. by supporting anti-abortion politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List ...

for her abortion-related voting record. She opposed the overturning of ''Roe v. Wade'', calling it an infringement on a woman's right to choose.

Personal life

Roybal-Allard is married to Edward Allard III. They have four children, two of whom are Roybal-Allard's stepchildren. She is

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. Roybal-Allard's archives are in the collection of the California State Archives.

References

External links

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
official U.S. House website
Lucille Roybal-Allard for Congress
* *
Join California Lucille Roybal-Allard
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Roybal-Allard, Lucille 1941 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American politicians of Mexican descent California State University, Los Angeles alumni Catholics from California Female members of the United States House of Representatives Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Women state legislators in California People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles