Raúl Grijalva
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 7, 2003
Preceded by	District created after 2000 census
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	February 19, 1948 (age 59) Tucson, Arizona
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ramona F. Grijalva
Religion	Roman Catholic

Raúl M. Grijalva (born February 19, 1948) is an American politician from Arizona. He is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003 and represents Arizona's 7th congressional district (map). Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Arizonas 7th congressional district is located in the southwestern part of the state. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Nickname: The Old Pueblo Location in Pima County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Pima Government  - Mayor Bob Walkup (R) Area  - City  195. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arizonas 7th congressional district is located in the southwestern part of the state. ...

Biography

Raúl Grijalva's father was a migrant worker from Mexico who entered the United States in 1945 through the Bracero Program and labored on southern Arizona ranches. [1] 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Bracero Program was originally a binational temporary contract labor program initiated, in August 1942, by an exchange of diplomatic notes between the United States and Mexico after a series of negotiations. ...

Raúl was born in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1967. Grijalva is a 2004 inductee to the Sunnyside High School Alumni Hall of Fame. He attended the University of Arizona and earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology. While at the university, he was a member of MEChA. [2] Nickname: The Old Pueblo Location in Pima County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Pima Government  - Mayor Bob Walkup (R) Area  - City  195. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The University of Arizona (UA or U of A) is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For the fictional robot, see Mecha. ...

In 1974, he was elected to the Tucson Unified School District board and served as a school board member until 1986. Grijalva Elementary School in Tucson was named for him in 1987. [3] Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) is the largest school district of Tucson, Arizona in terms of enrollment. ...

From 1975 to 1986, Grijalva was the director of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, and in 1987 he was Assistant Dean for Hispanic Student Affairs at the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona (UA or U of A) is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. ...

Grijalva was a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors from 1989 to 2002, and served as chairman from 2000 to 2002. He was first elected to Congress in 2002. In 2006, he defeated Republican challenger Ron Drake. Pima County is located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Democratic Party. ... Ron Drake Ron Drake (born 1957, Chicago, Illinois) is an Arizona businessman and politician. ...

He is married to Ramona F. Grijalva and together they have three daughters: Adelita, Raquel and Marisa.

Politics

In 2006, National Journal ranked him as the 21st most liberal member in the House of Representatives, based on his votes in 2005. [4] Along with 25 other Democratic House members, he was ranked most liberal in economic policy votes; with 17 other Democrats he was most liberal on foreign policy. He ranked as more liberal than 84% of Representatives on social issues. National Journal is a weekly magazine about American politics and government, published by National Journal Group, Inc. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. ...

Immigration

Grijalva believes current immigration laws are "cruel," and border policy is "unjust." [5] He supports legalization for some immigrants and a program to allow immigrants to work legally in the United States "without displacing or having an adverse impact on American workers". He voted against H.R. 4437 and opposed Arizona Proposition), and he does not support a National Guard presence on the border. House Resolution 4437 (The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005) was passed by the United States House of Representatives on December 16, 2005 by a vote of 239 to 182. ... The United States National Guard is a component of the United States Army (the Army National Guard) and the United States Air Force (the Air National Guard). ...

The Arizona Daily Star reported that in his "State of the District" address on June 2, 2006 Grijalva announced a forthcoming plan to "stabilize the border" that would serve to help Congress "internalize the issue."[6] The Arizona Daily Star is a daily newspaper that serves Tucson, Arizona, and southern Arizona. ...

Grijalva supports the Cyberport Port of Entry project in Nogales, Arizona and the San Luis II Port of Entry project in San Luis, Arizona, which would improve security by "making border traffic processing more efficient." [7] Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. ... San Luis is a city located in Yuma County, Arizona. ...

Taxes

Grijalva has frequently voted against various tax cut initiatives. For his voting record during the 108th congress he received an F (11%) from the conservative American Taxpayers Union, which tabulates scores based on any vote that affects taxes, spending and debt.^{[citation needed]}

Civil liberties

Grijalva is a supporter of some civil liberties. Concerned about disenfranchisement, Grijalva joined several other House Democrats in 2004 and requested that the United Nations observe and certify elections in the United States. Civil liberties is the name given to freedoms that protect the individual from government. ... Disenfranchising refers to the removal of the ability to vote from a person or group of people. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

Gun control

Grijalva is a supporter of gun control legislation. He was a cosponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Act of 2003, a cosponsor of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act of 2005, and is a supporter of the Brady Bill and other gun control legislation. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Gun politics. ... The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, also known as the Brady Bill, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 30, 1993. ...

He voted "no" on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. (Oct 2005) He voted "no" on prohibiting suing gun-makers and sellers for gun misuse. (Apr 2003) He received an F rating from the National Rifle Association on gun issues. [8] National Rifle Association logo This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association, UK The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm...

He is a co-sponsor of the current Assault Weapon Ban, HR 1022.[9]

Animals

In 2005 the Humane Society gave Grijalva a score of 100% for his "advocacy on animal welfare issues considered by Congress in 2005." He opposed horse slaughter, animal fighting and puppy mills. [10] A humane society is a group that aims to stop animal and human suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. ... Horse slaughter is the practice of slaughtering horses for meat (to be consumed by humans). ... Bull fighting is an example of a modern blood sport. ... Puppy mills (known as puppy farms in the UK and Australia) are dog breeding operations that are considered to be disreputable and irresponsible. ...

Industrial hemp

Grijalva co-sponsored the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.

Darfur

Grijalva is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network. The Genocide Intervention Network (or GI-Net) is a non-profit organization that envisions a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocidal violence. ...

Native Americans

Grijalva is a strong supporter of sovereignty and government-to-government relationship[s].[11] He supports the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and the protection of sites sacred to Native Americans. Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ...

Censure of George W. Bush

Grijalva supported H.Res. 635 to censure President George W. Bush.[12] Some have called for the impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Committees and assignments

Rep. Grijalva sits on the the Committee on Natural Resources where he serves as chairman of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee. He also sits on the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Small Business. He is the chair of the House Democratic Environmental Task Force and is the second vice-chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for the 110th United States Congress. The U.S. House Committee on Resources, or Resources Committee (often referred to as simply Resources, as in Hes on Resources) is a Congressional committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... The Committee on Education and the Workforce is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... // History Jurisdiction Subcommittees Subcommittee on Workforce, Empowerment, and Government Programs Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Tax, Finance, and Exports Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, Agriculture, and Technology Members Republicans Donald A. Manzullo (R-IL), Chairman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) Sue W. Kelly (R-NY) Steve Chabot (R-OH... // About the CHC The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is comprised of 21 Members of Congress of Hispanic descent. ... The 110th United States Congress is the present session of the Legislature of the United States federal government. ...

Criticism and controversies

Lifelong Democrat?

According to an article in the alternative weekly newspaper Tucson Weekly, Grijalva was a member of the short-lived Raza Unida Party, and registered as a Democrat in Pima County, Arizona in 1977, despite his claim to be a lifelong Democrat.[13] Recent cover of Portland, Oregons Willamette Week An alternative weekly is a type of weekly newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. ... The Tucson Weekly is an alternative newsweekly that was founded in 1984 and serves a metropolitan area of nearly 900,000 residents. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Pima County is located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. ...

Immigration and Mexico

Grijalva's position on immigration has generated criticism from groups supporting immigration reduction. The American Patrol Report web site dedicates a regularly-updated page to oppose him [14]. Immigration reduction refers to movements active within the United States that advocate a reduction in the amount of immigration allowed into the United States or other countries. ... The American Patrol is an organization that claims to advocate soverignty, law, order, and the removal of illegal aliens that are criminals and/or terrorists. ...

Confrontation

In October 2006, Garrett O'Hara, a conservative Christian blogger and University of Arizona student, claimed that a Grijalva campaign staff member used physical force in switching off his audio recording device and removing the microphone plug. O'Hara was attempting to record a conversation between Grijalva and another candidate.[15]

External links

• U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva official House site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• CongressMerge - Raul Grijalva voting record
• Federal Election Commission - Mr. Raul M Grijalva campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues - Raul Grijalva issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Raul M. Grijalva campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Raul M. Grijalva (AZ) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Raul Grijalva profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Raul Grijalva voting record
• Raúl Grijalva for Congress official campaign site
• Arizona Democratic Party
• Interview on Alex Jones radio show November 26, 2002
• Videos of Grijalva discussing various issues March 22, 2006