Serrano, José E. (José Enrique), 1943-

Dates:

Birth 1943-10-24

Birth 1943

Gender:

Male

Nationality: Puerto Ricans, Americans,

Language: Spanish; Castilian, English,

Biographical notes:

José Enrique Serrano (born October 24, 1943) is an American politician. He notably served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing New York's 18th, 16th, and 15th congressional districts from 1990 until his retirement in 2021.

Born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. he was taken by his family to The Bronx at the age of seven, where he was raised in the Millbrook Houses. Serrano went to Grace Dodge Vocational High School in the Bronx and briefly attended Lehman College in 1961. He served as a private in the 172nd Support Battalion of the United States Army Medical Corps from 1964 to 1966. Serrano was employed by Manufacturers Hanover Bank from 1961 to 1969, except for his military service, and served on New York City's District 7 School Board from 1969 to 1974. He was also chairman of the South Bronx Community Corporation and a delegate to the 1976 Democratic National Convention. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 1990. His district was numbered the 75th until 1982, and the 73rd from 1983 on. As an Assemblyman, he was Chairman of the Committee on Consumer Affairs (1979-1983), and the Committee on Education (1983-1990).

In 1990, Serrano won a special election for the seat vacated by resigning U.S. Congressman Robert García with 92% of the vote. A member of the Progressive Caucus, he was widely regarded as one of the most progressive members of Congress. He had been questioned about his pork barrel spending by some fiscal conservative members of Congress. Serrano paid attention to local environmental issues in New York, with a particular focus on constructing greenways, acquiring parklands, and cleaning up the Bronx River, which runs through his district. He introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd Amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may be elected to as president, nine times. Each resolution died without ever getting past the committee.

In March 2019, Serrano announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would not seek re-election in 2020.