Record Number of Minorities Serving in 106th Congress
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On January 6, members of the 106th Congress were sworn into office. The
unexpected gain of Democratic seats in the House, as a result of the
November 3 elections, narrowed the Republican majority to 10 seats (222
Republicans, 211 Democrats, and one Independent in
the House). In the Senate there remains 55 Republicans and 45 Democrats.
Record numbers of minorities are serving in the 106th Congress-- 39
African-Americans, 20 Hispanics and 8 Asian House Members versus one Native
American Senator. With the increase of female representation in Congress
women continue to play a more active role on the political stage. In the
106th, there are 58 women in the House and nine female Senators. There are
7 foreign-born
Representatives from the following countries: Cuba, Germany, Hungary,
Taiwan, Japan, and the Netherlands. Although Hispanics constitute 11% of
the total US population, Hispanic Representatives only account for 4.2% in
the House.

{Special Thanks to HHS-HEO News e-mail list-  Editor, Carl Montoya}