VIDEO: Heinrich Legislation To Rename Belen Post Office In Honor Of Former U.S. Senator Dennis Chávez Advances Out Of Committee

WASHINGTON - Today, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) to rename the U.S. Post Office facility located at 400 North Main Street in Belen, New Mexico, in honor of former U.S. Senator Dennis Chávez advanced out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC). The bill now awaits consideration by the full Senate. 

VIDEO: Heinrich Delivers Remarks In Support Of His Legislation To Rename Belen Post Office In Honor Of Former U.S. Senator Dennis Chávez [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE] 

Senator Heinrich delivered remarks today during a HSGAC business meeting where the bill was considered. “Throughout his career, [Senator Chávez] championed civil rights, education, conservation, and economic development in New Mexico and across the nation,” said Heinrich. “Renaming the Post Office in Belen after Senator Chávez would be a small token of gratitude to honor this work and Senator Chávez’s legacy.”

Heinrich continued, “I am grateful to this committee for moving this legislation to the Senate floor to honor the memory of the man who so many New Mexicans called ‘El Senador.’”

The legislation is supported by Senator Chávez’s family, the Belen City Council, New Mexico Chapter of the American Postal Workers Union, and the local Postmaster in Belen. U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) leads the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) are cosponsors of the legislation in their respective chambers. 

An archived video of today’s business meeting can be found here. 

Senator Heinrich’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are below.

Thank you, Chairman Peters and Ranking Member Portman, for allowing me to speak before this committee about the importance of my bill to rename the United States Post Office located at 400 North Main Street in Belen, New Mexico, as the “U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez Post Office.”

Senator Chávez was the first American-born Hispanic ever elected to the United States Senate.

Throughout his career, he championed civil rights, education, conservation, and economic development in New Mexico and across the nation.

Born in Los Chaves, New Mexico in 1888, Senator Chávez dropped out of school at age of 13 to support his family by delivering groceries to neighbors and friends.

However, he continued his education independently, and eventually gained admission to Georgetown University Law School here in Washington.

He attended law school at night, while he worked in the halls of Congress as a clerk, surely gaining inspiration for his future life of public service.

After he graduated from Georgetown, he returned to New Mexico and won his first election to the New Mexico State House of Representatives.

He was elected to serve New Mexicans in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1930 and the U.S. Senate in 1936.

To date, Senator Chavez remains the longest serving Hispanic U.S. Senator.

And in my home state of New Mexico, he is remembered as a pivotal and early advocate of civil rights legislation.

During his decades-long career in public service, Senator Chávez worked tirelessly to serve New Mexicans.

As the Chairman the Senate Committee on Public Works, he also oversaw transformative infrastructure investments, including the expansion of the interstate highway system, improvements to water infrastructure, and construction of federal buildings, including post offices.

Renaming the Post Office in Belen after Senator Chávez would be a small token of gratitude to honor this work and Senator Chávez’s legacy.

I know that the example he set continues to inspire New Mexicans across our state, and inspire my own work in the Senate. Senator Chávez passed away on November 18, 1962.

In 1966, the State of New Mexico donated a bronze sculpture of Senator Chávez to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol.

I often stop by his statue, which you can see standing outside of the Old Senate Chamber today, on the way to an important vote for my constituents.

And I am grateful to this committee for moving this legislation to the Senate floor to honor the memory of the man that so many New Mexicans called “El Senador.”