U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Mark E. Amodei (R-NV-02), co-chairs of the Congressional Italian-American Delegation, introduced of a resolution in the House of Representatives to establish October as Italian and Italian-American Heritage Month. The resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06), Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Maria Salazar (R-FL-27), Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), and Steven Palazzo (R-MS-04).

“Here in New Jersey and across America, Italian-Americans are an important facet of our cultural makeup. Establishing a month in recognition of our people’s successes honors the enormous contributions the Italian and Italian-American people have made to our nation’s progress,” said Rep. Pascrell, a descendent of Italian immigrants. “October is an especially significant month for Italian-Americans, and I am proud to introduce this resolution to celebrate the long history of Italian-American culture and success here in the United States. I thank my co-chair Rep. Amodei for helping lead this legislation and I look forward to working toward its passage in the House.”

“I’m proud to join my fellow Italian-American Caucus co-chair Rep. Bill Pascrell in honoring our shared Italian-American heritage and history,” said Rep. Amodei. “We look forward to the passage of this resolution, which recognizes October as Italian-American Heritage Month. This is a time to not only reflect upon our Italian-American culture and remember our ancestors, but also to celebrate the strong Italian-American economic partnership that binds our countries.”

“The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) congratulates the Italian American Congressional Delegation Co-chairs Congressman Bill Pascrell and Mark Amodei for continuing the tradition of recognizing the month of October as Italian American Heritage Month,” said NIAF Chairman Robert E. Carlucci. “For more than 3 decades Italian American Heritage Month has afforded the nation an opportunity to reflect on the immense contributions of the 25 million Americans of Italian descent and those of their ancestors whose labor helped to build and enrich our country in so many ways. Moreover, Italian American Heritage Month serves to remind all our fellow citizens of the significance of the Columbian exchange which began with the courageous voyage of a navigator from Genoa, Italy and has led to more than 5 centuries of immigration to this country by people from every corner of the earth all of whom were searching for a better life for their families.”

A champion of promoting the contributions and successes of Italian-Americans, Rep. Pascrell has led efforts in the Congress to designate October in honor of Italian heritage. In addition to his position as co-chair of the Italian-American Delegation, he also serves as a legislative branch liaison to the Republic of Italy.