Washington, D.C.,– The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) announced that U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who are brothers, will be presented with the 2017 Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Service.  Both recipients will be honored at a NALEO reception in Miami, Fla. on February 9, 2017 and the organization’s annual Edward R. Roybal Legacy Gala in Washington, D.C. on March 7, 2017.  

The Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Service is presented annually to individuals who have distinguished themselves as devoted public servants to the nation and the Latino community.  The award pays tribute to the organization’s founder and President Emeritus, the late Congressman Edward R. Roybal. 

Currently fulfilling his 8th term serving Florida’s 25th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, NALEO’s 2017 co-awardee U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart passionately serves Latino community and his constituents.  In Congress, he has acted tirelessly in defense of individual rights and liberties, promoting economic prosperity, and supporting a strong national defense.  He is well known for his advocacy of human rights and democracy around the world, as well as for his staunch support of our global allies. 

A senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations and chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart also serves on the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs and the Defense Subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.

“NALEO is pleased to honor two distinguished Latino public servants who have made invaluable contributions to the Latino community and nation throughout their accomplished careers,” stated Pauline Medrano, NALEO President and Dallas County Treasurer. “Both U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart have set the bar for what it means to use public office as an avenue to make positive meaningful change in the lives of immigrants, Latinos and all Americans, exemplifying the true spirit of service demonstrated by the late Congressman Roybal.”

NALEO 2017 fellow awardee former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart has also demonstrated extraordinary leadership on behalf of the Latino community and Floridians.  He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Florida’s 21st Congressional District in 1992, where he served as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during his first term in office.  In 1994, U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart made history as the first Latino to be named to the powerful House Rules Committee.  

While in Congress, he was the author of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act of 1997 (NACARA), which granted legal residency to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the United States who were previously at risk of deportation.  U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart retired from Congress in January 2011, after the election of his brother, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, to the seat Lincoln held for 18 years.  U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart resides in Miami, Fla., where he currently practices international law and serves as Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI).

NALEO is also pleased to recognize the support of its corporate partner, Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo, which will serve as the Chair of the 2017 NALEO Edward R. Roybal Legacy Gala. 

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