Background
Vento was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and was educated at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he received his Bachelor in 1961.
Vento was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and was educated at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he received his Bachelor in 1961.
Associate of Arts, University of Minnesota, 1961; Bachelor of Science, Wisconsin State University, River Falls, 1965.
He later, in 1965, received a B.S with honors, from the University of Wisconsin. He was a public school teacher in Minneapolis, Minnesota prior to entering politics. Vento served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1971 until 1976 before entering the House.
Vento is recognized for his efforts in cleaning the environment and promoting affordable housing.
He is also widely known for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Acting of 1986, which provides federal money for shelter programs. He died in 2000 while still a member of Congress from pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer, as a result of exposure to asbestos.
He died shortly before the 2000 election, in which he was not running for another term, so no special election or new candidates were needed to replace him. The Bruce Vento Regional Trail runs through Saint Vento introduced the first bill in the United States Congress to grant honorary United States. citizenship to Laotian and Hmong veterans who served in the "United States. Secret Army" in Laos during the Vietnam War.
The legislation, the of 2000 was passed by the House and Senate following his death and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
Vento worked with the Lao Veterans of America, the Lao Veterans of America Institute, the Center for Public Policy Analysis and others to research and advance the legislation in Congress, Washington, District of Columbia, and the Laoand Hmong-American community. Vento worked with Hmong elders and community leaders in the Twin Cities and across the United States, including Cherzong Vang, Colonel Wangyee Vang and others to build support for the legislation which took over 10 years to gain the bipartisan support for passage on Capitol Hill, Congress and the White House.
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Democratic Party.
Member legislation review committee Minnesota Commission on Future Delaware. Democratic Farmer Labor party Central committee, 1972. Chairman Ramsey County committee, 1972.
Member Minnesota Federation Teachers, Beta Beta Beta, Kappa Delta Phi.
Children: Michael, Peter, John.