Félix Ortiz

Félix W. Ortiz (born November 2, 1959, in Puerto Rico) is an American politician, formerly representing New York's 51st Assembly District. He is a Democrat and served as Assistant Speaker of the New York State Assembly.

Early life Ortiz moved from Puerto Rico to New York City in 1980, becoming the first member of his family to move to the continental United States. He attended Boricua College, graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He received a master's degree in public administration from New York University in 1986. Ortiz then joined the United States Army, serving from 1986 to 1988.

Political career Ortiz was first elected to the assembly in November 1994, defeating the incumbent Javier A. Nieves.

In 2000, Assemblyman Ortiz achieved passage of the nation's first law to ban the use of hand held cell phones while driving a motor vehicle. In 2001, he introduced a bill that would lower the drinking age to 18; he cited unfairness and difficulty with enforcement as his motivations.

In March 2010, Ortiz introduced a bill, co-sponsored with assembly members Margaret Markey and N. Nick Perry, that would prohibit the use of all forms of salt in the preparation and cooking of all restaurant food. Ortiz said he was inspired to introduce the bill after his father suffered a heart attack due to high blood pressure. The bill quickly gained media attention, and prompted negative comments from New York chefs such as Tom Colicchio, who said a salt ban would mean "no one would come here anymore," and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who called the bill "ridiculous". The proposal also earned Ortiz the title of "Nanny of the Month" for March 2010 from Reason.tv. Responding to the outcry, Ortiz issued a statement saying that his intention was to have the bill only outlaw the use of salt "as an additive", not as "a functional component of the recipe".