Sue Myrick, (R) North Carolina

Representative Sue Myrick (NC-9) came to Congress in 1995 after building a successful advertising and public relations business, and serving two terms as mayor of Charlotte, NC, the state’s largest city and commercial hub. She is currently in her eighth term representing North Carolina's 9th district, which covers portions of Union, Mecklenburg, and Gaston Counties.

Sue serves on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, which is the oldest legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It enjoys the broadest legislative responsibility of any House committee, including public health, telecommunications, energy, consumer protection, food and drug safety, air quality, environmental health, and interstate and foreign commerce. In addition, the jurisdiction extends over five Cabinet-level departments and seven independent agencies. Sue is a member of the Health subcommittee, and the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection subcommittee.

In 2009, Sue was selected by House Leadership to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The Intelligence Committee has jurisdiction over the Intelligence community, including intelligence-related activities of the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Security Agency, and other agencies of the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Departments of State, Justice, and Treasury.

From 2002 to 2004, Sue served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) , the largest voting bloc in Congress. The RSC is a group of House Republicans that are organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative economic and social agenda for America. Under Sue’s tenure, the RSC grew from 65 to over 96 members and became an influential force in shaping policy in Congress. Her leadership of this group and dedication to controlling government spending has made her a national voice for House conservatives.

In January 2003, Sue was appointed as a Deputy Whip of the 108th Congress. As Deputy Whip, Sue was one of only a handful of Republican House members with a seat at the leadership table. Due to her hard work, she continues to serve as a Deputy Whip into the 111th Congress.

A breast cancer survivor, Sue co-chairs the House Cancer Caucus. She has successfully championed legislation aimed at stopping the deadly disease through increased research, education, early detection, and development of promising new medical therapies.

A small businesswoman herself, Sue is the former President and CEO of Myrick Advertising and Public Relations and Myrick Enterprises. Before Congress, she served on the Charlotte City Council and was a two-term mayor of the City of Charlotte. Sue remains the first and only female mayor in Charlotte history.

As Mayor, Sue hit the streets, going nose-to-nose with drug dealers, telling them to get the heck out of the neighborhoods. Sue also gained much praise for greatly improving Charlotte’s transportation infrastructure, while never raising taxes.

Sue has extensive experience in disaster relief and recovery from tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. She knows local communities can’t always depend on the federal government to help solve their emergencies. Many times, they are on their own. She also understands the role that FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and organizations like the Mennonite Disaster Service play in emergency situations, having worked extensively on-site in coordination with them.

Sue is also leading the charge nationally on issues related to terrorism. She is the founder of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus, which has more than 120 Members. This caucus meets with experts on terrorism and works to educate the public about the dangers we face from Islamofascism.

Sue is a wife; a mother of two children and three step-children. She and her husband, Ed, have 12 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Patty Murray, (D) Washington

Patty Murray never planned to enter politics, but today she is serving her third term in the U.S. Senate as a member of the Democratic Leadership. From the classroom to the Congress, Patty Murray has been an effective and tireless advocate for Washington’s working families. Originally known for her work on education and children’s issues, Murray has become a leading figure on transportation, border and port security, healthcare, economic development and veteran's issues.

In the 1980’s, when a state politician told her she “couldn’t make a difference,” Murray led a grassroots coalition of 13,000 parents to save a local preschool program from budget cuts. She went on to serve on the local school board, and in 1988 was elected to the Washington State Senate.

In 1992, Murray ran for the United States Senate as a voice for Washington families who were not being heard in the Senate. Dramatically outspent, Murray ran a grassroots campaign of family, friends, supporters, and public interest groups to beat a 10-year veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives and become the first woman to represent Washington state in the U.S. Senate. In 1998 and 2004, she was re-elected by a wide margin and is currently Washington’s senior Senator.

Murray is a unique voice in the United States Senate, where she is known for her down-to-earth, determined style. She’s been called “a workhorse, not a show horse” by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for her intense, behind-the-scenes efforts to get the job done. She has also been described as "tenacious" in her work to address Washington state's needs by the Seattle Times. Senator Murray is often looked to by colleagues and the media in Washington D.C. for her ability to articulate how complex issues affect everyday American families.

Patty Murray has drawn on her experience as a PTA member and a school board president to make education a national priority. She successfully sponsored the bill to help schools hire new, qualified teachers to reduce class size. She has worked to increase Pell grants to make college more affordable, is a national advocate for disadvantaged, homeless, and migrant students, and has fought for improvements to "No Child Left Behind."

Senator Murray is a recognized champion for Washington's 670,000 veterans and veterans throughout the country. Murray is the daughter of a disabled World War II veteran and is the first woman to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Murray's work in a physiological ward at the Seattle VA hospital as a college student led her to become a leading voice in Congress for veterans suffering from the mental wounds of war.

Senator Murray has worked tirelessly to ensure that service members with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury are receiving quality care and are not falling through the cracks when they return home. She has helped to pass the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act, the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act, and veterans spending and budget bills that make record investments in veterans care.

In Washington state, Murray has worked with the VA to open community based health clinics all throughout the state and has worked to expand services at existing VA facilities. Senator Murray has been honored for her work by the Vietnam Veterans of America, American Ex-POWs, the VFW, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.

Senator Murray serves as the chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee, which oversees the nation’s transportation and housing budget. Murray has advocated for increases in highway funding to help alleviate the transportation problems facing Washington state and communities around the country. She has helped Washington state address its transportation woes by dramatically increasing the annual funding the state receives for specific projects including roads, bridges, railways, airports, and ferries in every corner of the state.

In her role overseeing the Department of Housing and Urban Development's budget, Murray has worked to increase free, effective housing counseling services and increase funding for Community Development Block Grants, HOPE VI and section 8 housing initiatives, and homeless veterans housing.

Senator Murray is also a staunch advocate for America's aerospace industry and has been a leading critic of the Air Force's decision to give a $35 billion air tanker refueling contract to Airbus - a foreign-owned and subsidized company.

Senator Murray has also focused on keeping Washington state's communities, economy and families safe in an increasingly dangerous world. Senator Murray co-authored the landmark SAFE Ports Act which makes dramatic improvements to port and cargo security. Senator Murray has also worked to provide federal support to expand local law enforcement and emergency preparedness grants and is currently working to bring more FBI agents to Washington state to aid in prosecuting crimes including bank robbery and white collar crime.

Senator Murray has also made access to quality health care a top priority. As doctors in Washington state have started closing their practices or refusing to see new Medicare patients, Patty Murray has worked to increase payments to doctors to reverse the trend. Murray has also supported funding for rural health clinics, co-sponsored the Nurse Reinvestment Act, introduced legislation to support trauma care facilities, and supported expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Senator Murray is currently working to expand the healthcare workforce in Washington state to meetgrowing needs.

The first woman elected to the Senate from Washington state, Murray has been a champion for women and families. She has spearheaded efforts to close the pay gap, protect women in retirement, and increase access to child care. Murray helped write and pass the historic Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and helped reauthorize it in 2000 and 2005.

Murray has also worked to improve opportunities for Washington’s rural communities. She has worked to open new agricultural trade markets overseas, to strengthen the farm safety net and to assist farm workers. She was instrumental in passing the 2008 Farm Bill that invests in rural jobs, ensures more families put a nutritious meal on their table, and for the first time provides meaningful support for Washington state fruit and vegetable growers. Murray has also initiated an effort to bring hi-speed Internet access to rural areas that commercial providers have neglected.

Senator Murray is a strong advocate for protecting our environment. She has increased funding for environmental programs, repeatedly opposed harmful, anti-environmental riders to appropriations bills, and sponsored several pieces of environmental legislation. In May 2008, Senator Murray completed a nine-year legislative effort when her Wild Sky Wilderness Act was signed into law. Wild Sky protects more than 106,000 acres of low-elevation old growth forest in Snohomish County, Washington and is the state's first new wilderness land in more than two decades. Wild Sky will preserve the pristine nature of the land, protect wildlife, promote clean water, enhance and protect recreational opportunities for the region, and contribute to the local economy.

Senator Murray has been a long-time advocate for increased resources at the Northern Border and worked to provide funding to triple the number of border agents to help keep communities along the Northern Border and across America safe. Murray is also working to create and fund the Northern Border Prosecution Initiative which will reimburse Northern Border communities for the costs of prosecuting border-related crimes.

Murray is a leading voice in Congress to protect a woman’s right to choose and her efforts to hold the Food and Drug Administration accountable were essential in their approval of the contraception drug Plan B.

Senator Murray is a proven leader on labor issues and is currently working to identify solutions to build "multiple pathways" for high school students to obtain long-term, family-wage jobs in the globally competitive market through training and education efforts. Senator Murray also continues to use her oversight role as Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety to protect workers at the workplace and to continue to fight for workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain.

Born in Bothell, Washington, Murray is one of seven children. Her father earned the Purple Heart as one of the first G.I.’s to land on Okinawa. He returned home to run a local five and ten cents shop on Main Street in Bothell. Her mother was a homemaker and accountant. Murray is a graduate of Washington State University. She is married to Rob Murray and has two grown children, Sara and Randy. Randy and his wife Erin have a son, Aidan, the Murrays' first grandchild. Patty Murray enjoys fishing, exploring Washington state’s great outdoors and spending time with her family.

Lisa Murkowski, (R) Alaska

Senator Lisa Murkowski is the first Alaskan born Senator to serve the state and only the sixth United States Senator from Alaska. The state’s senior senator, Lisa Murkowski is a third generation Alaskan, born in Ketchikan and raised in towns across the state: Wrangell, Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage. Since joining the Senate in 2002, Senator Murkowski has already made many strides on issues facing Alaskans. As she advocates for legislation on the Senate floor, her passion for improving the state of health care, education, energy, veterans’ affairs and infrastructure development in Alaska is unquestionable.

Only the 33rd female to serve in the United States Senate since its founding in 1789, Senator Murkowski has assumed leadership roles quickly in the Senate. She is the senior Republican member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Murkowski is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – the first Alaskan to serve on that panel – and also is a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

Senator Murkowski was elected by her fellow Republican senators to serve as the Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference for the 111th Congress, the fifth-highest party leadership position in the United States Senate.

Senator Murkowski understands the challenges that face Alaskan families, and she is committed to improving economic stability and job growth in the state. Her work to open ANWR and build the Alaska natural gas pipeline demonstrates her commitment to growth in Alaska, as well as an understanding of the country’s energy needs.

She earned a B.A. in economics from Georgetown University in 1980 and then returned to Juneau to work as a legislative aide, also becoming active in state Republican politics. In 1985 she graduated with a law degree from Willamette University and became a member of the Alaska Bar Association in 1987. She served as Anchorage District Court attorney for two years and then worked in Alaska commercial law for eight years before opening her own practice. Murkowski was elected to three terms in the Alaska State House of Representatives, beginning in 1998, and was named House Majority Leader during the 2003-2004 term. While serving in the State House, Murkowski sat on the Alaska Commission on Post Secondary Education and chaired both the Labor and Commerce and the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. In 1999 she introduced legislation establishing a Joint Armed Services Committee, where she also served. After being appointed to the Senate on December 20, 2002, Senator Murkowski was elected to a full six-year Senate term in November 2004.

Lisa married Verne Martell, an Anchorage small business owner, in 1987 and they have two sons, Nicolas and Matthew. She enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, fishing, camping, and actively participating in community outreach programs.

Gwen Moore, (D) Wisconsin

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Congresswoman Gwendolynne S. Moore was sworn in as Representative of Wisconsin’s Fourth Congressional District in January 2005. As a Congresswoman, Moore has continued to champion legislation to foster economic prosperity and to promote progressive social issues.

Shortly after taking her seat, Rep. Moore was named to the House Committee on Small Business, as well as to the prestigious House Committee on Financial Services, which has jurisdiction over the banking, insurance and housing industries. During her second term in Congress, Rep. Moore was appointed to the House Budget Committee, which oversees the federal budget process, reviews all bills and resolutions on the budget, and monitors agencies and programs funded from the budget process. At the start of the 111th Congress Rep. Moore was reappointed to both the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Budget Committee.

In addition to Rep. Moore’s committee work, Congresswoman Moore has been tapped as a leader on world affairs for two consecutive years as a U.S. delegate to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly. The OSCE is responsible for helping assure cooperation between European countries on a number of economic, political, and security issues, including the protection of human rights. Rep. Moore also has the honor of serving as a member of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank. Appointed by Financial Services Chair Barney Frank, Congresswoman Moore works with other parliamentarians from around the globe to strengthen accountability and transparency at the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

Congresswoman Moore is a strong advocate for measures that focus on improving the economic and employment conditions in low-income communities. Rep. Moore has fought to curb predatory lending in minority neighborhoods, supported sound efforts to help small businesses grow and advance the creation of new jobs, pushed for the creation of more affordable housing, and also for compliance in the non-discriminatory hiring of minority-owned businesses for government contracts. With two decades of political organizing and activism under her belt, it is clear to Congresswoman Moore that one of the next frontiers in the fight for civil rights is economic.

During her first term in Congress, provisions from Congresswoman Moore’s legislation, the SHIELD Act, were signed into law during reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). These provisions ensure that victims of domestic violence who flee their abuser cannot then be tracked and found through the Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) new Homeless Management Information System.

Dedicated to serving her constituents, Rep. Moore’s work in Congress has brought home over $100 million to the Fourth Congressional District for economic development, the environment, social services, and job creation, among other projects.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1951, Congresswoman Moore was raised in Milwaukee. The eighth of nine children, Rep. Moore’s father was a factory worker and her mother was a public school teacher.

Congresswoman Moore attended North Division High School in Milwaukee where she served as Student Council President. After graduation, Rep. Moore started college at Milwaukee’s Marquette University as an expectant mother on welfare who could only afford her education with the help of TRIO, a program that provides educational opportunity for low-income Americans. Congresswoman Moore earned a B.A. in Political Science from Marquette, and went on to serve as a community leader, spearheading the start-up of a community credit union as a VISTA volunteer for which she earned the national “VISTA Volunteer of the Decade” award from 1976-1986. Congresswoman Moore continues today to work to improve the quality of Milwaukee’s housing and neighborhoods.

Rep. Moore served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1989-92, and in the State Senate from 1993-2003. In 2000, Congresswoman Moore earned a Harvard University Certificate for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Congresswoman Moore is a mother of three and grandmother of three, all of whom live in Wisconsin’s Fourth Congressional District.

Candice Miller, (R) Michigan

Congresswoman Candice Miller’s career in public service reflects a long history of efficiency and effectiveness – from her early roots on the Harrison Township Board of Trustees, nearly 28 years ago, to her current responsibilities representing Michigan’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Committees

Congresswoman Miller is currently serving her fourth term after first being elected to office in November 2002. She proudly sits on two committees: the House Committee on Homeland Security and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Homeland Security

Congresswoman Miller was appointed to the House Homeland Security Committee in March 2008 and is the only member from Michigan to serve on this important committee. This committee assignment is helpful for a district that faces many homeland security challenges.

The 10th District is a border district. It is home to the Blue Water Bridge which is the second busiest commercial border crossing on the northern tier, Selfridge Air National Guard Base which has expanding missions in the area of homeland security, Coast Guard stations at Selfridge, Port Huron and Harbor Beach, it borders Chemical Valley which is one of the largest collections of petro-chemical operations in North America, the CN Rail Tunnel which is the busiest rail artery in the U.S., and is where the genesis of important trade arteries interstates I-94 and I-69.

Miller has focused her efforts on building a stronger presence of homeland security assets at Selfridge, enhancing the security of our airways, roadways, railways and waterways in addition to securing our food and water supplies by enhancing Northern Border security.

The Committee on Homeland Security was established in 2002 to provide Congressional oversight for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and better protect the American people against a possible terrorist attack. Many of the programs at Selfridge and the armed service reserves throughout the 10th Congressional District fall under the purview of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Committee on Homeland Security provides oversight for the department and handles issues dealing with transportation security, border and port security, critical infrastructure protection, cyber security and science and technology, emergency preparedness, emerging threats, intelligence and information sharing, investigations, and management and procurement.

Transportation and Infrastructure

In 2007, Congresswoman Miller was appointed to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. This marked her first appointment to this committee.

As its name implies, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee oversees all issues related to transportation. This appointment was particularly important because Congresswoman Miller has long held that Michigan has never gotten its fair share of tax dollars returned for its many infrastructure needs, particularly in Southeast Michigan. She believes the explosive growth areas of northern Macomb County have been particularly shortchanged.

Furthermore, the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, MI is the second most traveled border crossing in North America. It is a vital component of economic expansion, not just for the district, but for the region, state and nation. This Committee allows her to offer enhanced oversight and influence to ensure this portal and others like it receive the federal attention they need and deserve.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee also holds jurisdiction over water quality issues. Throughout her career in public service, protecting the Great Lakes has been one of Congresswoman Miller’s principal advocacies. She is a vocal proponent for policy designed to preserve and protect Michigan’s most cherished natural resource.

Congresswoman Miller serves on both the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit and the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Congresswoman Miller was also selected as a member of the House Select Committee on Climate Change in the 110th Congress. The Committee’s responsibility is to investigate study, make findings and develop recommendations on policies, strategies, technologies and other innovations. This work is intended to reduce the dependence of the United States on foreign sources of energy and achieve substantial and permanent reductions in emissions and other activities that contribute to climate change and global warming.

Michigan Secretary of State

Prior to her election to Congress, Congresswoman Miller served two terms as Michigan’s Secretary of State from 1994 until 2002. “Customer service” stood as the operative phrase of her administration. During her first term, she visited every branch office in the state to get a firsthand look at the operations on the front lines. Those visits became the impetus for wholesale changes to modernize and redesign branch offices and streamline transactions for millions of Michigan drivers.

As Secretary of State, Congresswoman Miller became a national leader in election reform, using technology to enhance Michigan’s qualified voter file. She was recognized by the Ford-Carter Commission on National Election Reform as a national model for states developing similar programs.

Background

Congresswoman Miller’s career in public service began when she was elected to the Harrison Township Board of Trustees in 1979. Only one year later, she was elected Harrison Township Supervisor, becoming the youngest Supervisor in her township’s history and the first woman elected to the post. During her 12 years as Supervisor, Harrison Township underwent explosive growth. Congresswoman Miller made tremendous strides in her effort to hold the line on taxes and encourage business growth; all while being hailed for doing so in an environmentally sensible manner.

Congresswoman Miller is a lifelong resident of Macomb County. Before being elected to her first position in public office, she worked for her family’s marina business on the Clinton River.

She and her husband, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Donald Miller, continue to reside in Harrison Township. Judge Miller formerly served as Colonel in the Air National Guard. He flew missions in Vietnam and was the base commander at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. They have one daughter.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R) Washington

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is proof that what we were taught as children is true today. In America, with a positive attitude, hard work, and dedication, we can rise from simple beginnings to important positions of influence.

Cathy was born to a farming family with deep roots in Eastern Washington. The early members of the McMorris family settled as pioneers in Walla Walla in 1853.

Growing up, Cathy worked on the family orchard side by side with her parents and younger brother.

Cathy was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. She worked her way through Pensacola Christian College in Florida and later earned her Executive MBA from the University of Washington.

She served five terms as a citizen legislator in Olympia eventually being elected to minority leader. When the legislature was not in session Cathy worked in her parents’ small business, Peachcrest Fruit Basket, near Kettle Falls, Washington.

In 2004 Cathy was elected to Congress where she now serves in her third term representing Eastern Washington's Fifth Congressional District.

Cathy's responsibilities have changed significantly over the years but she has remained true to her roots. She believes in the promise of America. In Congress, Cathy promotes policies to give wider opportunities to families and small businesses. She works to keep taxes down, strongly supports our troops and veterans, and works to improve access to quality, affordable health care.

Her committee assignments position her to further this agenda. Cathy currently serves on:

• House Armed Services Committee
• Education and Labor Committee, where she is ranking member on the Workforce Protections Subcommittee
• Natural Resources Committee

Cathy was chosen to be a member of the Republican Leadership team in 2009, where she is vice chair of the Conference.

McMorris Rodgers is a Republican who finds opportunities to work across party lines. Cathy served as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Women's Caucus with Representative Lois Capps (D-CA). Along with democratic Congressman Adam Smith, she introduced Health IT legislation and is co-leading a statewide Health IT task force to position Washington for future Health IT advancements.

She is married to Brian Rodgers, a retired 26 year active-duty Navy Commander; they have one son.

Betty McCollum, (D) Minnesota

Betty McCollum is a Democrat serving her fifth term in the United States Congress representing the families of Minnesota’s Fourth District. In 2000, Congresswoman McCollum made history as only the second Minnesota woman elected to serve in Congress since statehood in 1858. In the U.S. House of Representatives, she serves the residents of Minnesota's capital city, St. Paul, as well as Ramsey County, northern Dakota County and western Washington County.

In the 111th Congress, Congresswoman McCollum brings a common sense, Minnesota perspective to her work on the House Appropriations and House Budget Committees.

Throughout her career in public service, Congresswoman McCollum has been a champion for excellence in education, protecting the environment, expanding health care access and fiscal responsibility. In Congress, she is also working to defend workers’ rights and civil liberties at home, while ensuring human rights are protected around the world.

Education and health care are top policy priorities for both Minnesota families and Congresswoman McCollum. With over twenty institutions of higher learning located in the Fourth District alone, keeping higher education affordable, accessible and world-class is important. A strong proponent of public education, she supports keeping our schools accountable to parents and local officials. Congresswoman McCollum is a Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which appropriates over $140 billion annually for domestic programs. She is also the author of a legislation to make healthcare a right for all Americans.

As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the State Department and Foreign Operations, McCollum believes our nation's foreign policy must reflect the values of the American people. She is working to promote effective U.S. leadership in confronting the global AIDS pandemic while supporting investments that reduce extreme poverty and hunger while improving the status and health of women and children around the world. McCollum is a strong supporter of expanding the Peace Corps and a co-founder of the Congressional Global Health Caucus. Since 2002, McCollum has been an outspoken opponent of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, yet she has traveled into that war zone on two occasions to meet with U.S. troops and Iraqi leaders.

McCollum holds the prestigious position of Senior Democratic Whip within the House Democratic Caucus. Congresswoman McCollum is also one of three House members appointed to serve on the National Council on the Arts.

Prior to Congress, Congresswoman McCollum served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1993 to 2000 and was elected Assistant Leader three times by her Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party colleagues. From 1987 to 1992, she served her neighbors on the North St. Paul City Council.

In addition to elected office, Congresswoman McCollum's career has included teaching high school social science, as well as, 25 years in retail sales and management. She is a graduate of the College of St. Catherine, and the mother of two adult children. Congresswoman McCollum is a Minnesota native who grew up in South St. Paul, raised her family in North St. Paul and now lives in St. Paul.

Claire McCaskill, (D) Missouri

Claire McCaskill is a 4th-generation Missourian who has spent her entire life in the Show-Me State. Born in Rolla and raised in Lebanon and Columbia, Claire has never forgotten her roots. Claire's first home was Houston, Missouri, where her father William worked at the McCaskill feed mill. Later, the family moved to Lebanon, hometown of Claire's mother, Betty Anne, where her mother's family ran the corner drugstore in town.

After another move, Claire attended Hickman High School in Columbia, while her father served as a state insurance commissioner and her mother became Columbia's first woman city council member. At Hickman High School, Claire graduated near the top of her class and was deeply involved in student activities, while also working in a fabric store since she sewed many of her own clothes.

The day after graduation, Claire left town for a job busing tables at Lodge of the Four Seasons at Lake of the Ozarks. Waitressing for six years helped Claire work her way through college and law school at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Claire clerked for the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City and then got a job as an assistant prosecutor in Kansas City, where she was a felony trial prosecutor handling sex crimes, homicides, and specializing in arson cases. In 1982, McCaskill won a seat in the State Legislature. She juggled the responsibilities of both mother and legislator and was the first woman to ever give birth while she was an active member of the Missouri Legislature.

Claire broke new ground again in 1993 when she became the first female Jackson County Prosecutor, which included Kansas City. This was the largest prosecutor's office in the state and she began many new programs, including a domestic violence unit and one of the nation's first Drug Courts. She held this position until she was sworn in as Missouri Auditor in 1999.

As State Auditor, Claire has been credited for revolutionizing the office and making it into a true watchdog for taxpayers and citizens. In 2004, Claire took on her own party establishment and became the first person to ever defeat a sitting Missouri governor in a primary election.

In November of 2006, Claire became the first woman elected to the United States Senate from Missouri, vowing to bring Harry Truman's no-nonsense style of accountability back to Washington. It only seemed fitting that her place in the Senate chamber is a desk shared by none other than Senator Truman himself.

Claire sits on four Senate Committees, including Armed Services, Commerce, Homeland Security and Government Affairs (HSGAC), and Aging. Claire is Chairman of an HSGAC Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, and hopes to root out government waste. Additionally, Claire was named as one of the select Senators to sit on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, formerly known as the Truman Committee.

After a busy week in Washington, Claire returns home to St. Louis to a full house. After seven years as a single mom, Claire married Joseph Shepard, a St. Louis businessman, in April 2002. They each brought children to the marriage, which created a blended family that includes seven children: Benjamin, 34, Carl, 31, Marilyn, 29, Michael, 27, Austin, 21, Maddie, 19 and Lily, 17. Claire's 80-year old mother Betty Anne lives with the family and continues to join her on trips around Missouri.

Carolyn McCarthy, (D) New York

United States Representative Carolyn McCarthy is currently serving her 7th term representing Long Island's 4th Congressional District. First elected in 1996, Carolyn has served Long Island for over 12 years.

Carolyn holds many honors. She is the first Congresswoman from Long Island and is included in Newsday's 100 Long Island Influentials, Long Island Business News' Long Island Top 50, Congressional Quarterly's 50 Most Effective Legislators, Redbook Magazine's Mothers and Shakers and the Ladies' Home Journal 100 Most Important Women.

As Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, Carolyn has been instrumental in reauthorizing and drafting legislation to protect Long Island's children and improve the 4th Congressional District.

Carolyn also serves as a senior member of the Committee on Education and Labor, as well as the Committee on Financial Services. In these roles, Carolyn works to provide our schools with the resources they need to educate our children and make college more affordable as well as overseeing the way our financial system operates while protecting the identity of Long Islanders.

In January of 2008, President Bush signed into law Carolyn’s bill, the National Instant Criminal Background Check Database (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act, which was the most significant gun legislation passed in over 14 years. The bill is designed provide grants to states to upgrade information and identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations and require all Federal agencies that have records on persons for whom it is illegal to purchase a firearm to provide that information to the Attorney General for inclusion in NICS.

On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed Carolyn’s bill, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The bill answered the President’s call to usher in a new era of public service and volunteerism in America. The Serve America Act will create a national infrastructure for service volunteerism programs, providing opportunities for those who wish to serve and improve their communities.

On May 13, 2009, Carolyn’s bill creating the Civil Rights Oral History Project was signed into law by President Obama. The bill, H. R. 586, will establish a joint effort between the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Library of Congress to collect oral histories of the people that were involved in the civil rights movement and preserve their stories for future generations. The bill is awaiting the President’s signature.

A life-long resident of Mineola, she has over 30 years experience as a nurse. Carolyn married Dennis McCarthy in 1967 and they raised one son, Kevin. Carolyn has two grandchildren, Denis and Grace, by Kevin and his wife Leslie.

Doris O. Matsui, (D) California

Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui is proud to represent the city of Sacramento, Calif. and its surrounding areas. As an established and informed Representative, Congresswoman Matsui has emerged in Washington as a resourceful and influential advocate for the people of the Sacramento region.

Sacramento is the seat of government for the fifth-largest economy in the world, a prominent and powerful region that Rep. Matsui represents with strength and a vision for far-reaching policy. As a recognized leader in the Sacramento community and in Congress, Rep. Matsui is focused on applying federal resources to improve the lives of her constituents. As the fourth-highest-ranked member on the influential House Rules Committee, she brings the distinctive voice of the Sacramento region to Washington, D.C.

A veteran of the Clinton Administration and a key member of the 1992 Presidential Transition Board, Congresswoman Matsui succeeded her late husband, Rep. Robert T. Matsui, in office, bringing a mixture of prominent experience with a true dedication to the issues that matter to the citizens of the Sacramento region.

In 2008, she was appointed to the powerful and exclusive House Committee on Energy and Commerce. As a Member of this influential Committee, she helps craft legislation to address the most critical challenges facing hard-working Americans today, ranging from health care coverage and clean energy, to commerce and consumer safety. In each of these areas, Congresswoman Matsui is committed to investing in a safe, healthy and sustainable future for Sacramento and the country.

Since taking office, Congresswoman Matsui has made increased flood protection a key focus of her work in Congress, successfully advancing legislation to upgrade and modernize the region's levee, dam and water management systems. Rep. Matsui played a central role in passing legislation that contained $700 million in authorized funds for local flood control projects. The reauthorized Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project will provide a historic amount of protection for Sacramento. In conjunction with other flood control initiatives on both the Sacramento and American Rivers, Representative Matsui is building an impressive record of collaboration and innovation to protect her district from harmful flooding.

With rising gas prices driving more and more people to explore transportation alternatives, Congresswoman Matsui has worked to expand access to mass transit, and bring some of Sacramento's successful initiatives to the national dialogue. She is engaged in the planning and execution of an intermodal transportation center in Downtown Sacramento. This project will serve as a regional transit hub, and will improve air quality, ease roadway congestion, and strengthen Sacramento's Light Rail system. As the region's population continues to rise, the Congresswoman's work to expand transit options for Sacramentans will help to make the area increasingly efficient.

Renewing her commitment to improving local and regional security, Congresswoman Matsui has led the fight to make the Sacramento region safe. After learning in early 2006 that many urban areas were ruled ineligible to receive funding from the Department of Homeland Security, Representative Matsui led the fight to add these cities--including Sacramento--back to the list of funding-eligible areas. In addition, Congresswoman Matsui has worked with Congressional leaders to preserve funding for AmeriCorps programs, which organize and promote volunteers who perform vital community services around the country. The Congresswoman was named a Co-Chair of the National Service Caucus as a direct result of her support of these service-related initiatives.

Representative Matsui is an effective Congressional champion for proven and successful initiatives such as the National Children's Study. The Study is a comprehensive gathering of children's health data designed to provide the nation's medical establishment with the information and tools it needs to cure diseases like diabetes, obesity and autism. Representative Matsui has proven instrumental in helping to restore funding for this critical and revolutionary study.

Deeply committed to shaping policy for the Sacramento region, Rep. Matsui works closely with other powerful Members of Congress on the House Rules Committee to approve the flow of legislation to the House floor, and is charged with reviewing potential amendments to legislation before they are debated and voted on by Congress. As a result, Congresswoman Matsui is involved with each piece of legislation from beginning to end, shaping the terms of debate and working on a day-to-day basis with the House Democratic Leadership.

Before coming to Congress, Representative Matsui served on numerous advisory boards, community organizations, and honorary committees in Sacramento and in Washington, DC. She was President and Chairwoman of the Board for the KVIE public television station in Sacramento, and she served in leadership capacities for the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento Children's Home, Meridian International Center, Arena Stage, and Woodrow Wilson Center Board of Trustees.

Congresswoman Matsui has maintained this commitment to civic involvement while serving in Congress. She was appointed by the Speaker to serve on the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents. The Smithsonian's Regents oversees the operating procedures of the Institution and manages its world-famous and ever-expanding collections. As the only Member of Congress to sit on the Smithsonian Regents' Governance Committee, Representative Matsui is responsible for oversight of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as its nineteen museums, 144 affiliates, and nine research centers throughout the United States and Panama.

After growing up on a farm in California's Central Valley, Representative Matsui met her husband, the late Congressman Bob Matsui, while earning her Bachelor's Degree from the University of California at Berkeley. During President Bill Clinton's first term in office, she served as one of eight members of the President's transition board, and later became Deputy Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Public Liaison.

Congresswoman Matsui is the proud mother of one son, Brian, who is a practicing attorney in the Washington, DC area. She has two young grandchildren, Anna and Robby.

Betsy Markey, (D) Colorado

REPRESENTING COLORADO'S FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Betsy was elected to Congress on November 4th, 2008. She has represented the people of the Fourth Congressional District since January 6th, 2009. Betsy is focused on bringing fiscal responsibility back to Washington, rebuilding America’s economy, creating and restoring jobs in Colorado, strengthening Colorado’s transportation systems and infrastructure, creating a lasting energy plan for our country, and keeping Colorado’s farming and ranching heritage strong.

EXPERIENCED VOICE IN THE 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
From January 2005 to May 2007, Betsy served the people of the 4th Congressional District as U.S. Senator Ken Salazar’s Regional Director for northern and eastern Colorado, a region encompassing the overwhelming majority of the 4th Congressional District’s people and land. She worked closely with businesses, agricultural groups, elected leaders, non-profits and individual constituents to represent their interests.

SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSWOMAN
Betsy is co-founder of Syscom Services, Inc., an Internet consulting and web site development firm. Betsy helped lead the firm to a #99 ranking in the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. Syscom currently employs a workforce of over 40 people. Betsy was also the owner of Huckleberry’s, a popular and successful coffee and ice cream shop in Old Town Fort Collins.

SKILLED PUBLIC SERVANT
Betsy has extensive governmental experience. In 1978, she was hired by U.S. Congressman Herb Harris to work as a legislative aide for the Subcommittee on Post Office and Civil Service. After completing a Masters in Public Administration in 1983, Betsy was appointed a Presidential Management Fellow. She earned assignments in the Treasury Department, as a budget and program analyst, a human resources specialist, and a staff assistant to the Deputy Commissioner of the Customs Service.

The U.S. Department of State recruited Betsy in 1984 to develop computer security policies for the newly-formed Office of Information Systems Security. She held a top secret security clearance and traveled extensively to U.S. embassies and consulates. Betsy received the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award for creating their first computer security training program.

ACTIVE COMMUNITY MEMBER
Betsy is an active community volunteer. She served as President of the Board of Directors of the Food Bank for Larimer County and has volunteered in the Poudre R-1 School District.

In 2001, Betsy became involved in local politics for the first time and, once again, inspired success. She founded the Northern Colorado Democratic Business Coalition to encourage small business owners to voice their opinions. In 2002, she was elected to Chair the Larimer County Democratic Party, a position she held until January 2005.

WIFE AND MOTHER
Betsy has been married to her husband Jim for 24 years. They have three children: Katie, 23, Erin, 21, and Al, 17.

Carolyn B. Maloney, (D) New York

New York Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney is a national leader with extensive accomplishments on security, financial services, the economy and women’s issues. She also has been a force representing the interests of the City of New York in Congress from the time she entered, in 1993.
In the 111th Congress, Maloney became Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, a House and Senate panel that examines and addresses the nation’s most pressing economic issues. In addition, Maloney remained a senior member of of the House Financial Service Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

9/11

Maloney has worked tirelessly to ensure that New York’s recovery from 9/11 is completed and that our national security is strengthened. A strong supporter of the 9/11 Commission, Maloney and her former colleague Rep. Christopher Shays (CT) formed the bipartisan 9/11 Commission Caucus upon the release of the commission’s final report.

Beginning in July 2004 and working closely with family members of 9/11 victims on the Family Steering Committee, Maloney and Shays attempted to pass a bipartisan security reform bill in the House. They introduced companion bills to the Senate’s McCain-Lieberman and Collins-Lieberman legislation. They kept up the pressure for a final bill, even as the House-Senate negotiations appeared on the brink of collapse. Finally, in December 2004, Congress was called back to Washington to pass a landmark bill born out of key 9/11 Commission recommendations – a tremendous victory for the nation.
Maloney’s 9/11 Commission Caucus accomplished another major victory in 2007, when more of the Commission’s recommendations were enacted into law. Maloney is also the author of a proposal to reorganize Congress for better oversight of Homeland Security and Intelligence, one of the commission’s chief concerns.

Much of Maloney’s 9/11 recovery efforts center around obtaining federal health monitoring and medical treatment for the heroes who volunteered or worked at Ground Zero after 9/11 and have since developed medical conditions. Since 2002, Maloney has worked to obtain over $405 million for medical screening, monitoring and treatment for 9/11-related health conditions. In February 2009, Reps. Maloney, Nadler, King and McMahon along with a bipartisan group of House Members introduced H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, a bipartisan bill that would provide the heroes and heroines of 9/11 with the security and assistance they desperately need and deserve. By building on the Centers of Excellence that currently provide expert medical treatment for the unique WTC exposures, the bill would provide medical monitoring and treatment to WTC responders and community members (area workers, residents, students and others) who were exposed to toxins released at Ground Zero. The bill would also reopen the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund to provide compensation for economic losses and harm as an alternative to the current litigation system. Providing health care and compensation to the heroes of 9/11 is the least we can do as a grateful nation.

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Economy/Financial Services

Rep. Maloney is senior member of the House Financial Services Committee and the former Chair of the Financial Institution and Consumer Credit Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee. She continues to serve as a member of this Subcommittee and is also a member of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology.

Since being elected to Congress, Maloney has worked to modernize financial services laws and regulations while strongly advocating for consumer protections.
Maloney is the author of the “Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights”, which levels the playing field between consumers and credit card companies and provide consumers with increased notification over changes in terms on their accounts. H.R. 626 was signed into law by President Obama on May 22, 2009, after passing Congress with overwhelming bipartisan majorities.

In the 110th Congress, Rep. Maloney was the author of the National Security Foreign Investment Reform and Strengthened Transparency Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-49). This legislation strengthens and reforms the process by which the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviews foreign direct investment for national security issues.

In the 108th Congress, Rep. Maloney worked to include groundbreaking identity theft protections in legislation updating the nation's credit reporting system (FACT Act, P.L. 108-159). She was a leader of the fight to preserve the rule-making authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Accounting Standards Board over corporations’ public filings. Rep. Maloney also cosponsored legislation that enhances consumer protections needed to combat mutual fund abuses that were exposed in New York State.

From 2003-2007, Rep. Maloney served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology of the Financial Services Committee.

A vigorous advocate for the New York financial services community, Maloney has played a major role in legislation to modernize the deposit insurance system which passed the House, coauthoring an amendment to ensure fairness for banks that helped recapitalize the insurance fund during past crises. A long- time supporter of credit unions, she introduced the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act (H.R. 3579) which would improve the safety and soundness of credit unions.

In the 107th Congress, Maloney remained steadfast to her commitment of modernizing financial service laws while strongly advocating for consumer protections and privacy. She passed legislation to cut fees on securities transactions by $14 billion over ten years. In April 2003, the House passed a bill introduced by Maloney and Sue Kelly (R-NY). H.R. 758, the Business Checking Freedom Act, allows banks to pay interest on business checking accounts.

In the 106th Congress, Maloney served as a conferee on the historic Gramm-Leach-Bliley financial modernization bill, where she fought to redraft Depression-era separations between banking, securities, and insurance firms while at the same time providing new consumer privacy protections for personal financial information. Maloney was the lead Democrat on the Investor and Capital Markets Relief Act, legislation which allowed the SEC to increase salaries of its employees so it can recruit and retain the most qualified professionals to oversee the markets.

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JEC

Rep. Maloney is the Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), a post she was named to at the beginning of the 110th Congress. The JEC is a bicameral Congressional Committee that was established by the Employment Act of 1946, the same legislation that created the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.

As Vice Chair of the JEC, Congresswoman Maloney plays a key role in helping to review economic conditions and analyze economic policy for the United States Congress. Along with the JEC’s Chairman, New York Senator Charles Schumer, Maloney has drawn attention to the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration that have contributed to our current economic woes: the mortgage and credit crisis, the enormous cost of the war in Iraq, skyrocketing gas and food prices, rising unemployment, record-setting public debt, and widening income disparities.

At the request of Congresswoman Maloney, the JEC undertook a study of the cost of the war in Iraq. The JEC report estimates that through the close of FY 2008 the full economic costs of the Iraq war will be about $1.3 trillion, or about double the immense federal budget costs that have been reported to the American people. Based on Congressional Budget Office (CBO) budget forecasts, the JEC report estimates that the total economic costs of the war in Iraq could rise to $3 trillion or more over the next decade if the occupation of Iraq continues.

Congresswoman Maloney has spearheaded the return of committee hearings with the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to review the monthly employment situation, which includes an examination of trends in unemployment, job creation, wage growth and other labor market conditions. Labor market conditions have deteriorated precipitously since the beginning of the year, leaving working families vulnerable in the current economic downturn. At the Vice Chair’s request, JEC continually provides economic analysis – including issuing reports and holding hearings – that has informed policy discussions relating to economic stimulus and help for working families, such as the Recovery Rebates and the extension of unemployment insurance.

A preeminent women’s rights supporter, Congresswoman Maloney is currently conducting a series of JEC hearings and reports aimed at examining women’s contributions to the economy and the changing needs of workers in balancing their family care responsibilities.

Congresswoman Maloney’s Paid Leave for Federal Workers bill (H.R. 5781), which recently passed the House of Representatives, is an important first step toward providing paid leave for all working families for the birth or adoption of a child. The congresswoman held a hearing entitled, “Investing in the Future of the Federal Workforce: Paid Parental Leave to Improve Recruitment and Retention,” which highlighted the benefits of providing all federal employees paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Currently, the federal government only provides employees with access to 12 weeks of unpaid leave through the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, which many workers cannot afford to take. As a guide for policymakers, the JEC asked Fortune 100 companies about the length of paid leave that they provide for new parents and found that that 75 percent provide paid leave to new mothers, typically lasting six to eight weeks.

A statutory requirement of the committee is managing part of the House floor debate on the Federal Budget for the time reserved in the Budget Act for a discussion of economic goals and policies. Since assuming the Vice Chair post, the congresswoman has led this floor effort to put the budget discussion in the larger framework of the overall economy and the policies that should be pursued to maintain a healthy economy.

In addition, the Vice Chair’s staff made critical contributions to the JEC’s Annual Report to Congress on the economic conditions facing the nation. The committee report contains majority and minority views in response to (or as a companion to) the Economic Report of the President.

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Oversight and Government Reform

As a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Maloney serves on the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives.

In early 1999, Maloney, who co-founded and co-chaired the Census Caucus, was appointed the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Census. She has been leading the fight to ensure that scientists, in spite of the objections of partisan politicians, will finally be able to release all 2000 Census data. The importance of accurate data cannot be minimized. Decennial census data is used to ensure fair representation and the fair distribution of federal funds. In 1990, the census undercounted the City of New York by 244,000, costing the city its fair share of federal funding. Maloney worked hard to ensure that the Census Bureau received adequate funding to continue with its plan to use modern statistical methods (statistical sampling). Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has -delete refused to release the data generated using statistical sampling.

Maloney authored legislation that made available for study thousands of World War II era Nazi War Crime records. The bill established a working group to review and organize documents held by federal agencies, checks for possible breaches in national security, and makes the non-sensitive material available to the public. In early 2005, Maloney and Senator Mike DeWine (OH) questioned CIA officials about the agency's reluctance to comply with the law, pressuring the CIA to finally release all relevant documents. Maloney also successfully worked with partners in the Senate to extend the working group past its original March 2004 sunset date so it could finish its important work. In May 2004, the Interagency Working Group released a report detailing the U.S. government's close ties to former Nazis. The Interagency Working Group released its final report to Congress in September 2007.

In the 110th Congress, Maloney passed key legislation and amendments in the Committee including a resolution commemorating the 85th anniversary of the founding of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, the “Contractors and Federal Spending Accountability Act,” and an amendment to improve the Freedom of Information Act process.
Maloney’s “Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act” (HR 5781) passed the House by a strong bipartisan majority vote of 278-146 in June, 2008.

A staunch supporter of key U.S. allies, Maloney passed legislation cracking down on the Arab Boycott of Israel and has championed the cause of justice in Ireland. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues and has advocated for peace on Cyprus and enhanced U.S.-Greek relations.

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Women's Issues

As the former co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, Maloney is a nationally-recognized advocate for women’s and family issues, with special emphasis on funding for women’s health needs, reproductive freedom, and international family planning. She was a member of the U.S. delegations to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) fifth-year review and appraisal at The Hague (Cairo + 5). In 2004, she attended ICPD’s tenth-year review meeting in Puerto Rico.

As the Member of Congress who spearheaded the Debbie Smith Act in numerous sessions of Congress, Maloney took the lead in the effort to erase the backlog of rape DNA testing kits that could put rapists behind bars. In 2004, the Debbie Smith Act was attached to two broader pieces legislation on DNA technology, which each had wide bipartisan support in the House and Senate.

After passing the House and Senate, the Justice for All Act, containing the Debbie Smith legislation, was signed into law in October 2004. Maloney has also been an outspoken authority against the persistent problem of sexual assault in the military. She successfully attached an amendment to the Defense Authorization legislation in 2004 that will ensure the American military has ample rape DNA testing kits and that the use of those kits is properly expedited. Maloney has fought vigorously to restore the Untied States’s contribution to UNFPA, the United Nation’s Population Fund, since the Bush Administration first withheld it in 2002. Maloney succeeded in increasing funding for UNFPA in the FY 2002 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill to $34 million, a $12.5 million increase from the previous fiscal year. Additionally, she introduced the Saving Women's Lives Act of 2002, to try to spur the Bush Administration to release the $34 million budgeted for the United Nations Population Fund. In 2004, Maloney proposed compromise legislation to restore the U.S.’s contribution to combat the horrific condition obstetric fistula. In November 2002, Maloney was recognized for ‘Carrying the Weight of the World’ by United Nations Family Planning and received their Women’s Leadership Award.

Maloney worked to increase public awareness in social inequalities between men and women that still exist in America In January 2002, she released The Dingell-Maloney Report: A New Look through the Glass Ceiling, an alarming report documenting a widening wage gap between men and women managers. Together with her colleague John Dingell of Michigan, she followed the 2002 report up by commissioning another Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, this one examining wages for all women over the past 20 years. The comprehensive report, released in 2004, revealed a persistent wage gap of 20-cents on the dollar that has remained unchanged. In 2007, Maloney reintroduced legislation that would amend the Constitution and guarantee equal rights for women. Over 200 lawmakers have signed onto Maloney’s Women’s Equality Amendment, and key women’s groups have also endorsed it.

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Homeland Security

In the wake of September 11th 2001, Rep. Maloney was a national leader on homeland security and was named Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Homeland Security in June 2003. In that position, she organized hearings, national surveys and reports on homeland security and advanced Democratic security policy. In late June 2003, Maloney convened a special task force hearing in Washington on local homeland security needs. First responders and local officials from around the country went to Capitol Hill to testify. Maloney also coordinated a national survey of local responders and officials on hometown security; the results were compiled into the October 2003 report, Federal Homeland Security Assistance to America's Hometowns.

As a New Yorker, Maloney led the charge in Congress to reform federal homeland security assistance distribution, particularly to America's most targeted areas. She fought vehemently for a change in the state funding program that sends disproportionate amounts of security money to low-threat states and for an increase in "high-threat" funding to targeted cities. In January 2004, Maloney and several colleagues requested of President Bush a doubling of high-threat funds in his FY2005 budget. When President Bush’s proposal was released days later, the high-threat program was, indeed, doubled. Maloney has worked to help the New York Fire Department at the federal level, introducing legislation to fix FDNY's radio system and releasing a report on the flaws of the FIRE Act, which shortchanges FDNY.

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Transportation/Education

Maloney continues to focus attention on issues relating to transportation and education that have a direct impact on her district in New York. A strong supporter of the Second Avenue Subway, Congresswoman Maloney has been instrumental in bringing home millions of dollars in federal funding for the project. Working with Rep. Jose Serrano (NY), Maloney helped secure the largest infusion of federal funding to date for the Second Avenue Subway in the FY08 House Transportation bill. Maloney also spearheaded a coalition of elected officials who persuaded Mayor Bloomberg to reaffirm his commitment to the Second Avenue Subway.

Maloney created and co-chaired the Task Force for an East Side High School which succeeded in obtaining backing from the Board of Education for a new academically rigorous high school on the East Side. The school, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, opened in September 2002. Maloney has worked to support the creation of the Frank Sinatra High School of the Arts in Queens. In addition, Maloney has organized a coalition of local elected officials who are working to address severe overcrowding in Community School District 2.

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Recognitions

Maloney has received the Military Order of the Purple Heart, For Meritorious and Conspicuous Service for Veterans, the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association’s (NFPRHA) Distinguished Public Service Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Hadassah Myrtle Wreath Award, Peace Action’s Global Peace Award, the Queens Women’s Political Caucus’s Queens Women of Distinction Award and the Healthy Mothers, Health Babies’s 2000 Special Impact Award. Maloney was the Grand Marshal of New York’s Greek Independence Day Parade in 1996 and 2001. Her legislative efforts have been featured on NBC Nightly News, NBC’s Today, CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other local, national, and international major media outlets.

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Early Career

After graduating from Greensboro College, Maloney worked for several years as a teacher and an administrator for the New York City Board of Education. In 1977, she went to work for the New York State legislature and held senior staff positions in both the State Assembly and the State Senate. In 1982, Maloney ran for public office for the first time and defeated an incumbent to win a seat on the New York City Council.

In her ten years on the Council, Maloney fought to eliminate waste and fraud in government. In 1986, she founded the Council's committee on city contracts and used this position to write a series of new laws setting up a computerized system to monitor the $7 billion which the city awards each year in contracts. She was also the principal author of the landmark New York City Campaign Finance Act. Maloney also became a champion of women’s, family, and children’s issues.

The first Council member to give birth while in office, Maloney was also the first to offer a comprehensive package of legislation to make day care more available and affordable. Congresswoman Maloney lives in New York City. She and her husband, Clifton Maloney, have two daughters, Christina and Virginia.

Cynthia Lummis, (R) Wyoming

Cynthia Lummis (pronounced "Luh-miss") was elected to represent the people of Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. She was raised on her family ranch in Laramie County and graduated from the University of Wyoming with bachelor degrees in Animal Science and Biology. In 1979, Cynthia became the youngest woman ever elected to the Wyoming Legislature. She returned to the University of Wyoming for a law degree, which she received in 1985.

Cynthia then clerked at the Wyoming Supreme Court, practiced law in Cheyenne, and served a total of fourteen years in the Wyoming House and Senate, concentrating on natural resource and taxation issues. She completed her legislative service in 1994 and then chaired Governor-elect Jim Geringer’s transition team. She continued to work in the Governor’s office for two more years, primarily on natural resource issues. Cynthia also served as the interim Director of the Office of State Lands and Investments.

Cynthia was elected Wyoming State Treasurer in 1998. In eight years (two terms) as Wyoming State Treasurer, she converted Wyoming’s primarily fixed income investment portfolio of $3.5 billion to a fully diversified portfolio of equities, real estate and fixed income investments, public and private, domestic and international, totaling $8.5 billion. Her term of office as State Treasurer ended in January 2007.

Cynthia continues to be involved in the daily operations of the Lummis family ranch. She and her husband, Al Wiederspahn, former Wyoming legislator who is a Cheyenne attorney, have one daughter, Annaliese.

Nita M. Lowey, (D) New York

Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey is currently serving her eleventh term in Congress, representing parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988 and served in the Democratic Leadership in 2001 and 2002 as the first woman and the first New Yorker to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Lowey has been described as “courageous” by The New York Times, “terrific” by Newsday, and one of “New York's key Members of Congress” by the New York Daily News. The Journal News called Lowey “one of the most influential Members of Congress.”

A member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Lowey serves as Chairwoman of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee and a senior Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, the Homeland Security Subcommittee, and the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel. Lowey is as an extremely effective, committed legislator with a substantial record. Congressional Quarterly called her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress, saying she “maneuvers skillfully through the appropriations process,” and Newsday said she “delivers for New York.”

Few members of Congress have taken key leadership roles on so many vital public policy issues. Lowey is a leading Congressional proponent of educational opportunity, health care quality and biomedical research, improved homeland security preparedness, stricter public safety laws, environmental protection, women's issues, a leading international role for the United States, and national security.

An outspoken supporter of transportation, nuclear, and infrastructure security, Lowey was appointed to the Select Committee on Homeland Security and recognized by the New York Post as “a key general in the battle to rebuild New York” for her leadership in securing over $20 billion for recovery efforts after September 11, 2001. Her efforts to distribute homeland security grants based on risk and to screen airport personnel in secure areas have been endorsed by The New York Times. Lowey has also helped to obtain more than $68 million in federal funds to develop local bioterrorism response plans and to provide local first responders with interoperable communication devices, rescue equipment, and personal protective gear.

Lowey is a strong advocate for women, children, and families. She has been a champion of education throughout her career, fighting for school modernization, teacher development, and literacy programs. Under Lowey’s leadership, federal funding for after-school programs has increased from $1 million in 1996 to $1 billion today.

When GOP leaders threatened to eliminate the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the 1990s, Lowey "invited" puppets Bert and Ernie to a Congressional hearing. The resulting worldwide publicity is largely credited with saving the agency. When Republican leaders again targeted PBS for severe budget cuts in 2005, Lowey again successfully restored funding to the program. She has been equally stalwart in her defense of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and served on the prestigious National Council for the Arts in recognition of her leadership.

Lowey is one of the Appropriations Committee's leading advocates of increased federal investments in biomedical research on diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s at the National Institutes of Health. Called a “champion of increased funding for breast cancer research” by The Washington Post, Lowey has helped increase NIH’s budget for cancer research by more than ten times and received multiple honors from the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

After hearing from constituents about the difficulty food-allergic consumers have reading product labels, Lowey authored the first-ever bill mandating clear, concise food allergen labeling. Her legislation was enacted in 2006, requiring food manufacturers to list in plain language on food labels the eight most common food allergens. The New York Times called this bill “an all too rare example … of bipartisan cooperation to serve the public good.”

As public health experts warn that our nation is woefully unprepared for a possible influenza pandemic, Congresswoman Lowey has pressed for action. Recognized as “an early advocate for pandemic preparedness” by the New York Daily News, she authored legislation to create a comprehensive pandemic plan and enacted requirements for federal and state preparedness plans utilized in the response to the April 2009 swine flu outbreak

Lowey has also fought to improve health care by authoring a bill to ensure that women in managed care plans have direct access to their ob-gyns and is a strong supporter of legislation to guarantee that doctors and patients -- not insurance companies -- make decisions about appropriate care.

A strong public safety advocate, Lowey supported the Brady Law and supports reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban, Lowey was named Mothers Against Drunk Driving's (MADD) “Legislator of the Year” for her leadership in authoring the nation's "Zero Tolerance" law, which made it illegal for minors to drive after consuming any alcohol, and the national DWI standard of .08 BAC. She is the author of legislation to prevent repeat drunk driving offenses.

As a candidate for Congress in 1988, Lowey pledged to clean up the Long Island Sound. In 1990 she passed legislation establishing a special Environmental Protection Agency office for Long Island Sound and has obtained millions of dollars in federal funding for local clean-up efforts. A co-founder of the Hudson River Caucus, Lowey has also taken a key role in protecting the New York City watershed and in preserving strong environmental laws like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

Lowey, former Chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus and the House Pro-Choice Caucus, was called “the most prominent abortion rights advocate in Congress” by The Washington Post. She won widespread praise for passage of her legislation to ensure that insurance companies cover prescription contraceptives for federal employees. Lowey established the Congressional Advisory Panel to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy to encourage abstinence and responsibility among teens. She has also been a leader in the fight against domestic violence, securing record increases in federal funding for battered women's shelters.

On the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, Lowey has also worked to ensure that diplomacy and development remain key pillars of our national security strategy, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Called “one of the engines of pro-Israel activity on Capitol Hill” by the Forward, Lowey has been a leading Congressional proponent of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and the Appropriations Committee's chief advocate of the annual U.S. aid package to Israel.

A longtime champion of human rights and enhancing the role of women in development, Lowey has taken a key role in fighting for democracy, justice, and economic opportunity around the world. She has been praised by the Boston Globe as someone who “speaks of the world's victimized women and children as if they were voters in her district.”

Lowey was born in the Bronx; graduated from the Bronx High School of Science; and received a Bachelor's Degree from Mount Holyoke College. She served as Assistant Secretary of State for the State of New York before being elected to Congress. Nita and Stephen Lowey have been married for more than 45 years and have three grown children and eight grandchildren.

Zoe Lofgren, (D) California

Personal Information

• Born on December 21, 1947 in San Mateo, California
• Married to John Marshall Collins
• Mother of two children, Sheila and John Collins

Education

• K-12 public schools, Palo Alto, California
• B.A., Political Science, Stanford University, 1970
• J.D., cum laude, University of Santa Clara School of Law, 1975

Professional Career

• Served as Staff Assistant to her predecessor, Congressman Don Edwards, 1970-1978; Worked on impeachment proceedings, the Equal Rights Amendment, and creation of the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge in the South San Francisco Bay
• Practiced immigration law as a partner in the firm of Webber & Lofgren, 1978-1980
• Taught immigration law at University of Santa Clara School of Law, 1977-1980
• Served on Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, 1981-1994

U.S. Congress

• Elected in 1994 as only freshman Democrat from west of the Rocky Mountains
• Chair of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics)
• Serves on Committee on the Judiciary:
  • Chair of Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law
  • Subcommittee on Administrative Law
• Serves on Committee on Homeland Security:
  • Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism
• Serves on Committee on House Administration
  • Chair of Subcommittee on Elections
• Serves as Chair of the 33 Member California Democratic Congressional Delegation

Blance L. Lincoln, (D) Arkansas

On November 3, 1998, Senator Blanche L. Lincoln made history when she became the youngest woman ever elected to the United States Senate at the age of 38. Lincoln made history again on September 9, 2009, when she was tapped as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. In the Committee’s 184-year history, she is the first Arkansan and the first female to serve as Chairman. She follows in the footsteps of the only other woman to win a statewide U.S. Senate race in Arkansas and the first woman to chair a U.S. Senate committee, Hattie Caraway of Jonesboro. As a tribute to her predecessor, Lincoln uses the same desk on the Senate floor that Senator Caraway used more than 60 years ago.

Senator Lincoln’s tenure has been marked by an expanding list of accomplishments, a willingness to seek bipartisan solutions, and a fierce loyalty to the people of Arkansas and their shared values.

As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, Senator Lincoln provides Arkansas a strong voice on issues important to rural communities. Lincoln played a key role in brokering the compromise that led to passage of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. Also known as the “farm bill,” this legislation provides more resources for nutrition, conservation, rural development, and renewable energy than ever before. The 2008 farm bill also maintains a safety net for our family farmers who produce traditional commodity crops so that they can compete in the global marketplace.

Senator Lincoln also has emerged as a national leader in the fight against hunger. She founded and currently chairs the bipartisan Senate Hunger Caucus to help focus the attention of her colleagues and the nation on the millions of American families, especially children, who suffer from food insecurity.

As one of the Finance Committee’s top-ranking Democrats, Lincoln was named the first woman Democratic Senator to lead a Finance Committee Subcommittee and is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy for the 111th Congress.

In addition, Senator Lincoln serves on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Senate Special Committee on Aging. From these platforms, Lincoln will continue to be a leader on a wide range of issues, including farm policy, nutrition, forestry, social security, health care, tax policy, international trade, energy policy, aging issues, and benefits for Arkansas’s military service members, veterans, and their families.

Having established her leadership on issues affecting working families and veterans, particularly those living in rural areas, Senator Lincoln was named by Majority Leader Harry Reid as Chair of Rural Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus. In that role, she helps frame the majority party’s initiatives to revitalize rural America, including new investments in biofuels development, farm programs, and education.

Senator Lincoln is at the forefront of efforts in Congress to end partisan bickering and get results for the American people. She helped form the Moderate Dems Working Group, a new coalition of moderate Senate Democrats who work with Senate leadership and the new administration to craft common-sense solutions to our nation’s most-pressing priorities. In addition, she co-founded and currently co-chairs “The Third Way,” an organization dedicated to crafting practical and creative solutions to old problems.

Senator Lincoln was first elected to public office in 1992 as U.S. Representative for Arkansas’s First Congressional District. A seventh-generation Arkansan, Lincoln is a Helena native where her mother, Martha Kelly Lambert, still resides. Senator Lincoln received a bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and studied at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Senator Lincoln and her husband, Dr. Steve Lincoln, are the proud parents of twin boys, Reece and Bennett.

Mary Landrieu, (D) Louisiana

Mary L. Landrieu has been fighting and winning for Louisiana since she was first elected to the Louisiana state legislature at the age of 23. After serving eight years as a state representative and two terms as State Treasurer, in 1996 she became the first woman from Louisiana elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate. Senator Landrieu is currently the Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, and a member of the Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources Committees. The nonpartisan Congress.org has ranked Senator Landrieu as the tenth most effective legislator in the Senate.

Senator Landrieu has been the leading voice in Washington for the Gulf Coast recovery effort. In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the failures of the federal levee system, she secured billions in recovery dollars and has worked extensively to jumpstart recovery projects. She chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Disaster Recovery Subcommittee, and is committed to reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure the nation’s disaster response arm is speedy and effective the next time a disaster strikes the United States, be it natural or manmade.

As chair of the Small Business Committee, she is leading efforts to ensure all small businesses have access to capital and contracts, superior health insurance at a low cost and the resources needed to help boost our economy and guarantee America’s competiveness in the global marketplace.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Landrieu is a strong and effective voice for Louisiana. This Committee approves more than $300 billion in federal discretionary spending each year, and is considered the most powerful panel on Capitol Hill. From this seat, she fights for Louisiana’s jobs and economic interests and the funding the state needs to rebuild from the 2005 and 2008 hurricanes.

Senator Landrieu, a member of the Energy Committee, coauthored the landmark Domenici-Landrieu Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which was signed into law in 2006. The bill expanded oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico by more than 8 million acres and shares the revenues with Louisiana to restore and protect the eroding wetlands along the Gulf Coast

Senator Landrieu is married to Frank Snellings of Monroe, Louisiana, and has two children.

Suzanne Kosmas, (D) Florida

Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas was sworn into office on January 6, 2009 and is serving her first term as U.S. Representative for Florida’s 24th Congressional District. The 24th District covers parts of Brevard, Orange, Seminole and Volusia Counties, including the University of Central Florida’s main campus in Orlando, Daytona International Speedway, and Kennedy Space Center.

Suzanne’s experiences over the course of more than 30 years as a New Smyrna Beach resident have given her a great understanding of the issues important to Central Floridians. She raised her family here, instilling the core values of integrity, accountability, and responsibility in her four children, Paul, Michael, David, and Kristen. In building a successful small business, Suzanne learned to focus on common-sense solutions to address the problems we all face. And her work as a community leader, including serving as Chair of the Board for the United Way of Volusia County, has given her insight into the many difficulties facing Central Florida’s families.

Prior to her election to Congress, Suzanne served four consecutive terms as a member of the Florida House of Representatives before being term-limited. In the state legislature, she earned praise for her bipartisan, common-sense approach to government. A fiscal conservative, Suzanne voted to eliminate taxes on investments and joined successful efforts to quash a proposed tax on services. In Congress, Suzanne has continued to push for fiscally responsible solutions as a member of the moderate New Democrat Coalition.

One of Suzanne’s top priorities in Congress is increasing resources to minimize the impending human spaceflight gap. As a member of the House Science & Technology Committee, Suzanne has quickly become a leading supporter of human spaceflight, with the Orlando Sentinel naming her one of Florida’s “top space advocates.” (Orlando Sentinel, 04/28/09)

Suzanne also serves on the House Financial Services Committee where she has been working on common-sense measures to free up the flow of credit and to address the nation’s financial crisis.

In addition, Suzanne has utilized her experience as a former small business owner to become a leading advocate for small business issues. She has introduced or sponsored legislation to ease the burden of health care costs for small businesses, to institute a payroll tax holiday, and to cut taxes for entrepreneurs.

Suzanne has also worked to improve and protect the benefits for veterans and our men and women in uniform, including leading the fight to make the new Orlando VA Medical Center a reality.

Throughout her work in Congress, Suzanne never forgets to put the needs of her constituents first. She travels across the district at every opportunity in order to hear first-hand what the most pressing issues are for Central Florida’s communities. She always keeps in mind that her job is to help ensure a prosperous future for generations to come.