U.S.
Representative Lloyd Doggett
Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s career of public
service spans four decades, two branches of government, two capitol
buildings, and a congressional district that currently extends across
half of Texas from the Rio Grande River to the Colorado.
Doggett began his career at the University of Texas
in Austin, where he was elected Student Body President in 1967. Later,
he graduated from the UT School of Law with honors while serving as an
associate editor of the Texas Law Review. At 26, he was elected
to the Texas Senate, where during his 11 years of service he became
known for his untiring work ethic. He authored 124 state laws,
including the creation of the Texas Commission on Human Rights to
prohibit discrimination.
In 1988, Doggett was elected as a Justice to the
Texas Supreme Court. He wrote opinions supporting the right to a trial
by jury, school finance equity and authored an important rule bolstering
the public’s access to information. He was recognized as an
“Outstanding Judge in Texas” by the Mexican-American Bar of Texas,
awarded the James Madison Award from the Freedom of Information
Foundation of Texas, and received the First Amendment Award from the
National Society of Professional Journalists.
In 1994, Doggett was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives. In Congress, Doggett has championed such issues as
fiscal responsibility, environmental protection, increasing access to
quality health care, and improving public
education.
Congressman Doggett is a senior member of the House
Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over all tax and trade
measures, as well as Social Security and Medicare. In this capacity,
Congressman Doggett has opposed efforts to privatize Social Security,
promoted affordable prescription drug coverage for all seniors, and
fought tax loopholes that favor special interests at the expense of
ordinary taxpayers.
For his work protecting
the environment, Doggett was honored in 2006 by the Texas League of
Conservation Voters with its inaugural Environmental Champion Award.
For his efforts on behalf of small business and economic development in
his district, Doggett was honored as the 2006 Business Advocate of the
Year in government by the Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers
of Commerce. As both a product of and active proponent for public
education, Doggett was one of eight alumni honored in a new Hall of
Fame, commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Austin
Independent School District. The
Austin Chronicle’s readers have honored him in the annual “Best of
Austin” poll, naming him “Best Elected Official” three years in a row
(2004-2006) and “Best Unsung Hero” in 2003. His strong defense of consumer
rights earned Doggett a “Public Interest Champion” award in 2003 from
the Public Interest Research Group.
Doggett founded and co-chairs the bipartisan House
Information Technology Roundtable, a group that promotes dialogue
between business, policymakers and the public on important high-tech
issues. Doggett is also a member of the bipartisan Green Scissors Caucus
– a group that seeks to cut environmentally harmful and wasteful
federal spending. He has consistently been named as a top deficit hawk
for his efforts by several nonpartisan groups including the Concord
Coalition and Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Doggett’s wife, Libby, is the Executive Director of
the Pre-K Now, a nonprofit advocate for voluntary pre-kindergarten for
all three and four-year-olds. They have two daughters. Lisa is a
physician in Austin who treats the uninsured, and Cathy is a former
school teacher who now trains teachers how to be more effective in the
classroom. The Doggetts have one grandchild, Ella.
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