For over twelve years, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has dedicated her public life to working on behalf of the people of Southern Florida. On January 4, 2005, she was sworn in as a member of the United States House of Representatives to continue this fight as the Congresswoman from Florida's 20th Congressional District.
The first Jewish Congresswoman ever elected from
Florida, Representative Wasserman Schultz brings
to Congress her many years of service in the
Florida Legislature and the kind of grassroots
knowledge of the people of South Florida that
can only be known through countless interactions
with the families, businesses and organizations
that make up the fabric of our community.
In Washington she continues to expand on her
reputation as a fighter for the families of
South Florida, a person whose word is as good
as gold and who knows that she was sworn in
to work hard in Washington for her constituents.
Her reputation preceded her and on her first
meeting with President Bush at the White House,
he asked her if she was the one that “gave
my little brother a hard time down in Florida.”
That bit of levity aside, Wasserman Schultz
arrived in Washington with the reputation as
a force to be reckoned with, someone who works
hard on behalf of children, education, health
care, Social Security, Medicare and the security
of every American.
Upon her arrival in Congress, Wasserman Schultz
was appointed to the Financial
Services Committee, the committee in the
House of Representatives that oversees the entire
financial services industry including the securities,
insurance, banking, and housing industries.
The Committee also oversees the work of the
Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the Security
and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other financial
services regulators. Through this influential
appointment she continues her advocacy for families
in an area that often is the greatest impediment
to family self-sufficiency, equal and fair access
to financial and housing services.
Most recently, Wasserman Schultz was appointed
to the Committee
on the Judiciary.
Often called the lawyer for the House of Representatives,
the committee maintains jurisdiction over matters
relating to the administration of justice in
Federal courts, administrative bodies, and law
enforcement agencies. It also handles issues
relating to bankruptcy, espionage, terrorism,
the protection of civil liberties, constitutional
amendments, immigration and naturalization,
claims against the United States, Presidential
succession, antitrust law, revision and codification
of the statutes of the United States, state
and territorial boundary lines, and patents,
copyrights and trademarks. Particularly important
in our time is the Committee's oversight responsibility
for the Departments of Justice and Homeland
Security.
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Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz meeting with constituents at the Lippman Center |
The Democratic Whip, Congressman Steny Hoyer from
Maryland, selected her to serve in the position
of Senior Whip. In this position she will serve
as one of a group of Senior Members and Caucus
opinion leaders that meet weekly to discuss
long-range policy goals and key issues facing
Congress. Wasserman Schultz was the only freshman
chosen to serve on the Whip team.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s concern for
children and working families first motivated
her to run for office in 1992, where she made
history as the youngest woman ever elected to
the Florida state legislature at the age of
only 26. Her enthusiasm and vision for the people
of South Florida was evident in her first campaign
where she won her seat with 53% of the vote
in a six-way race, despite the fact that she’d
only been a resident of Broward County for three
years. Since then she hasn’t looked back,
serving in the Florida House of Representatives
from 1992-2000 and in the State Senate from
2000-2004.
During her tenure in the Florida State Legislature,
Wasserman Schultz made a name for herself as
a fighter for South Florida families. As a State
Senator, she authored and passed the “Drive
Thru Baby Bill” and the “Drive Thru
Mastectomy Bill” both of which helped
women by mandating that they get the care they
needed rather than the limited amount of care
that the insurance companies were willing to
pay for. She also authored the popular Florida
Infant Crib Safety Act that passed both the
House and Senate by overwhelming margins. Another
significant piece of legislation passed was
her bill outlawing human and sexual trafficking
in the State of Florida. Her tireless work on
behalf of the Florida Residential Swimming Pool
Safety Act helped to ensure its passage and
will save the lives of unknown numbers of toddlers
from accidental drowning in Florida pools. While
serving in the state House, Wasserman Schultz
fought to increase funding to public schools
to solve school overcrowding problems and drew
praise for her efforts to establish a statewide
child care administration agency to establish
regulations for day care facilities. She also
was recognized repeatedly as an environmental
champion for her strong advocacy on environmental
protection issues.
Her dedication to the people of Florida was
well recognized by her colleagues in the Florida
Legislature where she held several influential
leadership positions. Wasserman Schultz's service
in the House included a term as House Democratic
Leader Pro Tempore, House Democratic Floor Leader
and Chair of the Broward Legislative Delegation.
She chaired the House Committee on Higher Education
from 1994-1996.
All of this experience serves to enhance her
commitment to lower health care costs, improve
the quality of education, protect Social Security
and Medicare, and provide a sensible homeland
security plan to protect our citizens from the
ongoing threat of terror. She continues to fight
to ensure that our first responders, our local
police and firefighters, have the tools they
need to do their jobs. And she continues take
up the fight to give our troops the equipment
and compensation they deserve.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz was born in 1966 on
Long Island, NY. She attended the University
of Florida and graduated with a Bachelor’s
Degree in Political Science in 1988 and with
a Master’s Degree in 1990. She has been
married to Steve Schultz for 14 years and together
they have three children: Jake and Rebecca (twins)
who are six years old, and the latest addition
to the family, daughter Shelby, born in 2003.
She is proud to call South Florida home.
Read Bills I've Sponsored and Cosponsored in Congress