Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who represents the Toledo area's Ninth Congressional District in Northwest Ohio, is currently serving her eleventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

She is the senior-most Democratic woman in Congress and ranks as the senior Democratic woman on the exclusive House Appropriations Committee. She is one of only 76 women out of 535 members of the 108th Congress.

Representative Kaptur, of Polish-American heritage with humble, working class roots, mirrors the boot-strap nature of her district. Her family operated a small grocery where her mother worked after serving on the original organizing committee of an auto trade union at Champion Spark Plug. She became the first family member to attend college, receiving a scholarship for her undergraduate work. Trained as a city and regional planner, she practiced 15 years in Toledo and throughout the United States before seeking office. Appointed as an urban advisor to the Carter White House, she successfully maneuvered 17 housing and neighborhood revitalization bills through the Congress during those years.

Subsequently, while pursuing a doctorate in urban planning and development finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her local Party recruited her to run for the House seat in 1982. She had been a well-known party activist and volunteer since age 13. Though outspent by 3 to 1 in the first campaign, her deep roots in the blue collar neighborhoods and rural areas of the district made her race the national upset of 1982.

Representative Kaptur fought vigorously to win a seat on the House Appropriations Committee. Since elected, she has risen in seniority and is now the senior Democratic woman on Appropriations. She has secured subcommittees on Agriculture, the leading industry in her state, and Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection, Veterans, NASA and the National Science Foundation which allow her to pursue her strong interests in economic growth and new technology, community rebuilding, and veterans. In her legislative career, she has also served on the Budget; Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs; and Veterans Affairs Committees.

Congresswoman Kaptur has focused strong efforts on rebuilding the economic might of her district such as improvements in bridge, road, rail and port facilities, including the New Maumee River Crossing - the largest bridge project in Ohio's history; expansion of Toledo's Farmers' Market; development of the Maumee River Heritage Corridor between Ohio and Indiana, which includes passage of legislation and funds to acquire Fallen Timbers as a national affiliate of the U.S. Park Service; clean-up of the waterways adjacent to Lake Erie; development of initiatives to enhance the earnings potential of Northwest Ohio crops; shipping of federal cargos on the Great Lakes; acquisition of wildlife refuges and shoreline recreation; and expansion of university-related research.

She directed federal support to acquire Quarry Pond as the centerpiece for a new conservation and lands legacy endowment for northwest Ohio. Lucas County-based 180th Tactical Fighter Squadron underwent a F-16 modernization attributable to her efforts. Current and former Defense Department and other private-sector workers who were exposed to and suffer from beryllium were the beneficiaries of a major piece of legislation Rep. Kaptur guided to passage. She was recently awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars Americanism Award, in part for introducing the legislation authorizing the National World War II Memorial in Washington in 1987, as well as for her longstanding commitment to America's veterans and she is the only woman to have received the Prisoner of War "Barbed Wire" Award for her commitment to veterans affairs.

Dedicated to the principle that fiscal responsibility begins in "one's own backyard," Representative Kaptur has consistently returned money to the federal Treasury. She refused to accept Congressional pay raises and donates them to offset the federal deficit and charitable causes in her home community.

Demonstrating international leadership through diplomatic contributions to the Middle East Peace process, Rep. Kaptur is responsible for directing the first surplus farm commodities in 1999 to support the peace process in the Middle East in Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. As a result of the intifada, only the war torn region of Lebanon has progressed forward with over 200 villages undertaking community development. She also remains dedicated to democratic institution-building across the globe and has spearheaded private charitable efforts for peoples' of underdeveloped nations, including Ukraine and Vietnam. Rep. Kaptur is the key sponsor of regulatory changes that force accountability on Russian food aid relief, helping to insure one billion dollars of United States resources go to people in need, not into the black market or pockets of government bureaucrats. A leader on issues related to international trade and human and labor rights, Rep. Kaptur will continue to assess the impact of NAFTA and actively engage upcoming trade negotiations on the side of workers.

Marcy Kaptur is a life-long resident of Toledo, Ohio, a member of Little Flower Roman Catholic Church, and a graduate of St. Ursula Academy. In 1968, Representative Kaptur earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from the University of Wisconsin. She received her Masters' Degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan. In 1993, Representative Kaptur was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Toledo in recognition of her "effective representation of the community," of the University and of Northwest Ohio. St. Ursula Academy named Kaptur Alumna of the Year in 1995.

She is also the author of a book, Women in Congress that was recently published by Congressional Quarterly. She was recently named the National Mental Health Association's "Legislator of the Year" for her championing mental health and received the 2002 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur's Official Website

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Four to six million Americans went to the polls on Election Day 2000 and were denied their right to vote. (The Washington Post)