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Jim Davis, elected to
Congress in 1996, brought a wealth of legislative experience and a
common sense approach to the House of Representatives and quickly
earned praise as "a moderate lawmaker of unimpeachable
character, an unpretentious man his colleagues naturally look to
for leadership.1"
In Congress, Davis is fighting for balanced budgets to keep
interest rates low for all Americans, a quality education for our
children and a stronger economy that creates better jobs for the
Tampa Bay area. As an active member and former co-chair of the
New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate House Democrats
promoting bipartisan solutions to our nation’s problems, Davis
has been a leader in Congress on the issues that matter most to
Floridians. |
In 2003,
Davis
was appointed to the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee,
where he brings
Florida
’s voice to debates as wide ranging as the high cost of prescription
drugs and the preservation of our environment.
Davis
serves on the Subcommittees on Health; Energy and Air Quality; and
Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection.
During his first term in office, while serving on the House Budget
Committee,
Jim Davis
worked diligently to pass the
country’s first balanced budget in nearly 30 years.
Since then,
Davis
has fought against rising
federal budget deficits by campaigning for budget plans that pay down
the enormous federal debt.
Jim Davis
recognizes the key to
continued economic prosperity lies in our ability to provide young
people with the tools they need to succeed in tomorrow’s workplace.
A strong supporter of public schools, Jim is working to ensure
that schools, teachers and parents have the resources and flexibility
they need to help our students meet high standards. Jim has pushed for
smaller class sizes, new and improved schools and additional qualified
teachers. He also passed the
Transition to Teaching Act, legislation to help school districts recruit
and train mid-career professionals who are interested in becoming
teachers.
Upon arriving in
Washington
, the Democratic freshman
class selected
Jim Davis
as its first class president
for the 105th Congress, making him chief spokesman for the
group and the liaison to the party's leadership.
As president,
Davis
appointed the
Democratic members of the Bipartisan Freshman Campaign Finance Reform
Task Force and led freshman efforts on the floor to gain a fair hearing
for campaign finance reform legislation.
Congressman Davis’ public
service career goes back to his 1988 election to the Florida House of
Representatives. As a member
of the Appropriations Committee in the Florida House,
Davis
helped write eight balanced budgets.
He served as Majority Leader during his last term in the state
House and guided legislation to put more money into our children’s
classrooms.
Jim Davis
is a native of
Tampa
and a graduate of
Jesuit
High School
.
He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from
Washington & Lee
University
and a law degree from the
University of Florida Law School. He
returned to
Tampa
to practice law in 1982.
He became a partner in the law firm of Bush, Ross, Gardner,
Warren and Rudy in 1988.
Jim is married to Peggy Bessent Davis and they have two sons, Peter and
William.
1Tampa Tribune, 10/27/00, p22
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