Congressman Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.) was sworn into office to represent the
people of Pennsylvania's
First Congressional District on May 21, 1998. The First Congressional District
includes portions of South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia,
Northeast Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia, Center City
and parts of Delaware
County. District One is
among the most ethnically diverse districts in Pennsylvania.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, he graduated
from St. Thomas More High School,
found employment as a carpenter and was soon part of the leadership of the
carpenter's union. He continues to be a dues paying member of both the
Carpenters and the teachers union.
Brady's interest in the well-being of the 1st district is exemplified
through the various leadership positions that he held prior to becoming a
member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The accomplishments include, but
are not limited to serving as Deputy Mayor for Labor in the administration of
Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode, a consultant to the Pennsylvania State
Senate, a Pennsylvania Turnpike Commissioner, and a member of the Board of
Directors of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
During his legislative career, Congressman Brady has consistently earned an
"A" or 100 percent rating from the AFL-CIO, NAACP, The Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, the Human
Rights Campaign and every other national human rights organization that scores
Congress. In addition, Congressman Brady has twice been honored as a
"Friend of the National Parks" by the National Parks Conservation
Association for his contribution to protecting and enhancing the environment in
America's
national parks.
In the 107th Congress, which ended in December, 2002, Congressman Brady
pushed an aggressive legislative agenda, winning $600,000 in funding for the
reinstallation of lights on the dangerous Platt
Bridge and for the designation of the Port of Philadelphia as a militarily strategic
port. This designation allows for defense supply shipping from the east coast
out of the Port
of Philadelphia; it also
gives the port preference for federal grants for infrastructure improvements.
Brady's independent legislative initiatives also included passing the
Vocational and Technical Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2001, which would
establish a $21 million, three-year vocational and technical pilot program and
passing the Emergency Response Disease Protection Act, which provided funding
for an investigation of the work-related pathways for transmission of Hepatitis
C among firefighters and other first responder unit workers.
In recognition of his growing influence and effectiveness in Congress, Brady
was appointed to the position of Senior Whip. The appointment gives the
Congressman responsibility for ensuring direct communication between Democratic
leaders and the congressional legislative body and for ensuring that Members of
Congress are aware of legislative issues of importance to working people and
the disadvantaged.
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