Born April 22, 1964, Congressman Jim Langevin has dedicated his life to public service and opening the doors of government to its rightful owners - the people of this great nation.
At the age of sixteen, Jim was injured while working with the Warwick Police Department in the Boy Scout Explorer program. A gun accidentally discharged and a bullet struck Jim, leaving him paralyzed. The tremendous outpouring of support from his community inspired Jim to give something back. He ran as a State Delegate to Rhode Island's Constitutional Convention in 1986 and served as its Secretary. Two years later, he won election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he established a reputation as a hard-working reformer committed to good government.
In 1994, Representative Langevin defeated a Republican incumbent to become the nation's youngest Secretary of State. He transformed the office into "the people's partner in government" and took on the challenge of reforming Rhode Island's outdated election system. Langevin also established the state’s Public Information Center and, with Brown University, published "Access Denied,” which examined the General Assembly's compliance with the Open Meetings Law and documented routine and widespread violations.
In 1998, Jim easily won re-election to his second term as Secretary of State, achieving the largest plurality of any general officer in this century, and in 2000, he made a successful run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
During his first term, Congressman Langevin was a lead sponsor of historic election reform legislation and was able to incorporate the tested reforms he implemented in Rhode Island. Langevin has also been a strong advocate for access to affordable health care, quality public education for every child, and sensible fiscal policies designed to encourage job and economic growth for all Americans, not just a select few.
Langevin has conducted a needs assessment survey of all the schools in his district, undertaken drug pricing studies at Rhode Island pharmacies, and surveyed first responders in every city and town to better understand his district’s unmet needs. In Washington, Langevin has sponsored the Lifespan Respite Care Act, which seeks to provide respite services for overburdened family caregivers, as well as legislation to create the American Health Benefits Program, which would use the federal government’s managed competition model to provide affordable health insurance coverage to all Americans. He has championed other diverse issues from enhancing gun safety laws to increasing the number of counselors in our schools.
One of Congressman Langevin’s top priorities has been expanding the federal policy on embryonic stem cell research, so that millions of families struggling with diseases and disabilities might benefit from the hope provided by this groundbreaking research. Langevin appeared on Meet the Press in 2001 to discuss this issue, spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention about the promise of stem cell research, and was one of the lead sponsors of House legislation, passed in May 2005, to expand federal support for the research.
Langevin has served on the House Armed Services Committee since his first term. In 2003, he was also asked to serve on the newly-created House Select Committee on Homeland Security. He continues to serve on this committee, which has since become permanent, and is the Ranking Member on its Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack.
Jim resides in Warwick, Rhode Island, and serves on a number of Boards, including PARI Independent Living, Tech Access, The Warwick Shelter and the Festival Ballet. Langevin is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Lions Club and Save the Bay. He graduated from Rhode Island College, then went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
