WASHINGTON – This week marks the Rep. Judy Chu's (D-Calif.) first anniversary serving the residents of California's 32nd Congressional District. Since being sworn in on July 16th, 2009, Chu has worked to create new jobs, reform our broken healthcare system, crack down on Wall Street abuses and make a college education more affordable. To mark the occasion, Chu released a detailed description of her work for constituents and the following statement:
"I'm proud that my first year in Congress was an extremely productive one, but I have only just begun the work necessary to renew and improve the Los Angeles region," Chu said. "I want to thank the people of the 32nd District for partnering with me to improve our neighborhoods and communities. While congressional business often takes me to Washington, the time I spend at home working with constituents is the best part of my job. I look forward to continuing this collaboration and strengthening the opportunities for families and businesses across our region. We have so much left to work on, but together we'll build a better future for our region and country."
Below are some of Congresswoman Chu's accomplishments during her first year in office:
o Lead the effort to extend the Jobs NOW program, which uses stimulus funds to place unemployed workers in new positions. The program has created over 11,000 jobs in Los Angeles County.
o Organized an amendment to the Wall Street Reform Bill that helps enforce of fair lending laws. The provision also enables communities, governmental entities, and creditors to identify business and community development needs and opportunities of women-owned and minority owned small businesses.
o Introduced amendment to the Small Business Lending Fund Act that requires linguistically and culturally appropriate outreach for the Small Business Loan Fund.
· Increased Affordability and Educational Opportunities for American Students
o Co-sponsored the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act to make affordable, quality education opportunities more available to America's students. The bill included $36 billion over 10 years to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship and $750 million to bolster college access and completion support for students.
o Original co-sponsor of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, which helps future America workers compete by supporting science and technology innovation, and funding energy innovation and education programs.
o Co-sponsored an amendment to the America COMPETES Act to help science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, transition from 2-year to 4-year institutions.
· Reformed Our Broken Healthcare System
o Voted for and worked to strengthen the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which brings valuable and effective reforms to America's healthcare system.
· Brought Transparency and Control to Government Spending
o Voted for the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009, which requires any new spending or tax cuts to be budget-neutral, offset by spending cuts or tax increases elsewhere.
· Improved the LA Region's Congested Transit System
o Pushed for federal funding of the Gold Line Foothill Extension.
o Endorsed the 30/10 Initiative to fast-track L.A. County transit improvements.
· Worked to Fix America's Immigration Laws
o Original co-sponsor of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), which would provide humane enforcement of laws, an earned path to citizenship, promote family unity, and protect workers and their families.
· Fought Discrimination and Stood Up for LGBT Rights
o Supported the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010 that ends the practice of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
o Supported the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was incorporated into National Defense Authorization Act for 2010. The Act expands federal authority over hate crimes and provides $5 million per year to help state and local agencies pay for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.
Representative Judy Chu was elected in July 2009 to the U.S. House of Representatives as the Representative of California's 32nd District, which includes East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. She immediately got to work representing the interests of her constituents, voting on several environmental bills and working through the night on her first day in office during a marathon debate on the health care reform bill. She is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Government Oversight Committee and Education and Labor Committee.
Congresswoman Chu's career in politics spans 24 years. Prior to her election to Congress she served three terms as the Assemblymember representing the 49th District, where she chaired the important Assembly Appropriations Committee. A lifelong educator, Congresswoman Chu taught community college classes in Los Angeles and East Los Angeles for 20 years. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology and a B.A. in mathematics.
