Biography

A Leader Who Makes a Difference for Northeast Ohio

A Leader Who Fights for Her Constituents

A Leader with 13th District Roots

A Leader Who Makes a Difference for Northeast Ohio

Currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives where she proudly represents Ohio’s 13th District, Congresswoman Betty Sutton has long worked to improve the lives of the people of Northeast Ohio, whether on the Barberton City Council, the Summit County Council, in the State Legislature or in Washington. Betty has spent her life fighting to make the lives of Ohioans better. Her work both as a labor lawyer and as a public servant has earned her a reputation as an independent  leader and tenacious advocate for the people of Ohio. She has made a career putting the greater good of the many ahead of special interests of the few.

Betty has never been afraid to take on tough fights and to do what is right, even in the face of unbeatable odds. In 1997, she fought tirelessly from her post on the Commerce and Labor Committee, against attacks on workers' compensation benefits. After the Republican-controlled legislature passed the harmful bill, Betty worked alongside workers in both Northeast Ohio and across the state to repeal the anti-worker law through a referendum.

While in the Ohio State House in 1996, Betty was the only person to vote against a bill that contained a perk for a millionaire developer. The amendment -- what Betty called "corporate welfare" -- was finally removed by the Senate despite the overwhelming House approval.

During her eight-year tenure in the Ohio State House, Sutton became a leader on a wide range of issues, including health care, education, pensions and retirement, and consumer protection to make government more accessible and effective for Northeast Ohioans.

Betty's passion and willingness to take on tough fights, stand up for what is right, and protect and enhance Ohioans' standard of living earned her the respect of her colleagues and constituents, as well as awards for Legislator of the Year by the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Friend of Education Award from the Barberton Education Association.

A Leader Who Fights for Her Constituents

Betty worked tirelessly to get to the U.S. House of Representatives so she could make the lives of Northeast Ohioans better. A staunch advocate for Ohioans, she brings Midwestern values and common sense to Washington that reflect the region's hard-working families and fighting spirit. She has been a leader in the efforts to provide all Americans with access to quality, affordable  health care; improve the environment; provide for the brave men and women who serve and protect our nation; secure the well-being and safety of our families; and spur sustainable economic and job growth in Northeast Ohio. 

The Congresswoman sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee. Betty is Co-Chair of the Congressional Task Force on Job Creation and is Vice-Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Labor Council, the Congressional Automotive Caucus, and the Populist Caucus.  She is a member of the Congressional Task Force on Competitiveness, Trade Working Group, the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus, the Congressional Fire Caucus, the LGBT Equality Caucus, the House Manufacturing Caucus, the House Steel Caucus, the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, and the House School and Health Safety Caucus.

The Congresswoman's Committee and Caucus memberships position her to play a leading role in passing smart and common-sense legislation to save and create jobs and revitalize our region's economy by providing our workers and businesses with access to the tools they need to lead the way and facilitate growth in 21st Century business and industry. Betty has also played a leading role in advocating for access to quality and affordable health care for the children, workers and seniors in our communities, as well as more affordable and accessible education and job training.

As co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Job Creation, Rep. Sutton worked with her colleagues in the House to ensure that the Jobs for Main Street Act (which was signed into law in March 2010) and AQUA Act (which passed the House in July 2010), include "Buy America" language.  The Jobs for Main Street Act requires that American-made materials be used for construction, alteration, maintenance or repair of transportation and infrastructure projects funded through the act. The AQUA Act requires that U.S. taxpayer dollars used to build municipal drinking water and sewer systems are spent on American-made steel, iron and manufactured goods. 

Betty has also been a leader in developing a new trade model that will work for Ohio's working families and businesses -- a key component of helping revitalize Northeast Ohio. She is focused on working with local, state, national and international leaders to help develop and enforce new fair trade policies and foster investments in technology and innovation that will create high-quality, high-paying, and sustainable jobs for Northeast Ohioans.

In 2009, Betty authored the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS or "Cash for Clunkers" program) Act.  According to a report by the Department of Transportation, the Cash for Clunkers program resulted in an estimated $3.8 billion to $6.8 billion increase in GDP and more than 60,000 jobs created or saved. The CARS Act was a transitional and targeted economic stimulus that spurred auto sales, improved the environment and helped consumers purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles.  The program had a positive impact on auto and related industries, including auto manufacturers, parts suppliers, auto dealers, coatings suppliers, recyclers, insurance providers, steel producers, tire makers and transporters. The CARS program also provided good news for the environment, with a 60 percent improvement in fuel economy between the trade-in and new vehicles purchased. The improved fuel economy further benefitted consumers from an estimated fuel savings of $700 to $1,000 per year.

Since joining Congress, Betty also helped lead the effort on Congressional ethics reform so that Northeast Ohioans will see policies that benefit all Americans, not special interests and a privileged few. She has also dedicated herself to doing everything possible to create jobs and revitalize Northeast Ohio's economy to protect the region's hard-working families and improve their day to day lives.

In addition to fighting for the issues Northeastern Ohioans care about, the Congresswoman has worked diligently to secure funding for Ohio’s 13th district. This funding has helped to create jobs, spur economic growth, and build a new foundation for a more broadly shared and lasting recovery. Her efforts will help ensure that Ohio leads the way to a prosperous future in clean energy technologies and jobs of the 21st century.

Just as she has always done, Betty will stand up for what is right, no matter how great a fight, and she will continue to devote herself to finding innovative solutions that make positive differences for her constituents.

A Leader with 13th District Roots

Born and raised in Barberton, Ohio, Betty was the youngest of six children. Her mother was a clerk treasurer for the city library and her father, who worked in the local boiler-maker factory, was a World War II Veteran. Congresswoman Sutton has never forgotten his example of service, and strives in her own service to ensure our nation’s veterans get all the respect, honors and benefits they have earned.

After attending local public schools she graduated from Kent State University and earned her law degree at the University of Akron (UA). She has been using it to serve Ohioans ever since.

During her first year of law school at the UA, where she received a Dean's Club Scholarship and earned both the American Jurisprudence Award and the Federal Bar Association Award for Outstanding Performance in Constitutional Law, Betty ran for and won an at-large seat on the Barberton City Council.

A year later, when a vacancy occurred on the Summit County Council, Betty was chosen to fill the vacancy in the at-large position, where she had the opportunity to serve all the residents of Summit County. In her second year on the County Council, Betty was elected by her peers to serve as Vice President of the Council.

Betty later went on to serve eight years in the Ohio State House of Representatives before continuing her advocacy on behalf of Ohioans in the private sector as a labor lawyer with the firm of Faulkner, Muskovitz & Phillips LLP (FMP). Congresswoman Sutton's work representing first responders, teachers, nurses and other workers helping them to fight for fair wages, safe working conditions and family-sustaining benefits led her to run for the open Congressional seat in the 13th District in 2006.

Currently, Congresswoman Sutton resides in Copley Township with her husband Doug.

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