Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards represents Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, comprising portions of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties. She was sworn in after a special election to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 110th Congress in June 2008, becoming the first African American woman to represent Maryland in Congress. She began her first full-term in the 111th Congress in 2009.
Congresswoman Edwards has enjoyed a diverse career as a nonprofit public interest advocate and in the private sector on NASA’s Spacelab project. In 1994, as co-founder and executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, she led the effort to pass the Violence Against Women Act that was signed into law by President Clinton.
Since being sworn in, Congresswoman Edwards has secured a number of legislative accomplishments to improve the lives of working families in her Congressional District and around the country. Her first act as a Member of Congress was to add Maryland to the Afterschool Suppers Program, ensuring access to nutritional suppers to afterschool and youth development programs in schools located in low-income areas. During the health care debate, Congresswoman Edwards secured a provision that holds insurance companies accountable for unjustifiable rate increases.
Congresswoman Edwards has introduced legislation to expand research and development, domestic manufacturing, and infrastructure spending to create jobs and grow our economy. She was also the first Member of the House to introduce and champion a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
In the 113th Congress, Congresswoman Edwards serves:
On the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where she sits on:
- The Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
- The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
On the Science, Space, and Technology Committee where she sits on:
- The Subcommittee on Space - Ranking Member
- The Subcommittee on Environment
As a member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
Rep. Edwards completed undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University and received her Juris Doctor from the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly the Franklin Pierce Law Center). She is the proud mother of one son.
Click here to view the Washington Post's financial profile of Rep. Edwards.
Click here to view Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards' official portrait.
