About
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty
Ohio 3rd Congressional District
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is serving her second term representing the 3rd Congressional District of Ohio that is wholly contained within Franklin County and represents 29 municipalities including Columbus, Bexley, Whitehall, Reynoldsburg and Gahanna.
As Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Beatty serves on the powerful Committee on Financial Services and is member of two subcommittees: Housing and Insurance as well as Oversight and Investigations. The Committee on Financial Services oversees all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors including banking, insurance, real estate, public and assisted housing, and securities.
With her position on the Financial Services Committee, Congresswoman Beatty continues to be a proven leader in increasing home mortgage financial literacy, ensuring financial oversight, and expanding affordable housing opportunities. She has also been successful in increasing access to credit to consumers and leveling the playing field. In 2014, Rep. Beatty brought then-Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donavan to the District to announce a $300 million project to revitalize the Near East Side, led by $30 million in federal funds.
In December 2014, Rep. Beatty was pivotal in securing nearly $4 million in federal funds to address Columbus’ infant mortality rate, which is one of the highest in the country. Reducing infant mortality is a top priority for Beatty, and her office aggressively joined the efforts to secure funding for the Healthy Start program. The initiative will expand and improve the system of care for mothers and babies by creating a community model of collaboration and coordination of services among material child health care providers in central Ohio.
A long-time advocate in eradicating human trafficking, bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Beatty to combat child sex trafficking unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014 and 2015, and was signed into law as part of a larger measure, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, P.L. 114-22, by President Obama on May 29, 2015. Rep. Beatty’s legislation reduces the instances and impacts of child sex trafficking by de-criminalizing the behavior of child sex trafficking victims and making it easier for people to report potential instances. Rep. Beatty encourages the public to embrace the philosophy of “if you see something, say something.
Prior to her service in the U.S. House of Representatives, in 1999, Rep. Beatty was selected to serve in the 27th House District of the Ohio House of Representatives. She went on to serve 5 terms in the Ohio General Assembly. During her tenure, she rose to become the first female Democratic House Leader in Ohio’s history and was instrumental in passing legislation that improved the climate for economic development in the state.
Congresswoman Beatty graduated with a B.A. from Central State University, received her M.S. degree from Wright State University, and completed all but her dissertation for a doctorate at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, she has received two honorary doctorate degrees from Ohio Dominican University and Central State University.
Rep. Beatty is a native Ohioan with a strong history of working across the spectrum to fuse people, public policy and politics to make a difference. She is a former small business owner who established a successful management consulting company and later opened a small retail business in downtown Columbus. A strong proponent and advocate for empowerment, she also founded an organization that focused on developing business ownership among women to create economic opportunities.
Congresswoman Beatty is a sought after public speaker and Ebony Magazine named her one of the 150 most powerful African-Americans in the United States. Beatty is active in The Links, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Rep. Beatty is married to Otto Beatty, Jr., an attorney, businessman and former Ohio State Representative. He currently practices law in Columbus, Ohio.