Congresswoman Diana DeGette
Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette is currently serving her 6th term in the U.S. Congress representing the First District of Colorado and is the Senior Member of the Colorado delegation. She is the Vice Chair of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce, an exclusive congressional committee with vast jurisdiction over health care, trade, business, technology and consumer protection. In addition, she co-chairs the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, the largest congressional member caucus, and the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus.
Democratic Leadership
Rep. DeGette was promoted to the House Democratic leadership as Chief Deputy Whip in 2005. She has risen steadily in the Whip organization since her first term in Congress, serving for six years as Regional Whip and two years as the Democratic Floor Whip. The Whip’s job is to keep track of how Democratic Members of Congress plan to vote on important issues.
Committee on Energy and Commerce
In January 2007, Rep. DeGette was appointed to serve as Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. As Vice Chair, Rep. DeGette will have the opportunity to be the Acting-Chair of the committee when the Chairman is away. She will also spearhead special projects and assist the Chairman in promoting the Committee’s legislative agenda.
Rep. DeGette has served on the Committee on Energy and Commerce since she was first elected to Congress. During that time, she has used her position to improve health care, expand medical research, reform corporate business and accounting practices, and ensure that our homeland is adequately protected.
Rep. DeGette is also a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection.
Health Care
Rep. DeGette is committed to expanding access to health care and improving public health. She has become one of Congress’ leading experts on cutting-edge scientific research and is the author of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. This important legislation would overturn President Bush`s ban on embryonic stem cell research and reassert the United State’s worldwide leadership role. It passed both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support but was vetoed by President Bush in July of 2006.
Rep. DeGette has led efforts to expand the State Children`s Health Insurance Program, which provides health insurance to low-income children up to age 18. As co-chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, Rep. DeGette has also been a long-time advocate for the expansion of diabetes care and research, particularly for lower-income and minority communities.
Corporate Responsibility
As a member of the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee, Rep. DeGette has taken the lead on a variety of investigations including the National Institutes of Health ethics guidelines, the safety of the diet supplement Ephedra and child exploitation over the internet. She has established a national reputation as a leader on corporate accountability issues during her committee’s investigations of Enron, Arthur Andersen, Hewlett Packard and other companies embroiled in various scandals.
In the News
Rep. DeGette has been featured on a wide spectrum of news outlets, including ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN. Rep. DeGette is also regularly quoted in major newspapers across the nation, including the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, as well as magazines including Newsweek, and Time.
Strong Leadership for Colorado
The First Congressional District includes Denver, Cherry Hills Village, Englewood, Glendale and Sheridan. As a life-long Westerner, Rep. DeGette represents Colorado’s most diverse and densely populated district. She is committed to common-sense fiscal responsibility and is working with like-minded Members of Congress to reduce the national deficit.
Rep. DeGette has fought to expand her constituents’ access to affordable quality health care. As the First District’s Representative, she has also worked to expand mass transit, improve transportation in the Denver area, clean up environmental waste sites, and improve opportunities for small business. Rep. DeGette is also the author of the landmark Colorado Wilderness Act, which designates 59 pristine areas comprising 1.6 million acres of land across Colorado as protected wilderness. This would preserve a rapidly disappearing piece of our Western heritage for generations to come.
Personal
Rep. DeGette is a fourth generation Coloradoan who went to Denver’s South High School before receiving her B.A. magna cum laude from Colorado College in 1979 and her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1982. She served two terms in the Colorado House of Representatives and was an Assistant Minority Leader from 1993-1995.
Rep. DeGette is married to attorney Lino Lipinsky. They have two daughters and a dog named Charlie.
