Grace Meng
| Grace Meng 孟昭文 |
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|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 6th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Gregory Meeks |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 22nd district |
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| In office 2009–2013 |
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| Preceded by | Ellen Young |
| Succeeded by | Michaelle Solages |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1, 1975 [1] Queens, New York[2] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Wayne Kye[2] |
| Children | Tyler, Brandon[2] |
| Residence | Flushing, New York[2] |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Cardozo School of Law |
| Profession | lawyer, politician |
| Website | Representative Grace Meng |
Grace Meng (Chinese: 孟昭文; pinyin: Mèng Zhāowén, born October 1, 1975)[1] is an Asian American lawyer and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 6th congressional district in the New York City borough of Queens, which includes neighborhoods like Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens and Maspeth. Previously, she served as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 22nd assembly district in Flushing, Queens, New York.
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Early life and education [edit]
Born and raised in Queens, Meng is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School. She received a B.A. degree from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University.[2]
New York Assembly [edit]
Elections [edit]
Grace Meng's father Jimmy Meng was elected in 2004 to New York's 22nd assembly district, becoming the first Asian American to be elected to the legislature in New York State history.[3] Jimmy served only one term, having decided to not run for re-election in 2006 following a scandal regarding election irregularities in his first campaign. Grace Meng decided to run to succeed her father, but was forced to drop out when she found out she didn't live in the district. Subsequently her district residency issues were resolved.[4] Democrat Ellen Young succeeded Jimmy Meng in 2006.
In 2008, Grace decided to challenge Young. On September 9, 2008, Grace defeated the incumbent in the Democratic primary 59%-41%.[5][6] She went on to win the 2008 November election, defeating Young again, this time as an Independence Party nominee, 88%-12%.[7] In 2010, she won re-election to a second term unopposed.[8][9][10]
Tenure [edit]
She was the author of the Reverse Mortgage Act of 2009, that prohibited proceeds received from reverse mortgages from being considered as income, so senior citizens can get their partial property tax exemption. Seven other of her pieces of legislation were signed into law.[11]
Committee assignments [edit]
- Aging
- Banks
- Labor
- Libraries and Education Technology
- Real Property Taxation
- Small Business[12]
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
2012 election [edit]
In June 2012, Meng faced fellow Assembly member Rory Lancman and New York City Council member Elizabeth Crowley in a primary election for New York's 6th congressional district and won. She received the endorsement of the Queens County Democratic party.[13] On November 6, 2012, Meng won the race for New York Congressional District 6 against Republican member of the New York City Council Dan Halloran, making her the first Asian American elected to Congress from New York.[14]
Tenure [edit]
She was inaugurated on January 3, 2013. Meng has co-formed the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus saying “The American people are just sick and tired of blaming each other without getting anything done.”[15]
Her district includes the Queens neighborhoods of Auburndale, Bayside, Briarwood, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Maspeth, Middle Village and Rego Park.
Committee assignments [edit]
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce (Ranking Member)
Caucus memberships [edit]
Personal life [edit]
Meng resides in Queens with her husband Wayne and their two sons, Tyler and Brandon.[2]
Grace Meng's father is Jimmy Meng, who in 2004, became the first Asian American ever elected to the New York State legislature.[16] He only served one term because of controversies. On March 12, 2013, Jimmy Meng left Brooklyn Federal Court after he was sentenced to a month in jail and a $30,000 fine for his role in the bribery scheme.[17]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "State Assembly: Grace Meng (D), District 22". Capitol Info. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "Grace Meng: Biography". New York State Assembly. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ "First Asian American in the NY State Assembly", ChinaDaily, 05-11-2004. Retrieved on 16-02-2007
- ^ http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/politics/new-york-6th-house-district-grace-meng-d-20121106
- ^ Noah C. Zuss, "Meng Beats Young in Primary for Flushing Seat." "Southeast Queens Press," Sept. 12-18, 2008, p. 11
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=463724
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=469000
- ^ "Election Results 2008: New York State Legislature". The New York Times. 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ "Election Results 2010: New York State Legislature". The New York Times. 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=692593
- ^ http://www.gracemeng.org/biography.html
- ^ http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Grace_Meng
- ^ "Queens Democratic Leaders Back Meng For Congress". NY1. March 19, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Grace Meng, Michael Grimm Win Seats In Congress". Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ http://www.qchron.com/editions/central/meng-talks-nation-s-business-at-th/article_182c8a3d-3940-5bd2-89c3-c3e62aab0078.html
- ^ "First Asian American in the NY State Assembly", ChinaDaily, 05-11-2004. Retrieved on 16-02-2007
- ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/jimmy-meng-receives-month-sentence-attempting-fix-criminal-case-article-1.1286335
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Grace Meng |
- Representative Grace Meng Official U.S. House Site
- New York State Assembly Member Website
- Grace for New York Official Campaign Site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Ballotpedia
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Replies to campaign position questionnaire
- New York Times biographical piece on the campaign, after Meng's victory
- Noah C. Zuss, "Meng Beats Young in Primary for Flushing Seat." "Southeast Queens Press," Sept. 12-18, 2008, p. 11.
| New York Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ellen Young |
New York State Assembly, 22nd District 2009–2013 |
Succeeded by Michaelle Solages |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Gregory Meeks |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 6th congressional district 2013-Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Mark Meadows R-North Carolina |
United States Representatives by seniority 405th |
Succeeded by Luke Messer R-Indiana |
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This article about a member of the New York State Assembly is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1975 births
- Living people
- American politicians of Chinese descent
- American women of Asian descent in politics
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Members of the New York State Assembly
- Members of the United States Congress of Asian descent
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York
- Women state legislators in New York
- New York Democrats
- People from Queens
- Stuyvesant High School alumni
- University of Michigan alumni
- Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law alumni
- Member of the New York State Assembly stubs
