James Langevin

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Jim Langevin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Bob Weygand
Born	April 22, 1964 (1964-04-22) (age 45) Providence, Rhode Island
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	single
Residence	Warwick, Rhode Island
Alma mater	Rhode Island College, Harvard University
Occupation	political assistant
Religion	Roman Catholic

James R. Langevin (born April 22, 1964) is a Democratic member of the Rhode Island congressional delegation. He represents the state's 2nd District, serving since 2001.

[edit] Early life

Langevin was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He attended Bishop Hendricken High School, located in Warwick, Rhode Island, and then went on to study at Rhode Island College, from which he received an undergraduate degree, in addition to serving as President of Student Community Government, Inc., and he has a Masters of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. ^[1]

[edit] Political career

Langevin's first experience in politics was when he was elected to the state's 1986 constitutional convention and was named its secretary. He was first elected a member of the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1988 and served as an assemblyman until 1994. He was elected Secretary of State of Rhode Island in 1995, and while at this post he earned a reputation for weeding out corruption in the state government.

[edit] United States House of Representatives

Langevin was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2000, defeating perennial candidate Robert Tingle. He took office in 2001, representing Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district. He has been re-elected with relative ease ever since, most recently defeating independent Rodney Driver in 2006 and Republican Mark Zaccaria in 2008, both by overwhelming margins.

[edit] Congressional committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Committee on the Budget
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism/HUMINT, Analysis and Counterintelligence
  • Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence

[edit] Paralysis

Langevin has been unable to walk since 1980, when, at the age of 16, he was seriously injured in an accidental shooting. He had been working as a volunteer at the Warwick Police Department when a weapon accidentally discharged, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He is known as an advocate for people with disabilities and for universal health care. On July 27, 2004, he spoke to the Democratic National Convention, largely on the subject of stem cell research.

In March 2007, Langevin became a co-sponsor of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, which had the stated purpose of "enhancing and furthering research into paralysis and to improve rehabilitation and the quality of life for persons living with paralysis and other physical disabilities." The bill passed the House of Representatives but not the Senate. However, in 2009, the bill was included in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, also co-sponsored by Langevin, which passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama.

[edit] Political positions

Langevin is a pro-life Democrat. He supports gun control, and co-sponsored a 2005 bill which would have reauthorized the 1994 assault weapons ban, which had expired in 2004. Langevin is considered pro-labor, as he is a co-sponsor and proponent of the Employee Free Choice Act and has received donations from several major unions. He is a proponent of universal health care; in May 2009, he introduced the American Health Benefits Program Act of 2009, which has the stated purpose of "amending the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to assure comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage for all Americans through an American Health Benefits Program." It has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

For the Presidency in 2008, Langevin announced his support for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)^[2], by serving as a special adviser on issues ranging from stem cell research to people with disabilities.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Representative James Langevin official U.S. House site
• Langevin for Congress official campaign site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia