Debbie Stabenow

Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator from Michigan
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2001 Serving with Carl Levin
Preceded by	Spencer Abraham
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 8th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Dick Chrysler
Succeeded by	Mike Rogers
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Tom Athans
Children	Michelle Stabenow Todd Stabenow Gina Athans (stepdaughter)
Residence	Lansing, Michigan
Alma mater	Michigan State University (B.A., M.S.W.)
Profession	Social worker

Deborah Ann Greer "Debbie" Stabenow (born April 29, 1950) is the junior United States Senator from Michigan and a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to the U.S. Senate, she was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2001. She previously served as a member of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners (1975-1978), Michigan House of Representatives (1979-1990), and Michigan Senate (1991-1994).

Stabenow defeated first-term Republican incumbent Spencer Abraham in the 2000 U.S. Senate election, becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Michigan. She and Maria Cantwell were the first women to defeat incumbent Senators in a general election, Carol Moseley Braun having done so in a primary in 1992. Stabenow was re-elected in the general election of 2006 for a term ending in January 2013.

Stabenow currently serves as chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit, Senate Energy Subcommittee on Water and Power, and Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee.

Early life and career

Stabenow was born in Gladwin, Michigan, to Anna Merle Hallmark and Robert Lee Greer. She grew up in Clare, Michigan, where her father and grandfather owned an auto dealership. She graduated from Clare High School. She received a B.A. from Michigan State University in 1972 and a M.S.W. magna cum laude from Michigan State University in 1975.

While in graduate school, Stabenow won her first election, to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, a position in which she served from 1975 to 1978. She has also worked as a social worker, and a leadership training consultant. She served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1979 to 1990, where she became the first woman to preside over the House. She also served in the Michigan Senate from 1991 to 1994. In 1994, she made an unsuccessful primary run for Governor of Michigan, after which she was chosen as nominee Congressman Howard Wolpe's running mate, but lost to the incumbent ticket of John Engler and Conie Binsfield.

She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1996 from Michigan's 8th congressional district and served two terms. She did not seek reelection to the House of Representatives in 2000, but was elected to the U.S. Senate. Stabenow was considered the underdog for much of the Senate race, but rallied in the final weeks of the campaign to unseat Spencer Abraham by a narrow margin after the Federation for American Immigration Reform ran ads criticizing Abraham's stance in favor of relaxing immigration restrictions.

Michigan legislature

Stabenow was a leader in the passage of the one of the first laws in the U.S. that required all Michigan children to ride in car seats until age five. She authored a domestic violence law which increased criminal penalties for those committing domestic violence offences. Republican members of the State legislature nicknamed her "D-Stabs" around this time. She was the first woman to preside over the House.

In the Michigan Senate, Stabenow was a leader in the passage of bills including Michigan's property tax cuts and school funding reform, small business reforms, and legislation to protect families and children in the state.

United States Senate

Stabenow speaks during the second day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

Stabenow is currently a member of the Finance Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with the Budget Committee and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. Previously, she also served on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and the Special Committee on Aging.

Stabenow is only the second person from Michigan to have served in both houses of the Michigan State Legislature and in both houses of the United States Congress. The first was Thomas W. Ferry. Stabenow is also the first person to have served as a Michigan state legislator to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate (until enactment of the Seventeenth amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, U.S. Senators were selected by the state legislature). No former Michigan state legislator had served in the U.S. Senate since 1894, when Francis B. Stockbridge died.

Stabenow introduced S. 2986 in 2002 attempting to move forward a land claims settlement with the Bay Mills Indian Community (Brimley, Michigan) and allow the tribe to develop a casino off-reservation almost 350 miles (560 km) away in Port Huron, Michigan. In 1996, the Bay Mills Indians made claims to lands in Michigan including more than 100 acres (0.40 km²) in the "Charlotte Beach" area on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.[3] The claims were rejected by both state and federal court at the time on administrative grounds and have never been officially heard or validated. Nevertheless, then Michigan Governor John Engler, a Republican, entered into a settlement agreement with the Tribe in which the Tribe would agree to extinguish claims to the Charlotte Beach lands in exchange for the right to build a casino in Port Huron.[4] The tribe has two casinos already. Michigan casino syndicators Marian Ilitch and Michael J. Malik, Sr. are bankrolling the tribe's pursuits. According to records on file with the Federal Election Commission, Ilitch Family members and Malik contributed more than $117,200 toward Stabenow's 2006 re-election — significantly more than they gave to any other federal candidate in either the 2004 or 2006 federal election cycles. Neither Ilitch or Malik contributed to Stabenow's previous campaigns. There have been no allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the Senator and the casino in question has not been built or authorized.

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, Stabenow was the first Senator to author legislation that would waive all transportation fees to Americans trapped in Lebanon, so that their deportation back to America would not cost them.

Stabenow became the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate on November 16, 2004, when she was elected by her colleagues to be secretary of the Democratic caucus. As caucus secretary, she assisted Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to set the Democrats' agenda and priorities. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was elected Minority Whip, the Democrats' second-ranking spot. In November 2006, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that Stabenow would leave the caucus secretary position to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as chair of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, charged with "engag[ing] Democratic Senators and community leaders across the country in an active dialogue".

Following the withdrawal of Tom Daschle as President Barack Obama's nominee as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, the National Organization for Women endorsed Stabenow for the position and urged the president to appoint Stabenow, saying, "Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has long focused on health care as a priority, and with her background as a social worker she is well positioned to take the helm of this agency that is so critical to women and families."

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit(Chairwoman)
  • Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition and Family Farms
• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power(Chairwoman)
• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on International Trade and Global Competitiveness
  • Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-Term Growth
• United States Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee (Chairwoman)

2006 re-election campaign

Main article: Michigan United States Senate election, 2006

Stabenow faced her first re-election in the 2006 election against Michael Bouchard, the Oakland County sheriff and former state Senate majority leader. Stabenow received 57 percent of the vote while Bouchard received 41 percent.

Political positions

Fairness doctrine

Stabenow has expressed support in regulating talk radio via a measure like the Fairness doctrine. On February 5, 2009, she stated "I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else — I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves."

Her support for these measures has been met with concerns about a conflict of interest, given that the primary target is conservative talk radio and that her current husband, Tom Athans, has been an executive at a number of liberal progressive talk radio networks.

Drilling in the Great Lakes

Being a supporter of environmental issues, she authored the first law to ban drilling in the Great Lakes.

On August 31, 2006 Stabenow, along with Senator Carl Levin and Rep. John Dingell, announced an agreement that would completely cease Ontario's dumping of solid waste in Michigan within four years. This issue has been an issue in Michigan for the past several years. Previously in the Senate, Stabenow wrote legislation intended to reduce the dumping of Canadian trash into Michigan by requiring machines to search trash being dumped across the border. In July 2006, the Senate unanimously passed a law sponsored by Stabenow requiring the payment of $420 inspection fee for every truckload of Canadian trash being brought into Michigan.

Global warming

On August 10, 2009, Stabenow was reported by The Detroit News as saying "Global warming creates volatility. I feel it when I'm flying. The storms are more volatile. We are paying the price in more hurricanes and tornadoes."[5].

SGR mechanism

Senator Stabenow has introduced a bill to end the SGR mechanism. In physician payment mechanisms, SGR refers to the "sustainable growth rate", used to calculate physician fees under Medicare, where theoretically, these fees would be reduced every year to compensate for an increase in Medicare spending overall. Medical organizations complain of being the only profession in the USA to live under government imposed price controls, controls which in actuality are not enforced. Because most often the US Congress responds to physician organization appeals, last-minute supplementary spending is approved (increasing the actual expenditures) so that no fee reduction occurs. A 21% cut would be due in January 2010.

Personal life

Stabenow was first married to Dennis Stabenow; the couple divorced in 1990. They have two children, Michelle and Todd.

In 2003, Stabenow married Tom Athans, now the executive vice president of Air America. By this marriage, she has a stepdaughter, Gina. On April 2, 2008, the Detroit Free Press reported that Athans had been implicated in a prostitution sting. Stabenow released a statement saying "This is very disturbing and serious. Obviously it's a deeply difficult and personal matter."

She belongs to the Grace United Methodist Church.

Electoral history

Michigan U.S. Senate Election 2000

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Debbie Stabenow	2,034,342	49.9	+1
	Republican	Spencer Abraham (Incumbent)	1,991,507	48.9

Michigan U.S. Senate Election 2006

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Debbie Stabenow (Incumbent)	2,151,278	56.9	+7.4
	Republican	Michael Bouchard	1,559,597	41.3

External links

• United States Senator Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Senate site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Debbie Stabenow profile
• About.com — Debbie Stabenow profile
• Michigan Liberal's Junior Senator section
• Stabenow for Senate, Campaign site